Chapter 29: Jōnin Squad Leader
Ishiro wasn't surprised that the village placed him, Shouhara, and Tanaka on the same team. Once he heard that Tatsuya, Mokashi, and Fujino were grouped together, he guessed the village aimed to bind people with existing bonds into squads.
Among all the classmates, the connection between him, Shouhara, and Tanaka was well-known. But seeing Shouhara trying so hard not to grin, acting as if it was nothing, Ishiro just wanted to tease him a bit.
He nudged Tanaka with his elbow and murmured, "Don't be down. Ikura and I are tight, so our two teams can still hang out. And you know Meikō—she rarely talks, so it doesn't look like she's into Ikura. As for that Uzumaki girl, Yumi, it's her first time meeting Ikura too, so you've still got a chance."
Sure enough, Shouhara, who had been secretly elated at being placed with Tanaka, shot Ishiro a furious look.
After the class's new teams were announced, each trio stayed put to await their respective sensei.
A quick note: being assigned a Jōnin sensei doesn't necessarily make them your mentor in the strict sense. Officially, they're your squad leader, not your master. A real master–disciple relationship only arises if things click particularly well between them. For instance, in the original storyline, Jiraiya was Minato's master, yet Jiraiya wasn't Minato's "assigned Jōnin." Similarly, Kakashi's relationship with Sasuke had some master–disciple flavor, but not so much with Sakura, and only later in Shippuden did Kakashi truly begin mentoring Naruto one-on-one.
With that in mind, Ishiro was somewhat excited to see what kind of Jōnin sensei he'd get. Ideally, it would be someone powerful enough to ensure his safety. He'd already accepted that no one in Iwa could further his sealing-arts education, so the best he could hope for was a strong Jōnin to help him mature in combat.
Before long, the first Jōnin arrived, said "Team One, Tatsuya, Mokashi, Fujino, come with me," then vanished in a Shunshin before anyone could react.
It was obviously a test for those three, and they merely exchanged a quick glance, smirking in mutual understanding, then leapt out the window.
Soon, a second Jōnin entered, scanning everyone. His gaze paused on Ishiro and then on the red-haired Uzumaki Yumi, after which he said, "Team Two: Ikura, Meikō, Uzumaki Yumi, follow me," and walked out. Ikura's trio hurried after him.
Ishiro felt a little surprised—he recognized that man. In fact, they were quite familiar: it was the Barrier Division chief, arguably the strongest sealing user in the entire village, and also a top figure second only to Onoki and the senior advisors. The fact that he was personally leading Team Two showed how highly the village valued them. Equally surprising was that he was a sealing specialist, presumably assigned to mentor Uzumaki Yumi's potential rather than Ikura's raw power.
Shortly thereafter, a young man entered the room, wearing the standard red Jōnin attire. His face was square and youthful, likely sixteen or seventeen, with a friendly grin. Ishiro felt a pang of worry. He's too young…
Sure enough, the moment the young Jōnin spoke, it confirmed Ishiro's guess:
"Team Five: Ishiro, Shouhara, Tanaka—come with me." The youth finished and turned to leave. Though Ishiro's trio were taken aback, they followed quickly.
They arrived at a training ground. The young Jōnin stopped and turned to face them. Ishiro, Tanaka, and Shouhara formed a line opposite him, waiting for him to speak.
He seemed to hesitate for a bit, then said, "Let's do some intros. I'm your squad's Jōnin leader from now on, and my name is Kitsuchi."
Hearing that name, Ishiro's mind reeled. No wonder he looked so familiar—that's Kitsuchi, the son of Onoki. As a teenager, he was already a Jōnin, which made sense if you recalled the feats he'd pull off by the Fourth Great War era. Definitely someone Ishiro could rely on.
Kitsuchi then continued his own introduction, but Ishiro realized he'd zoned out. He only regained focus when Tanaka prodded him lightly, whispering, "It's your turn. Hurry up."
"Huh?" Ishiro blinked at Tanaka in confusion.
"Hahaha!" Kitsuchi let out a hearty laugh. It was his first time leading a squad, so he'd been nervous, but Ishiro's absentmindedness eased the tension.
Seeing Ishiro's confusion, Kitsuchi said, "You're Ishiro, right? I've heard about you—someone said your sealing-arts level is quite high. Even though you just became a full-fledged ninja, you've contributed a lot to the village."
Shouhara and Tanaka stared in disbelief. Shouhara, quickly growing indignant, muttered, "That sly jerk—who knew he'd be so famous already…?"
Ishiro scratched his head. "You're flattering me, sensei…" But his tone sounded smug, so Tanaka just rolled her eyes, and Shouhara snapped, "If you're really 'not that good,' why're you grinning so wide?"
Ishiro shot Shouhara a threatening glare—He's clearly overdue for some serious "verbal jutsu" payback.
Kitsuchi simply shrugged off their banter, saying, "So, the three of you are from the 'elite class,' meaning you didn't need a final exam to be confirmed as genin. I need to see your capabilities in action, so we know which missions we can take on."
He was already satisfied with them. The data indicated all three displayed solid aptitudes, and meeting them now, he sensed they had gained true ninja resolve. If they proved themselves strong enough, he'd take them on more challenging tasks right away.
He then beckoned them, "Attack me. Show me what you've got."
Before he finished, Ishiro launched three kunai at him, then leapt backward, barking orders at Shouhara and Tanaka: "Shouhara, engage him head-on! Tanaka, fake an attack and be prepared to switch roles if needed."
The other two offered no complaints. They'd each gone through real war-zone training arranged by family elders; they weren't the naive kids of some stories. Recognizing the importance of teamwork against a Jōnin, they sprang into action:
Tanaka slid to one side, circling behind Kitsuchi.
Shouhara, taking advantage of the distraction, charged from the middle, using his body to shield Ishiro's hand-seals, hoping to buy Ishiro time.
Kitsuchi, seeing them attempt a coordinated assault, smiled faintly. He didn't stand idle, however. He sidestepped in Tanaka's direction, forcing her to back off.
Meanwhile, Kitsuchi glanced at Ishiro, trying to observe Ishiro's hand seals. But Shouhara, among the physically strongest in the class, closed in with a sweeping kick aimed at Kitsuchi's waist.
Simultaneously, Tanaka hurled two shuriken from her distant flank—one at Kitsuchi's body, the other behind him to cut off his retreat.
Kitsuchi, though, had no intention of retreating. He lunged forward instead, interrupting Shouhara's momentum before he could fully swing the kick, grabbing that lifted leg. Then he took two large strides, slamming into Shouhara so he lost his balance and toppled sideways.
Trapped by Kitsuchi's grip, Shouhara's leg was pinned, leaving him momentarily helpless. Tanaka, thrown off by how rapidly events spiraled, was too far to intervene. She threw a few more shuriken to "rescue the besieged," but Kitsuchi simply sidestepped, dragging Shouhara's body to block each projectile. Finally, with a swift tug, he prepared to smash Shouhara onto the ground.
In that instant, Kitsuchi's eyes flicked with alarm. He abruptly released Shouhara and bounded away. The moment Kitsuchi left the ground, a stone spike erupted beneath him.
Alas, it was too late to catch him—he soared clear of its reach. But it had forced him to let Shouhara go. Shouhara slapped a hand on the ground to regain his footing, twisted, and landed upright.
Without pausing, Shouhara retreated to Ishiro. Tanaka, seeing her earlier moves fail, also regrouped. By then, Ishiro's Earth Spear Gun was still in progress—spikes kept rising, inching toward Kitsuchi.
But earlier, Kitsuchi's leap had created some distance, and the Earth Spear Gun had a flaw: adjacent spikes couldn't be too far apart. It had to advance slowly across the terrain instead of popping up all at once beneath him.
Kitsuchi waited until the spikes crept close, then formed hand seals at lightning speed. Placing a palm on the ground, he roared, "Earth Release: Cracking Earth Revolving Palm!"
In an instant, the ground split apart from where Kitsuchi's hand touched, fissures rapidly expanding in random directions toward Ishiro's