Another Collaboration
After the order was relayed, the Anbu said nothing more and vanished in a Shunshin. Shirō didn't press for details either—missions were an everyday matter for shinobi. Over the past year, his team had already been assigned several tasks under the Third Hokage.
Normally, instructions were passed directly to Nakamura, their team captain, who would then inform the rest of them. Direct orders from Anbu were rare, which only made these summons more unusual.
Still, Shirō didn't linger on it. He would find out soon enough.
Instead of heading straight out, he returned home, changed clothes, and strapped on his forehead protector. He rarely wore it outside of missions—never quite comfortable with the weight on his forehead—but when duty called, there was no avoiding it.
After checking his pouch and confirming all his tools were packed, he set out for the Hokage's Office.
By then, Nakamura, Uchiha Taiyi, and Nara Shikamaru had already arrived, their training schedules having been slightly earlier than his.
"Hokage-sama, Emiya Shirō reporting." Shirō's voice rang from outside the door.
"Shirō, you're here. Come in."
"Hokage-sama." Shirō bowed as he stepped inside.
"Wait a moment," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, lifting his pipe and glancing at the scroll in front of him. "One more team has yet to arrive."
Shirō glanced at Nakamura, lowering his voice. "Captain, do you know what kind of mission this is?"
Nakamura shook his head. "No idea. We'll know soon enough."
"Fair."
Shirō let it drop and idly sorted through his mental notes on Noble Phantasms. Without the Star of All-Knowledge and All-Power, he had no shortcut to instantly master them, so he committed each weapon to memory little by little. Even the ones that were impractical or volatile had to be remembered—he never knew when he might need to unleash them in desperation.
His thoughts were cut short by a voice at the door.
"Hokage-sama, Team Pingyi reporting."
"Oh? Pingyi?" Shirō arched his brow. "That's Miyue and Xiao Guang's squad. What are the odds?"
"Come in," the Hokage called.
Sure enough, Pingyi's team entered. Their eyes widened at the sight of Shirō, but with the Hokage present, they held their tongues.
"Good. Everyone is here." Hiruzen exhaled a slow puff of smoke. "This mission will be a joint assignment between your squads. Nakamura's team will take points, and Pingyi's team will provide support."
He tapped the scroll. "This request comes from the Land of Demons. They have appealed not only to us but to the other Great Nations as well. Handle yourselves properly—Konoha's reputation is at stake."
At that, Shirō's gaze sharpened. The Land of Demons?
Sure enough, the Hokage elaborated.
"They request our aid in subduing a monster of unknown origin. Its strength is uncertain, but if they've gone so far as to petition all five Great Nations, you can assume it is not a trivial threat. Exercise utmost caution."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The two teams chorused.
"Any questions?" Hiruzen asked, setting his pipe aside.
Nakamura glanced at Shikamaru, then replied, "No, Hokage-sama."
Pingyi also shook his head. Though their individual members were strong, they acknowledged Nakamura's team had the better balance for leadership.
"Good. This scroll contains the request and what little information we have. Read it carefully."
Nakamura accepted the scroll with a bow, then led both squads out of the tower.
Once outside, he handed it to Shikamaru. "You read and analyze the intel. We'll regroup at the Third Training Ground. In the meantime, let's introduce ourselves."
Everyone agreed—team synergy mattered in combat, and knowing each other's specialties could mean the difference between life and death.
At the training ground, introductions began.
"This is Nara Shikamaru," Nakamura said, smirking faintly. "His talents don't need much explaining."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered but didn't object.
"My name's Nakamura. I specialize in Wind Release and Earth Release." He kept his newly developing Lightning Release to himself for now.
"Uchiha Taiyi. Skilled in genjutsu and lightning-style taijutsu."
"Emiya Shirō," Shirō said evenly. "Proficient in kenjutsu and ninjutsu. Also…" He gave a small shrug. "An archer."
"Archer?" Pingyi's team glanced at him, puzzled. His listed skills didn't seem to match the claim. Shirō only smirked, refusing to elaborate.
With no further explanation, Pingyi's squad continued.
"Takeda. Taijutsu, Water Release, and Lightning Release."
"Uchiha Miyue. Fire Release and Lightning Release."
"Mito Pingyi. Kenjutsu and Lightning Release."
"Yuan Lai Guang. Kenjutsu and Lightning Release."
Shirō and Taiyi exchanged looks, both raising brows. Shirō finally chuckled. "That's… a lot of Lightning Release. Neat, almost too neat."
Xiao Guang grinned sheepishly. "We can't help it—it's talent."
"Brother Shirō? Do you two know each other?" Taiyi asked in surprise. Shirō seemed to run into acquaintances more often than chance should allow.
"Yeah," Miyue added slyly, slinging an arm around Xiao Guang. "When did you two get so close?"
"It's not like that!" Shirō snapped. "Our moms are close friends, that's all. Stop making things up."
"Exactly! Don't misunderstand," Xiao Guang added quickly, clearly anxious Miyue might think the wrong thing.
Taiyi smirked, ready to pile on more teasing, when Shikamaru finally folded up the scroll. "Enough. Let's focus. Time to discuss the mission."
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