Introducing one's abilities and goals during the initial squad meeting with the jōnin instructor was standard protocol.
It gave the squad leader a sense of each member's strengths and personalities.
But no one expected those words—"to become Hokage"—to come from Uchiha Jun's mouth.
"Pffft!"
Anko spat out the dango she'd just stuffed in her mouth.
The sticky treat flew in an arc and landed right on Mizuki's head.
He slowly removed the saliva-coated dumpling, face frozen in stunned awkwardness.
Veins pulsed on Inuzuka Tsume's forehead.
Please let my future child never say something so embarrassing out loud.
Becoming Hokage was a common dream among Konoha boys.
Nothing wrong with that—unless it came from this guy.
The most infamous loser in the entire village. A walking joke.
Tsume gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to explode. She jabbed a finger at the only girl present—Mitarashi Anko.
"You. Next."
Anko's gaze lingered longingly on the dango Mizuki was still holding, then she swallowed and spoke up.
"Mitarashi Anko. Seven years old. I know the Three Basic Techniques and Fire Release. My goal—or short-term mission—is to get to the front lines and find my father."
…So it was true.
Tsume sighed to herself. In the shinobi world, kids matured fast. There was no hiding the truth.
Anko's father had been a tokubetsu jōnin—killed in battle the year prior. Rumor said only one from his squad made it back, and that one was an Uchiha.
Tsume's eyes flicked briefly to Jun again.
The Uchiha... always gave off that cold, twisted vibe. She didn't trust a single one of them.
"Guess I'm next," Mizuki said, finally tossing away the spit-soaked dango.
"Mizuki. I know the Three Basics and specialize in ninja tool throwing. My goal is… to support Hokage Jun in the future."
You little bastard.
Jun's fists clenched.
Was this guy mocking him again? No wonder he'd already been kicked twice by Anko today.
"HeeheeHAHAHA!"
Anko burst into laughter and clapped Mizuki hard on the back.
"Turns out you're not just slimy with me, huh? But hey—I like that one! Supporting Hokage Jun—ha! I can't breathe!"
Mizuki winced, casually dropping the dango. Damn, that girl's got a grip like a vice…
"All done?"
Tsume crossed her arms and landed in front of the trio. "Words mean nothing. Time to show me what you've got. Go play with my partner."
Eh?!
Before they could react—
POOF!
A puff of smoke exploded beside her.
A large shinobi hound emerged—wolf-like in build, one ear missing, right eye hidden behind an eyepatch.
"Kuromaru, don't hold back. If one of them fails, they don't need to come back."
Tsume turned to them, her expression dark.
"Let me tell you a little not-so-secret secret," she said, voice low and dangerous.
"When he's hungry… Kuromaru eats people."
Their faces went pale. Seeing their reaction, Tsume finally looked satisfied—then vanished in a blur.
"…Welp."
Mizuki scrambled to draw a shuriken from his brand-new weapons pouch. "We need to work together if we want to survive this."
Kuromaru's single eye gleamed. Drool dripped from his jagged fangs, his breath ragged and warm.
Mizuki whimpered, "Don't eat me. Eat one of them—they've got noble bloodlines! I'm just a civilian. My meat's all tough!"
Jun side-eyed him. Is that genuine fear or more fake drama?
Anko scowled. "The gods must be punishing me for not listening to my mother. What did I do to deserve these two idiots?"
She was furious, but Jun noticed something in her posture.
She wasn't afraid.
That confidence in her stance... it wasn't fake.
Just like him, she'd been acting in front of Tsume.
Tch. No wonder Orochimaru would take her as a disciple in the future. She had nerves of steel.
And compared to Mizuki? Anko clearly had real potential.
As for Jun himself? Of course he wasn't afraid.
Veteran shinobi loved pulling these little "tests of character." He knew the drill.
"ROARRRR!!"
Kuromaru let out a growl that didn't sound canine at all. His black fur bristled like iron spikes, and his twin fangs gleamed as they slid into view.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
Eleven-year-old Mizuki looked like he was about to piss himself.
Kuromaru locked onto the trembling boy and lunged, raising a cloud of dust with the sheer force of his pounce.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Mizuki screamed, blindly chucking shuriken in all directions from his pouch.
Goddammit.
Jun and Anko dove aside, narrowly avoiding friendly fire.
Those weren't cheap Academy-issued tools either—each one was gleaming, oversized, and definitely custom-forged.
CRACK!
Kuromaru grazed past Mizuki and smashed into a wooden post. The pillar exploded under the impact with a deafening boom.
"AAAHHH!"
Out of ammo, Mizuki screamed again and bolted into the nearby forest without looking back.
"…"
Jun stared after him in disbelief.
That dog had practically announced it was acting—and Mizuki still panicked like a rookie.
He probably thought the shuriken scared it off.
So much for "tool-throwing expert."
"GROWL!"
Kuromaru rose from the splinters, snarling more viciously now.
"It's injured," Anko muttered, eyes lit with dangerous excitement. "Wounded beasts are deadliest. If you're gonna run, Uchiha, do it now. I don't need deadweight."
She pulled a kunai and lowered her stance.
Jun took a single step back, arms crossed.
Have fun.
"HISSSHHH!"
Kuromaru lunged at Anko like a black blur.
"Hmph. Weak."
Anko dipped low, slipping past the beast's jaws, and jabbed the kunai upward toward his stomach.
Her combat instinct was sharp—impressively so for someone so young.
But Kuromaru wasn't going easy.
He kicked off with his hind legs, twisted midair, and lashed out with his tail.
CLANG!
A metallic ring echoed—the dog's claws were sharp enough to spark against the kunai.
Anko rolled forward to escape the tail's arc.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three kunai left her fingers in rapid succession, arcing in a triangle pattern toward Kuromaru. At the same time, she flew through hand seals.
Serpent – Dragon – Hare – Tiger
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Her cheeks puffed out as if stuffed with dango—then unleashed a narrow but intense stream of flame.
FWWWWSSHH!!
Kuromaru landed hard, tearing deep gouges into the earth as he braced.
A split-second later, the fire hit.
BOOM!
The impact churned up smoke and fire, the air crackling from the heat.
Clap, clap.
Panting slightly, Anko turned to Jun with a proud smirk, dusting her hands together.
"See? Told you I could handle it alone."
But the look she got from Jun wasn't admiration.
He was charging straight at her.
"You—"