182-No Time To Waste

Fujioka approached Renjiro with a broad smile, clapping him on the shoulder with a firm, reassuring grip. "Renjiro, that was impressive! You've proven yourself in every way possible. I'm proud of you."

Renjiro, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the day's events, managed a modest smile. "It wasn't like I did much," he said.

'Frankly, I expected more when I heard about this, but I'll still take this.' Renjiro thought.

"Don't sell yourself short," Fujioka replied warmly. "You showed exceptional talent and composure. You've earned this."

As they walked together, Fujioka turned to Renjiro with a more serious expression. "By the way, I noticed you were out of the village a while ago. What Happened?"

The reason that Fujioka asked this was because he knew Renjiro was not on a mission from the force since as his current squad leader, although semi-retired, he would know about that.

Renjiro blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question. He quickly recovered and replied, "Minato invited me on a couple of missions. He thought it would be a good experience for me so we spent two weeks continuously completing missions."

While the circumstances that led to Renjiro's current ambiguous squad situation in the force were distasteful, he took advantage of it and completed missions outside of the force, something he would not be allowed to do so if his squad was in full capacity.

Fujioka nodded, satisfied with the answer, but still curious. "I see. I didn't know about those missions, so I was wondering."

Before Renjiro could respond, Kagami, an old squad member, approached them with a grin. "Renjiro! Congratulations on becoming a squad leader!"

Renjiro returned the smile, happy to see a familiar face. "Thanks, Kagami. It's been a while."

Kagami's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Guess what? Hae and I got married!"

Renjiro's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? That's amazing! Congratulations to both of you."

Internally, he mused, 'They weren't even dating when we were in the same squad, and now they're married? But then again, constantly having close encounters with death, like most shinobi do, can make people act strangely.

This is good for them, but it also means I don't have time to waste because if Shisui's parents are now married, he'll probably be born in the next few years. I thought I had a lot of time until the start of the story, but with the way time is quickly moving, I might wake up one day and find the Third Shinobi War has begun.'

Kagami continued, "I would have invited you to the wedding, but you were out of the village with Minato and the rest of the squad."

Renjiro thought, 'While I would have loved to attend a wedding in this world, I'm not sure we were that close since we were only squad members for a couple of months.'

The three shinobi chatted a bit more, catching up on old times and exchanging stories. Eventually, they all had to bid their goodbyes since Renjiro was required to attend a meeting with Iwata and Kagami had to leave to attend to his duties.

"I will take my leave now," Fujioka said with a wave.

"Good luck with your new responsibilities, Renjiro," Kagami said.

Renjiro waved back. "Thanks, Take care."

As he watched them walk away, Renjiro thought, 'I wonder if I will get to choose my squad members or if the higher-ups will just allocate them to my squad.'

Renjiro then made his way to the designated meeting room for the orientation. He was the first to arrive and took a seat, waiting for the others.

Soon, Amari and the other two new squad leaders, Asato and Hiroki, arrived. They exchanged nods of acknowledgement before taking their seats, and moments later, Iwata entered the room.

'I guess it is straight to work.' Renjiro thought.

"Congratulations to all of you for making it this far," Iwata began, his voice steady and authoritative. "You are now the leaders who will shape the future of our village's military and police force. Your responsibilities are significant, and your actions will set an example for others to follow."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "As squad leaders, you will report to me. I am your immediate superior. It is crucial that you understand the chain of command and adhere to it strictly."

Iwata then went on to outline the force's leadership ranks and who the new squad leaders will be answering to from him, all the way to Daichi.

Renjiro listened intently, noting how different the structure was from what he had expected.

'Hmm... well that's surprising, I thought that when I became a squad leader, I would have to report to Sinoda since I replaced Fujioka, but it seems like things are different.'

Iwata continued, outlining their duties and expectations. "You will be required to submit monthly reports on your squad members, detailing their progress, missions, and other duties. These reports are essential for maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of our force."

Iwata's next words brought a spark of excitement to Renjiro. "Tomorrow, you will begin your duties by choosing your squad members and meeting rooms. This is your chance to form a team that complements your strengths and covers your weaknesses."

As Iwata spoke, Renjiro's mind drifted to his memories of Tobe and Toda. The thought of his late friends brought a pang of sorrow. Frankly, Renjiro would have loved to be in a squad with either of the two late brothers rather than be a squad leader since they were good friends to him and guided him well.

Realizing that he was absent-minded, Renjiro quickly refocused on Iwata's words.

Renjiro nodded, his thoughts momentarily returning to Tobe and Toda. It seemed that Renjiro had not properly dealt with his grief. But this was not something he was ready to address. He pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on the task at hand.

After Iwata finished the briefing, Renjiro planned to go home and finalize his strategy for selecting his squad members. However, his plans were abruptly interrupted when he sensed a disturbance. A cloaked and masked shinobi from the ANBU appeared before him, causing a ripple of surprise among the others present.

Renjiro's eyes narrowed. 'What is the ANBU doing here?' he wondered.

The masked shinobi stared directly at Renjiro and said, "Uzumaki Renjiro, the Hokage wants to see you." Without another word, the ANBU then disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.

Renjiro knew better than to ask questions. He quickly made his way to the Hokage's office by flickering. When he arrived, he was surprised to find several familiar faces already there. Minato, Yano, Sama, Hiro and Daichi were the only ones he could immediately recognize.

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