Chapter 82: Temporary Genin

As Jōnin, Sakumo Hatake and Jun Toriumi had witnessed countless life-and-death situations, so they could easily judge a person's state of mind from just their gaze.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze's eyes showed neither ignorance nor fearlessness, but rather a calmness akin to theirs, as if he had already come to terms with life and death.

When executing missions, how many ninja could guarantee their safe return every time?

However, this mindset usually came after experiencing numerous missions, yet it was appearing strangely in Minato, who was still a student at the Academy.

Not only were Sakumo and Jun surprised, but Uchiha Homura, from whom Minato had taken the file, also had a bewildered expression. After regaining his composure, he said excitedly to Minato, "Minato Namikaze, this is not the time for you to show off. Do you know what this mission means?"

"I do," Minato answered. He knew what Uchiha Homura was thinking and added, "The Third Hokage would not give orders carelessly or have us go on a suicidal mission. As long as we know that, it's enough."

Saying this, he began flipping through the file in front of him, which contained a photo of a man. The man's overall appearance was decent, but his gaze was extremely cold and sharp, like that of a hawk.

Uchiha Homura stood frozen, his fists clenched tightly.

After a while, Uchiha Homura slowly reached out his hand, but at that moment, Minato tilted the file away.

"The rivalry between us is just a competition among comrades, but this mission requires risking our lives. If you're doing this to compete with me, there are other ways; don't joke with your life."

Minato's expression also became solemn, as he was unsure if Uchiha Homura had truly prepared or had rashly decided not to lose to him.

This statement made Sakumo Hatake and Jun Toriumi pause momentarily.

A child not even nine years old had already considered certain things so thoroughly.

Uchiha Homura raised his eyes to meet Minato's gaze, his mouth curling into a slight smile, causing Minato to blink in surprise. As far as he could remember, this was the first time the person in front of him had shown him a benevolent smile.

"Since I've chosen the path of a ninja, risking my life was bound to happen sooner or later. Moreover, I don't think I'm someone who would die so easily."

Uchiha Homura said slowly. As Minato had said, their competition was limited to the village, but now the two of them were not just opponents but also comrades, Konoha ninja.

Minato smiled, and Uchiha Homura was not as stubborn as he seemed. Minato then handed him the file.

Seeing the two of them like this, Sakumo Hatake's mood also gradually became more relaxed. He had initially thought that with these two on the same team, they would constantly compete and clash, which would not be helpful for this mission.

However, as the Third Hokage had said, being opponents was also the beginning of becoming close friends.

These two children seemed to have a more open-minded perspective than he did.

"This Kuriyama Shinzō is a damned bastard!" After reading the file, Uchiha Homura couldn't help but curse. The file showed that before defecting, this man had killed several Konoha ninja.

Although young, Uchiha Homura had a strong sense of justice, and his clan was responsible for guarding the village. He even felt a sense of shame for allowing this man to escape from the village.

After putting the file back in the bag and returning it to Sakumo Hatake, the two of them respectfully bowed to Sakumo.

As the leader of this mission and their senior, Sakumo deserved such courtesy.

"Heh," Sakumo chuckled, then turned to reveal Jun Toriumi's figure in the corner. "Let me introduce you, this is Jun Toriumi, also a member of our team for this mission."

They had already heard this name before, so the two of them had guessed that this woman must be Jun Toriumi, or she wouldn't have been waiting here.

"Hello, little brothers," Jun Toriumi smiled kindly, her big eyes curving into crescent moons, complementing her beautiful and delicate features, which easily made people feel fond of her.

However, Minato and Uchiha Homura simultaneously noticed a cold look deep within her eyes.

Uchiha Homura felt it more profoundly because although Jun Toriumi concealed it well, there was something ingrained in her eyes that could not be completely erased.

He had seen this look before; many Jōnin in the Uchiha clan had such an expression.

Sakumo Hatake also glanced sideways at Jun Toriumi and said, "It seems you need to practice controlling your gaze before executing this mission. Otherwise, we might encounter danger."

He had already guessed that Jun Toriumi had likely joined the Anbu, directly under the Hokage's command, and had become a Jōnin not long ago. Therefore, she couldn't fully control and conceal her gaze.

In the village, it didn't matter, but on this mission, they would encounter elite ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. Although they were going to assassinate, they might need to disguise themselves and conceal their identities first. Jun Toriumi's current gaze could easily expose them.

"Mm," Jun Toriumi smiled and agreed without any objection or displeasure.

However, she was surprised that these two kids had also noticed her unusual behavior.

As Sakumo had told her, she couldn't treat them as ordinary brats.

"Jun Toriumi-senpai, I'm Minato Namikaze. Please guide me well," Minato smiled warmly. He could see that Jun Toriumi wasn't inherently bad but perhaps had some special experiences that prevented her from fully concealing her emotions at this point.

Sometimes, Minato couldn't explain his own perceptions either.

"Uchiha Homura," Uchiha Homura said, not as polite as Minato, as he didn't hold Jun Toriumi in the same regard as Sakumo Hatake.

Jun Toriumi didn't mind and couldn't show any displeasure at the moment. She smiled and nodded at the two, quickly regaining her composure and not saying another word.

Sakumo turned around and took out two Konoha forehead protectors from the ninja tool pouch on his back. Like throwing hand shuriken, he tossed the two forehead protectors simultaneously, but in different directions, landing in Minato's and Uchiha Homura's hands.

"From now on, you two are temporarily Konoha Genin, ready to carry out the mission in the Land of Hot Water!"

(End of chapter)