Chapter 22: The Forming of Team Minus Three
The date for the Chunin Exams drew ever closer. Right up until the eve of departure, Liumu still hadn't seen hide nor hair of Master Jiraiya.
It was only the appearance of Toad Wu that solved the mystery.
"What? You mean Master Jiraiya went to Mount Myoboku?"
Liumu stared, then cursed under his breath. "I thought the old lecher had finally died in some woman's arms after disappearing for so long."
Toad Wu croaked, hopping onto Liumu's dining table. "Little Jiraiya is undergoing a very difficult training regimen. He probably won't be back for a while. He asked me to bring you a letter."
"A letter?"
Liumu took the scroll Toad Wu spat from his mouth with a mix of astonishment and disgust, shaking off the saliva.
Unrolling it, he looked inside…
"Chunin Exams. Do your best!"
"Hmph!"
Liumu looked at the simple six characters and snorted coldly… but then a faint, involuntary smile touched his lips.
The Chunin Exams were different from the Genin promotion. They required testing in the form of three-person teams.
In the square before departure, the supervising Jonin instructed the participating ninja to choose their teammates.
Hearing this, Liumu glanced around. Kakashi immediately came to mind. After all, among the dozens of people present, he only really knew him.
"Liumu! Liumu!"
Just as Liumu was scanning the crowd for Kakashi, he heard his name being called.
He looked over to see a group of his former classmates, led by Guy and Rin, standing in a neat row just outside the square boundary, waving at him enthusiastically.
"Liumu! Kakashi! Good luck!"
Rin cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting with all her might.
Simultaneously, all the students raised their arms, chanting the names of Liumu and Kakashi.
Kakashi, within the crowd, removed his mask. He slowly squeezed his way out, coming to stand beside Liumu. The two of them looked at the cheering scene outside the square, then glanced at each other and shared a quiet smile.
...
...
...
"Hello, I'm Mizukage. I'm proficient in using Earth Release chakra to harden my skin."
On the road to the Land of Lightning, Mizukage, who was teamed with Liumu and Kakashi, introduced her abilities.
As teammates, they were now a unit. Knowing each other's skills would be a great help in the upcoming exams.
"Skin hardening?" Upon hearing her ability, Kakashi instantly thought of a certain ANBU member. And from memory, both her height and hair color matched the Mizukage before him.
"Earth Release… hardened skin…"
Liumu muttered, looking at the pretty girl beside him. He wondered how someone so delicate practiced such a… sturdy-sounding ninjutsu.
"Kakashi. Proficient in…"
Just as Kakashi began his introduction, Mizukage covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Kakashi, I recognized you the moment I saw your mask and hair."
"So it really is you," Kakashi said softly.
"What the hell?" Liumu was completely lost by their cryptic exchange. He felt like a third wheel watching them flirt.
"And you are Liumu!" Mizukage turned to him. "I think not just me, but everyone here probably knows your name by now."
Hearing this, Liumu realized she was referring to the scene in the square before departure, where his classmates had chanted his name. Thinking of that, he offered an embarrassed smile. "Yes, I'm Liumu. Proficient in… taijutsu!"
When it came to his specialty, Liumu hesitated for a moment. There was no doubt he was not proficient in ninjutsu or genjutsu. But his ability… was it 'arithmetic'? Was there a taijutsu technique for 'defeating the enemy with logic'?
"We're a team now," Mizukage said, placing her hand in the space between the three of them. "Let's work hard together in these Chunin Exams!"
Seeing this, Kakashi and Liumu glanced at each other, then placed their right hands on top of hers.
"Let's do this!"
...
The Land of Lightning was far from the Land of Fire. It took the group half a month, crossing numerous mountains, to finally reach its borders.
Along the way, although Kakashi's personality wasn't suited for small talk, Mizukage was a natural conversationalist. She kept topics flowing, effortlessly dissolving the awkward silences that occasionally fell between the three.
"Are you hungry? I made some onigiri myself. Would you like some?"
On Mount Midori, the Konoha contingent paused to rest. Liumu's team of three sat around a large boulder, planning to replenish their energy and supplies.
"Sure!"
Liumu scooted closer to Mizukage, watching as she pulled an exquisite bento box from her pack.
"Hey, you made these?" Liumu looked at the rice balls in the box, each three or four times larger than usual. He chuckled. "I could eat… maybe one of these."
Mizukage understood his meaning. She explained, "I like big portions. So the onigiri I make are naturally bigger than usual."
"Like big ones?" Liumu tilted his head. "So… do you like sushi?"
"I love it!" Mizukage said, her words slightly muffled as she took a bite of a pickled plum onigiri. "I usually add three or four times the normal seasoning when I make sushi, so…"
"So the sushi rolls you make are… thick."
"Yes."
"Pfft…"
Liumu laughed, thinking the girl Mizukage was really quite cute.
Kakashi and Mizukage didn't understand why Liumu was laughing, but they didn't ask.
Kakashi accepted an onigiri from Mizukage. After eating, he unfolded a map, checking their current location. "At the team's current pace, we'll enter Land of Lightning territory in three days."
The Land of Lightning was a nation with vast borders but extremely uneven resource distribution. The dense forests and waterfalls in the south enjoyed perpetual spring, while the northern wilderness was as barren as a desert.
The Konoha group was traveling from south to north, currently between the Land of Sound and the Land of Lightning. Though they were still days away, everyone could already feel the distinct change in the air.
Seven teams from Konoha were participating this time. Liumu's team had the youngest average age by far. It was said one usually had to be at least 12 or 13 to take the Chunin Exams. Yet here was a team with two six-year-olds.
"Do you know who he is?"
At that moment, Mizukage squeezed between them, whispering as she glanced at the Jonin leading their contingent this time.
"No idea."
Liumu shrugged, replying indifferently. In his view, the man had black and red hair, a stern face, and wore a standard uniform with an insignia. Even during rest, he remained standing on a boulder, constantly surveying the surroundings for any potential threats.
Kakashi, with his ANBU experience, had frequent contact with Konoha's top Jonin. But looking at the man now, even he couldn't immediately recall who he was.
(End of Chapter)
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