Tōji fell asleep in the "Will of Fire" and woke up in the "Will of Survival," greeting a new day.
But lately, every day brought new changes.
Sure enough—before Tōji even had a chance to discuss transferring to Konoha's medical institution as a steady employee, someone came to notify him that he was to report for assembly…
Tōji had just finished washing up and was still changing clothes when his father called from outside that someone was looking for him.
He hurriedly got himself together, grabbed a carton of milk on his way out, and went to see what was going on.
Natchi had only waited a few minutes before Tōji came rushing out. "Morning, Tōji. Sorry for the short notice—but this is an assembly order from the Hokage's office."
"Morning, Natchi. Any idea what the mission is?" Tōji couldn't be bothered to complain. Ninja, after all—just gotta endure. He drank his milk while walking and asking, not caring much about manners.
"Not sure. But even Lady Tsunade's main force hasn't returned yet, and the Hokage is already calling us genin in. The mission's probably related to the Iwa front—otherwise, there wouldn't be such a rush." Natchi's analysis made him look more and more like a proper shinobi.
"Hopefully it's logistics…" Tōji was starting to care less about his image in front of Natchi, openly showing his slacker mentality. That kind of comment was harmless enough—no one would take issue with it.
"Hey, hey—we should have a little ambition too! Just doing logistics is kind of underwhelming!" Natchi's words caught Tōji off guard.
『Did this guy get extra brainwashing from the Izuno clan after coming back? Or did he meet the Third Hokage?』
『It couldn't be both, could it…』
"What, you want to charge headfirst into the front lines?" Tōji said in a joking tone.
"Well…" Natchi realized that for genin like them, aside from logistics, the only other option was cannon fodder. "…then it's got to be really important logistics!"
Tōji was a bit amused. He kept drinking his milk with a knowing smile and said nothing. Natchi's intelligence seemed to flicker on and off sometimes! Or maybe that line was just something he'd copied from the old folks in the neighborhood?
It wasn't clear yet whether the village would need to send a bunch of cannon fodder to wear down the Iwa-nin's offensive. The Third might not want to make that call—but with Danzo Shimura, "everything for Konoha," pressuring the other higher-ups, it was anyone's guess.
Tōji tilted his head and gazed at the Third Hokage's face carved into the mountain, lost in thought.
『The Third isn't really a man of firm conviction, is he.』
"Oh, Natchi—have you seen Captain Rawari since you've been back?" Tōji started fishing for information about what kind of squad he'd be assigned to.
"Captain Rawari? No idea, honestly. And no word on Senior Jakkō either." Natchi thought for a moment before answering.
"What's this—are you two talking about me?" Suddenly a voice came from behind—that same somewhat androgynous tone. "Long time no see, Natchi-kun, Tōji-kun."
Tōji and Natchi stopped and turned around. Jakkō was standing just a few paces away, wearing a harmless smile, still strolling closer.
"Senior Jakkō, what a coincidence!" Tōji didn't enjoy dealing with this guy, but he had to keep up appearances. He returned the greeting with a bright, sunny smile of his own.
"Senior Jakkō, good to see you!" Natchi, on the other hand, was naturally warm and enthusiastic.
『This guy's gotten better at putting on a front in conversation, hasn't he.』
"It's no coincidence, Tōji-kun. I've been called in too. Looks like we'll be on the same batch of missions—maybe even the same one~" Jakkō made a gesture, indicating they should all enter the Hokage Building together.