บท 42: Squad Members

"Thank you, Captain Kakashi."

Hearing Kakashi's words, Koshino secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Kakashi could be reliable when handling official matters.

But as soon as Koshino thought that, Kakashi reverted to his usual self, coldly reprimanding, "What captain? Koshino, from now on, call me Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

As expected, not long after the Fourth Hokage left, Kakashi became his prickly self again.

But what could Koshino do?

After all, Kakashi was the captain.

To survive well in the Anbu squad, Koshino could only play the obedient role. Fortunately, having experienced nearly "killing" Koshino, Kakashi had toned down a lot. After receiving a satisfactory response, Kakashi led Koshino to their Anbu squad's meeting place.

In the Hidden Leaf Village, there were specific locations for Anbu meetings.

However, Koshino was just a "temp," and Kakashi's Anbu squad also included a few other "temps" like Koshino. So, the meeting place was not particularly formal, just a secluded training ground not far from where Koshino and Guy trained.

Upon arriving, Koshino saw two Anbu members already waiting.

These two Anbu were about the same height as Kakashi, indicating they were also young.

Seeing Kakashi and Koshino's approach, the two Anbu were initially surprised by Koshino's age. Under Kakashi's cold gaze, they quickly scratched their heads and greeted Kakashi:

"Captain, you're here!"

"Yes, I'm here."

Kakashi nodded silently, and his icy demeanor softened a bit.

But the more Kakashi acted this way, the more Koshino felt he was challenging to deal with.

It was hard for Koshino to imagine not being "worn out" by Kakashi in the Anbu squad.

However, Koshino felt somewhat lucky that, aside from Kakashi, the other two young Anbu were relatively easy to talk to.

Seeing Koshi no's young age and his inclusion in the Anbu, they were keen to make friends, introducing themselves after greeting Kakashi:

"Hello, new partner. My name is Taisuke Raidou."

"And I'm Iwashi Tatami!"

"Nice to meet you!"

"Hello, my name is Nara Koshino. Please take care of me!"

Koshino had no problem with social interactions.

Apart from Kakashi, who was difficult to approach, Koshino had no trouble mingling with his new teammates.

Moreover, hearing the names Taisuke Raidou and Iwashi Tatami gave Koshino a sense of familiarity.

It turned out that Taisuke Raidou and Iwashi Tatami were minor characters in the original storyline.

In the original story, Taisuke Raidou was a special jonin, while Iwashi Tatami was just a regular chunin.

However, Koshino wouldn't underestimate their abilities, knowing they were members of the Fourth Hokage's guard team. During the Fourth Shinobi War, Taisuke Raidou and Iwashi Tatami worked with Genma Shiranui to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to transfer the Fifth Mizukage.

Of course, compared to Kakashi, Taisuke Raidou and Iwashi Tatami were just minor characters.

Koshino, however, didn't view them with bias, especially given their friendliness. Soon, Koshino got along well with them. Through their conversations, Koshino learned about the other members of Kakashi's Anbu squad.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Koshino, the freshly tested Might Guy.

The other member turned out to be Genma Shiranui.

Before long, Might Guy and Genma Shiranui arrived at the meeting point.

Seeing Guy covered in sweat, it was clear he had been training before the meeting.

On the other hand, Genma Shiranui's face turned pale upon seeing Koshino.

Through their conversation, Koshino discovered that Genma Shiranui was one of the Anbu who attacked him the other day, specifically the one with the pig-faced mask.

In this Anbu squad, Koshino and Guy were the newcomers, while Kakashi, Taisuke Raidou, Iwashi Tatami, and Genma Shiranui had been working together for a long time. After some introductions, Kakashi cleared his throat, bringing the group to silence.

Scanning the group and finally resting his gaze on Koshino, Kakashi, wearing his Anbu mask, began to outline their upcoming mission:

"According to intel, a band of bandits has recently appeared in the Land of Fire, likely spies from another country. Our mission is simple: eliminate the bandits and investigate their identities to confirm if they are indeed spies."

"Since Koshino and Guy are new to the Anbu, there are some rules you must follow!"

"Three rules!"

"First, follow the captain's orders during missions!"

"Second, do not interfere with matters outside the mission, even if you encounter villagers in danger!"

"Third, do not reveal your identity during missions!"

"Koshino, Guy, choose your code names!"

"Yes!"

Previously, Koshino had learned that Kakashi's code name was "Fang," Genma Shiranui's was "Flame," Taisuke Raidou's was "Lightning," and Iwashi Tatami's was "Sense."

Without hesitation, Koshino chose "Shadow," representing the Nara clan's signature jutsu. Unexpectedly, Guy chose "Turtle," leaving Koshino, Kakashi, and the others with black lines across their faces.

With the code names decided, it was time to head out on their mission.

This was Koshino's first mission outside the village, filling him with excitement.

However, the thrill quickly faded as Koshino witnessed the Anbu's ruthless methods, realizing:

"Even being a 'temp' in the Anbu is no easy task!"