"Congratulations, Kagami! You're officially on your way to becoming a real ninja!" the older one said with a smile.
Kagami couldn't contain his excitement. "Thanks, bro! And look at you, a real genin now! That headband looks awesome on you!"
The warm afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the ninja school gates. Hayate stood proudly, his new forehead protector shining in the light as he clutched his graduation certificate.
"Hey, little bro," he began, "did you spot any potential friends or rivals today?" he prompted, a faint smile on his pale face before a small cough escaped him.
Kagami thought for a moment. "There was this one kid with black hair and a fan symbol on his shirt. He looked super serious, like a grown-up, even though he's just a kid like me."
"Ah, the Uchiha clan," Hayate nodded. "They're a pretty big deal around here."
"Yeah, I got that feeling. Especially after last year..." Kagami remembered, his voice trailing off. The name Uchiha carried a certain weight within the village, and the events of the previous year still lingered in his mind.
"That boy, I'm pretty sure it was Uchiha Itachi," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled the encounter.
Hayate leaned in, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Kagami shrugged. "Just a hunch. He seemed... different from the other kids. He wasn't happy about making it to the Academy, unlike the others. Not only that, but he was just... quiet."
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"Yo, Hayate! Over here! Come join us!" a green-clad ninja yelled, waving at them from a nearby dumpling shop.
Beside him sat a red-eyed kunoichi and a burly male ninja.
"Is that...?" Kagami squinted.
"Yep, that's Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma," his brother confirmed.
"Sorry, guys, I was gonna head home and get some training in," he called back, but Guy was already signaling him over.
"No way, no way! Today's the day you made genin, this calls for a celebration! We'll even share some of our hard-earned wisdom," Guy insisted, dragging a mildly protesting Hayate into the shop.
Hayate sighed, but a smile tugged at his lips. "Alright, alright. C'mon Kagami, let's join them."
----------
"A toast!" Guy declared, raising his cup high. "To Hayate, our newest genin, and to Kagami, future ninja!"
The room erupted in cheers as everyone clinked their cups together.
Guy grinned at Kagami. "Don't be shy, kid, raise your glass with us!"
Kagami's face lit up as he clinked his smaller cup against the others. A warm feeling spread through him, and it wasn't just from the tea.
When the laughter died down, Guy's face turned serious. "Hayate, there's something you should know. As your senpai, it's my duty to fill you in."
Hayate leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "What is it?"
Guy took a deep breath. "It's about Team 3's mission, the one they took two days ago to deal with those bandits."
Asuma nodded grimly. "I heard they ran into some trouble. Only Motoki made it back, and he's in the hospital now."
Kurenai gasped. "The others... they didn't...?"
Guy shook his head. "We don't know the details yet. The village is still investigating."
Kurenai looked slightly relieved but still uneasy.
Ninjas were known for their efficiency. When a mission went wrong, delays often meant the worst.
"But if Motoki is back, surely he can tell us what happened, right?" Kagami piped up.
Guy's expression turned grave as he turned to the young boy. "If only it were that simple. Motoki... he's not himself."
Kurenai and Hayate exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?" they asked in unison.
Guy's arms crossed over his chest. "The truth is, Motoki didn't make it back on his own. He was found collapsed in the Forest of Death by some other shinobi returning from a mission. And when they found him, he was covered in bugs."
"I was on gate duty when they brought him back," Guy said.
"Motoki was lying limp on his rescuer's back. When they got the bugs off him, he just started screaming, thrashing around like a maniac. His eyes... I've never seen anything like it. Bloodshot, bulging, darting around like he was seeing things that weren't there."
Kurenai shuddered. "That's awful..."
"Some people tried to calm him down, but he just lashed out with this whip made of bugs, keeping everyone at bay," Guy continued.
"Then, just as quickly as it started, he went still. Slumped right down, knees to his chest. And those bugs, they swarmed out, covering every inch of him."
Guy paused, collecting his thoughts. "It gets even weirder. Those bugs didn't behave like normal bugs. They formed this... this shell around him, like some kind of..."
He searched for the right words, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"A statue!" Guy exclaimed. "The bugs made Motoki look like that statue I saw on the ground!"
"What kind of statue?" Asuma prodded, thoroughly engrossed.
"It... it looked almost human, but with an octopus head. The bugs were hanging off his chin, wriggling in the air like tentacles. And it had these wings..." Guy's voice trailed off.
"The statue..." he whispered, lost in thought.
"R'lyeh..."
His gaze drifted away, his eyes seemed to stare at something in the distance.
The others exchanged confused glances, wondering what had caught his attention. They followed his gaze, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to see.
Hayate and the others looked back at Guy, puzzled.
"Hey, snap out of it!" Asuma clapped his hands loudly, snapping Guy back to reality. "You alright?"
Guy blinked, flashing his signature grin. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good!"
"So, what happened next?" Asuma asked.
Guy's grin faltered. "The Aburame clan showed up, used their parasitic insects to draw the bugs off Motoki, and they then rushed him to the hospital."
A wave of relief washed over the group, but his face remained troubled. "When Motoki was trapped in that bug cocoon, I could've sworn I heard him chanting something."
"It was like... Cthulhu, or something like that."
The table fell silent, the weight of his words settling over them like a shroud. Each of them wondered what horrors Team 3 had faced on their ill-fated mission.