The most energetic of the group, Aida Sui, immediately spoke up:
"My name is Aida Sui, my favorite food is grilled meat, and my dream is to become the Fourth Hokage!"
Another kid dreaming of becoming Hokage.
"Heh..."
Uchiha Ryoji, who stood with his arms crossed, sneered and couldn't resist a jab:
"Seriously, Aida? With your strength and grades, forget about becoming Hokage. A civilian dreaming of such a thing? Ridiculous."
"You..."
Aida's face turned red with anger. His dream was just trampled on, and he clenched his fists, glaring at Ryoji.
"Tch."
Ryoji didn't take him seriously. In his mind, the only person in the class worthy of respect was Hyuga Suzune, who was always cold and distant.
Most Jonin instructors would step in at this point to diffuse the tension and keep the team's atmosphere from getting worse.
Takuya, however, just calmly watched them argue. He waited until they had worn themselves out before finally raising a hand:
"Next."
Ryoji shot a disdainful look at Aida before crossing his arms again and grumbling:
"My name is Uchiha Ryoji. I don't have any favorite foods, and I don't have any particular dreams."
Classic Uchiha.
"Next."
Takuya didn't bother looking at Ryoji anymore. There were plenty of people like him in the Uchiha clan.
"Hyuga Suzune. I like sweets, and my dream is to help my clan leader and my father protect the family."
Typical Hyuga.
Three difficult students, even more troublesome than Nawaki had been.
Takuya didn't have high expectations for them anymore. A lively civilian with decent talent, who could probably make it to Jonin or Special Jonin with the right training.
Then there was a typical Uchiha, and a traditionalist from the Hyuga clan.
With these three on the same team, things were bound to get heated.
At the very least, there was going to be constant competition between Ryoji and Suzune, while Aida was likely to be ignored by the other two, making him the invisible member of the team.
"Sensei, what about you?"
Not wanting to stay mad at Ryoji, Aida eagerly looked to Takuya, hoping for a proper introduction.
Takuya shrugged and casually opened his hands:
"My name's Yagami Takuya. I like food I cook myself, and I hate raw rice balls. As for a dream... I guess I just want to live my life the way I want."
So lazy.
Aida and Ryoji weren't the only ones who thought so—even Suzune was taken aback by how half-hearted Takuya's introduction was.
It was fine for students to be simple, but shouldn't the teacher take things more seriously?
"Oh, and one more thing."
Takuya's casual expression turned serious.
"I don't like being called 'Sensei.' I'm not taking on any disciples, and you're just members of my squad. Don't call me 'Sensei.'"
"And another thing..."
Takuya's gaze shifted between Ryoji and Suzune.
"I don't care about the relationship between the Uchiha and Hyuga or your little power struggles. In my squad, don't cause me trouble."
"No matter who you are, don't ever make things difficult for me."
Both of them grimaced at the warning.
"And you."
Takuya's attention turned to Aida.
Don't think you're getting off easy just because you're not from a clan.
Leaning against a nearby tree, arms crossed, Takuya spoke lazily:
"To be honest, I didn't want to become a Jonin instructor. You guys were pushed on me, got it?"
"..."
If any of the higher-ups heard Takuya say that, they'd probably spit out blood. This was definitely not how a Jonin instructor should be talking to students.
"I'm usually pretty laid back, and I don't go out of my way to pick fights or target anyone. Even if I don't get along with your clan's elders, I won't take it out on you.
But don't provoke me or make things harder than they need to be, or I won't be so easy on you."
"As for your training, I won't hold anything back—I'll help as much as I can."
"I also don't care if you date someone. Whoever you like is your business, but don't bring your drama into the team."
"That's all I have to say. Just remember: don't do anything stupid."
At that moment, the client arrived, and Takuya wrapped up the conversation. He needed to talk to the client to make sure the mission details were clear and that everything was in order.
Sometimes, particularly with D-rank missions, clients—especially villagers trying to save some money—would misreport the mission, hoping to get extra work done by the squad.
Most squads wouldn't make a fuss about it since they were all from the same village, and it would be awkward to cause a scene.
Takuya didn't mind if villagers who had fallen on hard times tried to take advantage of the situation a little.
But a little was fine. Being outright dishonest wasn't.
"The land that needs clearing is just this area here, exactly as described in the mission. No exaggeration," the client explained.
"Great. We'll finish the job on time, so don't worry about the planting season," Takuya replied.
From a distance, Aida watched Takuya talking with the client, his eyes full of awe.
"Did you notice how scary Captain Takuya looked just now? It was like a wild beast staring us down."
"That's because he's even more dangerous than a wild beast. He's killed more enemies on the battlefield than you've met in your life, including some famous Jonin. Even the Third Kazekage couldn't escape his genjutsu," Ryoji said, his face dark after the warning they'd just received.
Suzune looked just as uneasy.
As a precious member of the Hyuga main family, she wasn't used to being threatened like that.
Still, even if he was annoyed, Ryoji wasn't about to pick a fight with Takuya. That would only end badly for him.
Even if Takuya didn't kill him, he wouldn't have an easy time.
Despite everything, Ryoji couldn't stand the starry-eyed look Aida had on his face.
"The thing with the Third Kazekage—is that true?" Suzune asked.
It was the first time she had spoken directly to Ryoji.
Aida also looked over, eager to know if the rumors were true.
They'd heard all sorts of stories, but as recent graduates, they had no way of knowing what was fact and what was fiction.
One had spent most of their time training with their clan, while the other was a civilian with no access to insider information.
How pathetic—they couldn't even figure out whether these things were true.
Ryoji lifted his chin and smirked.
"Of course it's true. Captain Takuya activated his three-tomoe Sharingan ages ago. He even used genjutsu to humiliate a Jonin from the Shimura clan right in the Hokage's office. The guy was stuck in the hospital for over half a month afterward.
So, I'd suggest you both avoid provoking him."
Look who's talking, Aida thought, rolling his eyes. You're the one who's always acting out.
But he didn't bother saying it out loud. Knowing Ryoji, it would only lead to another argument.
Suzune frowned, her brows furrowed in thought.
She was trying to figure out how much of Ryoji's story was true.
She had heard some rumors about Takuya, but they weren't widely circulated among the Hyuga clan. The main family didn't pay much attention to these stories, thinking they were just Uchiha boasting.
Since Takuya had Uchiha blood, the Hyuga clan automatically associated him with the Uchiha, and they didn't take him seriously.
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Good job on reaching 2500 power stones! You will now get a new chapter every 1 hour so four chapters. Your next goal is 3000 power stones.