Chapter 40: A Temporary Team-up
Chapter 40: A Temporary Team-up
Feng Ye let out a soft laugh before standing up. "Alright, I'm heading out to buy some ingredients. Anyone want to join me?"
"Sure," Lin chimed in, clapping her hands together. "I need to pick up some ninja tools as well."
Coming from a civilian family, Lin had received some basic ninja tools from the academy, but now that she was an official genin, she needed to purchase her own equipment.
On the other hand, Kurenai Yuhi didn't need to buy any tools. Her father, Kurenai Jin, was a jonin of Konoha, and their household was well-stocked with shuriken and kunai. Nonetheless, she couldn't very well let Feng Ye and Lin go shopping without her.
"I also have something I want to buy," Kurenai added.
Feng Ye turned to Kakashi, who was about to head back to his room. "Kakashi, you should come too."
Kakashi responded lazily, "I don't need anything."
Feng Ye raised his chin slightly. "That's exactly why I'm asking you to come. I need help carrying all the stuff I'm buying." With their graduation from the Ninja Academy, the Third Great Shinobi World War was drawing near. It was only prudent to stock up on supplies before prices soared, especially since he had been relying on time acceleration for his cultivation, which meant he needed more resources than the average person.
"Huh?" Kakashi's face fell.
He shot Feng Ye a look that clearly said, 'Have you no conscience?'
Seeing Kakashi's resigned yet obedient expression as he listened to Feng Ye, his self-proclaimed older brother, Lin covered her mouth to hide her amusement. Kurenai, standing beside her, wore a similarly amused look.
Although Kakashi was only a year older than Feng Ye, due to Feng Ye's accelerated growth from time manipulation, he now looked like he was twelve or thirteen, half a head taller than Kakashi. Kakashi, in contrast, looked like the type to be frequently bullied.
"Alright, stop dawdling. Let's go," Feng Ye said, giving Kakashi's head a light pat before heading out the door.
Kakashi didn't bother dodging; he just gave a lifeless look, as if all his dreams had been crushed, and followed along.
The group of four soon found themselves on the street.
Feng Ye had another reason for inviting Kakashi along—having two girls with him would look a bit odd, and if they happened to run into Kurenai's father or Lin's father, things might get complicated. It wasn't a matter of whether he could beat them in a fight... but it was better to avoid any potential issues altogether.
With Kakashi in tow, the group appeared perfectly normal. Even if they ran into someone along the way, they would likely just be given a curious glance.
Before long, Feng Ye had purchased a large quantity of supplies, filling four bags. Kakashi and Feng Ye each carried two bags, and when Lin and Kurenai offered to help, Feng Ye politely refused with a smile. This prompted another round of suppressed jokes from Kakashi.
As the group continued down the street, they heard a commotion up ahead that caught their attention.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I promise I won't make the same mistake again. Please take me with you on this mission..." Might Guy's voice was filled with tension as he stood before a jonin, his words dripping with apology.
However, the jonin frowned and said, "This isn't the first time. Your words don't hold much weight anymore. I can't bring you along, no matter what."
"Please, I beg you," Might Guy pleaded, not giving up. "I'll put in even more effort this time. Please give me one more chance."
A hint of reluctance flashed in the jonin's eyes as he witnessed Might Guy's earnest plea, but after a brief hesitation, he replied, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to find someone else." With that, he took a quick step forward and hurried away.
"Please, just one more chance..." Might Guy reached out to stop the jonin, but the man leaped away and quickly disappeared from sight.
Feng Ye, Kurenai, and the others happened to be passing by and witnessed the entire scene.
Kurenai, looking at Might Guy, hesitated for a moment before whispering, "He's... Guy's father, right?"
"...”
Kakashi watched Mait Dai, his mind flashing back to Maito Gai. He also recalled the times he had fallen out with his own ninja teams, but his situation had been different from Maito's.
What puzzled Kakashi was that Maito was just a genin, a rather clumsy one at that, who always messed things up. Meanwhile, Gai had entered the academy as a reserve student and had consistently challenged Maito, his self-proclaimed role model. Despite this, Maito seemed to believe that Gai would surpass him one day.
Kakashi couldn't quite understand where the father and son got their confidence from.
However, he had to admit that Gai was exceptionally talented in taijutsu. He was the strongest genin Kakashi had ever faced, despite his poor ninjutsu abilities. Even with that handicap, Gai still had a good chance of becoming a chunin.
As Kakashi pondered this, Feng Ye suddenly walked over to Maito, catching the attention of Kurenai, Lin, and the others.
"Senior Maito, it seems you're in some trouble..." Feng Ye said as he approached Maito.
Maito, who had been staring at the departing jonin, turned to face Feng Ye, recognizing him instantly. "It's you. It seems like you've grown even taller in the blink of an eye, taller than Gai now."
There was a hint of surprise in his voice, but his expression remained somber.
With the soaring prices, it was difficult to make ends meet without going on missions. As a genin, Maito had little chance of receiving solo assignments, so being kicked out of his team was undoubtedly a blow.
Maito sighed. "I made some mistakes before, and the jonin in my team kicked me out. I wanted to plead with him again today, but he still wouldn't forgive me. I've made a fool of myself."
Feng Ye considered Maito's situation and said, "Senior Maito, do you need to form a new ninja team? If so, I might be able to help."
Maito looked at Feng Ye in surprise. "You've just graduated, right? I don't think a jonin-sensei would allow someone like me to join their team of four."
Feng Ye shook his head and smiled. "No, my situation is a bit unique. I'm currently without a team, so if you don't mind, we could form a temporary team together."
Having learned the intricacies of the Eight Inner Gates from Maito and successfully cultivating them, Feng Ye couldn't turn a blind eye to Maito's predicament. It was impossible for Maito to join Kakashi, Lin, or Kurenai's teams, so he would have to form a new one.
Of course, there were twofold reasons for this.
Firstly, he wanted to repay Maito for his help. Secondly, teaming up with Maito for missions would be extremely safe, possibly even safer than going with Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's power had not yet peaked. If he faced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone, escaping unscathed would be his limit. Defeating four and severely injuring three was out of the question.
But Maito could do it!
While Maito's full Eight Inner Gates might not be as powerful as Gai's, it would still surpass a Kage-level ninja. One could say that going on a mission with Maito would give them a chance of survival even if they encountered the Third Raikage or the Third Tsuchikage.
The likelihood of such a situation occurring was extremely low.
Usually, if Maito opened seven gates, he would have power rivaling that of an upper-level jonin, and with Feng Ye's assistance, they would easily handle most standard missions.
As Feng Ye finished his internal monologue, some nearby ninjas wore looks of astonishment.
Someone was willing to team up with the 'eternal genin' Maito?!
(End of Chapter)
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