On the rooftop of the Ninja Academy.
A man in his mid-twenties, wearing a jōnin uniform, with long silver-white hair, a red triangular armband on his left shoulder, and a short, standard chakra blade on his back.
He sat on the edge of the rooftop railing, his hands casually spread open, a bright and confident smile on his face, giving off an approachable and infectious aura.
Looking at him, he appeared to be an ordinary person, without a hint of the sharpness of a jōnin.
He began to introduce himself:
"I am Hatake Sakumo. Starting today, I will be your supervising jōnin. I specialize in using a chakra short sword. That's pretty much it. Since we'll be forming a four-person squad, I thought it would be good for us to get to know each other."
After Sakumo finished introducing himself, Shiraishi took the lead as an example:
"Um, I'm Chiba Shiraishi. I'm not very good at taijutsu or genjutsu. The only ninjutsu I'm relatively good at is medical ninjutsu. Yeah, that's it."
"I'm Hyūga Ayane. I can use the Byakugan of the Hyūga clan, as well as Gentle Fist, which complements the Byakugan."
"Uchiha Ruri, I specialize in using the Sharingan and Fire Release."
After they briefly explained their areas of expertise, and with the Byakugan and Sharingan being two of Konoha's most important kekkei genkai, Sakumo nodded in satisfaction.
Although he had led genin teams before, this time was different.
A medical ninja, Byakugan, and Sharingan—it was a truly perfect team composition.
Sakumo could also feel the immense responsibility that now rested on his shoulders.
Just as Sakumo was about to speak again, Ruri suddenly burst into action without warning, instantly rushing in front of Sakumo with a kunai and mercilessly thrusting it towards his body.
"Ruri!"
Shiraishi and Ayane shouted from behind.
But Ruri showed no sign of stopping her attack.
However, the next moment, a scene that stunned everyone unfolded.
Sakumo had, at some point, appeared behind Ruri, pressing her head with his broad hand and bending her kunai-wielding arm behind her back, rendering her immobile.
Not only were Shiraishi and Ayane deeply surprised, but even Ruri was stunned, momentarily unable to process the fact of her failure.
Her two-tomoe Sharingan was fully activated, yet she hadn't expected Sakumo to not only perfectly evade her genjutsu but also subdue her from behind without her even realizing it.
Sakumo's Body Flicker Technique was incredibly fast, so fast that even her Sharingan struggled to track it.
"Well, can you listen to me finish what I have to say now?"
Sakumo released Ruri, his smile gentle, not showing any anger at Ruri's unreasonable behavior.
Ruri put away her kunai, her entire aura retracting, and said in an extremely serious tone:
"As expected of the ninja known as 'Konoha's White Fang.' If you are the captain, I have no objections."
A simple exchange allowed Ruri to understand the vast difference between her and Sakumo's strength.
She acknowledged Sakumo's power.
"It seems our squad will get along very well from now on."
Hearing Ruri say that, Sakumo made this judgment.
Ruri sat back in her original spot, which also made Shiraishi and Ayane breathe a sigh of relief.
They couldn't help but worry.
The man before them, named Hatake Sakumo, was a Konoha jōnin whose name, 'White Fang,' struck fear throughout the ninja world.
Even powerful figures like the Sannin would pale in comparison to him.
It was no exaggeration to call him Konoha's strongest jōnin.
And the move he displayed to subdue Ruri made Shiraishi and Ayane feel that he was unfathomable.
"Um, Sakumo-sensei, I heard that supervising jōnin usually test the strength of newly graduated genin through a survival exercise..."
Shiraishi, seeing the atmosphere grow a bit silent, proactively brought up the survival exercise.
"No need. I'm very satisfied with the abilities of you three. There's basically nothing that needs to be supplemented, so you all pass."
Sakumo announced in a casual tone.
Does he have to be so casual? You're the White Fang! Shiraishi complained inwardly.
He had expected a very cruel and serious survival exercise, but Sakumo casually declared them Passed.
"So, what do we do now?" Shiraishi asked.
"Hmm..." Sakumo stroked his chin, looked up at the sky, and suddenly chuckled, "It's almost noon. How about we go for some barbecue together? My treat."
Ayane's eyes suddenly lit up.
Shiraishi and Ruri seemed to recall distant memories.
"Sakumo-sensei, I think it's better if we pay for ourselves..."
"What, are you worried your sensei doesn't have enough money? Don't worry, eat as much as you want. You don't need to worry about your sensei's wallet."
Seeing that Sakumo was determined to treat them to barbecue, Shiraishi sighed.
"Sakumo-sensei, I warned you. No matter what happens later, please stay calm and don't get agitated."
After Shiraishi finished speaking, Sakumo looked at Shiraishi with a puzzled expression... An hour and a half later, at the barbecue restaurant, the owner smiled and reached out to Sakumo for money.
"Thank you for your patronage. After rounding down, the total is 300,000 ryo."
He quoted a price that made Sakumo's heart ache a little.
"..."
Sakumo looked back at Ayane, who had a gentle smile and serene demeanor, then at the hundred or so plates piled up behind her. The food had mostly gone into her stomach alone.
He finally understood what Shiraishi's words from earlier meant.
"Um, Ayane, when you were born, did someone perhaps swap you in the hospital? Are you actually from the Akimichi clan?"
"Sakumo-sensei, you're so funny. Just by looking at my eyes, you know I'm a pure Hyūga clan ninja, right?"
Ayane blinked her pure white pupils.
It was precisely because of this that he found the situation so bizarre.
Sakumo didn't recall any Hyūga clan ninja having an appetite comparable to an Akimichi clan ninja.
No, at this age, even an Akimichi clan ninja of the same age might not have such a large appetite.
Sakumo shook his head and reluctantly took out his wallet to pay.
Then, he froze, standing awkwardly in place.
"What's wrong, Sakumo-sensei?"
"Ah, well, can you three wait here for a moment? It seems I don't have enough money in my wallet. I'll go home and get some. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane: "..."
Ruri let out a soft sigh. Before Sakumo could go home for money, she pulled out her wallet from her pocket and slapped thirty brand-new 10,000-ryo bills onto the counter.
"It seems the so-called Konoha's White Fang isn't all that impressive."
Ruri had been holding a grudge about being subdued by Sakumo earlier, and now she finally found an opportunity to turn the tables.
"Indeed, not that impressive."
"He really isn't that impressive."
Shiraishi and Ayane chimed in, twisting the knife.
"I'm talking about you three..."
Sakumo smiled wryly. He just didn't bring enough money. Did they really need to mock him like this?