Kitsuchi wasn't just Ōnoki's son—he also held an important position in Iwagakure.
More importantly, his strength and abilities were top-notch. With Kitsuchi leading the team, along with two elite jōnin, this was certainly giving the mission the respect it deserved.
Iwagakure had made its choice. Now, it was the others' turn.
Rasa and Yagura frowned, deep in thought. Their villages had suffered heavy losses during the war, making it tricky to pick suitable candidates.
On the other side, the Hidden Cloud duo, A and Dodai, were quietly discussing their options.
As for Konoha, they had plenty of candidates to choose from.
"I will personally lead two elite jōnin and join the squad," A declared after a brief discussion.
Damn.
He's actually joining?
Then again, it made sense. If Ōnoki could send Kitsuchi into this squad, there was no reason why A couldn't join as well.
Wait a second—this old geezer is trying to set me up!
Takuya suddenly realized what was happening and turned to glare at Ōnoki.
That old fox! He's getting addicted to setting traps, huh? Trying to push me into a hole again?!
First Kitsuchi, now A. With these two powerhouses in the mix, the team needed someone strong enough to keep them in check. Without a powerful figure leading them, neither Kitsuchi nor A would be willing to follow orders.
Not to mention, the relationship between Kitsuchi and A was already tense—after all, the rivalry between Iwagakure and Kumogakure had existed for ages.
Without someone to mediate their disputes, whoever became the team captain would be holding onto a scorching hot potato—no, a burning coal.
Rasa and Yagura both muttered, Damn, Ōnoki, you sly old man.
With Kitsuchi in, the Hidden Cloud had no choice but to send A as well.
And with both of them on board, a leader with enough authority and strength was needed—Ōnoki was clearly setting up a trap for Takuya.
"Ahem, the Mist will send three elite jōnin to join the squad, but beyond that, we have no other requests," Yagura said.
In other words, We'll send our people, but we're not fighting over leadership—good luck with that.
"The Sand will also send three," Rasa quickly added.
If even the Mist wasn't going to push for leadership, Rasa wasn't about to make any bold moves either—after all, the Sand and the Mist were practically war-weary brothers at this point.
Now all eyes turned to Konoha.
Takuya twitched slightly.
Kushina stood straight and still, not overthinking it.
Meanwhile, Pakura had been analyzing the situation, but the more she thought about it, the more off things felt. In the end, she could only look at Takuya—after all, he represented both Tsunade and Konoha in this matter.
Would he join the team himself? Pakura wasn't sure. Based on what she knew of him, he usually avoided troublesome situations like this.
"Konoha will also send three qualified shinobi," Takuya said without hesitation. "Strength and capability won't be an issue—we won't be stuffing in unqualified people."
That surprised Pakura. He agreed so decisively—was he actually considering joining?
If he did, then she'd definitely have to go with him.
But who else would be chosen?
Just as Pakura was starting to weigh the options, Takuya continued,
"That being said, I won't be joining the squad myself. However, I do have a candidate for the leader—Jiraiya of the Sannin. As one of Konoha's legendary three, he has the strength and experience necessary to lead this team, right?"
Set me up?
You're dreaming. There's no way I, Yagami Takuya, would fall for this trap.
Why would I jump into the pit when there's already a perfect candidate in the village? Why run around the world when I don't have to?
Jiraiya plus two elite jōnin—done deal.
Konoha might not have the most elite jōnin, but they had plenty to spare. Finding two good ones wasn't hard at all.
"..."
A clenched his fist in frustration.
The real reason he had been so eager to join this squad wasn't just Kitsuchi—it was Takuya himself.
Yet, in a single move, Takuya dodged the whole mess and pushed Jiraiya into the spotlight.
Jiraiya was one of the Sannin, a well-respected figure whose strength and status made him a perfect fit for captain. Even A and Kitsuchi had no real grounds to object.
"No objections?" Takuya clapped his hands together, grinning. "Great, then it's settled."
As they left the Tsuchikage's office, Pakura couldn't help but say,
"I thought you'd join the squad and take the captain's role yourself."
"You overestimated me," Takuya replied, shaking his head.
"Why would I take on such a pain-in-the-ass job?"
"Konoha just needs to provide intelligence and send a strong enough leader. Why should I throw myself into a pit?"
Aside from avoiding trouble, there was another reason Takuya nominated Jiraiya.
That idiot was getting restless again—talking about finding some nonsense 'Child of Prophecy' or whatever.
Takuya had figured it out—Jiraiya couldn't be left idle for too long. Otherwise, he'd start getting obsessed with his 'destined savior' nonsense.
So why not give him a job that kept him too busy to think about it?
Tsunade definitely wouldn't reject Takuya's suggestion, which meant Jiraiya was locked in for the job—unless he dared to defy orders.
Knowing Jiraiya, he'd definitely complain, but outright disobeying? That was unlikely.
Unless he wanted a beating.
Since Konoha's candidate was the team leader and held the most intel, the squad would be based in Konoha. A and Kitsuchi had already set off for the village.
The rest would depart once they received their assignments.
Thinking back to A's frustrated expression when he left, Takuya almost wanted to burst out laughing.
"Exactly! Why would Takuya get involved in such a mess? Staying in the village is way better," Kushina chimed in, nodding.
Pakura: "..."
These two are hopeless—one is a master at slacking off, and the other doesn't bother thinking things through.
"Nani?!!!"
Jiraiya practically jumped out of his seat.
"Tsunade, are you serious?!" he shouted. "You're telling me I have to join this special ops squad, be the captain, and personally lead a team to investigate Madara Uchiha's connection to Orochimaru's capture?!"
After his last mission in the Mist, Jiraiya had been taking it easy for a while.
But now, his wallet was getting light, and his ahem 'research' had left him a bit drained—he was already planning to slip out of the village again to hunt for the 'Child of Prophecy' and gather more… literary inspiration.
Before he could leave, though, he received his new orders.
And now, he was completely dumbfounded.
___________________________
(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING