Naruto: Evolution

"...Hello, I am Azora Hyūga. You are Gen Uchiha, right?"

Indeed, the young man who entered the training field was someone from the Hyūga clan. As he approached Gen, he greeted him with a smile.

"Yes, that's right. Are you my future squadmate?"

Gen uncrossed his arms and returned the gesture with a slight smile.

Azora nodded without hesitation.

"Yes, Master Hayato already informed us in advance. From now on, we'll be working together, so I'm counting on you."

The "Master Hayato" he referred to was Hayato Sarutobi, the Jōnin in charge of Gen's team.

Considering that Gen was Orochimaru's disciple, it was no surprise that he had been assigned to a team led, at the very least, by a Tokubetsu Jōnin.

"Don't be so formal, it should be me learning from you. After all, you're my senpai!" Gen waved his hand nonchalantly and smiled.

Both laughed freely.

Relations between the Uchiha and the Hyūga had always been marked by competition, but Azora didn't seem to have any hostility towards him. In fact, his attitude was quite friendly.

Gen appreciated it. The last thing he needed was a teammate who caused trouble just out of clan pride.

With the first impression behind them, their conversation flowed naturally.

It wasn't long before another person arrived at the training field.

She was a young girl of similar age to Azora, with an attractive face, brown eyes, and chestnut hair, but what stood out the most were the red markings on her cheeks and the small white-furred dog trotting beside her.

As soon as she set foot on the field and saw Gen and Azora talking, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity and approached with energetic steps.

Gen and Azora noticed her arrival and paused their conversation to look at her.

"You're Gen Uchiha?" the girl asked with a confident smile. "I'm Momo Inuzuka. Welcome to the team!"

Her gaze focused on Gen with interest, and when she saw his face, which she found attractive, her eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement. She raised her hand and greeted him enthusiastically.

From the Inuzuka clan…

Gen observed the markings on her cheeks and the white dog accompanying her for a moment before forming a relaxed smile.

"Hello, I'm also happy to join the team."

Noticing that Gen didn't have the arrogant attitude of the Uchiha, Momo seemed to relax even more.

Her smile widened, and her tone became more cheerful.

"Oh, right, this one here is Hakumaru."

Just as she introduced him, the dog let out a bark, wagging its tail.

Gen leaned down slightly and greeted him.

"Hello, Hakumaru!"

Hakumaru tilted his head and then let out a soft growl, as if accepting the greeting.

Momo, who had been attentively observing the scene, smiled even more.

For an Inuzuka, their dogs were more than just companions; they were family. The fact that Gen took the time to acknowledge Hakumaru instead of ignoring him or treating him as a mere pet spoke well of him.

In fact, for Momo, that small gesture meant more than any formality, and her impression of Gen improved immediately.

"Gen, you know? Before you joined, we had another member in our team, who was Kakashi. He's from your same generation, but compared to you, he's much worse. Not only does he always wear a mask, but he also has a horrible personality—"

Cough, cough… "Momo, Kakashi was also our teammate. It's not right to talk about him like that behind his back," Azora quickly interrupted her while glancing at Gen.

Since he learned that Gen would be their new teammate, he had done some research on him. Among the information he gathered, he discovered that Gen and Kakashi were not only from the same generation but had also been classmates.

Both were considered prodigies, so it was hard to imagine that they didn't at least have a relationship of mutual respect. That's why he feared they might be close and that Momo's comments could make Gen uncomfortable.

However, Momo didn't catch Azora's intention and, with a disdainful gesture, continued complaining: "That's because Kakashi crossed the line. On that B-rank mission, he almost got us killed! Don't I have the right to say something about it?"

All these words surprised Gen. He didn't expect that Kakashi had been part of this team before him. At the same time, what Momo said made him recall some details about Kakashi.

In the canon, due to his father's suicide, Kakashi not only graduated in less than six months but also developed a cold and solitary personality. It was evident that this attitude had caused conflicts with Momo and Azora.

Noticing the slight discomfort on Azora's face, Gen smiled. "So Kakashi was also in this team… But since he only spent a few months in the academy before graduating, I never really got to know him well."

"Oh, really…?"

Gen's words made Azora feel relieved, and his discomfort disappeared instantly.

Without dwelling further on the topic of Kakashi, Gen asked, "From what you mentioned earlier, have you completed B-rank missions?"

Missions of that level are considered advanced, and Genin teams rarely have the opportunity to take them on.

Azora nodded. "Yes, although we've only done two so far. In both cases, it was thanks to Master Hayato's help that we managed to complete them."

"That's already pretty impressive. Compared to you, I haven't even completed a single mission…" Gen said with a wry smile.

By subtly steering the conversation, he managed to divert attention away from Kakashi, allowing the discussion between the three of them to flow more naturally and harmoniously.

________

Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!

👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]

Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖