---Ryouma's POV---
"Why? Are you unwilling?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she noticed my delayed response and asked.
The atmosphere in the tent shifted instantly, all eyes turning to me.
"Of course not! But what about my original team and Captain Minato's team? What will happen to them?" I knew Tsunade's personality well. If I delayed my response any longer, I might get a head flick like the ones Naruto often received.
I definitely didn't want to endure that. With my practically nonexistent medical knowledge, I could still imagine the internal damage her monstrous strength might cause. I had no desire to experience such pain firsthand. After all, I'd seen how he suffered when he was on the receiving end.
And he was an Uzumaki and jinchūriki... I was not.
"The original teams won't be disbanded. The squad you and Minato are forming is only temporary for now," she replied.
"I see, Lady Tsunade." I understood that refusing was not an option and decisively agreed.
Temporary for now... That meant if the experimental strike squad proved effective, it might not remain temporary after all. Military language was always carefully coded—'temporary' always meant 'until we decide otherwise,' and 'for now' meant 'subject to change based on results.'
"What about you, Minato?" Tsunade, though domineering by nature, still decided to seek the opinion of the Yellow Flash. It was a subtle acknowledgment of his rising status.
"I have no objections, Lady Tsunade. But please, let me choose the squad's name," Minato said.
For Tsunade, something as trivial as a name was of no concern. What mattered to her was the smooth formation of the team.
Her gaze fell on Minato. He looked completely delighted, clearly full of excitement and confidence about the naming opportunity.
Seeing this, she couldn't help but feel a bit curious. She wanted to see what kind of eye-catching name this promising young ninja could come up with.
"Go ahead, name it as you like," she said.
Minato beamed with excitement. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade! Then our squad's name will be: The Gale Blade Flash Spiral Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division!"
???
I could see the confusion on everyone's faces, including Tsunade's. It was as if rows of question marks had sprouted above their heads.
Shikaku blinked slowly, saying nothing.
Inoichi cleared his throat awkwardly and offered, "That's certainly... comprehensive."
"HAHAHAHA! I knew it, Minato! HAHAHA!"
Jiraiya, unable to hold back, burst into laughter. He slapped his thigh repeatedly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
He knew his student's knack for naming, but even he seemed taken aback by this particular creation.
Minato, seeing his teacher laughing so hard, scratched his head awkwardly. A faint blush colored his cheeks, but his eyes still held that gleam of pride in his creation.
"The 'Gale' represents my Wind Release ninjutsu, the 'Flash' symbolizes your Flying Thunder God Technique, and the 'Spiral' ties it all together with the Rasengan that connects us. It's great!" I explained, impressed with the thought behind the name.
"And the 'Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero' part?" Tsunade asked skeptically.
"Well, 'Legend' acknowledges the historic nature of this tactical pairing, 'Storm' represents our combined destructive potential, 'Ultra' signifies the elite nature of the unit, 'Howling' evokes the sound of my wind technique again, and 'Zero' represents our intended casualty rate."
"Exactly!" Minato exclaimed, looking genuinely astonished.
At first, I had thought he would come up with an abstract and inexplicable name. But upon further reflection, I realized that the name was surprisingly fitting—if extremely verbose.
"However, Captain Minato, I have one suggestion," I raised my hand to propose.
Minato looked astonished. He clearly never thought anyone would so thoroughly grasp the profound meaning behind the name he chose.
At that moment, when he heard I had a suggestion, he couldn't help but look eager and hopeful.
"Go ahead, Ryouma! Speak freely!" His tone was filled with urgency, as if afraid he might miss a single word.
With a smile, I began, "I believe the most critical aspect of this squad is your Flying Thunder God Technique. It's the foundation of the entire tactical system. Therefore, 'Flash' should come first in the name. I suggest we call it The Flash Spiral Gale Blade Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division."
Minato waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, Ryouma, your spiral shuriken is more important. 'Gale' must come before 'Flash'!"
"Without your destructive capability, my mobility serves no tactical purpose,"
"But without your mobility, my jutsu would never reach its targets safely," I countered.
"Your jutsu is what makes this squad formation worthwhile in the first place!" Minato insisted.
"No, I think..."
Our voices grew more animated, the discussion becoming increasingly technical. What had begun as a simple name suggestion had evolved into a detailed tactical analysis of our respective contributions to the squad's effectiveness.
Soon we were drawing diagrams in the air, describing hypothetical scenarios, completely lost in our own world of strategic planning disguised as a naming debate.
As we argued, entirely absorbed in our heated debate over an abstract and incomprehensible name, I could sense Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Inoichi all feeling a strange sense of alienation—as if, despite being in the majority, they were the ones being left out.
In the end, I couldn't out-argue Minato.
"Fine, let's go with your decision, Captain Minato," I said with a regretful expression that was only partially feigned.
"Excellent! I promise you won't regret it. The name carries power!" Minato declared victoriously.
"I trust your judgment," I said with a solemn nod.
And so, the name of the strike squad was finalized as: The Gale Blade Flash Spiral Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division!
Minato announced it with such pride and gravitas that one might have thought he was declaring the formation of a new hidden village, rather than naming a two-person strike team.
Congratulations, truly, congratulations.
Wait... How would this even fit on mission reports? Would we need a special seal just to stamp documents?
Would other ninjas even be able to remember it long enough to relay messages about us? Oh, it was a special squad, so enemies won't know our name... unless they were spies.
I could almost hear everyone silently shouting in their hearts. Their faces conveyed a clear message: "So, what's the difference between The Gale Blade Flash Spiral Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division and The Flash Spiral Gale Blade Legend Storm Ultra Howling Zero Division anyway?!"
"Now that this... crucial matter is settled, Minato will brief you on mission specifics tomorrow. Dismissed," Tsunade concluded, the command tent seeming to exhale collectively as the bizarre interlude ended.
---
Back at the tent assigned to my team, I briefly explained that I would be temporarily leaving the squad.
Heiji sat cross-legged on his bedroll, meticulously cleaning his weapons. Shiori leaned against a support pole.
"A strike squad! That's incredible," Heiji said, his face unusually showing a rare expression of amazement.
He knew very well what it meant to be assigned to such a unit, especially one involving the famed Yellow Flash.
This signified that I had already surpassed the ceiling for what civilian ninja could achieve. As long as I survived, I was destined to enter Konoha's true power structure.
The unspoken caste system of the shinobi world was rarely acknowledged openly, but it governed everything from mission assignments to political advancement. Clan ninjas at the top, civilian ninjas largely restricted to the middle and lower ranks—with rare exceptions like Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
"Congratulations, Ryouma." Heiji genuinely seemed happy for me, though I thought I detected a fleeting trace of envy in his gaze that others might not have noticed.
His pale Hyūga eyes couldn't hide emotions as well as he believed.
As a branch house member of the Hyūga clan, his life path was fixed from birth, a one-way road with no forks, where he could see the end from the very beginning.
Although being part of the Hyūga clan offered protections that gave branch house members a much higher survival rate on the battlefield compared to ordinary civilian ninjas, this advantage came with significant costs. Even civilian ninjas sometimes envied this enhanced survivability.
Yet, the philosophical debate of freedom versus life had no clear answer.
Who truly envied whom?
"Thank you, Heiji. But my squad with Captain Minato is only temporary. If it doesn't perform well, it'll probably be disbanded," I replied.
"There's no such thing as 'just' anything in wartime. This is significant."
Such was the strength of the Flying Thunder God. Other squads faced high risks of casualties on similar missions, sometimes resulting in total annihilation. My squad with Minato, however, would likely remain safe. Even if we failed to destroy the Suna base, his technique ensured our protection.
Space-time ninjutsu: even the Ōtsutsuki clan would approve.
"With your talent, you'll do great," Heiji said confidently.
Whatever momentary envy he might have felt was genuinely overshadowed by his belief in my abilities.
Shiori crossed her arms over her chest, her expression proud. "Stop putting on that modest act. You're strong—stronger than anyone in the Uchiha clan, even."
Coming from an Uchiha, this admission bordered on blasphemy!
Their clan pride typically prevented acknowledgment of outsiders' strength, especially civilian-born ninja like me.
"Thanks, Shiori," I said, knowing full well that while her tone wasn't exactly friendly, I understood her personality after being classmates for years.
Classic honor-student tsundere, though unfortunately, tsunderes seemed to have fallen out of style these days.
"Don't make it weird. I'm just stating facts," she scoffed.
Biting her finger, she added, "I still don't understand how you train. Even though I've activated my three-tomoe Sharingan, I still can't beat your instincts."
Oh... For Shiori, who had been overshadowed by me since the Academy, defeating me seemed to have become an obsession.
---
What would be your name for the squad?
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