Waiting
"My head hurts!"
At noon the next day, Bai Ye woke up in a daze, wincing from a splitting headache. It was worse than any training session he'd ever endured.
"This body's still recovering… no reaction last night, and now I'm paying for it with a hangover."
He lay sprawled on the bed for a while before groaning and reaching up to rub his temples, trying to dull the pain.
"Oh no! I'm late!"
Half-opening his eyes, he glanced toward the alarm clock beside him—and immediately shot up. It was well past the agreed meeting time from the day before.
Ignoring the throbbing in his skull, he messily fixed up his hair, threw on his gear, grabbed the bread Might Guy had thoughtfully left out, and bolted out the door.
---
"Bai Ye, that idiot! He made us wait all morning."
Outside the Hokage Building, Yu Yan stood with her arms crossed and a thoroughly annoyed expression on her face. She had been forcefully roused at dawn by Hyūga Hizashi, dragged half-asleep to the mission gathering point.
When she arrived, neither Bai Ye nor Yue was there yet. At first, she convinced herself that being a few minutes late was nothing unusual.
But Yue showed up much later, well into the morning—and now, by noon, Bai Ye was still missing.
"I should've just stayed in bed..." she muttered. "What a waste of time."
"I told you—I should've gone to check on him."
Yue, who had arrived flustered and nearly breathless earlier, was just relieved not to be the last one to show up.
The three of them loitered awkwardly at the base of the Hokage Building, catching glimpses of familiar faces coming and going on mission dispatch.
"No," Yu Yan growled. "Let's see how long this bastard plans to keep us waiting."
Her eye twitched as she bared the little tiger-like canines at the corner of her mouth, clearly imagining tackling Bai Ye the moment he arrived.
Far down the street, Bai Ye, mid-sprint, suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. He scanned his surroundings warily before resuming his dash.
---
"Did you hear about yesterday?"
"Of course I did—my cousin was there. Said it was wild."
"Come on, spill! Is it true what they're saying? I thought it was just rumors until I saw the crowd talking about it."
"Hah. I've got firsthand info on that Bai Ye guy."
As Bai Ye rushed through the village, he overheard more and more people whispering excitedly. The previous day's Chūnin Selection Exam preliminaries had become the talk of the village.
His name—and Kakashi's—had apparently spread like wildfire.
Some of what he heard was accurate. The rest? Utter nonsense.
One version had him born three years old, and now standing eight feet tall. Another claimed he'd already mastered over a hundred jutsu. Bai Ye nearly tripped from laughing.
Still, despite the ridiculous rumors, Bai Ye remained vigilant.
These tales, even if exaggerated, would draw attention—unwanted attention. Konoha was not immune to foreign infiltration, and the fame of a young prodigy often made him a target.
"Other villages will move to eliminate threats early," he muttered. "Especially with Yuyan's Byakugan and Yue's Sharingan..."
Yue's dōjutsu was a rare strategic asset, barely second to the Byakugan in the eyes of the elders. The three of them had likely already been flagged by enemy scouts.
---
But outside wasn't the only place where people were waiting.
Inside the Hokage's Office, five others sat in silence.
"Sensei, how much longer are we going to wait?"
Anko Mitarashi—recently accepted as Orochimaru's official disciple—had gone from brimming with excitement to fidgeting in restless boredom. Being surrounded by four intimidating men didn't help.
Orochimaru, enigmatic as ever, gently patted her head.
"Anko, a shinobi must possess patience."
His voice was calm, his demeanor almost fatherly. But even Anko felt the chill beneath the warmth.
Tch. He's definitely hiding something, she thought.
Across the room, Tsunade leaned near a window, fists clenched so tight her knuckles cracked. She'd also been kept waiting all morning, and it showed.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched the trio loitering outside.
"I swear, when that brat shows up, I'm going to flatten him."
Sitting nearby, the Third Hokage smoked his pipe quietly, flipping through mission reports.
"He's almost here," Hiruzen said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Push any harder, and the building might collapse."
Jiraiya winced, noting the spiderweb cracks forming beneath Tsunade's sandals.
---
"Yo. Good morning."
Just when tensions were peaking, Bai Ye arrived with a lazy wave and a maddening grin.
"I just changed into these new clothes—don't mess them up now."
He easily sidestepped Yuyan's flying tackle, catching her wrist mid-swing with practiced grace.
A few months earlier, Bai Ye had special-ordered a batch of modified Shinigami-style battle robes to serve as replacements for any torn gear. While unusual in cut, they had a modern, sleek aesthetic, and retained the red cloud pattern originally stitched by Konan—an odd but intentional choice.
Yue's version kept the traditional Uchiha crest on the back. The robes Konan had modified for them were stored carefully back home, kept in pristine condition.
"Enough playing around," Hizashi interrupted, stepping between the two. "There are people upstairs waiting for you. And a surprise."
He looked at his students—Bai Ye, Yue, and Yu Yan—and sighed inwardly.
He had led them for a while now, and likely wouldn't be doing so again.
When Hiruzen informed him yesterday about the changes, he hadn't objected. In truth, he was relieved. They had long outgrown the simplicity of D-rank missions.
With the exception of basic advice—particularly helping Yu Yan refine her Jūken (Gentle Fist)—Hizashi had little more to offer. His leadership had become more symbolic than instructive.
---
"A surprise?" Yuyan's eyes lit up instantly, all irritation forgotten.
"Are we going to be assigned a long-range mission?"
Her mind leapt to the idea of finally seeing other lands outside Konoha.
"Stop jumping around. You'll find out soon enough."
Hizashi shook his head with a soft smile. The three would soon follow new mentors—likely among the Sannin themselves. It was more than he could have hoped for.
And it was time.
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