Chapter 41: 40. Failure

The three students stood in place, flabbergasted before speaking again

"...Huh?" (Suzu)

"Sir! How did we..." (Tai)

Holding his hand up "Let me stop you right there. Can any of you guess where we are now?" (Tango)

"Um" (Tai)

"This place is..." (Suzu)

The three Genin looked around, finally realizing they were near the mini boat they came here on

"If we're this close to the boat..." (Rei)

"Does that mean the site was destroyed?!" (Tai)

"Is that why we..." (Suzu)

Shaking his head "No. The site is fine, the 'reinforcements' came and cleaned everything up. We're by the boat because there's nothing left for you to do here. Let's go" (Tango)

Without even waiting for a response, Tango lead them to the mini boat and started paddling the group towards the ship

None of them said a word as they left

♦♦♦

Wanting to break the silence, Tai asked the question that was on everyone's minds

"Tango-sensei...how exactly did we fail?" (Tai)

"Yeah...wasn't the mission objective to hold the line until back-up arrived?" (Suzu)

"Is that what you think it was?" (Tango)

"Huh?" (Suzu & Tai)

"..." (Rei)

Tango made a deep sigh 

"In Konoha they say 'A shinobi must read the hidden meanings with in the hidden meanings'. I simply prefer to say 'read between the lines'." (Tango)

"Between the..." (Tai)

"Oh. Son of a bitch..." (Rei)

Rei held his head in his hand 

"?!" (Suzu)

"Rei?" (Tai)

"Humph. You're sharp Rei" (Tango)

"I-I don't understand..." (Tai)

"Haah...this whole mission was just a damn test" (Rei)

The others were surprised at Rei's statement, Tango continued directing the boat as he spoke

"The answer to that conclusion is yes...and no" (Tango)

"Hm?" (Rei)

"This mission is a legitimate one, that site and the Island are very important to Kumo. Those animals were CERTAINLY not faking it. But it also served as an opportunity for me to see your true skill on the real battlefield, rather than in a controlled, simulated environment at the academy" (Tango)

"Then why didn't you tell us?" (Tai)

"That was the whole point Tai. If we thought it was a real mission, we'd treat it like a real mission and not like some exercise in school" (Rei)

"Then..." (Tai)

"...I get that. But HOW did we fail? If it's because we were overwhelmed then, I must ask how is that-" (Suzu)

"Fair? HAH! You lot need to grow up!" (Tango)

"?!" (All of them)

"Let me tell you something when it comes to being a ninja, facing impossible odds is EXPECTED of you! You guys lasted for little over an hour, but I and others have been made to stay on war battlefields for days at a time! No food, no rest, and no breaks!" (Tango)

"But you said this was just supposed to be a C-rank mission..." (Tai)

"So?! The ranks for each mission should only be taken at face value, anything can happen. A D-rank mission could easily end up as an S-rank mission. The job is, what the job becomes!" (Tango)

Suzu wanted to retort, but there was nothing she could say. Tango was indeed correct with his reasoning

"Then...we failed because..." (Suzu)

Irritated at their ignorance, Tango seized peddling, causing the mini boat to stop

"To answer your question properly, I gonna have to go over everything you all did wrong! Suzu!" (Tango)

"!" (Suzu)

"Your trenches couldn't keep the hippos at bay, which caused Rei to get separated from the group" (Tango)

Desperately trying to give an excuse, Suzu spoke

"That's because the koala's had fallen in most of the pits I made, and the hippos were walking over them. I didn't have enough chakra to make the new ones deep enough! Plus, the steel wire traps Tai made were useless against them!" (Suzu)

"Useless against them, yes. To the koala's, no" (Tango)

"...What?" (Suzu)

"When the koala's first attacked, some of them DID manage to get caught in Tai's traps. Rei also did his job and held the ones off at his location. You would have noticed if you stayed focused, but when the fighting started you got excited...no...competitive, moving too far from your original position and engaging the others. Wasting the opportunity to make use of the other wire traps Tai had set while forgetting your role of protecting him." (Tango)

Suzu grumbled in self remorse before Tango continued

"Using your Fūton you could've easily pushed the koala's into the wires. Then, so many of them wouldn't have fallen in the trenches you made, making it easier for you and the rest of us to deal with the next wave...and speaking of Fūton!" (Tango)

"Eh?" (Suzu)

"When Tai threw that pepper bomb at the hippo stampede, why didn't you use your Fūton1Wind Styleto spread the powder? That would've sabotaged the entire stampede, not just the front row of them" (Tango)

"That's..." (Suzu)

"Because you didn't, the stampede got out of control and Rei was isolated by them, unable to help the team. You were complaining about Tai's use of Suiton2Water Style, and how it cleared the effects of pepper in their eyes...but he only did so to protect himself since you weren't doing your job. Deviation from your duties on a mission can easily lead to getting you and your team killed" (Tango)

"...!" (Suzu)

With her head lowered, Suzu's spirit was brought down completely

"Tai!" (Tango)

"Y-yes!" (Tai)

"I won't chastise you on using Suiton. As our medic, your first priority should ALWAYS be your safety. During the first and second wave, you performed admirably" (Tango)

"Whew..." (Tai)

"Your mistake was before we even made it to the island" (Tango)

"Eh?! What did I do wrong?" (Tai)

"Tai...did you tell any of us that you even had a pepper bomb?" (Tango)

"Uh...well...no" (Tai)

"Did you inform us of any other useful items you might have on hand?" (Tango)

Tai was getting nervous

"No...but...you said you were already briefed about us" (Tai)

"I was briefed on your abilities, but you never told me or your teammates about the equipment you had on hand. You never bothered to coordinate with them, not even on our two hour ride to the island. Not sharing basic info like that will also lead to disaster!" (Tango)

"I-I'm...that's..." (Tai)

Turning his head

"And finally, Rei!" (Tango)

"?" (Rei)

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"I saw those hippos force you away so I'll cut you some slack for not using the transmission when you could've. However, despite following your orders on the field to the letter, you had suspicions about the assignment before the mission even began and yet, you said nothing" (Tango)

Curtly responding "Were you really going to tell us what you were hiding?" (Rei)

"How would you know I wasn't going to tell you anything? And even if I wasn't, the problem is that you didn't even try to ask. You just kept it to yourself, without alerting anyone" (Tango)

"The suspicions about this mission were obvious, I just assumed they would-" (Rei)

Cutting him off

"Exactly...you just assumed they would know without telling them. Assumption has been, and always will be, the king of all failure! Your problem is assuming it's not your job to inform the team of odd things that catch your eye. Let me be the first to tell you, whenever you see something out of place on a mission, it's your goddamn responsibility to inform your team!" (Tango)

"..." (Rei)

"Yeah Rei, you're definitely sharp, more so than any of your peers. But information and wisdom are two very different things. And you are certainly lacking in the latter!" (Tango)

Taking a deep breath

"With all of you screwing up, I had to spend most of my time ensuring no one would get killed rather than focus on my original job" (Tango)

"..." (Tai & Suzu)

{...That's why his Chakra Transmission went out} (Rei)

His words were harsh, but fair. So fair, none of them could make a retort

Tango started peddling the boat again

"No coordination, no sharing information, no teamwork, and no trust. Each of you acting on your own. You guys may be working together, but you're not WORKING together, not truly. You won't last long as a Genin team if you continue at this rate" (Tango)

"But sensei..." (Tai)

"What?" (Tango)

"We won't be Genin forever right? Eventually we'll move to the next level" (Tai)

"From what I've seen, that's highly unlikely. What are you getting at?" (Tango)

"I...well...um..." (Tai)

"He means, we'll eventually become Chunin and our squad we'll be dissolved right?" (Suzu)

"...You" (Tango)

"As long as we perform well enough...should we really have to worry about such things" (Suzu)

"...Wow" (Tango)

"..." (Rei)

"I realized each of you preferred to act solo, but I didn't think it was this bad. You lot really have no idea how good you've got it, do you?" (Tango)

"?" (Rei, Tai, & Suzu)

"You think if you become Chunin, you won't have to worry about teamwork as much as you do now? Newsflash, it only gets worse as you rise up in the ranks! That's disappointing coming from a top class student like you Suzu" (Tango)

"?!" (Suzu)

"When you're on a Genin team, nearly every mission you take is with the same squad. The very same squad you've trained with, studied with, fought with, and the ones that you trust the most. When your Chunin or Jonin, you'll be regularly assigned to random squads when the situation calls for it" (Tango)

"And that means we'll..." (Tai)

"Instead of years with a Genin team you've worked with you'll be with an entirely new squad. Then with only hours, if you're lucky, to adapt to that squad and complete a mission. Randomly put with people who are practically strangers, how well you perform with them will determine whether or not you succeed...and survive" (Tango)

"..." (Suzu)

"That's the whole point of Genin teams, to teach you the true value of working not as an individual, but as a cohesive unit" (Tango)

{...Synergy} (Rei)

Tango pointed back towards Genbu Island

"Why do you think I chose that place for your first mission?" (Tango)

Unable to answer, none of them spoke

"It was to teach you that NO ONE, no matter how powerful, is an 'island'. There are some things one simply cannot do on their own. That's what comrades are for, to lift the burden off your shoulders" (Tango)

Finally making it to the ship, the team got on board and stopped as Tango spoke one last time

"After we make it back to Kumo, we'll reconvene at the same spot we met each other for the first time in two days. If you don't show me a better 'introduction' than last time, you're all going back to the academy" (Tango)

"?!" (Tai & Suzu)

{"Introduction"? What's he hinting at?} (Rei)

"Now return your cabins, journeying here is a lot faster than going back" (Tango)

The three left, going below deck to their cabins, keeping their thoughts to themselves

♦♦♦

Alone on deck, Tango sighed heavily

"Haaah. Being a teacher to those three is gonna be exhausting" (Tango)

"Aw, it's not all bad!"

Turning to his right, he found the voice of the one that called out to him belonged to the Captain of the ship

With a cigar in his mouth, he chuckled at Tango

"Funsui...I trust waiting for us wasn't too troublesome" (Tango)

"Oh no, we made sure to keep our distance from the island. And with the 'guardian' that came soon after, there were no problems at all" (Funsui)

"Glad to hear it" (Tango)

"But getting back to what I was saying, being a Jonin teacher can be rough, but it doesn't come without its perks. Just give it some time and you'll see, I promise" (Funsui)

"I have no doubt about that, what I meant was being THEIR teacher is gonna be a handful" (Tango)

"Why do you say that?" (Funsui)

Tango takes out a stop watch from his pocket and shows the time to Funsui

"Hm? Pffftttt?!" (Funsui)

Looking at the time, Funsui spat the cigar right out of his mouth in shock

"What the hell Tango?! They lasted over an hour?!" (Funsui)

"That's right. One hour, four minutes, and eight seconds. They completely shattered the record" (Tango)

"The longest recorded time for someone lasting on the 'Island Test' was..." (Funsui)

"Twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds" (Tango)

"And this team survived for over an hour before they needed rescuing..." (Funsui)

"Not to mention, they demonstrated no form of teamwork at all" (Tango)

Funsui did his best to keep his composure

"...Amazing" (Funsui)

"Indeed. I know that teams are chosen to balance abilities of  students with the abilities of teachers. I expected the upper brass would send me some of the best from the academy to compensate for my young age, but I doubt even they knew just how skilled these kids were" (Tango)

Patting him on the back

"Quite the responsibility on your shoulders" (Funsui)

"Like you would not believe" (Tango)

Funsui walked away from Tango before saying some final words

"Well, if things become too difficult, make sure to seek some assistance. Asking for help is the whole theme of this little trip after all" (Funsui)

"Don't worry, I have just the person in mind" (Tango)

Finally alone to himself, he stared at the sea, thinking about the future

{Yeah...if they show some change..."He" would be the perfect person to help}

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