Kiba walked through the halls of the Hokage building with his hands in his pockets, Akamaru trotting along beside him with ears perked up. The call for a group mission always brought a certain excitement—after all, there was action, teamwork.

As he pushed open the double doors to the office, his eyes quickly scanned the room. Tsunade was behind her desk, watching the ninjas who had already arrived. Among them, Naruto stood with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently on the floor. Neji, on the other hand, maintained impeccable posture, analyzing the surroundings with attentive eyes. Hinata, beside him, looked at the floor, probably lost in thought.

— Yo! — He raised his hand in a casual greeting, his eyes scanning the room.

The first person he noticed was Naruto, sitting at the table with his arms crossed and a bored look. Upon noticing Kiba, the blond smiled.

— Finally! I was starting to think you were going to fall asleep on the way.

— Hah? You look like you just woke up! — Kiba retorted, giving a half smile before leaning against the wall.

Neji stood further away, with his arms crossed and a calm but serious expression, as always. He said nothing when he noticed Kiba's arrival, just casting a brief glance in his direction before turning his attention to the Hokage.

He leaned against one of the pieces of furniture, arms crossed, waiting for the Hokage to begin speaking. It was then that his gaze caught something familiar among those present. His eyes landed on a dark-haired figure.

Yuzuri.

There was a moment of hesitation. He blinked, his brain working to process what he saw. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about her since their encounter at the river, but seeing someone in a completely different context always felt a little strange. Yuzuri seemed oblivious to his presence for the moment, which made Kiba frown. Did she already know he would be here? Before he could say anything, Tsunade cleared her throat.