After Miyuki's emotional breakdown, life went on for the three Haurutsuki's. Although the masked man secretly plagued their thoughts, they chose never to speak of him again. Later that week, when the recruitment and mission details where finalised, a meeting with all ninja partaking in the mission was held in a private office, where Miyuki had to take charge.

"Alright! First meeting for our S-Rank mission is now in session." Ryuu confidently announced from where he stood at Miyuki's side. She had stayed true to her former life, sticking to a red hood over her kimono ninja attire. She mostly wore it to hide her face around new people, and secretly, to hide the shame she felt deep inside. Katsu stood beside her as well, "Please remove any hoods or masks as we ID you based on your personal profile. I will begin verifying you now." Katsu announced before walking over to the group with a clipboard in hand. There were fifteen members, and he combed through each one, making sure their descriptions and photos match. Ryuu explained their reasoning behind it, "That is our Head Strategist and Tactician, Daggers. He has a photographic memory, so nothing will slip passed him. That means if you were captured and impersonated during our investigation, he could spot you out immediately. You've all been chosen for your unique abilities. But today we test your loyalty to the ANBU and each other. After all, we've got a long mission ahead of us."

As Katsu moved along the rows, a young man with deep blue hair whispered to another Shinobi, "This pipsqueak is our Captain?" The other Shinobi had to stifle his chuckles. However, it did not go unnoticed. Everyone in the room glanced to the two. They cleared their throats, trying to look more dignified.

When Katsu studied the blue-eyed man's face, he spoke up, "Is this really necessary, Captain?" He asked Ryuu, uneasy with Katsu's cold stare. Katsu ignored him and looked over his chart. Ryuu was taken aback by the man's words, "Oh, my bad. Sorry for the confusion everyone. My name's Blades. I'll be your go-to for interpersonal relations. She is our Captain." Ryuu emphasized, waving an arm and valiantly gesturing to her beside him. She then raised her arm and lowered her hood, revealing her face to their new squad. They all gasped, beginning to quietly chatter amongst themselves.

Katsu finished checking his role, and walked back to the pair. "She's our Captain!?" His blue eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "To answer both of your questions... Yes. Got a problem with that?" Her glare was like ice. Everyone took a hard swallow at her words. Ryuu spoke up, "Lighten up, Cap. You don't want to scare everyone away before we even start." He advised in slight concern. "Yes, she does." Katsu bluntly retorted from her other side. Ryuu frowned over her at his brother, but he only looked away in innocence. She sighed through her nostrils, trying to calm herself with all the attention suddenly on her. She stood firm as she address them all, "I am Captain Needles. I am this mission's general instructor and oversight. These are my two advisors. Blades, who will aid you with any miscommunications or misgivings you might have with this assignment, and Daggers, our Intel and Strategist Expert."

The young blue-haired man crossed his arms in distaste, "Hn. I'm not taking orders from some pretty faced girl." He mumbled. Miyuki then glanced over to Katsu. He took the hint, and began flipping through his clipboard. A woman from the front looked over her shoulder, "Akio, she's our Captain. Show some respect." She advised. "Look at her. She's a decade younger than most of you guys. And she's leading us on an S-Ranked mission?? Come on!"

Katsu spotted what he needed and handed the clipboard over to Miyuki. "You really want to question the Mizukage?" She calmly inquired. He clenched his teeth in response. She then lowered her blank stare and began reading over his profile, "Well, Akio Hozuki. It says here that you're skilled in firing water bullets based on your grandfather, the Second Mizukage's, technique. You are a determined, and talented Shinobi. But an arrogant, loud mouth always ready to show off." She teasingly smirked. "What!?" He barked. The rest of the squad began stifling their giggles. She was spot on, and it only frustrated him more, "Tch! You can't read that out loud... It's classified! And I'm not a loud mouth!" It only made it harder for everyone not to laugh.

"And you can't disrespect your superiors. Especially in front of fellow subordinates. Looks like we're both breaking rules today. Now then, do I need to continue indulging in your childish antics, or can I get this mission briefing started?" She formally inquired, a cold threatening undertone imbedded in her demeanor. Akio reluctantly fell silent in defeat. The rest of the room went quiet, and she took that as her que to begin. She carried herself as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. "Daggers, our Strategist, has come up with the following plan. Our first step is observation. Next is infiltration. And for our final step, we will gather information from the inside. Blades will be handing out your mission briefings shortly, and then I will explain these steps in greater detail."

When the mission briefing was over, and everyone dismissed, Miyuki stayed behind with her brothers to tidy up. Ryuu walked up to his sister after grabbing the clipboard off the table, "You didn't have to be so mean to him, you know. You really made him feel bad. He looked hurt." She was busy straightening sheets on the desk at the time, "Good. That's what I was going for." She plainly answered. "There's nothing wrong with a Captain putting one of her subordinates in his place, Little Brother." Katsu added. "You two are unbelievable. Don't you think that was a bit harsh? I mean, we're like five years younger than the guy and look! His parents were killed in action when he was seven!" Ryuu stressed, slapping the clipboard with the back of his hand. "So, what? People lose their parents all the time." Katsu said, rolling his eyes, unimpressed with his brother's compassion for others. Miyuki turned to face the two, "I had no problem with him disrespecting me as his Captain. That's normal. But he crossed the line when he called you out for your height and age. No one mocks my brothers, but me." Silence fell for moment, her brothers completely dumbfounded.

Then Ryuu spoke up, "That's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard!" She giggled before putting a hand atop his head, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, short stack." She teased as she ruffled his hair. "Oh, whatever!" Ryuu retorted, shoeing her hands away. Katsu chuckled at this, and the other two joined in. For that small moment, everything went per usual.

But how long would it last?

The trio, along with their squad of 15, initiated the first phase of their plan by observing the Kaguya Clan from watch towers outside the Compound district. They jotted down the busiest streets, suspicious civilians, and spied on what they could through telescopes. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. There was still no visible sign of a coup nearing. Once the squad felt comfortable with what they knew of the Kaguya people, it was on to Step 2: Infiltration. For this mission, the squad would pair up, attracting less attention as they explored the Kaguya District. Within each pairing, one had to be a skilled fighter, and the other needed to have good people skills. This would get them out of deadly situations when simply talking their way out wasn't enough.

Most pairings consisted of a male and female ninja pretending to be a couple, since it was the easiest and most unnoticeable cover. Exceptions included Ryuu and Katsu, who were a well balanced team, acting as travelling brothers.

Ryuu called the pairings out in one of the mission briefings, leaving their Captain's pairing for last, "...And for the final pairing, Captain Needles, for combat skills, and Akio Hozuki, Code Name: Bullets, for people skills. Alright! That concludes our nine pairings. Remember, we rotate every 8 hours as shown in the briefings Daggers handed to you. If you have any issues with your partner, feel free to contact me directly." Miyuki tried her best to hide the irk mark pulsing underneath her hood.

She raised her head from her folded arms to face her troops, "You all know your targets and escape routes. Be sure to clock in at your designated rendezvous points to switch out team pairings on time. I want your mission reports handed to Daggers after each 8-hour patrol. Understood?" She asked in a calm, but firm tone. "Hai!" They all nodded. "Then get ready. First pairing is at dawn. Headed by your advisors. You know who goes next. Dismissed." She instructed, and with that, the they all slowly walked out the door.

When only they remained, Miyuki spun on her heel and slammed her fists on the desk, "Why did you pair me with him!? Ryuu, what were you thinking!??" She irritatedly demanded over her shoulder. Ryuu rolled his eyes, "I was thinking, wow, these two really balance each other out with both their personalities and Ninjutsu techniques. His social, you're not. He's into close combat with his katana, you're more long range with your needles..." She narrowed her eyes, "No, you didn't." Ryuu scoffed, "Okay, fine. I was thinking this is a great way to make peace. But Katsu said you two complement each other with the rest, so it sounded great!" Ryuu enthusiastically confessed. Beneath her hood, her eyes gleamed with malicious intent, "I'll kill you."

Ryuu gulped before Katsu intervened, "Please don't kill him, Miyuki. The fact is, your contradictive battle styles and personalities suit the undercover mission perfectly." She whipped her head to him, a dark purple aura encasing her, "What are you trying to say, Katsu?" She asked in a creepy, low voice. "N-nothing!" He stuttered, her figure growing large and intimidating.

"Miyuki, stop. Your scaring him..." Ryuu whined. It only caused her to snap her neck towards him. He gulped down his words. Katsu whimpered, "Let's get out of here!" He stressed before bolting for the door. "Uh! Wait for me, Katsu!" Ryuu called back, dashing off to do the same. "Wait till I get my hands on you two. You are so done for!" She barked out, chasing after her brothers. It was just like when they were kids, whenever she was annoyed.