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Days spent focused on training pass just as quickly as those spent slacking off.
One morning, Shuuzawa and Yuugao got ready early and left for the Anbu headquarters.
Since they lived together, they usually went out as a pair, strengthening their bond.
The only downside, perhaps, was that the Senju clan's ancestral estate was far too big, with too many rooms.
"And I'm still a bit too young..." Shuuzawa sighed inwardly.
They soon arrived at their destination, but to their surprise, a new recruit was in the Anbu that day.
"Uchiha Itachi?" Yuugao looked at him with some surprise. She hadn't expected the Uchiha clan's golden boy to appear here.
Shuuzawa, on the other hand, looked unfazed. After all, how could Itachi carry out his clan's massacre without being in the Anbu first?
"Shuuzawa, you're here!" Shisui grinned as he led his little brother over to greet them. "I don't think introductions are needed. You all know each other already."
"Good to see you, senpai. I've always wanted to thank you for saving my life, but I never had the chance," Itachi said with polite enthusiasm, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He'd heard about that night—heard enough to realize something disturbing: if Uchiha Obito hadn't shown up, Shuuzawa might've killed him and dumped the body somewhere to wash his hands of the crime.
"Time flies, huh? Never thought the brat from the Chūnin Exams would end up as my colleague."
Shuuzawa didn't hold back. He put on a mentor's air and patted Itachi on the shoulder in encouragement—making Itachi's smile twitch even more.
"So, who's your team leader? Maybe I know them," Shuuzawa asked casually.
"Captain Kakashi," Itachi replied with a strained smile. Instantly, Shuuzawa sighed.
"Ah, Kakashi. He's a good leader, but I've heard he's always late. Plus, ever since the whole Obito thing, his moods swing all over the place, so—"
"Hey, hey, hey, Shuuzawa. Isn't it rude to talk behind someone's back like that?" Kakashi suddenly walked over with Tenzo, his exposed eye giving a dead-fish glare.
"And I'm fine now, not as unstable as you make it sound. You saw me while training with the Anbu, didn't you?"
Maybe he had come to terms with it, or he had his resolve now. Either way, Kakashi didn't seem as emotionally volatile anymore.
They'd worked together fine during Anbu training—but that didn't stop Shuuzawa from teasing him.
"Morning, Shuuzawa," Tenzo greeted with a polite nod. Ever since Shuuzawa awakened his Wood Release, Tenzo had been more cordial.
Both had roots in the Foundation and now both could use Wood Release. Even if Tenzo's powers came from experiments, in a way, they were the same kind of shinobi.
"Morning," Shuuzawa nodded back. That's when Kakashi spoke again.
"Alright, now that you've met the new guy, Shuuzawa, your squad's coming with me to meet the Hokage."
"Huh?" Shuuzawa and Yuugao exchanged puzzled glances. Even Shisui looked surprised. Luckily, Kakashi didn't keep them waiting.
"Seems there's a mission. Our two squads will be working together. Let's head out."
A mission? Shuuzawa blinked. He thought he'd be patrolling Konoha for a while longer, taking it easy. He didn't expect a mission this soon.
At the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a grim expression. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado stayed silent, while Danzō seemed agitated.
"This reeks of a conspiracy. Kumogakure's purposefully stirring the pot, and Iwagakure might be planning something behind the scenes!"
"We can all see that, but it still has to be investigated," Sarutobi replied with a sigh. He didn't want to get involved, but the situation forced their hand.
It was just like what happened with the Fourth Raikage. Whether it involved the Uzumaki or the Senju, Konoha had to respond.
If it concerned the Senju, it involved the clan's state—especially since they'd just brought Tsunade back and now had Shuuzawa, a Wood Release user, within the village.
And if it concerned the Uzumaki, Konoha still had to say something. The clan had been wiped out, and its survivors scattered.
As their former allies, and with close ties between the Uzumaki and the Senju, ignoring the situation would tarnish Konoha's image in the eyes of the world.
This was a precise strike to Konoha's heart—and it landed. "Can't we just ignore it? Why bother getting involved?" Danzō snorted.
While he was curious, he didn't want unexpected trouble. In his eyes, both Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan were already as good as his.
"Danzō, none of us want to be involved," Koharu said, her tone weary. Homura nodded beside her. "But the fact is, Ōnoki has already spread the word of the situation."
"It's said that Kitsuchi may personally lead the mission. If we don't respond, we'll look weak."
With Kitsuchi involved, it was clear that Ōnoki was deeply invested in this issue. If Iwagakure had the upper hand, Konoha would have suffered a major embarrassment.
This was a political game between villages; sometimes, there was no avoiding it.
Knock knock knock…
Just as Danzō was about to speak again, a knock came at the door. Moments later, Kakashi entered with Shuuzawa and the others.
Seeing the "Four Elders of Konoha" gathered, all wearing serious faces, the group immediately understood—something big was about to go down.
"You're here?" Sarutobi looked up at them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a slight nod to Kakashi, Shuuzawa, and the others. He didn't hold anything back and directly explained the situation in the Land of Grass.
"The situation has become quite serious. No matter what, Konoha has to investigate this matter. I intend to send your two squads together on this mission. Can I count on you?"
"We understand, Lord Hokage," Kakashi and the others answered immediately. Shuuzawa was among them, though his expression looked a bit strange for a moment.
He had already stirred up the Fourth Raikage once. Even if things appeared settled on the surface, there was no doubt that the Raikage would want payback.
That part was within expectations. But what was going on now? Could it be that Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, was some kind of genius?
It was already outrageous enough that he seemed to be intentionally provoking Konoha, and now he even predicted their moves this accurately.
"So this time, are we dealing with Kitsuchi? Or…" Shuuzawa doubted that Ōnoki would send his son into danger personally.
The old man would have other plans in place. Like hiring people to stir up trouble?
"The Akatsuki… or perhaps other mercenary shinobi groups."
It wasn't exactly a secret that the Third Tsuchikage would sometimes hire outside groups to handle tasks inconvenient for Iwagakure to get involved in directly.
The most likely candidate was the Akatsuki. Their strength was nothing to scoff at.
"Then go and get ready," Hiruzen said after seeing everyone's response. He glanced at Danzō, then, after a moment of thought, continued.
"This mission is complicated. I'll mobilize border units near the Land of Grass to support you. At the same time, I'll secretly assign ANBU and some Root operatives to assist you. Danzō, do you have any objections?"
"…No," Danzō replied, clearly reluctant but with no room to refuse. He didn't want Ōnoki to be the one who ended up benefitting from all this—he'd consider that a major loss.
After giving the basic instructions, the group left the Hokage's office. That was the nature of the ANBU: they had to act immediately as soon as there was a mission.
This time, the situation looked far from optimistic, so they prepared to move out immediately.
"Didn't expect another troublesome mission so soon," Shuuzawa muttered as he fastened his mask, then chuckled as he looked at Itachi Uchiha nearby.
"Lucky you, kid. It's your first day in the ANBU, and you get thrown into something like this. Watch yourself—don't die."
"I'll be careful." Itachi silently put on his mask. He honestly wanted to snap back—you're not much older than I am.
He hadn't expected it either. He was already assigned to such a high-risk operation on his first day in the ANBU.
He had always desired to join the ANBU, as it would allow him to do more and take greater initiative.
After passing the assessment and officially joining, his father spoke to him privately and sat down for a serious conversation.
In short, his father wanted him to use this opportunity to understand the inner workings of the village and then share that with the clan.
The ANBU were the Hokage's guard. That position gave them access to highly classified information, a valuable advantage for the Uchiha.
Itachi didn't want to go along with it. He'd long been reflecting on how the clan always emphasized "the Uchiha this, the Uchiha that."
But faced with his father's expectations, he had no choice but to agree, albeit reluctantly.
"What's going on with this village… and my clan?" Itachi didn't understand it yet.
He didn't want to ask his father either. He preferred to watch, to consider things himself.
Eventually, he would come to his conclusion—and act based on that. That, too, was something his father had taught him.
"All right, give him a break already," Shisui said gently, stepping in to ease the tension.
"With Captain Kakashi leading him, I'm sure he'll adapt quickly."
"Yeah, Shuuzawa. Don't forget, we were pretty clumsy on our first mission, too."
Tenzo chimed in with a grin.
"I heard from our old Root buddies that you used to hide in the back on your first mission. Honestly, not much changed after that either."
"Lies! All lies!" Shuuzawa was annoyed, though he couldn't exactly deny it. Back then, his mindset had been:
Why put in effort working for Danzō? Might as well slack off. He had hung back behind the others. But that was the past.
"I was observing the battlefield. Don't talk nonsense if you don't know the full story!"
"Oh, sure," Tenzo nodded quickly. He didn't want to get on Shuuzawa's bad side.
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