Sunlight dappled on the ground, casting a hazy shadow.
The familiar classroom was filled with students, sitting in small groups. Naruto sat in his seat, his eyes constantly darting around, seemingly searching for something.
Shikamaru, sitting behind him, guessed who he was looking for and, resting his cheek on his hand, kindly reminded him, "Don't bother looking, that guy isn't here yet."
"Huh? Why? Chizhao is never late."
At this, Sakura, who was nearby, pushed Naruto aside and looked at Shikamaru, her voice a little anxious, "Then do you know why Chizhao isn't here yet? She should have passed the graduation exam."
Before Shikamaru could answer, Ino tossed her hair, a hint of playfulness in her eyes, "I didn't think Forehead would pay attention to other girls besides herself, but our Chizhao doesn't need you to worry about her."
"What did you say? You Ino-pig!"
Ino's forehead pulsed with a vein as she heard this, and she yelled back, "What do you want, Forehead!"
Shikamaru, sitting beside Ino, saw this and quickly moved his body to the side, afraid of being caught in this 'war' without gunpowder.
Women, they're so troublesome.
Sasuke, who had been silent, clasped his hands in front of him, blocking out the noise from behind, and his gaze also turned to the sliding door that had remained still.
What is Chizhao doing, anyway?
Hinata, sitting on the other side, heard Naruto and the others' commotion and also began to worry faintly about Chizhao, who hadn't arrived yet.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, silently praying, "I hope Chizhao... doesn't run into any trouble..."
"Woof woof~"
At that moment, Akamaru in Kiba's arms suddenly barked.
"Hmm? You don't smell Chizhao? That's because she's not here yet, of course."
Patting Akamaru's head in his arms, Kiba tilted his head and thought, "She wouldn't do it again, would she? Yelling 'safe' at the last second and rushing in like before!"
Recalling the girl's embarrassing moment from before, Kiba couldn't help but laugh again.
Choji, who was nearby, suddenly interjected.
"I believe Chizhao will arrive by the time I finish this bag of potato chips!"
"Huh? Why?"
Kiba looked at Choji, who was continuously eating potato chips, in confusion, and Akamaru also tilted his head.
"Because I'll open a new bag of potato chips and share them with her."
"Ah? That's a really strange reason."
Meanwhile, Shino, sitting in the corner, looked up at the clock on the wall and muttered to himself, "The time is already up, Chizhao... is she actually late?"
Just then, Iruka walked in with a thick stack of documents, and the noisy classroom immediately quieted down.
"Congratulations on becoming full-fledged Ninja. Next, you will form three-person teams and embark on the path of a Genin."
"Wait a minute, Iruka Sensei!"
Naruto suddenly stood up from his seat and waved his arms anxiously at Iruka.
"What's wrong, Naruto?"
"Um, Chizhao hasn't arrived yet. Should we wait for her for a bit?"
The other concerned students also looked at Iruka, quietly awaiting his reply.
Reminded by Naruto, Iruka scratched his head awkwardly, "My apologies, my apologies, there's one more thing I forgot to announce."
He cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back, "Regarding Shiratori Chichao, due to her special talent, she has been specially approved to join a special department, so she will not be participating in this team assignment."
What? A special department?
Shikamaru was first startled, his expression a little serious.
He had heard his dad mention before that many of Konoha's special departments were for executing secret missions.
And the danger level was much higher than ordinary missions.
Her Ninjutsu is so bad, how could she be assigned to that place?
Is there something special about her that we don't know?
This is really troublesome...
Upon hearing 'special department,' Sasuke also frowned.
His own brother had been in the Anbu before, so he naturally knew what a special department meant.
Why would they choose her?
Her abilities shouldn't be enough at all.
Tch! If I had known this, I should have been more forceful in taking her to practice Ninjutsu.
Don't you dare die on me, Chizhao!
However, Naruto, who didn't quite understand, only felt that this must be a very impressive department and was secretly a little happy for Chizhao.
Although it was a shame he couldn't team up with Chizhao.
But this also meant Chizhao was amazing, didn't it?
Then he couldn't be complacent either! He had to become even more excellent, then defeat Sasuke, and become Hokage!
.......
Sunlight streamed into the room through the window, illuminating several succulent plants placed quietly on the windowsill, their plump green leaves appearing even more vibrant in the sun.
In the light-filled room, everything seemed both fresh and orderly.
Chizhao changed into casual clothes, her gaze involuntarily falling on the fox mask with red markings, a hint of hesitation in her heart.
That was Kakashi Hatake's Anbu mask. Did he know she would join the Anbu so early, which is why he left it for her?
She held it in her hand, examining it carefully for a while.
Hmm, it's ordinary, nothing special about it.
Since he specifically left it for her, she might as well keep it.
While thinking, she put the mask into her bag, and her gaze inadvertently fell on Little Wang, who was still curled up in its shell.
After hesitating for a moment, she also put it into her backpack.
Just in case it woke up again someday and messed with her snacks.
After getting everything ready, Chizhao prepared to leave.
As she passed the mirror, she looked at her flowing long hair and thought for a moment.
She picked up a hair tie from the dressing table and tied her hair up high, the excess hair tie subtly hidden within her hair.
Hmm! This way it won't get in the way.
She hadn't told Keiko about joining the Anbu yet, only saying that she had been assigned to a newly formed special squad.
She didn't reveal much other information.
Keiko also had a faint suspicion in her heart, but adhering to the principle that if Chizhao didn't want to say, she wouldn't press, she silently pulled her into a hug.
"You must, must be careful, okay?"
Meeting her worried eyes, Chizhao nodded heavily.
"Mm! I will, Grandma!"
Afterward, bidding farewell to Keiko, Chizhao tightly clutched the note discreetly delivered by the Ninja hawk. Following the meticulously drawn map on it, she made her way deep into the back mountains of Konoha, where a towering stone wall abruptly appeared before her.
The stone wall, as if carved by a knife and axe, stood at a ninety-degree angle, its surface covered with mottled soil, revealing the vicissitudes of time.
She cautiously surveyed her surroundings, confirming no unusual movements, before slowly extending her slender hand to gently touch the seemingly impenetrable stone wall.
Her fingertips, like entering water, effortlessly passed through.
As expected of the Anbu, their concealment is so good.
Then she took a deep breath and walked closer to the stone wall. As if passing through a thick layer of jelly, Chizhao's breathing momentarily stopped, then became clear again.
When she opened her eyes, she was certain she had entered the interior of the mountain.
The light inside was dim, with several circular buildings arranged in an orderly fashion on the flat ground. Each building also had different text plaques hanging on it.
In the central building, illuminated by the dim yellow light, Chizhao clearly saw the character "An" (dark), suggesting that it was the Anbu headquarters.
On the other side, a building had the character "Yi" (medical) hanging on it, which should be the Anbu's medical center.
In addition, characters like "Information" and "Weapons" were arranged in sequence, like giant beasts crouching in the shadows under the dim light.
Just as Chizhao was marveling at the completeness of the Anbu's facilities, the note in her hand suddenly burst into a flash of fire, turning into ashes in an instant and disappearing without a trace.
This is...
"That is a special pass for newcomers entering this place. It has a unique Ninjutsu attached to it, and only by holding it can one enter here."
Following the voice, she looked up. A tall, strong man was walking towards her from the shadows.
Through the dim light inside the cave, Chizhao saw that he had short hair, and Konoha's headband, like a custom helmet, covered both sides of his face.
And those deep black pupils, staring at them for too long, made one feel completely uncomfortable.
She suddenly widened her eyes.
This... isn't this Captain Yamato!?!