“You must be the newcomer who joined today, welcome.”
Meeting Yamato’s gentle black eyes, a friendly light flickered in his deep gaze, and at the same time, a broad hand gently extended towards her.
She paused, then slowly placed her hand into his.
“Thank you…”
She had originally thought Anbu would be a gloomy, low-pressure environment, at least a lifeless, cold place.
But she hadn’t expected to meet Captain Yamato first in Anbu; his naturally gentle aura relaxed her slightly, easing her nervousness about staying in Anbu from now on.
“Come in first, everyone is already here, and next will be a brief briefing.”
Chizhao nodded and, led by Yamato, stepped into the mysterious building engraved with the character “Anbu.”
As they went deeper, Yamato meticulously introduced her to the layout:
“On the left and right sides of the first floor are the male and female changing rooms, respectively, where we change into our combat uniforms.”
“The second floor has multiple independent rooms, providing private spaces for each squad to conduct tactical discussions and training.”
“As for the third floor, it is the core area where Hokage-sama dispatches missions through special communication methods.”
So that’s how it is. If she hadn't learned about it personally, it would have been hard to imagine Anbu had such a complete structure and operational mechanism.
Walking into the second-floor corridor, several masked Anbu Ninja occasionally nodded in greeting to Yamato.
And when their gazes penetrated their masks and fell on Chizhao, those cold eyes were like sharp blades, making her feel an involuntary shiver.
That gaze was definitely not something an ordinary Ninja possessed.
It was an indifference that seemed to have seen through all life and death; any prey targeted by those eyes would face an uncertain fate, with no escape.
“This is it, go in first.”
Yamato pushed open a door; the room inside was neither big nor small, with a simple row of tables and chairs and a small blackboard as its only furnishings.
Unlike the dimness outside, the lighting inside was a bit brighter, allowing Chizhao to clearly see the three people of similar age sitting inside.
Goodness, they were all members of the Root Organization.
Could it be that because she gouged out the old scoundrel Danzo’s eye, he gloriously retired and disbanded the Root Organization?
At Yamato’s signal, Chizhao bypassed the three boys sitting in a row and walked directly to the leftmost seat by the window.
The atmosphere in the room was unusually heavy, so much so that her breathing involuntarily became much lighter.
“Since everyone is here, first, let me introduce our squad.”
Yamato stood in front of the blackboard, cleared his throat, and slowly spoke, his gaze sweeping over the four people below:
“Because Hokage-sama reorganized the structure of Anbu, and after the personnel expansion, Anbu branched out into another department called the Special Intelligence Department. All of you here, including myself, are Team 6 of this Special Intelligence Department.”
After speaking, Yamato turned and wrote “Special Intelligence Department Team 6!!” in large chalk letters on the blackboard.
“Our main mission objectives include: infiltrating enemy camps to gather intelligence, disrupting illegal transaction sites, apprehending leakers, and potential assassinations.”
“Of course, all of the above will be carried out in the Village’s name, or taken as commissioned requests, so I hope everyone can work together and successfully complete all missions.”
He glanced at the people sitting below; except for the girl who showed clear expressions, the other three stared blankly ahead with cold, wooden faces.
The first step to joining the Root Organization was to discard emotions.
Feeling a deep empathy, he quietly sighed, crossed his arms, and announced:
“Let’s introduce ourselves. My codename is ‘Tenzo,’ and I am your squad leader. I was formerly a member of the Root Organization, and I hope we can get along well in the days to come.”
Tenzo? Oh, right, the name Yamato was apparently given to him temporarily by Tsunade when he took over Kakashi’s Team 7.
Now, in Anbu, he uses the codename “Tenzo” for his operations.
Immediately after, Yamato’s dark pupils turned to the boy on Chizhao’s far right, and he spoke steadily:
“Then let’s introduce ourselves one by one, starting from the right.”
Under the bright lights, the boy’s pale skin looked anything but healthy.
He lifted his head slightly, somewhat dazed, his black pupils like an endless black hole. Like a robot, he stiffly moved his mouth and, expressionless, began his self-introduction:
“I have no name, my codename is Black Snake, formerly affiliated with the Root Organization.”
Sai…
She hadn’t expected to meet him here so early.
Do those who stay in Anbu really not even deserve to have names?
A pang of sadness spread through Chizhao’s heart.
He should still have some emotions now, she thought. By her calculations, he shouldn't have been forced to kill his brother yet.
That old scoundrel Danzo, just how many talented youths has he ruined?
“My name is Aburame Torune, codename Insect Pheasant, formerly affiliated with the Root Organization.”
“My name is Fu Yamanaka, codename Mountain Ox, formerly affiliated with the Root Organization.”
After the three finished their introductions, it was finally Chizhao’s turn. She first swallowed, meeting Yamato’s somewhat eerie eyes, and showed a hint of nervousness.
“I… my name is Shiratori Chizhao, codename… Azure Bird, affiliated with the six-year compulsory education Ninja Academy organization…”
She finished all the remaining words in one breath.
Then, she pressed her lips together, clearly feeling the gazes from the three beside her, which made her break out in a cold sweat.
This gave her a sense of incongruity, as if she were surrounded by gang leaders while she had arrived on a baby bus.
She was a “true inheritor of the will of fire,” after all! If it weren’t for needing to earn some hardened film, she wouldn’t have agreed to come to this dark, damp, sunless place!
Yamato was first stunned, then picked up the data sheet beside him, pinching his chin and examining it carefully.
Aside from stating that she used special Ninja tools and was not good at condensing Chakra, there were no other characteristics listed.
How could she have been assigned to Anbu?
Meanwhile, the cold and scrutinizing gazes from the side made Chizhao feel as uncomfortable as if ants were crawling all over her body.
She took a deep breath, resolutely turned her head, frowned, and stared back at them, unwilling to show weakness.
When her gaze met theirs, her pupils constricted slightly.
The three boys, similar in age to her, who had been expressionless, now showed a subtle, unusual emotion on their faces.
Sai, on the far right, leaned his head forward, his pale skin contrasting with his deep, lifeless eyes, and his bloodless lips moved:
“Ninja Academy… what kind of organization is that?”
Next was Aburame Torune, who wore a mask obscuring his eyes, his emotions hard to read. She only heard him softly murmur:
“Ninja Academy, huh… I didn’t expect it to come here.”
Fu Yamanaka’s expression was clearer; he smiled slightly, and a hint of longing showed in his yellow pupils:
“That’s great. If you have time, could you tell me about the Ninja Academy?”
Chizhao slowly nodded, then withdrew her gaze and looked at the clean tabletop, a difficult-to-describe emotion swirling in her heart.
In the perception of these three boys, “Ninja Academy” was an unfamiliar term; some had only heard of it, others were completely unaware.
Years of war had turned some of them into orphans, and others, out of necessity, had been taken into the Root Organization by Danzo when they were very young.
The self-slaughter that eradicated emotions and endless harsh training were all that comprised their narrow world.
But in the eyes of the girl before them, a light they had never seen before sparkled—a light utterly different from their surroundings, a light that felt foreign.
Sai silently looked ahead, his usually numb brain uncharacteristically active at this moment.
Is she from an organization called the “Ninja Academy”?
Does that organization also make them kill their comrades to survive?
Since she could come here, it must mean she has killed many people, right?
That’s…
Impressive.
After a brief self-introduction, the group, led by Yamato, received their Anbu uniforms.
When it came to choosing a mask, Chizhao took out the white fox mask Kakashi had given her. Yamato’s usually calm black eyes showed a flicker of surprise when he saw it.
He hadn’t expected Senior Kakashi’s mask to be in her hands; it seemed their relationship must be quite good.
Coming out of the office, Chizhao carried her uniform to the women’s changing room on the first floor. She saw rows of neat lockers, each marked with a number.
She curiously tried to pull open one of the lockers, only to find it locked and impossible to open.
She then tried to pull several others, but they remained unmoving.
What should she do? She had no idea which lockers were usable.
“This locker is available.”
“Hmm?”