On Konoha's main road, Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others bowed to Hagoromo and said goodbye.
"Teacher, we're heading home now!"
"All right. Remember to finish the homework I assigned you for tomorrow."
Hagoromo waved as he spoke before leaving.
The three little ones were left standing there, looking at one another.
"Shikamaru, do you think we can get away with not doing it?"
Choji couldn't help asking from beside him.
"Choji, I think you should give up on that idea. Otherwise, for the next week or more, you'll be wishing you'd handed it in on time."
Hearing Choji ask that, Naruto's face turned a little purple.
After all, he really had tried it, and the result was that Teacher Hagoromo had given him even more homework with a smile.
The kind he had no choice but to finish.
"Uh..."
Shikamaru had been about to agree, but seeing Naruto like that, he dropped the idea too.
"Let's go. We might as well get home early, get up early tomorrow, and find somewhere to finish the homework together."
"Just come to my place. Teacher Hagoromo cooked at my house yesterday, and there's some left for me to eat over the weekend."
Naruto quickly raised his hand as he spoke.
"It's settled, then!" Choji immediately said upon hearing that.
"Hahaha—!"
Hearing the little ones laughing behind him, Hagoromo, who had already passed the corner, smiled too.
It was good. At least things were no longer the way they used to be.
Hmm?
Hagoromo suddenly turned around, still smiling. Someone was already standing quietly in the shadows behind him.
If he hadn't sensed any hostility, Hagoromo would have sent a Rasengan straight at him by now.
"You're Chunin Sawada Hagoromo, right?"
"Who are you?"
These days, Hagoromo was a little jumpy whenever he saw someone dressed as Anbu.
"Hokage's Direct Anbu Sixth Squad, Tenzo."
"By order of the Hokage, I've come to bring Chunin Sawada Hagoromo into the Anbu."
Hearing a familiar codename, Hagoromo dispelled the Rasengan in the hand he held behind his back, then nodded.
"Sorry for the trouble, senior."
Hagoromo hadn't concealed what he was doing, so Tenzo had seen it clearly.
Being called senior felt a little... deadly.
A trace of cold sweat appeared on Tenzo's forehead, but he then said with a semblance of calm, "Don't mention it. A senior just asked me to come contact you first."
"I'll lead the way. Just follow me."
With that, he paid no attention to Hagoromo's expression behind him.
He used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from where he stood.
Hagoromo rubbed his nose and muttered to himself.
"That's what you get for standing behind me. You weren't blown to death because you spoke quickly enough."
With that, Hagoromo leaped up and followed Tenzo, who had already run a long way ahead.
Even though Tenzo had used the Body Flicker Technique, Hagoromo could still sense him.
He was like an oversized light bulb.
Seeing that Hagoromo had caught up, Tenzo paid him no further attention.
He pushed off with his feet and ran ahead even faster.
The senior who had told him to come pick Hagoromo up had also instructed him to test what Hagoromo was made of.
So far, everything had been passable.
His vigilance was good, and his speed and sensing weren't bad either.
"We're here."
After taking Hagoromo on a detour, Tenzo stopped at an entrance.
Having just landed, Hagoromo looked at the Hokage Building not far away, then at the faces on Hokage Rock above it.
If someone hadn't brought him here, who would have known this was the Anbu's base?
Tenzo walked in front, and two Anbu emerged from hiding to check their credentials.
Only then did they open the entrance and let the two of them through.
Afterward, they walked through a dim tunnel.
Hagoromo didn't know how long had passed before he caught sight of a glimmer of light.
As they stepped out of the tunnel, a spacious cavern appeared before them.
The entire mountain seemed to have been hollowed out, and Hagoromo was now standing in the middle.
The surroundings rose upward in a series of tiers.
It really was a massive undertaking.
Looking at everything before him, Hagoromo couldn't help marveling.
And the very bottom of the cavern was probably what Konoha's villagers would use to escape later, right?
Tenzo walked ahead, leading Hagoromo through a series of turns until they reached a dead end. He pointed to a small door.
"Go in and register your codename first, and collect your uniform and mask."
Hagoromo nodded, pushed open the small door, and ducked his head slightly as he walked in.
As soon as he entered, he saw the silver-haired Kakashi standing there waiting for him.
Hmm?
Seeing Kakashi wearing only his face covering, without an Anbu mask, Hagoromo couldn't help being startled.
"Commander of the Hokage's Direct Anbu, Kakashi."
Kakashi ignored Hagoromo's confusion and simply stated his position.
"There's a mission tomorrow. Whether it succeeds will determine whether you can join the Anbu."
"I'll be the examiner overseeing it."
Hearing this, Hagoromo understood a little. An Anbu assessment might require an examiner to be present.
But they wouldn't normally say so outright like Kakashi had. Generally, the Anbu candidate should be sent alone, with the examiner following behind.
So Hiruzen is afraid I won't pass the assessment and had Kakashi there as a backup?
Tsk—this is the benefit of having a big tree at your back for shade?
Although, as far as Hagoromo was concerned, this benefit was a little unnecessary.
Seeing that Hagoromo had no questions, Kakashi pointed directly at the scroll on the table.
Hagoromo stepped forward and took a look. It contained some information about him.
The only blank space was the codename field.
"Write down your codename. From now on, you'll be addressed by it during all Anbu operations."
After explaining what the codename was for, Kakashi said no more.
Hagoromo picked up the brush, thought for a moment, and wrote down his codename, then stepped back.
Once Hagoromo had finished, Kakashi looked at the scroll. In the blank space, the words "Mirror Flower" stood out clearly.
Without another word, Kakashi formed Hand Seals, slapped his right hand down on the scroll, and called out in a low voice.
"Seal!"
Hagoromo watched as all his information twisted into swimming tadpole-like shapes, then gathered into the large character "seal."
"All Anbu members' information is sealed separately. Apart from the commander, only Lord Hokage has permission to access it."
As Kakashi spoke, he picked up a piece of string and tied up the scroll.
He then placed it in a drawer and pulled a mechanism beside it.
Listening to the mechanism turn, Hagoromo nodded and asked:
"When is the assessment mission, and what do I need to prepare?"
Kakashi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took out a fox mask from beside him and handed it to Hagoromo.
Only then did he say, "You'll be told about the assessment mission tomorrow."
"Be at Konoha's main gate on time, around six tomorrow evening."
"I'll be waiting for you there. Your Anbu uniform and standard-issue long sword will be delivered shortly."