The Anbu Was Basically a Violent Organization, Wasn't It?

When they were almost finished eating, Otome put down her chopsticks and looked at Katsuki.

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

"Two things, let's take it one step at a time. First... your family should have records of all the previous Hokage elections, right?" Katsuki asked.

"The Hokage election? I'm not really sure about that. Why are you asking? Does it mean the Third Hokage is going to step down and the election will fall to you?"

Otome looked at Katsuki with surprise, noticing his gloomy expression, and immediately chuckled.

"You... you're really unlucky to have gotten yourself into such a thankless and difficult job."

"Sigh! There's nothing I can do. That old man from the Senju Clan is dishonest; he forced this lousy job on me, and now I'm completely baffled. So I was thinking, didn't your clan also run for Hokage back then? There should be relevant documents and records..."

Katsuki looked at Otome with expectant eyes.

"The library should have this kind of stuff, right? If all else fails, the Senju Clan's information is definitely more abundant than our Uchiha's. Why do you have to come to me? Can't you just ask Nawaki? Who knows where this kind of information is tucked away? It's a real hassle to find." Otome raised an eyebrow.

Katsuki secretly curled his lip. Only a fool would go looking for Nawaki. What fun could two grown men possibly have rummaging through drawers looking for information?

Philosophy is not a subject he teaches.

"Alright, I'll go back and ask tonight. Who knows if any of these things were left behind? When my great-grandfather defected from Konoha, the family burned a huge amount of stuff. The Second Hokage was still making trouble for us, but after the First Hokage died, he kept quiet and handed over the Police Force to our family..."

"Stop, stop, stop going off-topic."

The more Katsuki listened, the more uneasy she felt. The topic was veerging too far off course, disappearing in the blink of an eye, and she couldn't stop it.

"I'll go help look for it tonight. My Shadow Clone works very quickly. Let's skip that for now and move on to the second thing."

Kuyue yawned, looking bored. The little girl was clearly not interested in this kind of topic, and after eating, she was feeling sleepy, nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice.

"Girl, if you're sleepy, lie down and take a nap. I'll take you home in a bit."

"Okay!"

She gave a listless reply, then slumped into Otome's arms and fell fast asleep, her speed of falling asleep astonishing Katsuki.

"Go on!"

The Otome gently stroked the little girl's hair with one hand.

"... Wait a minute, let me think about it! This afternoon, Orochimaru- senpai and Minato... invited me to take charge of the Anbu."

"So, you don't know whether you should agree or not, right?" Otome directly pointed out the crux of Katsuki's problem.

"That's right, as you know, I'm not the type to control people. Managing dozens of students already gives me a headache, managing the Anbu would absolutely drive me crazy... But lately, I've felt something's not right. A few missing-nin suddenly dared to cause trouble in the village. I feel like there's something fishy going on."

He frowned Katsuki.

A sense of unease crept into his heart. Under his influence, the state of the Shinobi World had been completely altered, and how Black Zetsu would manipulate Madara Uchiha taking action had become unpredictable. This was something he had always worried about.

Is it that serious?

Otome noticed Katsuki's unease, and although she was puzzled, she also became serious.

"Better safe than sorry... The Shinobi World is a deep and murky place; hopefully, I'm just overthinking it."

Katsuki shook her head. This kind of enemy, hidden behind one's back and impossible to touch, was really a headache. The feeling of having a lot of strength but nowhere to use it was really torturous.

"In that case, why not just agree to Orochimaru's request? Instead of sitting here agonizing over it, why not go to the Anbu?"

Otome paused, took a sip of orange juice to moisten her throat, and continued, "If you don't like handling official business, you can always find someone to help you. To be honest, I don't think Orochimaru really expected you to manage the Anbu perfectly. What he probably needed was your strength and prestige, a ballast stone that could unite the Anbu."

Ballast stone?

Katsuki narrowed her eyes. After Otome's analysis, it seemed to make perfect sense.

"Are you saying that my joining the Anbu is just a facade?"

"It's a signboard, that's true, but that doesn't mean you'd be nothing but a clay puppet if you went there. Orochimaru- senpai is such a meticulous person, he wouldn't do something so humiliating."

After thinking it over for a while, Katsuki finally made up her mind.

"Taking charge of the Anbu? Sounds interesting... Wait, if I agree to go to the Anbu, then I won't have to worry about the Ninja Academy anymore, will I?" Katsuki slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing something.

"Did you notice? Looks like I don't need to go home and rummage through drawers looking for things." Otome smiled slightly.

"I mean... you didn't actually encourage me to join the Anbu just because you were too lazy to go home and look for something, did you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and pay the bill, then take Kuyue home."

The Otome drank the remaining orange juice at the bottom of the glass in one gulp.

"Yeah?"

Muttering to herself, Katsuki took her wallet and went downstairs to pay the bill.

However, given that he himself wasn't particularly interested in worrying about the Hokage election, this choice wasn't actually that bad.

Hokage Building.

As the Hokage's Assistant, Orochimaru has his own office here.

"Katsuki- kun, what's your decision?" Orochimaru sat in his swivel chair, smiling as he looked at Katsuki.

"I'd like to know more about the details. It's better to communicate some things clearly beforehand, otherwise it'll be awkward for everyone if things go wrong later."

"That makes sense... So, I formally invite you, Katsuki- kun, to serve as the next Anbu Chief. I have already received authorization from the Lord Hokage. Once you sign this appointment letter, you will be the new Anbu Chief."

Orochimaru stood up, walked out, and pushed a document in front of Katsuki.

"The previous chief of staff twisted his back a week ago and is still in the hospital. The Deputy Chief is temporarily in charge of all the work."

"Twisted your back?"

Katsuki was stunned. To be able to serve as the Anbu Chief, one must be a first-rate expert. How could he have twisted his back? Even using old age as an excuse felt very far-fetched.

"While the specifics may differ slightly, well, there's no need to worry too much about the details. In short, the position of Anbu Chief is currently vacant, so you can take up the post right now, Katsuki- kun."

"... Okay, but let's make some things clear first. I'm different from Minato. I'm impatient with dealing with paperwork, and teaching twenty or thirty kids has already exhausted me. What I'm good at is solving problems with violence... Is that alright?"

"Ha ha!"

Orochimaru laughed.

"Of course, no problem. Please feel free to do as you please, Katsuki- kun. The Deputy Chief will handle the daily affairs. Besides, isn't the Anbu an organization that uses violence to solve problems?"