Joining the Anbu

Seeing the veins bulge on Sora Uchiha's face, Minato felt a knot in his stomach.

He doesn't care about the villagers?

He studied Sora Uchiha's expression closely. The latter's face was as calm as still water, without a ripple. He truly didn't care, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

Minato's temples suddenly throbbed.

Not caring about others is a good thing. It means this person's mindset will allow him to achieve great things in the future.

But it's also a bad thing. It means Sora Uchiha has no sense of belonging to Konohagakure. His heart isn't in Konoha, so naturally, he doesn't care about what the people of Konoha say or do.

A person like this... has a unique designation: "Rogue Ninja in Hiding."

There are generally two types of rogue ninjas from a ninja village. One type cares too much about the village, so when the village isn't as beautiful as they imagined, they shatter like glass and become rogue ninjas.

The other type is like Sora Uchiha, someone who has no sense of belonging to the village. This type is more complex. No one knows when they might suddenly decide to join an enemy ninja village on a whim.

Minato opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but immediately recalled the undisguised disgust the villagers had shown towards the Uchiha just moments ago.

He fell silent. He... had no reason to persuade Sora Uchiha.

"Teacher, don't worry. Just because I don't care about them doesn't mean there isn't anyone in the village I care about," Sora Uchiha said, comforting Minato instead.

Minato was taken aback. That's true. The Uchiha Clan used to belong to Konoha, so Sora's roots are in Konoha.

"Oh, right, Teacher. What did you want to see me about?" Sora Uchiha asked.

He didn't think Minato would seek him out just to check on his training.

Hearing Sora Uchiha's question, Minato smacked his forehead. "Ah, right. Look at me, I forgot the main point. Sora, you're still in a solo squad, right?"

"Mhm," Sora Uchiha nodded.

"It's like this: according to regulations, Chunin must be in teams of three or more to carry out missions. I've pretty much figured out your strength just now. Now, you have three options. First, temporarily join Team 7 and carry out missions with Kakashi and the others."

"Next," Sora Uchiha said directly. Temporarily join Team 7? It might not be bad. This way, I can keep track of Team 7's situation at all times and minimize the chances of Rin dying.

However, joining Team 7 has a major limitation: freedom. If I agree, it means I'll be with Team 7 for a long time, with no time to go elsewhere. This is something I absolutely cannot accept.

Minato choked, feeling a bit dejected. Are they really that bad in Team 7? He rejected it before I even finished speaking. Thinking about it this way makes me a bit discouraged.

But he quickly adjusted his mood.

"Second, protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire from assassination by enemy spies."

Konohagakure is a village within the Land of Fire. The Daimyo's safety is naturally extremely important. If the Daimyo dies, the morale might collapse.

"Next," Sora Uchiha said calmly. Protect the Daimyo? Heh, I'm not that idle. In my opinion, the Daimyo are just a bunch of useless people who hold the title of 'boss' without any substance.

Minato wasn't surprised at all and continued:

"In that case, you only have one option left: join the Anbu and carry out missions in secret."

[Thump--]

[Quest Issued]

[Note: This is a series quest]

[Quest Objective 1: Join the Anbu]

[Reward: Unknown]

Good heavens, the system is finally moving after more than ten chapters!

Sora Uchiha silently grumbled, then his interest piqued. A series quest. From the name alone, I know it's not just one mission, but a series of them.

It's like the previous group exam, where the first stage was the written test and the second stage was the practical combat test.

[Does the host accept?]

[Accept/Reject]

Accept, of course, I accept. The rewards for series quests are much better than regular quests. Most of my summons and secret scrolls were obtained from series quests.

Besides, Minato just said there were three options, and I rejected the first two. Joining the Anbu is something I would agree to even without the system.

After all, everyone is a soldier now, let alone being the first-place winner of this Chunin Exam. If I refuse to participate,

Heh, the Konoha higher-ups would have a reason to target the Uchiha.

"I'll join the Anbu," Sora Uchiha silently agreed with the system, then looked up and said to Minato.

Minato nodded, not surprised. Originally, in his plan, Sora Uchiha would choose between joining Team 7 and joining the Anbu. Since joining Team 7 was immediately rejected, only joining the Anbu remained.

As for protecting the Daimyo?

The Uchiha Clan has never done this before; they are too arrogant.

"Mm, I understand. I'll bring it up with the Third Hokage," Minato Namikaze nodded.

"Wait? Teacher Minato, are you saying it was your idea for me to join the Anbu?" Sora Uchiha blinked.

"Uh, yes. I just returned to Konoha today and haven't met with the Third Hokage yet. I happened to see you at the training grounds just now and made a snap decision. However, while it was a snap decision, it was also inevitable, as these are your only options."

Sora Uchiha understood in his heart.

So that's how it is. I was wondering why Konoha's higher-ups gave me the cold shoulder only to invite me to the Anbu moments later.

It turns out Minato doesn't know I never received the notification.

In that case, Minato actually helped me out. If he hadn't mentioned it, I doubt the Third Hokage would have let me join the Anbu so easily.

Perhaps I wouldn't have had three choices, but only one: protecting the Daimyo.

"Well, it's getting late, and I still need to give Kakashi and the others special training. Sora, you can head back now. Someone from the Anbu should come looking for you in a few days," Minato glanced out the window before saying to Sora Uchiha.

"Mm," Sora Uchiha nodded lightly, then pulled open the door, intending to leave.

"Wait," Minato suddenly thought of something and called out to him.

He turned back, his eyes asking what else there was to say.

Minato scratched his head, seeming a bit embarrassed. "Well... how should I put it, haha..."

Sora Uchiha's gaze grew strange. Why is this guy getting so awkward now? Young Minato isn't as composed as he is after becoming Hokage.

"Ahem, Sora, I don't know what others in the village think of you, but Kushina and I care about you a lot," Minato said earnestly.

Sora Uchiha fell silent for a moment.

How long does it take to build friendships?

I don't know about others,

But Minato and I only took three days.

Back then, Minato loved and hated me. He loved me because my talent for using Kunai was exceptionally high, which satisfied him.

He hated me because my Kunai skills were terrible. Minato intended to teach me the Rasengan, and then... I couldn't learn a thing. I couldn't even compress Chakra into a ball.

Meeting Minato's sincere gaze, Sora Uchiha looked away.

No wonder this guy is called 'Eternal Sister-Con', he thought. He's so serious even about the kid who was his disciple for three days.

"Tch, so cheesy," he muttered.

"Heh," Minato chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair. "I don't know why, but I feel like we're the same age, and I unconsciously get awkward around you."