White Mask

"What if I could defeat Captain Kakashi?"

Hearing this, Kakashi frowned. He felt that Youhu was being a bit ignorant of the heavens and earth.

This was not a time of war. Without the stimulation of life-or-death situations, a ninja's strength improved very slowly. How could a Chunin like him, who had been coasting in the Guard Division since a young age, possibly defeat a Jonin like himself?

Even Obito hadn't been this arrogant back then.

"If you can repel me, I can become your Jonin recommender and go to the Third Lord to recommend you for promotion to Jonin."

Kakashi looked at the distant Youhu and agreed to the wager.

"It's a deal."

Youhu drew the katana he carried with him and began calculating how much of his strength he should reveal.

It was impossible to use the Mangekyo to steamroll him. Relying on basic ninjutsu and taijutsu, he might not be Kakashi's match. At most, he could only use the Three Tomoe Sharingan; that would be enough to make his strength approach that of a Jonin.

After weighing his options, Youhu activated his Sharingan and lunged toward Kakashi.

Under the perception of the Sharingan, Kakashi's movements became much slower. After successfully closing in on Kakashi, Youhu slashed toward his neck.

The wind-like speed made Kakashi's expression change.

This was completely different from what was recorded in the files. Was Youhu really just an ordinary Chunin? Could an ordinary Chunin activate the Three Tomoe Sharingan?

This talent was no less impressive than that of Uchiha Itachi.

After the initial shock, Kakashi quickly regained the composure of a veteran Jonin. Using a kunai to block the strike, he pulled another kunai from his robes to counterattack.

This was no ordinary kunai; several expensive explosive tags were tied to it.

After being launched, it detonated the moment it neared Youhu. A massive shockwave spread in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

From within the dust, accompanied by a loud, low shout, a fireball roared out.

Kakashi dropped his kunai and hurriedly formed hand seals, slamming his hands onto the ground: "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

As chakra surged, the earth cracked and rose to form a wall of dirt, blocking the rolling fireball. On top of the wall, four large dog heads were clearly carved.

Was Kakashi making fun of the successive Hokage?

Youhu looked at the laughable dog-head Earth Flow Wall, feeling a sense of déjà vu as if he were looking at the Hokage Rock. Kakashi must have some grievance against the Hokage, which was why he carved dog heads onto his Earth Flow Wall.

Youhu jumped onto the top of the Earth Flow Wall and said to Kakashi, "Captain Kakashi, even if you are dissatisfied with the Hokage, you shouldn't use such ninjutsu to insult them."

"?"

Kakashi glanced at the Earth Flow Wall; the dog heads on it did indeed look a bit like the Hokage Rock.

Damn it, his little creative touch had been discovered. He did indeed harbor grievances toward the various Hokage of the village, which was why he had used his chakra to carve the dog heads.

Now that this kid had discovered it, he wouldn't go around blabbing about it, would he?

However, the next moment, Youhu suddenly leaped in front of Kakashi, his katana thrusting straight toward the position of Kakashi's heart.

Just before the strike could land, Youhu suddenly stopped.

"Captain Kakashi, you should be a Shadow Clone right now, right?"

As he finished speaking, Youhu pierced through Kakashi's body, then immediately retreated several steps, dodging an Earth Style: Beheading Technique.

Bang.

After being struck in a vital spot, the Kakashi in front transformed into smoke and dissipated.

"Three minutes have passed. You have passed the assessment. I didn't expect you to have awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age; your strength is already comparable to a Jonin."

Kakashi, who had been hiding underground using an Earth Style ninjutsu, walked out, his expression highly complex.

He didn't know how Youhu had managed to deceive everyone. This kid definitely possessed Jonin-level strength, yet he had remained obscure in the Security Force, working as an ordinary guard member.

If one were to say Youhu was calculating, he didn't really look the part.

It made no sense to hide his strength in the Guard Division only to reveal it all after joining the Anbu.

Could it be that Youhu was truly different from other Uchiha, and that he actually yearned for the village in his heart?

Kakashi didn't want to fight anymore, but Youhu hadn't had his fill of battle yet. He stared at Kakashi and said, "Captain Kakashi, don't change the subject and try to run away from the fight. I'm going to defeat you right now."

Kakashi no longer wanted to continue fighting Youhu. He had already brought out most of his strength; to keep fighting would mean having to use his close friend's eye.

Using his close friend's eye to deal with his close friend's clan member was something he could not bring himself to do.

Clearing his throat, Kakashi walked up to Youhu and forced a smile. "Youhu, I will fulfill the promise I made to you. The day you become qualified to be a Jonin, I will definitely recommend you to the Hokage!"

"?"

Youhu glanced at Kakashi. It was always him feeding others empty promises, but today, Kakashi was feeding him one too.

By the time he was qualified to be a Jonin, would he still need a recommendation from you, Kakashi? You thick-browed, big-eyed Copy Ninja of the Leaf, when did you learn that trick from the Third Hokage?

Since you were the one to start with the empty promises, don't blame me for playing dirty in the future.

The history between you and Uchiha Obito... there is quite a lot of room for me to rewrite that...

"Alright, alright. I'll take you to get your Anbu gear first, and while we're at it, you can meet your future colleagues. Who knows, you might even run into someone you know."

Kakashi noticed Youhu's dissatisfaction and hurriedly tried to comfort him.

Youhu kept his dissatisfaction with Kakashi in mind, but on the surface, he nodded obediently and said:

"Fine, I'll listen to Captain Kakashi. Could you tell me about Brother Obito? I heard you two were good friends back then. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if you don't, I won't keep the secret of your Earth Flow Wall."

"Fine, fine."

Kakashi sighed inwardly and began to tell Youhu the story of him and Obito.

Not long after, the two arrived at the Anbu base and walked into the supply warehouse.

Kakashi picked out a suitable set of clothes for Youhu. As for weapons and other equipment, Youhu would have to choose those himself; every Anbu member had their own preferred weaponry.

Youhu selected a long sword and grabbed a large amount of kunai and explosive tags, packing them all away.

Ninja gear was expensive. Since he finally had a chance to get it for free, he was determined to take as much as possible. If he couldn't use it all himself, he could always sell it off at the black market later.

He's quite the little money-grubber, isn't he?

Kakashi witnessed Youhu's behavior but did not stop him.

The Anbu was considered the Hokage's direct lineage force, and its funding was far more abundant than any other department in the village. The ninja gear that sold for a fortune outside was merely at cost price here.

After all, only Anbu ninjas experienced the battlefield even in times of peace.

After picking out all his gear, Kakashi led Youhu to a shelf filled with all sorts of masks.

Kakashi pointed at the pile of masks and said, "Youhu, once you've chosen your mask, we can begin your first mission."

Youhu glanced over the shelf.

It was covered in various masks—some were animal masks, others were of deities and monsters. The sheer variety gave Youhu a case of decision paralysis.

Should he choose the fox mask, or the ogre mask?

When his eyes swept to the last row, Youhu found a white mask with ripples on it, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Isn't this the white mask Obito wore?

Did Obito get his mask from the Anbu warehouse too? Well, since he had discovered it, it must be fate.

Youhu picked up the white mask and put it on his face; it fit perfectly.

"A white mask? It's a bit conspicuous in the dark, but with a few simple modifications, it'll work."

Kakashi didn't see anything wrong with it. Although such masks were relatively rare, the purpose of a mask was to hide one's identity; any mask would have the same effect.

"Are you done? If you are, I'll take you to meet your comrades and help you get used to the work in the Anbu."

"I'm ready." Youhu nodded. He had already changed into his uniform. Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought he looked quite dashing—he looked just like a mastermind hiding in the shadows of the ninja world.