Thirty-Sixth Chapter: Anbu

Shiraishi Yoshijo studied Jo with a strange expression.

This was the first time he had seen Jo with a Consciousness Entity.

It was almost like looking at his own reflection.

"Go on, tell me why you said that. And what exactly is going on with you? I raised you—shouldn't you listen to me?"

"Why did you follow Mei's orders and spy on me? Or were the Butterfly Seeds made to spy on our clan from the start?"

Jo sighed. "As expected, different species can't understand one another."

"Mutual understanding requires both sides to be equals. Do you think we're equals right now?"

"Mei treats our entire clan as food. Don't you treat me as food, too?"

Jo shook his head. "Lady Mei is the true mother of us Ninja Butterflies. Every Ninja Butterfly is her child."

"What's wrong with obeying my mother's orders? Besides, Lady Mei has no intention of harming you."

"Food? Spying? That's just your paranoia. I told you, we share a life."

Paranoia?

Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched. "Come to think of it, Mei said something to me yesterday about predicting the future. Can you tell me what that's about?"

"Can you see all my memories?"

Jo shook his head again. "I can only pick up on your thoughts. I'm not a Spirit-Peering Butterfly. I don't have that ability."

"When you meet certain people or encounter certain things, strange thoughts always pop into your head. They're somewhat like predictions of the future, but not quite the same."

Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed. "So you told Mei about my ability to predict the future. How do you communicate with her? Why haven't I noticed anything?"

"I can't tell you that. In any case, even when Lady Mei is in Butterfly Habitat Valley, she can still contact me."

Shiraishi Yoshijo's expression darkened.

"Don't judge us by human standards, just as we can't fully understand you."

"Lady Mei won't hurt you. After all, I'm her child, too. She won't hurt me, just as your mother wouldn't hurt you. Surely you can understand that?"

He couldn't understand it at all. Shiraishi Yoshijo felt an even worse headache coming on.

"Jo, do you want me to work with Mei? If I do, I might never die, which means you'll be stuck here forever."

"Don't you long to be free?"

Jo's face took on a thoughtful expression.

"For every species, survival comes first. Freedom comes second."

"I can't disobey Lady Mei's orders. Her evolution can drive the evolution of our entire species."

"That's what matters most."

"Besides, can you really live forever? The human world is full of hidden malice. Didn't that Danzo you just met try to kill you?"

"Instead of worrying about us, shouldn't you be thinking about how to survive in the human world?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo fell silent.

"I'll ask you one last time. Can you really guarantee that Mei won't hurt me?"

"As long as you don't do anything against Lady Mei, she absolutely won't hurt you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo took a deep breath. "I understand."

While Shiraishi Yoshijo and Jo were talking, Hatake Sakumo had already brought him to the training ground.

The Anbu members training there all stopped when they saw Shiraishi Yoshijo.

"Is that kid the last descendant of the Shide Clan?"

"He doesn't look special. He just got lucky with his background."

"I heard the village nearly had a major incident because of him these past couple of days."

"Should we test him?"

"Sounds like a good idea. Will Sakumo get mad? He's on his team, after all."

"Coward. I'll do it."

The Anbu who spoke raised a hand and flung several shuriken at him.

Hatake Sakumo noticed, but didn't step in to stop them. He wanted to see how capable Shiraishi Yoshijo was, too.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had just come out of the Consciousness Space when he saw several shuriken flying toward him.

He merely tilted his head, and the shuriken stuck into his body.

Hatake Sakumo froze.

Even the Anbu who'd thrown the shuriken froze.

Nearly every Anbu on the training ground was stunned.

A wave of icy killing intent began to spread.

"So he really is just a kid. He can't even dodge those shuriken, and they let him into the Anbu?"

"Just a good background, after all. No one here cares about that. He'll be dead before long."

That hurt.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had seen the shuriken. He could have dodged them, but he hadn't wanted to.

He reached up and pulled the shuriken from his body one by one, activating Medical Ninjutsu as he did. The wounds healed without even bleeding.

His Medical Ninjutsu could handle small wounds like these, even healing them instantly. Anything bigger, though, was beyond him.

If he were gutted, he'd probably have to lose half his life just to heal the damage.

He looked at the Anbu who'd thrown the shuriken and tossed them back.

He hadn't put much force into it. They barely reached the Anbu's feet.

"Here you go, senpai. Your shuriken."

The Anbu didn't look down at the shuriken by his feet. He only stared coldly at Shiraishi Yoshijo and began, "Kid, this isn't the place for you to—"

He didn't get to finish. Shiraishi Yoshijo had already appeared right in front of him!

He hadn't just pulled out the shuriken. He'd quietly attached wire to them, too.

The full name of the Anbu was the Assassination Special Operations Squad. Its members were all highly skilled elites.

If he didn't want to be looked down on and bullied, he needed to show at least a little ability.

He hadn't dodged the shuriken because even if he had, it would have been hard to launch an effective counterattack.

So he'd gone along with it, pretending he hadn't dodged. That would lull his opponent into a false sense of security and create an opening for a lethal strike.

Having shuriken stuck in his body had hurt. He held a grudge.

Lightning Flash sparked in his hand. He'd even used the nature transformation of his Lightning Release.

Even a mere graze from that kind of nature transformation would make someone writhe in agony.

When the Anbu saw Shiraishi Yoshijo appear in front of him, his pupils contracted sharply.

Caught off guard, he could only raise his arm in front of his chest.

There was a muffled thump, but the Anbu stood his ground without moving an inch.

Shiraishi Yoshijo immediately began forming hand seals.

Butterfly Clone.

The Anbu's counterattack came at once. He drove a knee into Shiraishi Yoshijo's abdomen.

A perfect hit.

Shiraishi Yoshijo's body turned into hundreds of butterflies, which flew behind Hatake Sakumo.

They gradually reassembled into a human shape, and Shiraishi Yoshijo appeared behind Hatake Sakumo again.

He shrugged. "Senpai, my attacks really hurt, you know."

The Anbu had already realized something was wrong without him having to say so.

It felt as if something had bitten his arm. The pain was so intense that cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

"Is that Lightning Release nature transformation?"

"A kid that young can use a Ninjutsu like that? No wonder he comes from a famous clan."

"Didn't you notice how fast his Body Flicker was just now? He was even faster than Sakumo."

Hatake Sakumo was also a little surprised. He looked at Shiraishi Yoshijo approvingly and started clapping.

The applause gradually spread, then grew enthusiastic.

Shiraishi Yoshijo scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

After thinking it over, he walked toward the Anbu. A green light, characteristic of Medical Ninjutsu, shone from his hand.

"Senpai, I'm a medical ninja. Need treatment?"

The Anbu didn't put on airs. For people like them, who lived by the sword, pride was of little importance. Staying alive mattered most.

Besides, having stronger teammates was good for them. There was no reason to fall out with Shiraishi Yoshijo over something like this.

As he treated the Anbu, Shiraishi Yoshijo was secretly impressed.

There was no doubt about how fast his Lightning Body Flicker was.

The Anbu hadn't just blocked his attack with an arm; he'd managed to counterattack at the same time.

That reaction speed was exactly what you'd expect from an Anbu elite.

As Shiraishi Yoshijo treated the Anbu, not only Hatake Sakumo but the other Anbu members noticed something.

The shuriken had hit Shiraishi Yoshijo, but he hadn't bled at all. At most, they'd only torn a few holes in his clothes.

They'd assumed he'd been willing to take the hit to use that Body Flicker technique.

No one who made it into the Anbu was a fool. After seeing a Ninjutsu once, they could usually judge its function.

That Body Flicker technique clearly needed wire as a medium.

He'd deliberately stood still and let the shuriken hit him, distracting his opponent while secretly attaching wire to them, then striking in an instant.

What a devious kid!

That was why they'd clapped, too.

In their eyes, that kind of courage and underhanded combat strategy made him fully qualified to join the Anbu.

But when they saw that Shiraishi Yoshijo wasn't bleeding at all,

they exchanged glances, then turned to Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo spread his hands, making it clear that he wasn't going to ask.

For shinobi from the Anbu, a ninja's intelligence was a taboo that must never be touched.

If the information leaked and someone devised a countermeasure, the result could be anything from injury to death.

Hatake Sakumo would never do something like that, especially since Shiraishi Yoshijo was on his team.

Soon, Hatake Sakumo introduced Shiraishi Yoshijo to his other two teammates.

Hanari and Shincho.

Hanari removed her mask to reveal her true face. "I'm Kawaigawa Aonobu. I look forward to working with you."

Kawai?

Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched. When Hanari winked at him, he decided not to say anything.

These clans really were everywhere. Maybe they'd made another deal with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As for Shincho, she was a woman, but he knew nothing about her except her codename.

Hatake Sakumo took out a mask painted with a butterfly and handed it to Shiraishi Yoshijo.

"This is your mask. Pick your own codename."

"Mengdie."

Under the Will of Fire, life in Konoha felt like a dream to him.

He was clearheaded now, and he hoped he would always stay that way.

After all, humans were highly susceptible to assimilation.

He didn't want to remain lost in a dream forever.