Undercurrents

(Second update, please click, recommend, favorite, and tip!)

"Of course I am a ninja from Konoha, Third Hokage."

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's question, Uchiha Yue's eyes narrowed, and his mind was filled with countless thoughts, but he answered without the slightest hesitation.

When the Third Hokage received a positive answer from Uchiha Yue, a smile appeared on Third Hokage face. He then said with a smile, "Yue, don't be nervous. Actually, I didn't mean anything by asking that. You are Tsunade's disciple, so you're practically my grand-disciple! It's just that some things have been troubling me lately, and now that I've received your answer, I finally know how to handle them."

"What is it, Third Hokage?"

Clearly, Uchiha Yue knew that even if he didn't ask the Third Hokage, the Third Hokage would still bring it up. Therefore, in order to gain control of the conversation, Uchiha Yue asked the question as soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking. And just as Uchiha Yue expected, he immediately saw the Third Hokage's smile fade, and he said with a slightly serious expression, "Tsuki, you've been out on missions lately, so you might not know what's happening in the village. Let me tell you!"

The Third Hokage paused slightly, gesturing for Uchiha Yue to sit down, and continued, "While you were away on your mission, the village's Anbu suffered heavy losses. It seems someone was deliberately hiding around the village, constantly assassinating our Anbu members. Of course, thanks to the intelligence you and Minato gathered, we finally found some clues and know which ninja villages were responsible for assassinating our Anbu. However, if we want to launch a counterattack, we still need enough Anbu members!"

Just as the Third Hokage spoke, Uchiha Yue, sitting opposite him, not only guessed the meaning behind Third Hokage's call, but also understood why the Uchiha Clan elders wanted to speak with him. Clearly, the Konoha's recruitment of Anbu presented an opportunity for the Uchiha Clan. If they could secure Anbu Uchiha Clan, given the methods of Konoha powerful Uchiha Clan, they could easily control a large amount of Anbu resources in a short period.

Undoubtedly, after the Second Shinobi World War, the Uchiha Clan, which had been dormant for so long, was finally about to show its fangs. The Uchiha Clan was no longer content with the power of the Konoha Military Police Force; they wanted to reach into the Konoha's upper echelons. The current Anbu member election presented the Uchiha Clan with an opportunity. Therefore, the Uchiha Clan's leadership focused their attention on Uchiha Yue, as he was the most suitable person to infiltrate the Anbu.

Despite his young age, Uchiha Yue 'Uchiha Yue reputation in Konoha is considerable, and he possesses the ability to run for Anbu. Furthermore, he is a disciple of Uchiha Yue, one of the Tsunade Sannin, meaning he could easily gain Tsunade support if he decided to run for Anbu. Therefore, the Uchiha Clan's leadership naturally wanted to win Uchiha Yue, using him as a stepping stone for the entire Uchiha Clan to infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Anbu pave the way for Anbu complete infiltration.

The Third Hokage's purpose in speaking with Uchiha Yue to test whether he would choose the village or his clan.

Just as Uchiha Yue had expected, after the Third Hokage spoke to him, his gaze fixed on Uchiha Yue, and he asked, "Tsukuyomi, the village is about to start selecting Anbu members. Are you interested? If you are, talk to Tsunade. I think if you want to join the Anbu, it shouldn't be difficult at all."

"Third Hokage, I don't think I'm ready to join the Anbu yet."

Seeing the Third Hokage testing him, Uchiha Yue answered without hesitation, "Although I've just completed several high-level missions, my experience in mission execution is still somewhat lacking. During this mission, I became even more aware of my weakness in practical combat experience, so I plan to dedicate myself to training for a while. Next year, I'll ask Minato to help me apply for the Chunin Ninja Exams, to become Chunin first."

With that, the Third Hokage, Uchiha Yue, remained expressionless and continued, "If I were Chunin now, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to run for Anbu. Unfortunately, I still need to comprehensively improve my strength. The missions required for Anbu are too numerous and might limit my development. Therefore, even if my clan wanted me to run for Anbu, I would still refuse."

"Hehe, Yue, you're being too sensitive."

Hearing Uchiha Yue's words, the Third Hokage's eyes showed satisfaction, but he said, "Tsuki, I was just talking to my grand-disciple. You don't need to involve your clan. Alright, you've just returned from a mission, so go back and get some rest! I hope that when I see you next time, you'll be even stronger!"

"Yes, Third Hokage!"

As soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking, Uchiha Yue did not forget the clan's etiquette, bowed to the Third Hokage, and left the Hokage Office.

However, as he left the Hokage Office, Uchiha Yue clearly felt a cold sweat break out on his back. Clearly, dealing with such a powerful figure as the Third Hokage Uchiha Yue put immense pressure on him; even a brief conversation had left him feeling exhausted. What troubled him even more was that after dealing with the Third Hokage Uchiha Yue, Uchiha Yue still had to contend with the clan elders.

Immediately afterwards...

Uchiha Yue hurriedly left the Hokage Office, without even going home to check on things, and went straight to the residence of the Uchiha Clan elder, Uchiha Lei. Moreover, just as Uchiha Yue arrived at Uchiha Lei's residence, he clearly saw Uchiha Hua Uchiha Yue, who had been at the gate of Konoha earlier, also there.

Seeing Uchiha Hua standing guard at the door, Uchiha Yue walked straight forward and said, "Hua-kun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It doesn't matter."

Upon seeing Uchiha Yue arrive, Uchiha Hua smiled and said, "Yue-kun, Elder Lei has been waiting for you for a long time. Please go in first!"

"Um!"

Nodding slightly, Uchiha Yue followed Uchiha Hua into Uchiha Lei's residence. However, Uchiha Yue never expected that Uchiha Lei wanted to see more than just him. At that very moment, Uchiha Yue's father, Uchiha Nara Uchiha Yue, was also in Uchiha Lei's residence. Moreover, upon seeing Uchiha Yue, a look of surprise appeared in Uchiha Nara's eyes!

"Yue, what brings you here?"