First Mission

That night, Lin Cheng, who was staying at the hospital to keep Kakashi and Might Guy company while they received IV drips, slowly looked toward the outdoors and sneered.

Signaling to Kakashi and the others—who had also sensed the disturbance—to remain still, Lin Cheng walked out slowly.

A moment later, following a subtle commotion that would have been difficult for others to notice, Lin Cheng returned to the room.

"What's the situation?"

Kakashi asked.

"Judging by their attire, they look like Konoha Anbu, but there's something slightly different about them!"

After a moment of thought, Lin Cheng said in a low voice.

"...They should be from Root. You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No! I just knocked them out secretly and hung them upside down from a tree."

"..."

Deep beneath Konoha, at the Root headquarters.

Having waited in vain for his subordinates to return, an impatient Shimura Danzō immediately dispatched more men to investigate.

A long while later, he received a report that the men previously sent out had been knocked unconscious and hung upside down from a tree.

Shimura Danzō was furious.

Suppressing his anger until daybreak, he waited for Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, to just enter the Hokage office.

Holding back his rage all night, Shimura Danzō immediately stormed into the office.

"Hiruzen! Those two brats must absolutely not be left to their own devices! He actually had the audacity to knock out my subordinates!"

"I don't recall authorizing you to send people to monitor them. You have overstepped your bounds!"

Clenching his ever-present pipe between his teeth, Sarutobi Hiruzen lifted his eyelids briefly before returning to the work at hand.

"You! Fine, fine, fine! If you continue to indulge them like this, don't come crying to me when you regret it later! Hmph!"

After pointing an angry finger at Sarutobi Hiruzen for a long time and seeing that the man ignored him entirely, Shimura Danzō slammed the door and left.

Hearing the door slam, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up, shook his head, and continued with his work.

With the harassment from Danzō gone, Lin Cheng and Kimimaro were led by Kakashi.

They spent several days touring every corner of Konoha.

During this time, Lin Cheng encountered Naruto, who was causing trouble all over the village, on several occasions.

However, not wanting to trigger the nerves of certain people, Lin Cheng chose to just smile and pass by, refusing to engage with him.

Just like that, after wandering peacefully through Konoha for a few days, the Lin Cheng brothers were officially appointed to the Anbu!

Shortly thereafter, they received their first mission since joining the village!

Acting as Konoha Anbu, they were to assist the allied Sunagakure in hunting down Renfu, a Suna rogue ninja who had fled into the borders of the Land of Fire.

Kakashi served as the team leader, with Lin Cheng, Kimimaro, and Yamato—a former test subject of Orochimaru—as teammates!

Of course, at this time, Yamato was not yet called Yamato!

He was still Tenzō!

Although it was their first meeting, Lin Cheng's outgoing personality quickly earned him the favor of the stoic Tenzō.

Subsequently, the group of four followed the intelligence they had gathered to a location near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

Looking at the desolate scenery surrounding them, a flash of surprise crossed Lin Cheng's eyes.

"I didn't expect the Land of Fire to have such a desolate place."

"We are already near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, so this isn't strange at all!"

Kakashi, wearing his Anbu mask, shrugged, indicating that this sight was perfectly normal.

"Why would the target choose such a desolate place to hide? And honestly, it's pathetic!

To be found even here!"

"Unless he has absolutely no contact with the outside world, being found is only a matter of time!"

"True! If a person exists, they will leave traces; being found is actually quite normal!"

Mimicking Kakashi's shrug, Lin Cheng ultimately chose to agree.

"Alright, enough lamenting! We are already very close to the target's area of activity!

We could encounter him at any moment, so it's best to be careful!

By the way, don't forget, the target is a puppeteer and knows how to use poison!"

"He certainly does use poison!"

Lin Cheng nodded, agreeing with the statement.

"What do you mean?!"

"Because he is already using it!"

Before the words had even faded, Lin Cheng's figure vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already pinning a ninja dressed in Suna attire under his arm.

Looking at the rogue ninja forehead protector and the face of the man, Kakashi and Tenzō couldn't help but be rendered speechless.