Turning Point: Joining

While Taiichi was enjoying a leisurely vacation in the village, the war outside never stopped.

The Land of Earth is a region covered with mountains, yes, it's covered with mountains.

Here, mountains rise one after another, and steep peaks stretch as far as the eye can see. Fortunately, these peaks are not very high; the highest is only about 500 meters.

Like most places in the Land of Earth, the mountains here are all made of pure rock.

In such a vast area, you could only occasionally see a few weeds peeking out from the cracks in the rocks. Even these pitiful few weeds were not the usual green; instead, they were a dull, withered yellow, just like the rocks.

In this godforsaken place, nestled in a valley, a group of Konoha Ninja were chewing on unpalatable dry rations.

"Kakashi, why don't you just apply to lead the mission next time? It's always the same when we do missions with Minato-sensei, it's so boring."

Obito glanced at the guy beside him, took a bite of the dry rations in his hand, drank a sip of water, chewed the food in his mouth with all his might, and swallowed it with difficulty.

Compared to Military Ration Pill, this thing only has the advantage of not causing constipation if you eat too much; it has no other advantages whatsoever. It's much more convenient to eat Military Ration Pill.

Kakashi remained unmoved by Obito's words. He continued eating his rations, but only took a small bite at a time, chewing it thoroughly in his mouth and mixing it with his saliva before slowly swallowing.

As he ate, he wiped his Short Sword carefully and repeatedly until the blade shone brightly.

At his feet was a three-pronged Kunai, with the words "Sword of Ninja Love" engraved on the handle. It was Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai.

Lin looked at Obito, who was complaining again, and felt helpless. This was not the first time Obito had scared Kakashi into taking on a mission alone.

In fact, not to mention Obito, she herself probably had the same thoughts, and Kakashi probably felt the same way too, they just wouldn't say it out loud.

Minato Namikaze, the user of the Flying Thunder God, possesses unparalleled speed in Konoha, which also makes his fighting style lean towards one-on-one combat.

Those teammates of similar strength to him were alright, as they could still coordinate with each other, but for Obito and Rin, it was quite unfavorable.

In particular, most of the tasks carried out by the Minato were highly difficult.

They often end up like this because they can't keep up with the pace of the Minato.

They are assigned trivial tasks at the last minute, or worse, they are left aside and can only wait helplessly.

I wonder how Taiichi is doing now. I haven't heard from him in a long time.

Rin changed the subject; she didn't want Obito to encourage Kakashi again, as that would be a serious violation of ninja rules.

Sure enough, Obito's train of thought was immediately swayed.

"He's probably wreaking havoc on the battlefield again. If only I had Taiichi's strength, then—"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle foolishly, his eyes constantly glancing at Kakashi.

It's obvious to anyone that he's thinking about some kind of R-rated image.

Rin rolled her eyes at Obito's lewd expression.

"If you put in half the effort of Taiichi, your strength would definitely be much greater than it is now. I'm sure Taiichi has a clone training in Ninjutsu right now."

Obito was speechless. If someone else had said that, he would have definitely gone up and given them a good talking-to.

But since it was Lin who spoke, he could only lower his head and remain silent, quietly munching on the dry rations in his hand.

But just after Obito calmed down, Kakashi, perhaps stimulated by their conversation, seemed to be affected by it.

The Short Sword in his hand suddenly flashed with lightning and plunged into the rock beneath his feet, all the way down to the hilt.

Obito and Rin were both captivated by Kakashi's actions, wondering what had gotten into him.

"After this mission is over, I'll talk to Minato-sensei and apply to carry out missions solo."

Kakashi said calmly, then drew his Short Sword and sheathed it without even looking, his movements clean and swift.

Obito was stunned by Kakashi for two seconds, but he quickly recovered and jumped three feet high.

"Kakashi, are you serious? Haha, finally I can go on missions alone again."

Rin, standing to the side, seemed slightly worried. "Kakashi, is it really okay? Isn't that too dangerous?"

Kakashi was quite patient with Yu Lin's concerns; this was unlike Obito, who was a complete failure.

"Don't worry, Taiichi gave us a specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai, right? That's a treasure that can summon him to our aid. Even if it's dangerous, it won't kill us."

Lin touched her Ninja Tool Pouch, where the Flying Thunder God Kunai, which she had always kept safe, lay quietly. A sense of peace inexplicably settled over her.

"Well—okay, I agree."

Time flies like water, never to return.

After Taiichi spent a leisurely week back in the village, he finally received another order from the Hokage.

The Hokage's Office.

"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me?"

Taiichi pushed open the door and peeked furtively into the room. Only the Hokage was inside, at least that was the apparent view.

"You brat, what are you doing? Get your ass in here right now!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and tapped his pipe on the table, signaling Taiichi to hurry up.

"Ah~ Haha, I was just checking if you were meeting with other people over here?"

Taiichi showed no sign of panic and Earth Flow in leisurely.

Seeing Taiichi's natural reaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very pleased. Given his status, there were very few people who could get along with him like Taiichi did.

Even his own clansmen, when they saw him, acted like mice before a cat, panicking and hiding.

The two chatted for a while, mainly with Hiruzen Sarutobi asking Taiichi how he had been doing lately, and whether he had any trouble adjusting to the sudden change from the tense front lines to the leisurely village.

In summary, this was to demonstrate the Hokage-sama's care and love for his subordinate Genin. Taiichi answered each question, expressing his satisfaction with his current life and his deep gratitude for the Hokage-sama's concern.

Half an hour later, the casual conversation ended, and the topic finally returned to the main point.

"Taiichi, you've been resting at home for a week now. Have you thought about where you're going next?"

The Hokage asked casually, but his sharp eyes were fixed on every change in Taiichi through the smoke he exhaled.

"Ah, where to go? I haven't really thought about it. How about Konoha Hospital? Or maybe the Barrier Team?"

Taiichi himself was also conflicted, sharing similar concerns with the Hokage. He knew that he was indeed in a difficult position to make arrangements.

However, he is quite satisfied with his current situation, being able to stay at home comfortably and have ample time to improve his skills.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to him a few days later, he might have gone out to contemplate nature, leaving only a Shadow Clone in the village.

Therefore, his words were quite sincere, completely portraying him as someone who was indifferent to worldly affairs and just wanted to laze around at home.

Hiruzen Sarutobi observed for a long time but couldn't detect any falsehood in Taiichi's face. He temporarily put aside his suspicions and realized that Taiichi was indeed his good grand-disciple.

"There are currently no vacancies in either of the places you mentioned."

However, you could try to help out at Konoha Hospital when you have some free time.

Too many people have been drawn away from there, and they desperately need an expert like you to oversee things."

Taiichi curled his lip without any hesitation, his meaning quite clear: he wanted the horse to run but didn't want to feed it well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he'd gone too far and quickly added, "Of course, this counts as a mission. Every week you work on it counts as a B-rank mission, so you won't lose out."

Upon Taiichi's face brightened and he smiled again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and pointed at him with his pipe, looking like he couldn't do anything about it.

"However, you can only work part-time at the hospital; you still need a regular job."

Upon hearing this, Taiichi knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi already had a plan, so he didn't refuse and said directly, "I'll leave it all to the Hokage-sama!"

"Good, as expected of the inheritor of the Will of Fire, your awareness is excellent----"

Hiruzen Sarutobi him with praise, then solemnly stated his plans.

"Come to the Anbu. Training here for a while will be very helpful for your future duties."

"Ah!"

Taiichi's eyes widened, his face filled with undisguised surprise. He really hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to assign him such a job.

The Anbu is highly coveted, especially by various clans, particularly the Uchiha.

The people here are the Hokage's confidants, and they also have immediate access to information from higher-ups.

Even if the rules prevent them from revealing the details, just a slight leak can give the family time to prepare.

These are all sources of profit.

But some people keep their distance from it, and Taiichi of them.

Putting aside the nature of the Anbu's work, ordinary ninjas are already considered ruthless killers, but the Anbu's style of doing things is even more vicious.

That was truly mission-first; to complete the mission, they were willing to abandon their comrades.

This conflicts to some extent with Taiichi's own philosophy.

Moreover, Anbu is a very restrictive job. Not only do you have to be on call at all times, but even the choice of missions is assigned, leaving you with absolutely no chance to refuse.

Taiichi blinked his bright eyes, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if trying to force Hiruzen Sarutobi to change his mind with that innocent look.

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently exchanged glances with Taiichi, a faint smile playing on his lips.

After a long while, Taiichi first to give in. Who told him to speak so confidently earlier, blocking all avenues for retreat?

"Alright, then, I'll take the Anbu- Anbu. Consider it an experience."

Taiichi spoke weakly, clearly out of desperation, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi burst into laughter, like a victorious general.

Unable to bear Hiruzen Sarutobi's smug expression, Taiichi interrupted his laughter.

"When will I start working? What position will I have in the Anbu? I won't start as a lowly soldier, will I?"

"Haha, no, no, you can act alone after you arrive. Just take charge of me directly."

As for the timing, you've rested for so long, and Konoha is still short of manpower everywhere, so of course you should take office now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually suppressed his smile and instructed those behind him, "Soyo, take Taiichi to the Anbu teach him their rules."

In a shadowy corner of the office, an Anbu Ninja wearing a Soyo mask slowly emerged.

Taiichi looked at this person, whose entire body was completely covered by a black robe, and whose hair, face shape, and height were all unremarkable.

It was impossible to tell who this person was from their appearance, but Taiichi was certain that he had never seen this person before.

The Chakra fluctuations and aura were well concealed; even with Taiichi's perception, he couldn't detect them at such close range.

This alone is enough to tell that this person is definitely not an ordinary Jonin.

Konoha is truly full of talented people; he didn't even know such a skilled fighter.

"This is Soyo, the Captain of the Anbu. You'll follow him and get your equipment and learn the rules first."

Taiichi turned his head and could only nod in agreement to the Hokage's arrangement.

This Soyo was also a man of few words. He simply nodded to Taiichi, bowed to the Hokage, and took his leave, leading Taiichi away from the Hokage's Office.

Taiichi followed closely behind the Soyo, and after getting away from the Hokage's Office, he still turned back for a glance. His previously mischievous expression had now returned to seriousness.

He understood the Hokage's purpose perfectly well; joining the Anbu was tantamount to abandoning his outward identity.

For some time to come, Taichi Matsushita, the rising star of Konoha whose name resounded throughout the Ninja World, will completely fade into obscurity.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow to those with lofty ambitions.

Just like in the original story, Orochimaru, who became famous during the Third Shinobi World War, was recalled to Konoha by Hiruzen Sarutobi at the height of his fame and was also assigned to the Anbu.

This led Orochimaru to completely give up and devote himself entirely to his research on forbidden techniques, laying the groundwork for his later defection.

But for Taiichi, it's a different story.

He had no interest in the position of Fourth Hokage; his role in the Anbu was simply less free.

But Taiichi has Shadow Clone. How many people in Konoha can see through his Shadow Clone without going all out?

I'm really looking forward to it!

Taiichi hadn't really paid much attention to where the Anbu's base was.

I'd heard it was located directly beneath the Hokage Building, but the entire building was shrouded in Barrier, so Taiichi's senses couldn't detect it.

Today I can finally see what the Anbu is like.

Following the Soyo's footsteps, Taiichi arrived at a corner behind the Hokage Building. This place was almost deserted, but there were eight doors open on the wall.

The Soyo opened one of the doors marked with the number "four" and led Taiichi inside.

The door behind them was closed, as if they were cut off from the world, and all external sounds disappeared.

Taiichi couldn't help but look back, and could clearly sense the isolation Barrier attached to the door.

Following the narrow passage downwards, Taiichi twisted and turned until he finally arrived at a slightly larger secret room.

Then, the Soyo walked to one side of the secret room, opened a cabinet, and took out a cloak exclusive to the Anbu, along with a standard Short Sword and ten Kunai.

"This is your equipment. If it gets damaged or needs replacement, you can register and collect it here."

This was the first time the Soyo had spoken to Taiichi; its voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

Then he opened another cabinet door next to it, inside which hung masks painted with various animal patterns.

"Choose one, and also give yourself a code name. From now on, in the Anbu, you'll only be referred to by that code name."

Taiichi looked at the cabinet full of masks—foxes, tigers, cows, horses—and without thinking much, simply chose a monkey face mask and put it on.

"Let's call it Macaque!"