Joining the Anbu

In the office at Konoha, the warm yellow light spilled softly into every corner.

Portraits of past Hokage hung on the walls, as if quietly recounting the village's history.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind a wide desk, his pipe puffing out wisps of blue smoke that rose and swirled in the air, adding a touch of leisure to the somewhat solemn space.

Uchiha Shisui stood straight and still in front of the desk.

He wore black clothes embroidered with the Uchiha Gunbai, and the forehead protector at his collar glinted with a metallic sheen under the light, marking his identity as a Konoha ninja.

His expression was calm, yet his eyes were deep and sharp, like a bottomless abyss, making his thoughts impossible to fathom.

Just moments ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had extended a sincere invitation for him to join the Anbu in a steady, expectant tone.

This was an opportunity many ninjas dreamed of, yet Uchiha Shisui did not react with the immediate excitement others might have shown.

He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on his toes as thoughts surged through his mind like a tide.

Joining the Anbu meant more combat and assassinations, which would allow him to unlock more skills on his template before the war arrived.

If he refused to join the Anbu, Uchiha Shisui would be left with only two vastly different paths.

The first path was to return to the Uchiha clan.

But once he stepped onto this road, what awaited him would be the helplessness within the clan and the cold shoulders from the outside world.

Most of the younger generation in the clan yearned to make a name for themselves on the battlefield and realize their ambitions, while the daily work of the Military Police Force—merely maintaining order in Konoha—seemed to them like a place where they could not truly stretch their limbs.

Worse yet, ninjas from other clans in the village were already wary of the Uchiha, and members of the Military Police Force were often subjected to groundless questioning and exclusion while on duty, becoming pariahs of a sort; even if they gave their all, they were rarely recognized, as if everything they did was worthless.

The second path was to become a member of a standard team led by a Chunin, performing low-level missions.

Such missions were either helping to find lost pets, escorting defenseless civilians, or weeding and tilling fields.

For Uchiha Shisui, these tasks were far too trivial and mediocre; they would never allow him to fully utilize his talent for ninjutsu, nor would they help him realize his self-worth or accumulate the merit and prestige needed to establish a firm footing in the ninja world.

"Hokage-sama, I am willing to join the Anbu."

As soon as Uchiha Shisui finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, stood up, and patted Uchiha Shisui on the shoulder.

"Very good, Shisui. You have made the right choice."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a ninja wearing a Fox Mask immediately appeared, kneeling on one knee. "Hokage-sama, what are your orders?"

"Take the new recruit," Hiruzen Sarutobi said before turning toward a mountain of scrolls.

After Shisui left with the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, was lost in thought. He truly could not fathom how someone who already possessed the Sharingan, a Kekkei Genkai, could awaken another; he himself possessed five chakra natures, yet he had never been able to develop a Kekkei Genkai.

Although Uchiha Shisui was only five years old, his physical fitness did not lose out to the Anbu ninja leaping rapidly ahead of him.

The sky gradually darkened, and the two slipped into an abandoned site where a stone-slab house bearing the marks of time stood before them.

"Kid, come here tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

The Anbu ninja finished speaking and then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Uchiha Shisui took a brief look at the surrounding environment, memorized it, and hurried back.

The next morning, Uchiha Shisui arrived at the stone-slab house early; including him, there were six people standing on the grass.

"Go inside and change your gear. The locker at the very end is yours."

The Anbu wearing the Fox Mask said this to Shisui, who had just arrived still wearing his Uchiha clan attire.

Shisui did not dawdle and changed into the exclusive Anbu gear inside, though he hesitated to put on the Cat Mask that belonged to him.

"Put it on, and you will officially become a member of the Anbu. Anbu members must strictly obey orders and maintain absolute secrecy, including everything you know. From now on, you will not be addressed by your name; just as 06 is engraved behind your mask, you will be referred to as 06 from here on out. Also, the mission always comes first."

Just as Uchiha Shisui hesitated, the Anbu wearing the Dog Mask standing nearby spoke up.

"Senior, I will strive to carry out my missions and will remember these rules."

The Cat Mask moved inch by inch, slowly covering Uchiha Shisui's face.

As the mask settled into place, Shisui's clear, handsome features were hidden within, leaving only his deep eyes visible through the eyeholes of the mask.

The two walked onto the grass, and the Anbu with the Fox Mask spoke: "06, from now on you are part of Team 3. Now, join 04 and 05 to form a three-man squad and carry out your mission."

"Yes, Captain."

As the three moved away, the nearby Anbu spoke up: "Captain, a kid who hasn't even been weaned yet has actually joined the Anbu? I wonder what the Hokage-sama is thinking."

"Shut up and execute the mission. You've been in the Anbu this long; do I need to repeat the rules to you?" The Anbu wearing the Fox Mask did not answer, but instead spoke sternly.

At this moment, Uchiha Shisui and the other two had already moved far away from Konoha; this was Uchiha Shisui's first time leaving the village.

"I'll explain the mission briefly; otherwise, once we leave the Land of Fire, there won't be any time to talk.

There are two missions this time, and the execution time will be long. Mission 1 is to head to the Land of Water to track an A-rank missing-nin. Mission 2 is to protect the intelligence provided by a Kirigakure informant and bring it back to Konoha.

The difficulty rating for this mission is A-rank, and death is possible at any time, so keep your guard up."

Anbu 04 unfurled the scroll in his hand and recited every detail of the mission, clearly emphasizing them for the sake of the newcomer, Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui peered at the two men through his mask. It was evident that both possessed the strength of Special Jonin; executing an A-rank mission would not pose much of a threat, but if the mission location were Kirigakure, the difficulty rating should be elevated by at least one tier.

After all, the current Kirigakure was not the same as it would be after the Third Great Ninja War. It was teeming with bloodline clans and countless genius ninja, not to mention that the Third Mizukage had not yet grown senile.

Deeply aware of the extreme danger, Uchiha Shisui offered a warning: "I believe we should abandon this intelligence escort mission in Kirigakure. If we infiltrate the village, there is a high probability that we will be wiped out."

"06, if you are afraid, you might as well leave the Anbu immediately. Don't forget the rules of an Anbu ninja."

"06, there is no such thing as a ninja who fears death in the Anbu."

Upon hearing their responses, Uchiha Shisui knew that this mission was unavoidable. However, he wondered if he could successfully fight his way out should he come face-to-face with the Third Mizukage, a wielder of the Ice Release bloodline limit.