The Anbu

"Joining the Anbu?" Ueno Kei blinked in surprise. Seriously? Having him graduate early was one thing, but sending him to the Anbu? That place? He'd seen the Anbu's strength with his own eyes. They might not have been on the level of jōnin, but most of them were elite chūnin.

He was barely stronger than an ordinary chūnin. Wasn't it a little ridiculous to send a rookie like him into a place packed with Konoha's elite middle-ranking ninja?

But since this was the Third Hokage's arrangement, there had to be a deeper reason behind it. Ueno Kei would never know the many layers of thought the Third Hokage had considered when making the decision.

What the Third Hokage hadn't anticipated, though, was that after spending all night deliberating over the best path for Ueno Kei's training, he'd misread what Ueno Kei was thinking.

As mentioned before, a series of events had given Ueno Kei a different perspective on the world, life, and death. That had colored his conversation with the Third Hokage, making his views seem a little unusual.

In truth, those had merely been Ueno Kei's thoughts in that moment.

It was true that Ueno Kei felt a little lost and unsure of himself in this world. Apart from revenge, he had no clear direction, and his future seemed uncertain. But things weren't nearly as serious as the Third Hokage had imagined. His worldview and outlook on life hadn't become as distorted as the Third Hokage believed.

In the end, the two men were looking at things from different perspectives. No matter how perceptive the Third Hokage was, he couldn't know that the ten-year-old boy before him had the heart of an old man. Had he seen so much death that it gave him an unusual perspective? Or could it be the opposite—that he'd simply grown used to it?

So he'd become completely indifferent?

The Third Hokage had misunderstood, taking things too seriously, while Ueno Kei had overthought things and failed to guess what the Third Hokage had in mind.

In any case, through a series of strange misunderstandings and mistaken assumptions, Ueno Kei became the Third Hokage's fourth disciple in his tenth year. He might even have been the Hokage's final disciple.

Then he graduated early, donned Konoha's Forehead Protector, and joined the Anbu!

In a dim underground facility in Konoha, a tall man over 180 centimeters in height walked alongside a boy who was barely 140 centimeters tall.

Both wore the standard Anbu uniform. The only difference was that neither wore the mask that was standard issue for Anbu.

The man walking in front had a stern expression and a powerful build. He was the leader of the squad Ueno Kei had been assigned to after joining the Anbu. His name was Akamatsu. On the day Ueno Kei had agreed without hesitation to join the Anbu—

The Third Hokage had merely nodded, showing no surprise at all that Ueno Kei had accepted.

Afterward, he notified the relevant Anbu officers and told Ueno Kei to come to his residence that evening. Then he had an Anbu officer take Ueno Kei away.

And that was how they'd ended up here.

Ueno Kei followed close behind Akamatsu. When he'd first been assigned to the squad, Akamatsu had merely glanced at him and given him a small nod. Since then, he hadn't said much.

But that one glance had made Ueno Kei feel as if he'd been scrutinized from head to toe. It had been deeply unsettling.

It was a clear sign of the overwhelming difference in their strength. There was no doubt about it: this was another man with the strength of a jōnin.

Ueno Kei didn't know much about the Anbu's organization. Of all Konoha's institutions, it was the most secretive. The Anbu had been established by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the man renowned for his mastery of Water Release.

All Ueno Kei knew was that the Anbu answered directly to the Hokage and consisted of squads of four or five members. Their missions included protecting the Hokage, carrying out assassinations, and gathering intelligence on the enemy.

Most of their missions were dull, dangerous, and sometimes bloody. Anbu members were generally elite chūnin, while squad leaders were undoubtedly jōnin.

A squad made up of people like them was far stronger than an ordinary ninja team. Typically, an ordinary team in a ninja village consisted of a chūnin or jōnin leading three Genin on missions.

And that was without even considering the difference in individual strength. The teamwork, formations, and efficiency of Anbu members were all beyond what an ordinary team could match.

That was all the information about the Anbu that Ueno Kei could recall.

As he continued thinking about the Anbu, Akamatsu, who was leading the way, suddenly said, "We're here."

Ueno Kei immediately came back to his senses and answered, "Yes, sir!"

He looked ahead and saw that they had arrived at a door. Akamatsu pushed it open, revealing a modest-sized room. A large table stood inside, surrounded by five or six scattered chairs. Three figures came into view.

All three wore standard Anbu uniforms but no masks. There were two men and one woman. The men looked to be about twenty, while the woman seemed younger, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Of course, she might simply have had a youthful face. Ueno Kei could only make a rough guess.

The three had been relaxing, but the moment Akamatsu opened the door, their expressions tightened. They called out in unison, "Captain!" Their gazes flicked toward Ueno Kei, standing beside Akamatsu, and surprise flashed in their eyes. After all, whether it was Ueno Kei's childish face or his short stature—

Everything about him showed that he was still a boy of about ten. Yet this young-looking kid was dressed in the standard Anbu uniform. The three couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

They kept their questions to themselves, of course. The Anbu's rules were exceptionally strict, and none of them would speak out of turn. Besides, they trusted that if their captain had brought Ueno Kei here, there must be a reason. He would explain if necessary.

There was no need to make a fuss over it.

Akamatsu gave his three subordinates a cold look and nodded slightly. Then he said flatly, "This is our new teammate. His codename is Hawk. He'll be going on missions with our squad from now on. That's all."

Akamatsu's explanation was brief and clear. In truth, he didn't know Ueno Kei's background. The Third Hokage hadn't given him many details, only instructing the Anbu commander to handle the paperwork for Ueno Kei's induction and to have the Anbu put him through his paces.

He was to report back to the Third Hokage regularly.

The Anbu commander understood what the Hokage meant. Although he didn't know Ueno Kei's identity, he could guess that it was an unusual one. He also understood the real meaning behind the Third Hokage's orders. Besides, the Anbu wasn't a comfortable place to serve. All he had to do was make sure Ueno Kei didn't die too easily.

Of course, if Ueno Kei died on a mission, that was simply how things went. The Anbu commander had given Akamatsu the same instruction: put Ueno Kei through his paces.

In other words, give Ueno Kei missions just beyond his current capabilities, but don't go too far. That would give him a chance to grow without pushing things to an extreme.

If Ueno Kei couldn't complete even those missions and died, then there was nothing more to say.

The moment Ueno Kei was sent to the Anbu, the Third Hokage, Ueno Kei, and the Anbu commander all understood what that meant. There was no need to say it aloud. As for assigning him to Akamatsu's squad, that was because Akamatsu was one of the strongest squad leaders in the Anbu and could train Ueno Kei more effectively.