ANBU

Hokage Building.

Ryōken made his way through without obstruction and, led by an ANBU ninja, soon arrived at the Hokage's office.

He saw Hiruzen Sarutobi buried in official work. After not seeing him for many days, Hiruzen Sarutobi was visibly more haggard, his brow alternately tightening and relaxing.

Ryōken's expression sharpened. It seemed the Second Shinobi World War was on the verge of breaking out.

"Lord Hokage, Ryōken has arrived."

The ANBU ninja knelt on one knee in salute and spoke respectfully.

At the mention of Ryōken's name, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up. Composing himself, he said with a smile, "I understand. You may withdraw first."

"Yes!"

With that, the ANBU ninja used the Body Flicker Technique and left.

"Lord Hokage!"

Ryōken followed him into the office, lowered his head, and spoke just as respectfully.

"There is no need for that."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head gently, signaling for Ryōken not to be so restrained.

Ryōken nodded calmly and relaxed slightly. Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, he felt somewhat reflective.

Perhaps the Third Hokage did not possess the overwhelming strength of the previous two Hokage, capable of uniting all of Konoha's power, but he had laid an immensely important foundation for Konoha's rise.

That was the Will of Fire.

Wherever the leaves danced, the fire would burn on without end.

It inspired generation after generation of ninja to strive and sacrifice themselves for Konoha.

His achievements could not be erased. Even though his weakness later led to far too many regrets, that remained true.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea that the young man before him had considered so much in an instant, or that he had seen through him so clearly. He smiled kindly and said, "I have reviewed your past experiences. I trust Sakumo's judgment. From now on, Konoha will be your home."

Ryōken had expected this, so he did not react much. He simply nodded and said frankly, "Konoha has always been my home."

Looking into Ryōken's clear eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he meant every word. He could not help but feel gratified. A genius like Ryōken should not be sent to the inhuman Root unless absolutely necessary.

Only then could his talents be fully realized.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a document from inside his desk and handed it to Ryōken with a smile. "Before Sakumo left, he told me about you. With your current strength, it is no longer appropriate for you to remain a genin. Let us follow your teacher's arrangements."

"This is an application to report to ANBU. Once you fill it out, you can report for duty."

"However, ANBU ninja need to master much knowledge unrelated to combat. Until you have learned those things, you can only serve as an ANBU trainee."

"You do not mind, do you?"

Naturally, Ryōken had no objections. He nodded, accepting the arrangement.

ANBU, the Assassination Tactics Special Forces, were the Hokage's direct subordinates and Konoha's strongest force. Every ANBU ninja was an elite; at minimum, they were jonin. Even special jonin needed to possess some exceptionally unique ability to join.

ANBU bore immensely important responsibilities, including but not limited to protecting the Kage, patrolling, reconnaissance, and assassination. It was a position with an extremely high mortality rate.

Naturally, the benefits were equally generous. All B-rank ninjutsu and below could be consulted, while training equipment and allowances were provided in full.

Ryōken was not opposed to joining ANBU. Though he now possessed strength capable of threatening a jonin, he was still far from being able to run rampant through the shinobi world. ANBU's resources could help him grow faster.

Besides, ANBU answered directly to the Hokage. Joining ANBU meant gaining the Hokage's protection, making him naturally safer in Konoha.

At that moment, an ANBU ninja suddenly appeared in the office. Faint bloodstains could still be seen on him, and his entire body radiated killing intent. The moment he appeared, he removed his mask. It was Hatake Sakumo, looking as though he had something to report.

What made Ryōken marvel was that the instant Hatake Sakumo removed his mask, the killing intent around him vanished, and he became as ordinary as anyone else.

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Ryōken.

"Ryōken, you may leave first."

"Yes."

Ryōken responded. Though somewhat curious, he still turned and left the office.

Only after Ryōken had left did Hiruzen Sarutobi turn to Hatake Sakumo and ask indifferently.

"What happened?"

"That Rain Ninja squad has been found and defeated."

Hatake Sakumo's face was stern, completely unlike his usual lazy self.

"Defeated? How many escaped?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, then relaxed. He did not seem concerned as he continued.

"Were the bodies examined? What was their objective?"

He held little hope of capturing anyone alive. Most Amegakure ninja were suicidal loyalists, and it was difficult to obtain intelligence from them. They could only see whether examining the corpses would yield any information.

The shinobi world possessed all kinds of strange secret techniques. Even from a dead body, intelligence could still be extracted.

"I had members of the Yamanaka Clan examine them. They were sent by Hanzo to search for Asai Hane."

"Asai Hane?"

Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft exclamation, a trace of amusement appearing in his eyes.

"You have only just returned, so you do not know yet. Asai Hane was killed in turn by your student."

"Is that so?"

Though Hatake Sakumo sounded doubtful, he was not surprised. After all, he understood Ryōken's strength fairly well.

Seeing Hatake Sakumo remain unruffled, Hiruzen Sarutobi added with a smile, "According to those present, Asai Hane had already mastered nature transformation at the time."

"What? That makes him a jonin!"

This time, shock appeared in Hatake Sakumo's eyes. He could no longer maintain his stern expression as he blurted out.

Only after a long while did he recover, a trace of lingering astonishment still in his eyes. He sounded a little proud as he said, "That really is unexpected."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the same and nodded as well. At that age, being able to kill an opponent at the jonin level, even with all sorts of circumstances involved, was still extraordinary.

In the original story, even Kakashi, the most talented, did not become a jonin until he was twelve.

Following the directions, Ryōken soon arrived at a hidden location. After presenting his token and identification, he entered an underground world.

Though the underground world was enormous, it was sturdy and plain, fully reflecting the high-efficiency style of ANBU ninja.

Because of ANBU's work requirements, the place was dim and eerie, carrying an atmosphere of grim killing intent.

ANBU ninja wearing masks could be seen everywhere. There were full ANBU members as well as trainees, but all of them wore masks.

Naturally, the sudden appearance of someone entering openly with his real face exposed drew much attention.

Still, even if they were curious, they merely glanced at him.

They were all battle-hardened Elite Ninja who had killed countless people. They would not pay much attention to matters unrelated to themselves.

They cared only about strength and missions.

This was a paradise for the strong. The capable rose, and the weak fell.

Before long, an ANBU member came over and guided Ryōken through the functions of the various areas in this vast complex.

The mission room, training rooms, ninjutsu scroll repository, sparring arena, strength-testing barrier, weapon customization, and more.

After making a general round, Ryōken gained a basic understanding of ANBU.

It was like a more advanced Ninja Academy, a place where Konoha ninja learned the genuine skills of a real shinobi.