Joining the Anbu

Senju Genma returned to Nawaki's side and glanced back toward where Orochimaru was.

Although the Rain ninja had two Jonin, Orochimaru handled them with ease.

Orochimaru was completely unharmed, while the two Amegakure Jonin were already covered in wounds.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Orochimaru formed Hand Seals with one hand and blew a fierce gale from his mouth, sending the two Rain ninja flying.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to close in on them at high speed. Wind gathered in his hand, spinning rapidly like a sword, and he slashed at the two Rain ninja.

A deep gash opened across each of their backs, and their bodies fell to the ground.

Orochimaru checked their bodies, then quickly came over to Senju Genma and Nawaki.

"Are you two all right?"

"We're fine!"

After answering, Senju Genma smacked Nawaki on the head.

"Hey! Snap out of it! You're spacing out on the battlefield. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Nawaki came to his senses and hurriedly replied, "Oh, right! I'm fine!"

"You're both so amazing!"

Senju Genma said crossly, "Learn from this and be more careful from now on! Let's head back!"

Nawaki lowered his head, not daring to meet Senju Genma's eyes.

That had been far too dangerous. If Senju Genma hadn't been there, Nawaki would have been done for with all those Explosive Tags.

He answered in a subdued voice, "I understand."

Orochimaru asked, "Do you still have enough chakra?"

Senju Genma patted his chest. "Don't worry, I'm completely fine!"

Seven days later.

Senju Genma got up early and left the clan grounds, ready to wait for someone to come get him.

He had already received orders to report to the Anbu.

Right on time, a figure appeared before him, wearing a fox mask, a black, close-fitting outfit, and a white vest over it.

"Captain Tiger sent me to fetch you. Follow me."

Senju Genma recognized him at a glance.

Although the man wore a mask to conceal his face, his white ponytail and the short sword on his back gave away his identity.

Hatake Sakumo had once taken part in a mission to protect Senju Genma and Uzumaki Kushina.

The Anbu, whose full name was the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, had been established by the Second, Senju Tobirama. The unit reported directly to the Hokage.

Konoha's Anbu had seventy members, including one captain and one deputy captain. The current captain and deputy captain were Tiger and Ox, both of whom had served in the Anbu since the Second's time.

The unit had four squads, each with seventeen members.

Each squad had a captain and four teams, with four ninja in each team: one team leader and three members.

Hatake Sakumo was currently one of the four squad captains.

The Anbu training division "Root," established by Shimura Danzō, was effectively one of the Anbu's squads. It consisted of four teams, seventeen members in all, led by Danzō.

Though Danzō had absolute control over Root, Root actually belonged to the Anbu as one of its subordinate divisions.

"I didn't expect you to come in person! Looks like Lord Hokage takes my safety very seriously!" Senju Genma said with a nod.

"So you know who I am."

A flicker of curiosity crossed Hatake Sakumo's face beneath his mask.

As an Anbu squad captain, his identity was classified. Senju Genma's confidence in his strength meant he had definitely recognized him.

Who had told Senju Genma? Could it have been Lord Hokage?

But that didn't make sense. The Anbu reported directly to the Hokage. Why would he casually reveal information about one of his own men?

Then he remembered that a blonde woman had once been in his Ninja Squad. She'd been fond of acting crazy around Senju Genma during missions.

At that moment, Tsunade, far away on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, seemed to sense something. "Achoo! Who's thinking about me? Could Genma be missing me?"

"Big sis, could you focus? I'm still bleeding!" Nawaki said from his hospital bed.

Tsunade smacked him on the head. "That's what you get for being so careless. I don't think you're cut out to be a ninja at all. Why don't you just go back to the village?"

Nawaki said stubbornly, "How can I? I'm going to be Hokage!"

Back in Konoha, outside the Senju Clan Grounds.

Senju Genma said earnestly, "Actually, I've always been interested in you!"

Hatake Sakumo replied slowly, "Um... You're certainly handsome, but I'm really not interested in men, and I'm already married! So, sorry!"

Senju Genma was speechless. He hadn't expected Hatake Sakumo to be such a goofball. But as the ninja who had developed Konoha's secret Taijutsu technique, the One Thousand Years of Death, maybe it made sense that he was a bit of a goofball.

"What are you thinking? I'd only heard that the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship was impressive, so I wanted to learn more about it."

Hatake Sakumo let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest. "That's good. But I'm afraid I can't teach you swordsmanship. It's been passed down in my family for generations, and we don't teach outsiders."

They chatted as they made their way through the woods and between buildings in the village.

Led by Hatake Sakumo, Senju Genma arrived at a residential building beside the Hokage Building.

Senju Genma's mouth twitched. He knew this building. Sometimes, he and Uchiha Mikoto slept together here.

Don't get the wrong idea. They'd just get tired from playing out on the street, and when it got too late, they'd find somewhere to sleep.

The two of them went down to the building's basement.

"The Anbu is one of Konoha's most important organizations. We've set up a barrier around the base. I'll teach you the Hand Seals to disable it in a moment."

As he spoke, Hatake Sakumo formed twelve Hand Seals toward the floor. A passage appeared in the ground.

Once the barrier was open, Hatake Sakumo led Senju Genma into the passage.

They wound through it for a long while before finally seeing a light ahead. The space around them opened up as well.

Hatake Sakumo disabled another barrier, and the two continued deeper inside. Before long, they reached a small room.

Four Anbu members wearing masks were inside.

"This is Senju Genma. I don't need to introduce him in detail, do I?" Hatake Sakumo said, gesturing toward the man beside him.

They all knew exactly who Senju Genma was. They'd lost count of how many times they'd been assigned to protect him.

Not to mention, Senju Genma had recently used the Second's Flying Thunder God Technique and an A-rank ninjutsu he'd created himself to defeat a veteran Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan. He'd become quite famous among the village's Jonin.

The Anbu were all geniuses among their peers, but even they had to admit they were no match for Senju Genma.

"Hello, I'm Senju Genma, a newly promoted Jonin," Senju Genma said.

Everyone was a little surprised. They'd thought a young genius who had defeated a Jonin would be arrogant, but he was unexpectedly easygoing.