What Ninja Doesn't Smoke?

Of the Root seventeen Root ninjas, only ten remained after Shimura Danzō's defeat.

Now, all that Uchiha Shingen sees are seven people left.

We couldn't even field two full-strength classes.

As soon as the seven former Root ninjas entered, they all turned their gazes toward Uchiha Shingen, who was sitting at the department head's desk.

They naturally recognized the White Ghost of Leaf Village.

"It's good that you've arrived. Please have a seat," said Uchiha Shingen.

The original Root ninjas didn't speak, but silently walked to the empty seats and sat down.

They remained silent, but the other squad leaders and captains felt uneasy.

The former Root ninjas, who were once an isolated small group within the ANBU, are now assigned to the headquarters.

On the one hand, they are indeed talented individuals, ANBU is reluctant to let them be lost carelessly.

On the other hand, there was also the concern that as "remnants" of Danzo's ideology, if they were sent out, the branch ninjas might not be able to stop them, so it was better to keep them at headquarters and under their watchful eyes.

However, there was one person in the office who not only didn't find him annoying, but actually found him quite pleasing to the eye.

Uchiha Shingen felt comfortable as soon as he saw them.

This state of being constantly on high alert is exactly what Anbu Ninja should be like; it's fucking satisfying to watch.

"Gentlemen, I'm new here, let me introduce myself," Uchiha Shingen said with a smile.

Anyone could tell he was in a good mood.

This left everyone with mixed feelings.

At this point, it's crystal clear what style Uchiha Shingen is going for.

"Yamanaka Fū."

"Aburame Torune."

"Terai."

Several former Root ninjas announced their names one by one.

They adhered to a style of speaking less nonsense.

Uchiha Shingen was even more satisfied.

Who is the captain?

No one spoke.

"Brother Tiger, don't any of them even have the rank of captain?"

"That...that's certainly true," Sarutobi Torabu said.

He could also see that Uchiha Shingen clearly favored the members of the original Root.

"Then let's promote them," Uchiha Shingen said. "Out of the seven, promote two to squad leaders and the other four to captains."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone was shocked.

Although the ANBU now boasts seven or eight hundred members, it doesn't mean that the captain's position is unimportant, let alone the squad leader's.

Previously, the number of personnel in each squad and team of the ANBU was fixed, but now, because the surnames have become completely different, the number of personnel in the teams has fluctuated.

"Lord Shingen," Yamanaka Fū, a former member of the Root, spoke up, "Can we request to be assigned to a separate team?"

"You don't want to team up with others? That means there can only be one team leader among you."

"Sure, we don't mind."

Uchiha Shingen looked at the other former Root members, and no one refuted this point.

"Yamanaka Fū, I know you. I've worked with Root before, so I know your talents." Uchiha Shingen shook his head. "Putting all of you into one team is a misallocation of resources, and I can't agree to that."

"Lord Shingen, may I remove my mask?" another former Root ninja suddenly asked.

When this person introduced himself, he gave the name Terai.

Although he didn't know why the other party said that, Uchiha Shingen nodded.

Terai first stood up, then took off his mask.

Uchiha Shingen looked at him and felt that he looked very familiar.

"Lord Shingen, it seems you don't remember me." Terai smiled slightly, his tone changing. "Do you have any cigarettes?"

Um?

Uchiha Shingen was taken aback at first, then he remembered.

Isn't that the teahouse owner from back then? The one who used Shadow Clone to smoke when his wife was about to give birth!

"It's you." Uchiha Shingen chuckled. "Have you lost weight?"

Everyone says that people get fat as they get older, but this guy is the opposite.

"It is my honor that Lord Shingen still remembers me." Terai smiled and bowed to Uchiha Shingen. "Actually, what Yamanaka Fū said is also the common wish of all of us from the original 'Root' squad. There is no other meaning; it is simply to better complete the mission."

"I understand." Uchiha Shingen nodded. "Then let's do it this way. It just so happens that I'm new here. In that case, you can be grouped into one team, but you'll be directly under me. Is that alright?"

Terai was stunned.

"Lord Shingen, can we no longer continue the mission?"

"Who said that? Of course we have to carry it out. I've worked with the Root before, so I'm familiar with them."

Now everyone understood.

This new boss, he's going to kill people himself!

The original Root members suddenly felt a certain warmth towards this Leaf Village White Ghost.

They don't really respect the ANBU, mainly because the ANBU nowadays has an even stronger boss-like attitude than before.

In the ANBU, the Third Hokage's son, as the captain of the ANBU, would at least personally carry out missions. Now, even the branch leaders sit in their offices approving orders.

They would approve of Shimura Danzō because he was a good person—the old man clearly wasn't.

Rather, it was because Shimura Danzō set a good example. Even before becoming Hokage's assistant, Shimura Danzō often led them out to cause trouble.

The Root ninjas' view was simple: a good leader is one who can go out and fight alongside them; they'd accept even empty promises.

They do not accept the reason that the squad system has changed to a division system and therefore requires central command.

No matter how busy you are, you can't be busier than the Hokage's assistant, right?

"So, Lord Shingen, do we have any missions planned for the near future?"

"Even if you want to sneak a smoke, you can't. Not only are there cigarettes, but they're also very heavy," Uchiha Shingen said. "The Joint Chunin Exams will start in about a month. Before then, we need to gather as much intelligence as possible, find out the enemy's movements, and also, this Ninja World is showing far too little respect for Leaf Village's ANBU. We need to clear out some of the weeds."

In the relatively quiet office, the faint sound of rapid breathing could be heard; it was the former Root ninjas.

"Who are the enemies? The Kumogakure?"

Although everyone finds the fact that Leaf Village has allies all over the world quite surreal, the former Root ninjas still know that they cannot easily mess with their allies.

Looking at it this way, only Cloud Village able to move.

"How could there only be one Kumogakure?" Uchiha Shingen shook his head. "For the ANBU, everything outside of Konoha is an enemy."

Terai opened his mouth slightly.

This is something that Root ninjas often heard.

Shimura Danzō loved to say that.

With a whoosh, the six people besides Terai also stood up.

Although they were wearing masks, there was a hint of excitement in their eyes.

The captains who were closer to them felt a chill on their skin.

These warmongers have gotten excited again!

"Shingen, your reputation is well-deserved. It's a pity that some of your companions are no longer here," Aburame Torune said.

He was a ninja of the Aburame Clan and the son of Aburame Shikuroo. From the perspective of his clan, among the original Root ninjas, he had the best impression of Uchiha Shingen.

"The loss of our comrades is indeed sad, but their sacrifice will not have been in vain." Uchiha Shingen nodded. "Tomorrow I will introduce you to a new comrade, also a ninja of the Uchiha Clan. You will get along well."

Uchiha Shingen thought of a certain brother-obsessed person.

If Uchiha Shisui's personality was completely unsuitable for the ANBU, then Uchiha Itachi was a perfect fit, like a fish in water.

In other words, Danzo Shimura and the Uchiha Clan Shimura Danzō had too many points of conflict; otherwise, Uchiha Itachi from the original timeline would most likely have been drawn into Root.

But Dango can't pull it, but he can.

Now that he's in charge of the ANBU, it's time for Uchiha Itachi to come in and fully utilize his strengths.

"We'll look forward to it." Aburame Torune's voice also carried a hint of laughter.

He wouldn't really expect it if it were someone else.

However, Uchiha Shingen was known as the White Ghost, and the Uchiha Clan was notoriously fanatical in their fighting. He felt that the people brought by Uchiha Shingen were worth looking forward to.

He was certain it wouldn't be the effeminate character currently in the ANBU.

"Alright." Uchiha Shingen clapped his hands. "Today is the first day, so let's end the meeting here. Tonight, it's my treat. Let's all have a few drinks, sing some songs, watch some dancing, and relax. Everyone here has to come."

"Lord Shingen, we still have work to do." Sarutobi Torabu thought this was too improper.

"Tiger, don't think about work tonight. All the department's work needs to be rearranged. You'll be busy tomorrow, so don't worry about having nothing to do."

After saying that, Uchiha Shingen's body had already disappeared from his seat.

When he reappeared, there was a cemetery in front of him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: What ninja doesn't smoke?

The Senju Tomb Complex was once deserted and quiet.

But now ninjas are coming and going, mainly checking the two Hokage tombs repeatedly.

Generally speaking, no matter how powerful a person was in life, after death they are nothing more than a handful of Kitsuchi. However, the foundation of the Hokage lineage lies in the two Lord Hokage are now resting here.

Although there was no actual evidence that Shimura Danzō up the Hokage's grave, that didn't matter. He was implicated and was thus abandoned by the Hokage's faction.

Now that the Senju Tomb Complex has been infiltrated again, the Hokage faction is on edge. Those with manpower are contributing manpower, and those with money are contributing money, all determined to get to the bottom of this.

Only check whether the Hokage tomb has been desecrated.

Cut it open for inspection? Nobody dares to do that.

So the Hokage faction had no choice but to contact the Hyuga Clan for help, but the Hyuga Clan was now firmly aligned with the Police Force faction and did not express their opinion.

Uchiha Shingen entered the Senju Tomb Complex.

No one stopped him.

After Uchiha Fugaku became the Hokage, Uchiha Shingen had no obstacles in visiting the Senju Tomb Complex, but he never actually came there.

On one hand, this place is the foundation of the Hokage lineage, so he doesn't need to worry about its protection. On the other hand, Uchiha Shingen understands these guys' attitudes towards their afterlife and respects their choices.

Now that he's back in his old profession, he feels it's necessary to come back and tell everyone that he's been inexplicably rehired.

Besides, as a homeowner, it's perfectly reasonable for me to come back and check on how well the old building is maintained, and to give the property management a service evaluation.

Uchiha Shingen didn't head towards the Hokage's Tomb; there were too many people there, and he didn't like it.

Although it's called a cemetery, it's actually a large area at the Senju of the Forest people are rather rough around the edges and don't care much about the rituals surrounding their funerals. When choosing a burial site, they just pick one that looks pleasing to the eye.

For example, if someone liked to sleep under the shade of a tree, then find a shady spot to bury them.

The fallen Senju Clan are scattered across this foothill region, embracing the earth with passion, truly becoming one with nature.

It's quite normal for it to be infiltrated, after all, this isn't a proper man-made cemetery.

Moreover, most of these are actually cenotaphs. During the Warring States period, people moved frequently, so they tried to hide their bodies as much as possible, ideally so well that even they themselves couldn't find them. They would usually design Ninjutsu traps and make full use of the surrounding natural conditions to make the deceased comrades become part of the natural cycle as soon as possible, in order to prevent grave diggers.

The Senju Clan, who died after the establishment of the ninja village, is the one properly buried in this place.

It's been a long time since I've been here, so I'm a little unfamiliar with the area.

Most of the tombstones were covered in dust, and the inscriptions were barely legible.