Invitation

By the time Bai Ye returned from the training ground, night had fully fallen. A small lamp was lit in the Hatake Clan's courtyard. Sakumo was not home. Bai Ye took off his shoes at the door, leaned his sword against the shoe cabinet by the entryway, and had barely entered the living room when he heard a knock.

Bai Ye opened the door to find a stranger standing outside.

The man wore standard ANBU attire: gray armor over a black bodysuit, without a single personal mark. A white animal mask hid his entire face, revealing only a pair of eyes so calm they held no trace of emotion. The arrangement of the ninja tool pouch at his waist and the angle of the ninja sword strapped to his back matched the regulations manual exactly, without the slightest deviation.

"Byakuya Uchiha."

Bai Ye did not answer.

The man drew an envelope from his sleeve. There was no signature or wax seal on it. He held it out, but Bai Ye did not take it.

"The Third Hokage asked me to deliver this. He said that after reading it, if you wish to talk, go to his office in the Hokage Building tomorrow afternoon. If you are unwilling, burn the letter. Let tonight be as though it never happened."

The man placed the envelope on the shoe cabinet by the door, turned, and left. His footsteps faded at the mouth of the alley.

Bai Ye closed the door, picked up the envelope, and opened it. There were only a few lines on the paper, written in neat, steady handwriting.

"After the war, Konoha needs rebuilding, and the village's structure needs fresh blood. As the village's core force, the Hokage's direct ANBU needs capable, determined, responsible young people to join. Your performance in this war has been plain for all to see. If you are willing, the doors of ANBU are open to you."

"If I'm willing."

Bai Ye folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he stared at the little lamp and muttered under his breath.

Kakashi poked his head out from the hallway. "Brother, what are you standing here for? The water's boiling."

Bai Ye lowered his gaze. Steam had already forced the kettle lid up with a clattering rattle. He lifted the kettle off the stove, poured the water into a thermos, and slipped the envelope into his pocket.

"I'm heading out. Can you stay home alone?"

"I'm not three years old."

"You're not even three yet."

"That still doesn't make me three."

Bai Ye pushed open the door and stepped out, vanishing into the street in a flash. Just now, he had sensed an extremely faint thread of chakra probing the Hatake Clan residence. It was cold and dark, yet held no hostile intent. The other party had not even tried to conceal it. It was more like someone lightly knocking on a door in the darkness with one finger, then withdrawing their hand and waiting.

He followed the direction of the chakra, darting past two short streets before it stopped.

At the end of an alley, in a blind corner untouched by moonlight, someone stood with their back to him in the shadows. Their dark robe bore no markings, and their stance was like a blade sheathed once more.

"Root?"

"Bai Ye." The person spoke in an indifferent voice. "ANBU rules dictate that newcomers spend their first three years doing menial tasks. You have inherited Hatake Sakumo's true teachings and possess exceptional skill. If you join Root, you will receive the best training. Lord Danzo promises that you will be promoted to jonin within ten years."

Bai Ye said nothing.

"Lord Danzo also asked me to bring you a message. The Hatake Clan is only a small family, with few members. So far, Hatake Sakumo is its only outstanding fighter. A single elite jonin cannot bring you wealth or status. Besides, being a ninja is inherently dangerous. Only by joining Root will you have any future. After all, you are still an Uchiha."

The man did not wait for an answer. As soon as his words fell, his figure silently melted into the shadows, even the lingering traces of chakra erased along with him, as if he had never existed.

Moonlight spilled into the alley. It was completely empty.

Bai Ye stood at the alley entrance for a moment. Moonlight bleached the stone slab beneath his feet, while the lingering presence of the person in the shadows had already dispersed, every trace of chakra wiped clean. He turned and headed back.

When he returned to the Hatake residence, the little lamp by the entryway was still lit. Kakashi was already asleep. Bai Ye leaned in to glance at his room. The blanket was bunched into a lump, with silver strands of hair poking out from the edge of the pillow. He gently pulled the door shut, sat down in the hallway, and began to wait.

By the time Sakumo came in, the moon had just climbed directly above the roof, bathing the entire courtyard in light like a layer of frost.

He sat down beside Bai Ye without asking why he was still awake so late. Bai Ye told him every detail of what had happened that night.

"What do you think?"

"I'm wondering why they approached me." He looked at Sakumo, his expression somewhat grave. "I'm ten years old and a chunin. It isn't unprecedented for someone at my level to enter ANBU, but it's rare. One of them spoke gently and immediately talked about ideals and aspirations. The other spoke coldly and kept threatening and tempting me. But I don't think that's all there is to it."

Sakumo said nothing. He leaned against a hallway pillar, his silvery-white hair stirring slightly in the night breeze.

"They want to win you over," Bai Ye said.

The moment he said it, he froze for a moment himself. Not because the thought was wrong, but because it was too right. Both the Third Hokage and Danzo wanted to pull Sakumo, this blade, into their own camps. Yet Sakumo himself had never clearly taken a side. And who was Bai Ye? Hatake Sakumo's disciple. Winning over a ten-year-old child was far easier than winning over a worldly elite jonin.

Hatake Sakumo gave a soft laugh. "When did you figure that out?"

"On the way back."

Sakumo picked up the letter without opening it. He could roughly guess its contents without reading it. He turned the envelope once between his fingers. "On the Third Hokage's side, after you join, you'll most likely spend the first three years running errands, standing guard, and keeping watch. You won't have many chances for actual combat. ANBU has strict rules and rigid ranks. Newcomers have to climb up from the bottom. No matter how fast you climb, you still have to follow procedure. But there is one advantage: you'll serve directly under the Hokage. Working under the Third Hokage's eye, Danzo won't dare touch you."

"On Danzo's side, he can give you the fastest path to promotion. Becoming a jonin within ten years is no empty promise. Root promotions are based on ability, not seniority. If you're strong enough, you can rise. But once you enter Root, you become Danzo's blade. A blade has no will of its own. A blade cannot choose whom it cuts. And your background will be used against you again and again in Root. You are an Uchiha. You are Hatake Sakumo's disciple. In Root, those labels are not burdens. They are tools. Danzo will use you to pressure the Uchiha Clan, pressure the Third Hokage, and keep me in check."

"You understand the advantages and disadvantages of both sides. The choice is yours." Sakumo placed the letter before Bai Ye.

Neither of them mentioned the option of refusing both sides, the option of remaining neutral. Hatake Sakumo could do that, but Bai Ye could not. When one lacked strength, neutrality meant offending both sides. Sometimes, anything less than absolute loyalty was absolute disloyalty.

"I choose the Third Hokage."

Sakumo nodded without saying much. He stood and patted Bai Ye on the shoulder. "I'll take you to the Hokage Building tomorrow."

Bai Ye looked up. Sakumo had already entered the living room. "You don't need to come. I can go by myself."

"I'm not taking you there to report in. I'm taking you to meet the Third Hokage." Sakumo did not turn around. His voice came from the living room. "There are some things that will carry more weight coming from me than from you."

The following afternoon, at the Hokage Building.

Bai Ye followed Sakumo into the Third Hokage's office. The Third Hokage sat behind his desk. When he saw Sakumo, he showed no surprise. He had expected this.

"Sit." The Third Hokage gestured toward the chairs.

Sakumo did not sit. He stood half a step behind Bai Ye. The Third Hokage's gaze moved from Sakumo to Bai Ye. Bai Ye took the letter from his pocket, placed it on the desk with both hands, and pushed it back toward the Third Hokage.

"Lord Third Hokage, I've thought it over. I am willing to join the Hokage's direct ANBU."

The Third Hokage looked at the letter but did not pick it up immediately. He looked at Bai Ye for several seconds, then at Sakumo for several more. He set his pipe on the desk and leaned forward slightly.

"Bai Ye, you are joining ANBU not because you are anyone's disciple." The Third Hokage's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "It is because your performance in the war earned you this uniform. No one's plea can change that, and no one's plea can secure it for you."

Bai Ye knew those words were not meant for him. They were meant for Sakumo, and for everyone in every corner of Konoha who had their ears raised to listen to this meeting. The Third Hokage was telling them all that Hatake Sakumo had not come to ask for a position for his disciple, and that Byakuya Uchiha had not entered through connections. Bai Ye lowered his head slightly. "I understand."

"Report next month. Someone will notify you in advance about the specific arrangements."

Sakumo spoke from behind him, and the air in the office seemed to tighten slightly in that instant.

"Third Hokage, I will not interfere in Bai Ye's affairs in ANBU. But there is something I must say beforehand." The Third Hokage raised his eyes to look at him. "Bai Ye is my disciple, and he is also an Uchiha. Those two identities... I hope you can help shield him from unnecessary trouble in ANBU."

Bai Ye's fingers curled slightly against his knee. Sakumo had never spoken of "shielding someone from unnecessary trouble" in front of others. Hatake Sakumo had never asked anyone for anything in his ninja career. This was the first time.

The Third Hokage looked at Sakumo for a long time, then nodded. "I guarantee you in my capacity as Hokage: in ANBU, he will deal only with missions. No other person or matter will trouble him for any other reason."

When they left the Hokage Building, the sunlight was bright. Sakumo walked ahead, with Bai Ye following behind.

"Master."

"Mm."

"Those things you said just now..."

"Unnecessary?" Sakumo did not turn around. Bai Ye could not see his expression, only his silvery-white hair gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. "They were not unnecessary. Konoha's system can lift a person to the heavens, and it can also trample a person into the mud. The system itself has no good or evil. The people who create it, the people who enforce it, and the people who survive in its cracks do."

In the long corridor of the Hokage Building, Danzo's shadow flashed past the darkness of a side entrance. He did not slow his pace. A Root operative beside and slightly behind him reported in a low voice that Bai Ye had chosen the Third Hokage, and Hatake Sakumo had personally escorted him there.

Danzo did not stop. His voice was steady, yet it carried a suppressed dissatisfaction that could erupt at any moment. "Hatake Sakumo. What a fine master."

He walked into the darkness.