That Plan

An ANBU recruit now. Thank you so much, Lord Hokage!

Zou Hyuga cursed inwardly a few times, but forced a smile onto his face. He had learned to hide his sadness with a smile when he was very young.

Just look at how happily Oto was smiling beside him. It made him want to pat her on the head.

The smiles on Zou Hyuga's and Oto Uchiha's faces made the Third smile too. Both had the potential to become Jonin, and their personalities were exceptionally cheerful, nothing like the other Hyuga and Uchiha.

Besides that, the Third had another reason for putting them on a team with Kakashi.

He hoped their cheerful personalities would help lead Kakashi out of the shadow of his grief.

He felt he had failed Hatake Sakumo, his trusted right-hand man.

His failure to save that dependable subordinate from the rumors back then was one of his greatest regrets.

Now even Sakumo's son had sunk into gloom. He had to get Kakashi back on the right path, rather than simply making him a member of the ANBU.

At that thought, the Third called over, "Kakashi, come here a moment."

"Lord Third!" Kakashi appeared with the Body Flicker Technique and dropped to one knee in the ANBU manner.

The Third looked at the Fox Mask. "Take off your mask, Kakashi."

"Yes!"

Kakashi removed the mask, revealing half a face covered by a cloth mask.

Whether he removed the mask or not made little difference. No one had ever seen his face, but everyone knew he was Kakashi Hatake.

"From now on, they'll be members of your team. You'll be responsible for notifying them when there's a mission!"

The Third pointed at Oto Uchiha and Zou Hyuga beside him, then looked toward Asuma in the distance and beckoned with a finger.

"Me?" Asuma looked bewildered. He had been confused from start to finish.

He remembered coming here to witness Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha being demoted to Genin.

But after one incomprehensible fight after another, those two had actually been promoted to ANBU recruits?

Once Asuma came over, the Third pointed at his nose. "Asuma, you'll join Kakashi's team too. You're old enough now. It's time you underwent the ANBU's training."

"Please allow me to refuse!"

Asuma spoke with righteous conviction. He was a carefree man who loved his freedom and could not accept the ANBU's restrictions.

"You cannot refuse!" The Third shook his head, rejecting Asuma's refusal.

Asuma had even set up such good children as Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha. He clearly needed some proper discipline.

The Third's serious expression frightened Asuma, and he finally nodded.

He could act willfully in front of his father as a rebellious child, but not in front of the Hokage.

His father being the Hokage did not mean that being his father was the Hokage's only role.

With the decision made, the Third headed back toward the Hokage Building, leaving only the four young Ninja behind.

The four Ninja all knew one another, but none felt like talking.

Zou Hyuga and Oto glared fiercely at Asuma. If not for that little schemer, would they have become ANBU recruits?

ANBU recruits were still ANBU. From now on, they would be risking their lives twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no freedom left to speak of.

Under their glares, Asuma backed away a few steps, then remembered his status and moved half a step forward again.

He was miserable too. Those two joining the ANBU was one thing, but why did he have to join as well?

Had he brought this all on himself?

Kakashi put his mask back on and looked at the other three, saying coldly, "We're teammates from now on. I'm your captain, Kakashi. I know where you live. I'll notify you if anything comes up."

Before his words had even faded, Kakashi vanished without a trace.

"He really is cold!" Asuma folded his arms across his chest and looked at the spot where Kakashi had disappeared.

Asuma's remark was met with resentful looks from Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha. Being stared at like that made his scalp prickle.

He felt that something bad might happen if he stayed any longer.

After Asuma left, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha exchanged a look, their expressions helpless.

They had not even enjoyed a week of peaceful days before those days were mercilessly ruined. The Sarutobi father and son were downright unforgivable.

Still, circumstances left them little choice. They would be with Kakashi and Asuma, two of the Hokage's own trusted people.

Even if they encountered danger, they should be able to come through it safely, right?

Once their frustration passed, they could only leave the training ground. They could no longer carry out their experiments. All they could do was go home and pray for their ANBU careers.

Back in the Hokage Office, the Third was just about to light his pipe and gather his thoughts.

Then he noticed an elderly man wrapped in bandages sitting in a chair nearby, someone he had known for decades.

The bandaged man was Shimura Danzō, an Elder Advisor of the village who had studied under the same teacher as him.

After becoming Hokage, he had appointed this old classmate to lead Root, a branch of the ANBU, to handle dirty work the Hokage could not openly get involved in.

"Oh, Danzo. What brings you here?"

Seated in the Hokage's chair, the Third propped his chin on his hands and looked at Danzo. "Speaking of which, I just saw a few promising youngsters. They all possess the Will of Fire. They may well become pillars of the village someday."

There were few people to whom the Third could voice such sentiments, and Danzo was one of them.

Danzo did not respond to that, instead raising another subject. "Hiruzen, Kakashi joined the ANBU, didn't he? Why not hand him over to me?"

"If the White Fang's son is trained by Root, he'll make an excellent weapon!"

For once, the Third did not argue with Danzo. He said calmly, "Kakashi is Minato's student. Are you planning to offend the future Fourth Hokage?"

Already over fifty, the Third had expressed his desire to step down long ago.

And among all the current candidates for Hokage, Minato Namikaze was undoubtedly the most outstanding.

Danzo was left speechless. He could not afford to offend the future Fourth over Kakashi, even though he considered the man far too inexperienced and unfit to be Hokage.

But he would not openly antagonize him. Beyond his prestige, Minato Namikaze possessed strength on par with the Sannin.

There might have been doubts before, but after he drove back Fourth Raikage A and Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Minato Namikaze's claim to the Hokage position was rock solid.

Fortunately, he had not come solely for Kakashi today. He also put the Third's earlier mention of promising youngsters out of his mind.

"Hiruzen, I think that plan needs to be carried out," Danzo said, revealing his true purpose.

"No!" The Third shook his head and firmly refused. "I won't approve that plan. Ask the Fourth once he takes over. If he doesn't agree, it'll be scrapped anyway."

Danzo's expression darkened as he looked at the Third.

If he could get Minato to agree, why would he have come to the Third for approval?

He wanted to launch the plan in the Third's name. Then, once the Fourth took office, it would not be so easy for him to scrap it.

He had never expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to have learned to pass the buck too.

Without that plan, Konoha could never ensure its true safety, and he could not keep his body at its peak.

The Wood Release Experiment was the name of that plan.