Joining the Anbu, a new mission!

"All right, that settles this matter!"

Hearing that Mu Feng had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi cut short his conversation with Danzo.

"I'll send someone to Root, but it won't be Mu Feng. He's still too young!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke as he smoked.

Danzo fell silent and watched Hiruzen Sarutobi for a moment.

"In that case, I won't trouble you any further!"

With that, Danzo rose and turned to leave.

"Send Mu Feng in!" Hiruzen Sarutobi told the assistant beside him.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Mu Feng was still waiting in the corridor outside.

Just then, the door to the Hokage's office opened. Mu Feng was a little surprised to see Danzo emerge.

He immediately realized that Danzo had most likely come to see Hiruzen Sarutobi because of him.

"Mu Feng Uchiha?"

Danzo walked over to Mu Feng and asked with a kindly smile.

Mu Feng nodded, putting on a bewildered expression. If he had never watched Naruto and had truly possessed the mind of a child, both Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi would have seemed like kindly grandfathers.

Naruto, for instance, had dreamed of becoming Hokage since childhood. Hiruzen Sarutobi had surely played a part in that.

In that respect, at least, Hiruzen Sarutobi had succeeded.

In the original story, when Sasuke first left Konoha to join Orochimaru, he had only wanted to grow stronger and take revenge on Itachi, not truly betray Konoha.

Only after Itachi died and Sasuke learned the truth did he turn his hostility toward Konoha, and even then, Danzo was the only person he killed.

"You performed exceptionally well in the Chunin Ninja Exams. What do you say? Would you be interested in serving under me? I can help you grow stronger quickly!" There was no trace of insincerity in Danzo's kindly expression.

But Mu Feng knew exactly what sort of man Danzo was.

"Isn't that... for Lord Hokage to decide?" Mu Feng asked hesitantly.

To Danzo, Mu Feng might have displayed tremendous talent, but he was still a child. He thought nothing more of it and took Mu Feng's answer as a genuine reaction.

In reality, Mu Feng had already started grumbling inwardly.

Like hell I'd join you!

Your way of doing things alone is reason enough to refuse.

Besides, Danzo is in league with Orochimaru. Who knows when he might sell me out to Orochimaru for the so-called 'interests of Konoha' and gouge out my Sharingan, too?

Until he had overwhelming strength, Mu Feng wanted little to do with a treacherous schemer like Danzo.

"Oh, is that so? Go on in, then! Lord Hokage is inside!" As Danzo spoke, he reached out to pat Mu Feng's head.

But Mu Feng darted aside and slipped into the Hokage's office before Danzo could react.

"Why do I feel like that boy is hostile toward me? Am I imagining it?"

Danzo muttered to himself as he stared at the now-closed office door.

"As expected, he would never let a prodigy from the Uchiha Clan join Root! Is he still hesitating over the Uchiha?"

Lost in thought, Danzo walked out of the Hokage Building.

"Ah, Mu Feng, you're here!"

"Lord Hokage!"

Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted Mu Feng with a warm, kindly smile.

During these Chunin Ninja Exams, Konoha had not only thoroughly crushed the secret plans of the Cloud Ninja and Kirigakure, but also shone in the exams themselves, delivering a powerful warning to the other ninja villages.

For Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was wonderful news!

And Mu Feng deserved the most credit for everything that had happened.

First, he had saved Kakashi from Hozuki Mangetsu and killed Mangetsu, alerting Konoha early to Kirigakure's suspicious movements. Afterward, he had worked with Anbu members to wipe out a Kirigakure stronghold.

Those were Mu Feng's contributions behind the scenes. In public, he had also defeated Kirigakure's trump card, Kisame Hoshigaki, making Konoha the biggest winner of these Chunin Ninja Exams.

Both his public and covert contributions had been considerable.

However, Mu Feng was still too young for Hiruzen Sarutobi to grant him any major reward. Besides, completing missions for Konoha generally did not earn anyone much of a reward. Failure, on the other hand, could bring severe punishment. White Fang was a prime example.

"Mu Feng, first of all, congratulations on passing these Chunin Ninja Exams! Haha, it's been a long time since I've seen a youngster as impressive as you! Konoha's future will be in your hands!" Hiruzen Sarutobi continued praising him.

Mu Feng scratched his head modestly, looking a little embarrassed, though inwardly he was already growing impatient.

All he wanted to know now was which team he would be assigned to.

"Becoming a Chunin means you've joined the backbone of the village. Only three participants in these exams earned a promotion!"

"The other two have already received their Chunin certificates and returned to their squads!"

"Mu Feng, normally, village regulations require you to be assigned to a team after graduating from the Ninja Academy. Only after gaining some experience would you be allowed to take the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"But your performance has exceeded my expectations! Still, even though you're a Chunin now, you have a long road ahead of you!"

"Mu Feng, have you thought about what you'd like to do next? Would you prefer to stay in the village, or go out on missions?"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Mu Feng fell into thought.

He was not weighing the two choices Hiruzen Sarutobi had offered, but considering what lay behind them.

"Uh, Lord Hokage, I'm not really sure! But as long as I can help the village, I'll be happy!" In the end, Mu Feng gave an evasive answer.

For a child, choosing between staying home and venturing out into the world was indeed difficult. It was perfectly normal not to have an answer.

"Haha, you're a good boy!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was delighted by Mu Feng's answer.

"How about this? Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, you haven't joined any other team. The only time you've worked with a team was on that mission with the Anbu, and the Anbu Captain spoke very highly of you! Would you consider joining the Anbu?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"If you don't want to join the Anbu, I can introduce you to Orochimaru and have him become your teacher! However, Orochimaru isn't often in the village, so he wouldn't be able to teach you much!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued offering Mu Feng choices. On the surface, he was giving Mu Feng the freedom to decide, but the way he phrased things made his attempts to steer him all too obvious.

"Hmm... well! I'd rather spend more time in the village and do some missions!" After a moment's thought, Mu Feng gave his answer.

"Good!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then cleared his throat. "Come in!"

As soon as he spoke, a ninja dressed in Anbu gear and wearing a rabbit mask appeared in the Hokage Building.

"Starting today, Mu Feng will be a member of your squad! He's rather young, so take good care of him!"

"No problem!"

The Anbu ninja wearing the rabbit mask glanced at Mu Feng and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"All right, I'll leave the rest to you. First, help Mu Feng get acquainted with the Anbu! In a week, you'll undertake a new mission! Mu Feng, go with him! Oh, and someone will deliver your Chunin certificate to your home later!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking and looked at Mu Feng kindly, as though encouraging him.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Soon, Mu Feng followed the rabbit-masked Anbu ninja out of the office.

Aside from having him join the Anbu, there had been another key point to this conversation: he would have a new mission in a week.

And Mu Feng had a feeling that this mission would most likely take him outside Konoha.