Candidate 567

After crossing several streets, Lin Ze arrived at a small grove on the outskirts of the village.

Following the description in the notice, he soon found an especially thick tree. An inconspicuous symbol was carved into its trunk-the ANBU insignia.

Lin Ze glanced around and, after confirming that no one was paying attention, formed a simple hand seal and said quietly, "No. 567, reporting in."

An entrance just wide enough for one person silently opened in the trunk, revealing a staircase leading down.

Lin Ze took a deep breath and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, the trunk silently closed again, as though nothing had happened.

The passage was narrow and dim at first, but it widened as he descended, and lamps began to appear on the walls on either side.

After roughly two or three minutes of walking, his surroundings brightened, and a vast underground space appeared before him.

This was Konoha's ANBU headquarters!

Lin Ze even speculated that it lay directly beneath the Hokage Building, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders to reach ANBU at any time.

Completely unlike the sunny, lively, and peaceful atmosphere of Konoha aboveground, ANBU headquarters had a cold, efficient, and oppressive air.

The entire space was dimly lit, with dark colors predominating.

ANBU members wearing various animal masks could be seen hurrying past everywhere. Almost no one spoke; only footsteps echoed through the corridors.

A faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air, mixed with the scent of earth and rotting tree roots.

Occasionally, a few ANBU members looked at Lin Ze's unfamiliar face, but their gazes merely swept coldly over him, showing neither curiosity nor welcome before quickly moving away.

The atmosphere really is worlds apart from the village... Lin Ze thought as he took in his surroundings.

In the village, even shinobi showed some degree of emotional interaction. Here, however, everyone seemed like a precision tool, their emotions compressed to a minimum.

So this is Konoha's "Root"... Lin Ze silently observed his surroundings.

Lin Ze noticed that the ANBU personnel here fell into two categories.

One group wore full masks that did not even expose their eyes. These people usually hurried about, carrying a barely perceptible scent of blood.

The other group wore half masks or no masks at all and seemed relatively relaxed.

The former should be full members who have just finished a mission or are about to head out on one. The latter might be clerical staff or personnel taking a break, Lin Ze guessed.

Following the signs, Lin Ze arrived at the candidate registration office.

It was a small room with only one ANBU member wearing a fox mask seated behind a desk, head lowered as he wrote something.

"Candidate No. 567, Lin Ze, reporting in," Lin Ze said calmly.

The fox-masked man raised his head and looked Lin Ze over, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes-he seemingly had not expected the new candidate to be so young.

But he asked nothing and simply said in a businesslike manner, "Identity confirmed. Here are your temporary mask and uniform. The changing room is on the left. Once you've changed, return here for further instructions."

Lin Ze accepted a standard black ANBU uniform and a simple tanuki mask, then nodded. "Understood."

After changing and putting on his mask in the changing room, Lin Ze looked at himself in the mirror-dressed entirely in black, his face concealed by the mask, with only his eyes and a head of white hair exposed.

"From now on, I'm ANBU No. 567," Lin Ze murmured to himself.

Back at the registration office, the fox-masked man handed Lin Ze a small scroll.

"This is your initial schedule. Report to the training ground at six sharp every morning for training and assessments."

"When you have no missions, you may freely use the training facilities on the third underground level."

"Leaving the base without authorization and seeking information unrelated to your duties are prohibited. Violating these rules carries severe consequences."

Lin Ze took the scroll and nodded. "Understood."

"Go on. You can familiarize yourself with the surroundings today. Formal training starts tomorrow." The fox-masked man waved, signaling that Lin Ze could leave.

After leaving the registration office, Lin Ze did not immediately go and explore his surroundings. Instead, he found a quiet corner, opened the scroll, and began reading it carefully.

The scroll detailed his schedule, code of conduct, and scope of access as a candidate.

The training mainly covers stealth and reconnaissance, interrogation and resistance to interrogation, assassination techniques, teamwork, codes and ciphers... It's very comprehensive.

As for access, Lin Ze could only move around the first three levels of the underground headquarters as a candidate and could not enter the deeper classified areas. He also could not take missions alone and had to be led by a supervising Jōnin.

It looks like the early stage is mainly about learning and adapting...

Just what I wanted.

But I can't leave the base during this period?

Sitting in the corner, Lin Ze frowned. Fortunately, before reporting to ANBU, he had told Miyamoto Ichirō that it might be a long time before he returned, so he did not have to worry about them worrying.

But this also created a problem. At the Orphanage, Lin Ze practiced his Beastification ability every night, but he did not dare do that here at ANBU headquarters.

This was unlike wartime, when there might be half-baked ANBU members promoted on short notice. Setting aside the Byakugan among the current ANBU, not a single one of the other members was easy to deal with.

It was fair to say that everyone in the current ANBU was talented-they just weren't pleasant to listen to.

Of course, that referred to the full members.

There were bound to be quite a few sensory shinobi among these ANBU members. If Lin Ze dared practice his Devil Fruit Powers here, he would definitely be strung up and tortured...

It looks like I need to pass the assessment period and become a full ANBU member as soon as possible.

Lin Ze silently considered his options. After becoming a full member, he would have two to five days off after each mission, and he could use that time to practice his Devil Fruit Powers.

Clearly, the time Lin Ze could spend practicing his Devil Fruit Powers would be drastically reduced in the future, delaying his entry into the third stage—complete Beastification.

But there was no way around it. He had to join ANBU to obtain Hiruzen Sarutobi's protection.

After all, he was still far too weak to handle the threat from Danzo.

In the end, he simply wasn't strong enough!

Fortunately, as long as he stayed in the village now, he did not have to worry about Danzo.

Besides, Lin Ze was only seven, and the Third Shinobi World War was still four years away. That was enough time for him to escape the role of "cannon fodder."

Closing the scroll, Lin Ze decided to visit the training area first.

The training area at ANBU headquarters was far more professional and comprehensive than the Ninja Academy's. It was divided into two large training areas, and Lin Ze had been assigned to training area one.

Besides the standard Taijutsu and Ninjutsu training grounds, there were also special facilities for practicing stealth, assassination, and trap placement.

Lin Ze entered the Taijutsu training ground in training area one and found some ANBU members already training there.

Their movements were crisp and precise, every strike aimed straight at a vital point, without any unnecessary flourishes. There was a hint of the Strong Fist Style to them, completely unlike the Taijutsu style taught at the Ninja Academy.

Now this is Taijutsu meant for real combat... Lin Ze observed carefully, assessing their strength.

Most are above the average Chunin level. A few might have reached the Special Jōnin level...