'A dead genius is no longer a genius. A dead hero will soon be forgotten.'
Lin Ze sees this clearly.
However, Hatake Sakumo's death did bring some "benefits" that Lin Ze had not expected.
The biggest change is that the "attention" from within ANBU has decreased.
When Hatake Sakumo was alive, although he showed more appreciation and expectation for Lin Ze, Lin Ze could feel that there was scrutiny behind that attention.
Fox's attitude towards him also had a hint of "observation" for Hatake Sakumo.
But with the death of Hatake Sakumo and the new captain taking office, both disappeared.
Fox now treats Lin Ze with an attitude that is closer to that of an elder towards a younger generation, with some care and trust.
In short, Lin Ze can clearly feel that the invisible monitoring shackles on his body have loosened more than a little.
This made him feel much less stressed when secretly developing Azure Dragon Devil Fruit Powers.
'Speaking of which, I have to thank Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi for their amazing assists? If they hadn't teamed up to force White Fang to death, I might have had to wait a few more years if I wanted to get rid of the spotlight so easily.'
Lin Ze smiled to himself, without any fluctuation in his heart.
He has no dislike for Hatake Sakumo, and even has some admiration for it, but that's it.
Let him go against the public opinion of the entire village and the acquiescence of the top management in order to save White Fang? That is something that only the protagonist of a hot-blooded comic would do, not him Lin Ze.
In this dangerous world, the most important thing is to survive and protect the people you care about.
Everything else is secondary.
The second thing--Hikaru Hyūga is dead.
It is said that he died at the hands of wandering Ninja while on an outing.
But Lin Ze happened to be performing a mission nearby at the time, and when he rushed to the scene after receiving a call for help, the remaining wandering Ninja was either dead or had already escaped without a trace, leaving only the body of Hikaru Hyūga lying quietly on the ground.
Hyuga Main Family claimed that he was killed by wandering Ninja, but Lin Ze discovered that there was an extremely tiny pinhole on Hikaru Hyūga's head.
Those are the traces left by the spell that instantly destroyed the brain after Caged Bird Seal was forcibly triggered.
Hikaru Hyūga is Ninja who is even more talented than Neji. Lin Ze even feels that as long as he is given a chance to grow normally, he will reach the level of Kage Level sooner or later.
Although Hikaru Hyūga has a ruthless personality, in this Ninja world where the jungle is strong and the strong eat the weak, it is precisely this kind of character that can survive longer.
If he is Main Family of the Hyuga Clan, he may be able to lead Hyuga Clan to a higher level.
It's a pity that Hikaru Hyūga was born as Branch Family, and the outcome has already been doomed.
"Lin Ze? Lin Ze!" Kurenai Yuhi's voice brought Lin Ze back to reality from memories, "What are you thinking about? Your face is almost cold."
Lin Ze came back to his senses and smiled at Hong:
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some mission matters."
"Is the mission difficult?"
"No trouble, it's been solved."
Lin Ze shook his head, put down the bowl, and looked at the darkening sky outside the window:
"I just think... it's nice to be able to eat a bowl of Ramen in peace like this."
Hong nodded in understanding, with a sweet smile on his face:
"Well! Then next time we come back from the mission, we will eat together!"
"Okay." Lin Ze also smiled.
The street lights gradually turned on Konoha outside the window, creating a feeling of peace and tranquility.
But Lin Ze knows that under this calmness, the undercurrent never stops surging.
The deaths of Hatake Sakumo and Hikaru Hyūga are just a microcosm of this cruel Shinobi World.
'Strength... still needs stronger strength.' Lin Ze thought silently in his heart.
Only with enough strength can you protect yourself in this whirlpool and preserve the short-term warmth around you.
As for the rest, what does it have to do with him?
The four days of vacation are fleeting.
In the early morning, Lin Ze appeared on time at ANBU Underground Headquarters.
He changed into his uniform, put on Aoda Mask, and walked to Squad B-5's assembly room.
Push Gate of Opening, Fox, Gray Wolf and Night Owl are already waiting there.
Gray Wolf leaned against the wall lazily and asked:
"How was your vacation, Aoda? Did you go on a date with your little girlfriend?"
Lin Ze shook his head helplessly. "Don't talk nonsense, we are just ordinary friends."
Night Owl chuckled lightly. Although he did not speak, his eyes clearly showed disbelief.
Fox knocked on the table, interrupting the chat of several people:
"Quiet, the mission briefing will be here soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, a messenger Ninja Hawk flew in from the window and landed on the outstretched arm of Fox.
Fox took off the little Scroll from the eagle's claws, and after a quick glance, his face became slightly solemn.
"What mission?"
Gray Wolf put away his lazy attitude when he saw this, straightened up and asked.
Fox places Scroll on the table:
"Land of Wind. Lord Hokage ordered us to investigate the abnormal movements of Land of Wind."
Lin Ze's heart moved: 'Sure enough, it's here.'
As a time traveler, he knows very well that Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage in history, has now been made by Scorpion into Human Puppet.
This incident led to the outbreak of Third Shinobi World War, which can be said to be the fuse of Third Shinobi World War.
Lin Ze had long expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi would send people to investigate Land of Wind's situation, but he didn't expect that this task would fall on their team.
Gray Wolf frowned and said:
"Land of Wind? Isn't that Sunagakure's territory? Could they be making any unusual moves?"
Night Owl also said:
"There are indeed rumors recently that the Land of Wind border is heavily guarded, and the entry and exit inspections are much stricter than usual."
Fox nodded:
"According to intelligence, Sunagakure has been moving frequently recently. A large number of Ninja have been recalled to the village, and the intensity of border patrols has been increased several times, but the specific reason is unknown."
"Our mission is to infiltrate Land of Wind and find out the cause of Sunagakure's abnormal movements. If necessary, we can contact local informants, but we must be careful not to expose Identity."
"Understood." The three of them responded in unison.
Lin Ze There was no expression on the face under the mask, but his heart was already churning.
At this point in time, Sunagakure probably has not disclosed the news of Kazekage's disappearance, but is only searching for it in secret. In other words, the risk factor of Squad B-5's mission is quite high.
Once Sunagakure discovers that Konoha ANBU is investigating the disappearance of Kazekage, it is likely to cause a diplomatic dispute or even trigger a conflict between the two countries in advance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi entrusted this task to them, obviously having great confidence in Squad B-5's ability.
Fox ordered:
"We will set off in one hour and prepare individually. This mission may require lurking for a long time. Bring enough supplies and camouflage equipment."
"Yes!"
The three of them quickly dispersed and went to prepare themselves.
Lin Ze returned to his locker and began to organize his equipment.
Kunai, Shuriken, Smoke Bomb, Soldier Pill, medical kit... He carefully checked all the necessities and then put them neatly into the backpack.
Finally, he took out a small box from the depths of the cabinet, which contained several bottles of special Dye.
After all, his silver hair is too eye-catching and his features are so obvious that he always has to do some disguise when performing infiltration missions.
Although it is not uncommon for Hokage World to have weird hair colors, Lin Ze has always been accustomed to hiding his external characteristics more closely in such tasks that require concealment.
Over the past two years, he has become accustomed to this kind of preparation before going on a mission, and every detail may be related to life and death.
More importantly, Lin Ze knew that Sasori of the Red Sands was involved behind this incident!
Although the current Scorpion is not as terrifying as the later one, he can single-kill Third Kazekage, who is known as the strongest in history. His strength should not be underestimated.
'I hope I don't run into that pervert playing Puppet...'
With Lin Ze's current strength, it is relatively easy to deal with ordinary Jōnin, but against an opponent of Kage Level's level or Scorpion's level, the chances of winning are slim. With his full strength, he can barely be considered a Kage Level goalkeeper, which is Danzo level one.
After preparing everything, Lin Ze came to the meeting point.
Fox, Gray Wolf and Night Owl are also ready.
Fox glanced at the three of them and nodded. "Let's go."
The four people turned into four black shadows, quietly left the ANBU headquarters, and sped towards the outside of Konoha.