In Konoha, the Hokage's office welcomed two long-absent figures today.
"Knock knock knock~"
"Enter!"
Hearing a strong voice coming from behind the door, Shin'un and Yūichi, who were standing in front of the Hokage's office, looked at each other, and then Shin'un led the way by pushing open the door and going in.
Entering the Hokage's office, which was as always filled with smoke, the two walked to the center of the room, knelt on one knee, and said:
" Lord Hokage, Hirakawa Shin'un Uchiha Yūichi returned to the village to report for duty."
Looking up from the pile of documents on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Shin'un and the other person, immediately took the pipe out of his mouth, and said with a smile:
"Okay, okay."
"Get up quickly."
Standing up, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the two of them, put his hand on their shoulders, and helped them to their feet.
With a shrug, Hiruzen Sarutobi patted the two men's shoulders, appearing to be in a good mood, his smile never fading.
"Young people really do develop quickly. In just one year, you two have not only become much stronger, but you've also grown taller."
After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi and down, his satisfaction evident.
Shifting his gaze, Shin'un scanned the Hokage's office. Apart from a few auras that seemed to belong to the Anbu hidden outside the office, he did not find Orochimaru.
" Lord Hokage, has Orochimaru already left?"
"Yes, he said he wanted to return home as soon as possible; he had a few ideas about reading some classic texts."
After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, somewhat helplessly, took a puff of his pipe and said:
"You know your teacher; aside from some major incidents in the village, his only interest is Ninjutsu."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two people in front of him one by one.
"Let's not talk about him, let's talk about the two of you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi patted the two of them and said:
"I have clearly seen your performance on the battlefield from Shikahito's report."
"To be honest, you two are both geniuses, even better than I was back then."
"This is a good thing. Only when each generation is stronger than the last can Konoha prosper even more."
"Phew~"
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe, exhaled a long plume of smoke, then turned back to his desk and said with a smile:
"However, that's all for later."
"Speak, what do you two want?"
"Bonuses, vacations, Ninjutsu, even forbidden techniques recorded in the Scroll of Seals— you can choose whatever you like."
"Your battlefield achievements deserve this selection."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi, then turned and said:
"Of course, that's assuming what you're asking for is reasonable."
Think about it carefully.
Turning his head, Shin'un and Xiong Yūichi glance, then Shen Yun slightly raised his head, signaling Yūichi to speak first.
Seeing this, Yūichi shook his head, clearly also unsure what he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
"It's alright, take your time to think it over. My promise is valid indefinitely."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, sensing their thoughts, sat down behind his desk, took a puff of his pipe, and smiled.
"Also, since you've just returned to Konoha, I'm giving you three days off."
"You two can arrange what you want to do during these three days off, and you can also take this time to think about what you need."
Upon hearing that the Hokage was giving him three days off, before Shin'un could even speak, Yūichi, standing beside him, said with a delighted expression:
"Thank you Lord Hokage."
Hehe~
Seeing Yūichi's appearance, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and said with a smile:
"You're an impatient and talkative kid. It would be great if all the Uchiha Clan were like you."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment and said:
Now that you two have returned to the village, have you thought about what you'll do next?
"After?"
Shin'un was taken aback, glanced at Yūichi beside him, and looked somewhat puzzled.
"Unless you have no special arrangements, I will naturally accept and complete missions in the mission hall like a regular ninja."
"But Yūichi might go to work for the Uchiha Military Police Force."
"Phew~"
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said:
"In that case, have you ever considered working for Konoha Special Assassination and Tactical Squad for a period of time?"
You mean the Anbu?
Shin'un wasn't too surprised by what Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude towards him, it was perfectly normal for him to want to transfer him to the Anbu.
After all, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya and others all worked in the Anbu. Although they no longer work in the Anbu, they still hold nominal positions within it, and most of the missions they carry out in normal times are related to the Anbu.
Putting those aside, future ninjas who were valued by the Hokage, such as Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake, all joined the Anbu.
"That's right. Joining the Anbu will greatly hone your abilities and give you a clearer understanding of the meaning behind the word 'ninja'."
"Most importantly, joining the Anbu will allow you to better understand Konoha itself."
"Of course, this is entirely voluntary. If you don't want to join the Anbu, you can refuse; I won't force you."
Raising his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the benefits of joining the Anbu Anbu the two men in front of him as he changed the tobacco, clearly hoping they would join.
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shin'un nodded. He had long anticipated joining the Anbu and was looking forward to it, so he had no objections.
but...
Shin'un turned to look at Uchiha Yūichi beside him.
Are you going to transfer both of us to the Anbu?
Exhaling a beautiful smoke ring, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded to indicate that he was right.
Hearing this, Shin'un looked at Uchiha Yūichi with some worry, afraid that his poor political sense might lead him to say something thoughtless.
For example, when offered the Hokage's position, he said he needed to ask the elders of the Uchiha Clan for their opinion first...
Doesn't that mean that in Yūichi's heart Uchiha Clan holds a higher position than the Hokage?
It's simply a case of you turning the table when the boss serves you food, and refusing a toast when the boss offers you a drink...
However, to Shin'un's surprise, Yūichi's next words seemed to have been thought through, yet also seemed to have been spoken without thinking.
" Shin'un, are you going to the Anbu?"
"I'll go!"
"Then I'll go too."
"... All right."
On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, glancing at Shin'un and then at Yūichi. He nodded with satisfaction, seemingly having made a connection to something.
"Alright, I have other things to do here, so I won't take up any more of your time. You should go home now; I'm sure you miss your families."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi a puff of his pipe and said:
"Regarding the details of joining the Anbu, I will send someone to summon you in three days to discuss them in detail."
"Yes!"
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi chasing them away, Shin'un and his companion nodded and turned to leave.
Suddenly, just as Shin'un was about to leave the Hokage's office, he remembered something and turned around to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already begun flipping through the documents.
" Lord Hokage, I heard that a strange, contagious disease has recently appeared in the village?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback, looked up at Shin'un, the pipe still emitting smoke from his mouth.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in these things. That's good."
Taking off his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shin'un, a slight smile appearing in his eyes.
Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out a document from among the many files in front of him, read it, and said:
"Don't worry, Konoha Hospital reported yesterday that although this strange disease is quite contagious, it's actually just a new type of influenza."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Shin'un, beckoned him, and said:
Isn't this always the case when the seasons change?
"Don't worry, go home. There's no need to make a fuss. It'll be fine in about two days."
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shin'un nodded, bowed, and turned to leave.
"Crunch~"
Shin'un closed the door to the Hokage's office and stood there, his brows furrowed.
"Just a common flu?"