blogombal Chapter 320 Turning Point, Joining
Chapter 320 Turning Point, Joining
Chapter 320 Turning Point, Joining
While Taiyi was enjoying a leisurely vacation in the village, the war outside never stopped.
The Land of Earth is a region covered with mountains, yes, it is covered with mountains.
Here, mountains are connected to mountains, and steep peaks are everywhere you look. Fortunately, these peaks are not very high, with the highest being only about 500 meters.
Like most places in the Land of Earth, the mountains here are all made of pure rock.
In such a large area, you could only occasionally see a few weeds peeking out from the cracks in the rocks. Even these pitiful few weeds were not the usual green; instead, they were a dull, withered yellow, just like the rocks.
In this godforsaken place, in a valley hollow, a group of Konoha ninjas were chewing on unpalatable dry rations.
"Kakashi, why don't you just apply to lead the mission next time? It's always the same when we do missions with Minato-sensei, it's so boring."
Obito glanced at the guy beside him, took a bite of the dry rations in his hand, drank a sip of water, chewed the food in his mouth with all his might, and swallowed it with difficulty.
Compared to military ration pills, this thing only has the advantage of not causing constipation if you eat too much; it has no other advantages whatsoever. It's much more convenient to eat military ration pills.
Kakashi remained unmoved by Obito's words. He continued eating his dry rations, but only took a small bite at a time, chewing it thoroughly in his mouth and mixing it with his saliva before slowly swallowing.
While eating, he also wiped his short knife, carefully and repeatedly, until the blade was shiny and gleaming.
At his feet was a three-pronged kunai with the words "Sword of Endurance and Love" engraved on the handle. It was Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai.
Lin looked at Obito, who was complaining again, and felt helpless. This was not the first time Obito had scared Kakashi into taking on a mission alone.
In fact, not to mention Obito, she herself must have had the same thoughts in her heart, and I believe Kakashi felt the same way, they just wouldn't say it out loud.
Minato Namikaze, the user of the Flying Thunder God Technique, possesses unparalleled speed in Konoha, which also makes his fighting style lean towards one-on-one combat.
Those teammates with similar strength to him were alright, and they could cooperate with each other, but for Obito and Rin, it was quite unfriendly.
In particular, most of the tasks carried out by the Watergate team were highly difficult.
They often end up like this because they can't keep up with the pace of the water gates.
They are assigned trivial tasks at the last minute, or worse, they are left aside and can only wait helplessly.
"I wonder how Taiyi is doing now. I haven't heard from him in a long time."
Rin changed the subject; she didn't want Obito to encourage Kakashi again, as that would be a serious violation of ninja rules.
Sure enough, Obito's train of thought was immediately swayed.
"He's probably wreaking havoc on the battlefield again. If only I had Taiyi's strength, then—"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle foolishly, his eyes constantly glancing at Kakashi.
It's obvious to anyone that he's thinking about some kind of R-rated scene.
Rin rolled her eyes at Obito's lewd expression.
"If you put in half the effort of Taiichi, your strength would definitely be much greater than it is now. I'm sure Taiichi has a clone training in ninjutsu right now."
Obito was speechless. If someone else had said that, he would have definitely gone up and argued with them.
But since it was Lin who was speaking, he could only lower his head and remain silent, quietly munching on the dry rations in his hand.
But just after Obito calmed down, Kakashi, perhaps stimulated by their conversation, seemed to be affected by it.
The short knife in his hand suddenly flashed with lightning and plunged into the rock beneath his feet, all the way down to the hilt.
Obito and Rin were both drawn to Kakashi's actions, wondering what had gotten into him.
"After this mission is over, I will talk to Minato-sensei and apply to carry out the mission alone."
Kakashi said calmly, then drew his short sword and sheathed it without even looking at it, his movements clean and efficient.
Obito was stunned by Kakashi for two seconds, but he quickly recovered and jumped three feet high.
"Kakashi, are you serious? Haha, finally I can go on missions alone again."
Lin, standing to the side, seemed slightly worried. "Kakashi, is it really okay? Isn't that too dangerous?"
Kakashi was quite patient with Rin's concerns; this was unlike Obito, who was a complete failure.
"Don't worry, Taiichi gave us a specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai, right? That's a treasure that can summon him to come and help us. Even if it's dangerous, it won't kill us."
Lin touched her ninja tool pouch, where the Flying Thunder God kunai, which she had always kept, lay quietly. A sense of peace inexplicably settled over her.
"Well—okay, I agree."
Time flies like water, never to return.
After Taichi spent a leisurely week back in the village, he finally received another order from the Hokage.
The Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage, you wanted to see me?"
Taiyi pushed open the door and peered furtively into the room. Only the Hokage was inside, at least that was the apparent view.
"You brat, what are you doing? Get your ass in here right now!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and tapped his pipe on the table, signaling Taichi to hurry up.
"Ah, I was just checking to see if you were meeting with other people?"
Taiyi showed no sign of panic and strolled in leisurely.
Seeing Taichi's natural reaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very pleased. Given his status, there were very few people who could get along with him like Taichi did.
Even his clansmen, when they saw him, were like mice seeing a cat, all panicking and hiding.
The two chatted for a while, mainly with Hiruzen Sarutobi asking Taichi how he had been doing lately, and whether he had any trouble adjusting to the sudden change from the tense front lines to the leisurely village.
In general, this was to show the Hokage's care and love for his subordinates. Taichi answered each question, expressing his satisfaction with his current life and his deep gratitude for the Hokage's concern.
Half an hour later, the casual conversation ended, and the topic finally returned to the main point.
"Taiyi, you've been resting at home for a week now. Have you thought about where you're going next?"
The Hokage asked casually, but his sharp eyes were fixed on every change on Taiyi's face through the smoke he exhaled.
"Ah, where to go? I haven't really thought about it. How about Konoha Hospital? Or maybe the Barrier Team?"
Taiichi himself was also conflicted, with similar concerns to the Hokage. He knew that he was indeed in a difficult position to make arrangements.
However, he is quite satisfied with his current situation, living comfortably at home and having ample time to improve his skills.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to him a few days later, he might have gone out to contemplate nature, leaving only a shadow clone behind in the village.
Therefore, his words were quite sincere, completely portraying him as someone who was indifferent to worldly affairs and just lazing around at home.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Taiichi for a long time but couldn't detect any falsehood in his face. He put aside his suspicions and realized that Taiichi was indeed his good grand-disciple.
"There are currently no vacancies in either of the places you mentioned."
However, you could try to help out at Konoha Hospital when you have some free time.
Too many people have been drawn away from there, and they desperately need an expert like you to oversee things.
Taiyi pursed his lips without any hesitation, and the meaning he was expressing was quite clear: he wanted the horse to run but didn't want to feed it well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he had gone too far, so he quickly added, "Of course, this counts as a mission. Every week you work on it counts as a B-rank mission, so you won't lose out."
Upon hearing this, Taiyi's face brightened and he smiled again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and pointed at him with his pipe, looking like he couldn't do anything about it.
"However, you can only work part-time at the hospital; you still need a regular job."
Upon hearing this, Taiichi knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi already had a plan, so he didn't refuse and said directly, "I'll leave it all to the Hokage!"
"Good, as expected of the inheritor of the Will of Fire, your awareness is excellent."
Hiruzen Sarutobi first showered him with praise, then solemnly stated his plans.
"Come to the Dark Division. Training here for a while will be very helpful for your future duties."
"what!"
Taiichi's eyes widened, his face filled with undisguised surprise. He really hadn't expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi would assign him such a job.
The Anbu is highly coveted, especially by various clans, particularly the Uchiha.
The people here are the Hokage's confidants, and they can also get news from the higher-ups immediately.
Even if the rules prevent the details from being revealed, just a little leak can give the family some preparation.
These are all sources of profit.
But some people keep their distance from it, and Taiyi is one of them.
Putting aside the nature of the Anbu's work, ordinary ninjas are already considered ruthless killers, but the Anbu's style of doing things is even more vicious.
That was truly mission-first; to complete the mission, they were willing to abandon their comrades.
This conflicts to some extent with Taiyi's own philosophy.
Moreover, working in the shadows is a very restrictive job. Not only do you have to be on call at all times, but even the choice of missions is assigned, leaving you with no possibility of refusing.
Taiichi blinked his bright eyes, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if trying to force Hiruzen to change his mind with that innocent look.
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently exchanged glances with Taiichi, a faint smile playing on his lips.
After a long while, Taiyi was the first to give in. Who told him to speak so confidently earlier, blocking all avenues for retreat?
"Alright, I'll take the Anbu then. I'll just treat it as an experience."
Taiichi spoke weakly, as if he had been forced into a corner, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi burst into laughter, like a victorious general.
Unable to bear Hiruzen Sarutobi's smug expression, Taiichi interrupted his laughter.
"When will I start working? What position will I hold in the Dark Division? I won't start as a lowly soldier, will I?"
"Haha, no, no, you can act alone after you arrive. Just take charge of me directly."
As for the timing, you've rested for so long, and Konoha is still short of manpower everywhere, so of course you should take office now.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually suppressed his smile and instructed those behind him, "Azure Eagle, take Taichi to the Anbu and teach him the rules of the Anbu."
In a shadowy corner of the office, a member of the Anbu ninja wearing an eagle mask slowly emerged.
Taiyi looked at the person, whose entire body was completely covered by a black robe, and whose hair, face shape, and height were all unremarkable.
It was impossible to tell who this person was from their appearance, but Taiichi was certain that he had never seen this person before.
The chakra fluctuations and aura were well concealed, so much so that even with Taiyi's perception, he couldn't detect them at such a close distance.
This alone is enough to tell that this person is definitely not an ordinary Jonin.
Konoha is truly full of talented people; he didn't even know such a skilled fighter.
"This is Azure Eagle, the leader of the Dark Division. Follow him and get your equipment and learn the rules."
Taiichi turned his head and could only nod in agreement to the Hokage's arrangement.
This eagle was also a man of few words. He simply nodded to Taiyi, bowed to the Hokage, and took his leave, leading Taiyi away from the Hokage's office.
Taiyi followed closely behind the eagle, and after getting away from the Hokage's office, he still turned back for a glance. His previously mischievous expression had now returned to a serious one.
He understood the Hokage's purpose perfectly well; joining the Anbu was tantamount to abandoning his outward identity.
For some time to come, Matsushita Taichi, the rising star of Konoha whose name resounded throughout the ninja world, will completely fade into obscurity.
This is undoubtedly a huge blow to those with lofty ambitions.
Just like in the original story, Orochimaru, who became famous during the Third Shinobi World War, was recalled to Konoha by Hiruzen Sarutobi at the height of his fame and was also assigned to the Anbu.
This led Orochimaru to completely give up and devote himself entirely to his research on forbidden techniques, laying the groundwork for his later defection.
But for Taiyi, it's a different story.
He wasn't really interested in the position of Fourth Hokage; the only downside of being an Anbu member was that he wasn't as free.
But Taiyi has shadow clones. How many people in Konoha can see through his shadow clones without going all out?
I'm really looking forward to it!
Taiichi hadn't really paid much attention to where the Dark Division's base was.
I had heard that it was located directly beneath the Hokage Building, but the entire building was shrouded in a barrier, so Taiichi's senses couldn't detect it.
Today I can finally see what the Dark Division is like.
Following the eagle's footsteps, Taiyi arrived at a corner behind the Hokage Building. This place was almost deserted, but there were eight doors open on the wall.
The eagle opened one of the doors marked with the number "four" and led Taiyi inside.
The door behind him was closed, as if he were cut off from the world, and all the sounds from the outside world disappeared.
Taiyi couldn't help but look back and could clearly sense the isolation barrier attached to the door.
Following the narrow passage downwards, Taiyi twisted and turned until he finally arrived at a slightly larger secret room.
Then, the eagle walked to one side of the secret room, opened a cabinet, and took out a cloak exclusive to the Dark Guard, along with a standard short sword and ten kunai.
"This is your equipment. If it gets damaged or needs replacement, you can register and pick it up here."
This was the first time the eagle had spoken to Taiyi; its voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.
Then he opened another cabinet door next to him, inside which hung masks painted with various animal patterns.
"Choose one, and also give yourself a code name. From now on, in the Dark Division, you can only be referred to by the code name."
Taiyi looked at the cabinet full of masks—foxes, tigers, cows, horses—and without thinking much, simply chose a monkey face mask and put it on.
"Let's call it Macaque!"
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