blogombal Chapter 319 ANBU
Chapter 319 ANBU
Chapter 319 ANBU
Konoha Village.
The members of the Dark Division were all stunned by Taiyi's question, but Taiyi's increasingly cold aura immediately brought them back to their senses.
They could have ignored Taiyi's attitude, but the strong naturally have rights here, especially since Taiyi is the Hokage's grand-disciple.
As the captain of the Horse-Faced Anbu, he reacted the fastest, immediately retracting his kunai and gesturing to his subordinates around him, at which point everyone was able to lower their guard.
"The security department arrived quickly." Taichi walked towards Uchiha Inaho and sincerely praised, "Just now, the Anbu were arresting spies here, and they made quite a commotion."
Taiyi looked around at the mess. It was more than just a big commotion; there were many civilians dead and injured.
He glared at the secret agents next to him, complaining inwardly, "Don't these guys even have a plan or choose their locations when they're capturing spies?"
He walked between the Horse-Faced Anbu and Uchiha Inaho, looked at them, and pointed to the mess around them. "I don't know your responsibilities, but how should we deal with these wounded and the losses?"
Both sides looked at each other in bewilderment, clearly neither of them had anticipated such a problem.
However, it was Uchiha Inaho who spoke first, "Normally, when our Security Department arrests criminals and causes damage to people's lives and property, we have a set of regulations for compensation. But this incident was not caused by our Security Department, so naturally we cannot make any compensation."
Taiichi scrutinized Ziguang as he turned to the horse-faced ninja, his expression clear: "Does your Anbu have corresponding rules and regulations?"
The horse-faced ninja was now in an awkward position. What was the Anbu? It's short for Assassination Tactical Special Forces, primarily responsible for assassinations, reconnaissance, and...
For highly classified missions such as guard duty, issues like compensation were never even considered.
In the past, when they arrested their targets, they usually did so in remote places and left immediately after the arrest, so they would never encounter a situation like today.
However, this mission was urgent. The intelligence department had just received information that the couple were Iwagakure spies in disguise, and had been hiding in Konoha for nearly ten years. They even opened a shop on this most densely populated street.
This put them in a difficult position. More importantly, they received information that the spies were going to hand over the important intelligence they had collected today. In order to prevent the intelligence from being leaked, the secret service had no choice but to take action in this crowded situation.
Normally, such missions would be led by highly skilled individuals, but the shortage of manpower in Konoha is not unique to the four war zones; the Hokage's direct ANBU is also facing a shortage of personnel.
Sure enough, these two ANBU teams don't even have a single Jonin; they only have two Special Rank Servants to maintain appearances.
If they hadn't run into Taiyi by chance, that blue-haired ninja alone would have been enough to give them a run for their money.
"This—I will report to the Hokage, and someone will be in charge of handling these losses and compensations."
This is also the usual practice of the Dark Division. They only focus on the mission. As for the loss of personnel and property caused during the mission, a conscientious Dark Division leader will submit a report afterward, but in general, they will just pretend that it never happened.
After all, it's better to avoid trouble. Ordinary people wouldn't bother themselves for the sake of others, and the moral standards in the ninja world aren't that high.
If this happened outside the village, Taiyi wouldn't bother with it. He's not a saint after all, and he only wants to take care of his own little plot of land.
But since this is Konoha, the place he fights for and cares about, he has no choice but to exert his influence.
"Chief Rice Fire"
Taiichi turned to look at Uchiha Inahashi, causing him to immediately put his feet together and bow deeply to listen.
This wasn't because Uchiha Inahisa was belittling his identity, but because Taichi's reputation was now so high that it was comparable to even the former White Fang of Konoha.
If everyone only admires Konoha's White Fang for his martial prowess, then Taiichi is more than that; he can truly save their lives.
Many Konoha Jonin speculate that the current chief medical officer of Konoha is no longer Tsunade, but her disciple, Matsushita Taichi.
Such a person, with a fairly friendly relationship with the Uchiha clan, would not be easily offended even if Inahisa were a fool.
"Please give your instructions!"
Taiyi glanced at Daohuo in surprise and found that Daohuo's respect was genuine. He couldn't help but feel a little proud, realizing that his efforts over the years had not been in vain.
"Please have the Security Department handle these wounded and damaged personnel for now. Once the Anbu's application is approved, the Hokage's office and the Security Department will take over the duties."
Uchiha Inahisa looked somewhat troubled. Handing things over with the Hokage's office was likely going to backfire.
Seeing the Uchiha's hesitation, Taiichi quickly added, "This is my personal request, and I will keep an eye on this matter afterwards."
Now, Uchiha Inahisa had nothing more to say. He knew the gravity of the situation, and even if the matter ended up in the hands of the security department, he believed that the clan would be willing to accept it.
Taiyi's favor is not as important as this amount of money. He would rather the Hokage's office default on the debt now, to solidify the favor and make it bigger!
"You jest, Lord Taiyi. Our garrison will certainly handle this matter perfectly."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and several Uchiha ninjas who had come with him used Shadow Clone Technique.
The shadow clones acted swiftly, some collecting statistics, others providing medical treatment; everything was done in an orderly manner, indicating that the Uchiha clan was quite experienced in such matters.
For the first time, Taiyi smiled. He also created a shadow clone to provide emergency treatment to the seriously injured.
Then the main body looked at the horse-faced ninja and solemnly ordered, "Report the situation here to the Hokage truthfully. I will continue to monitor this matter, so please don't let me down."
After speaking, Taiyi activated his Soul Vision, and his eyes emitted a deep blue light.
Looking into Taiyi's eyes, the horse-faced ninja felt as if his entire body had been laid bare. He had no secrets left in front of Taiyi; he knew this must be one of Taiyi's secret techniques, and that Taiyi had memorized his information.
"Don't worry, Master Tai, I will handle this matter perfectly and will not let you down!"
Taiyi nodded in satisfaction and waved to him, "Go ahead and get busy!"
After the Anbu left, Taichi also bid farewell to Uchiha Inaho. He hadn't forgotten that he had come out to forage for food. He had only eaten half a meal along the way, and his foraging journey would continue.
After everyone else had left, only the Uchiha clan members from the security department remained on the street to finish up.
At this moment, an Uchiha Chunin approached and asked his captain curiously, "Inahikasa-san, weren't you being too humble just now? You weren't like an Uchiha at all."
Uchiha Inahisa glanced at his cousin, who was only a Chunin after all, and whose understanding of the rules of the ninja world was still insufficient.
"Shinko, remember this: strength is a ninja's passport. As long as you're strong enough, you'll be above everyone else, and that Matsushita Taichi had that kind of strength!"
The little incident came and went quickly.
The security department was also quite skilled; the chaotic streets were quickly cleaned up, all the damaged stalls were removed, and the uneven ground was leveled using earth magic.
The injured were also sent to Konoha Hospital for treatment, and the compensation matters discussed with their families are proceeding according to procedure.
The flow of people on the street quickly returned to normal, the only difference being that a shop on the side of the street was sealed off.
An hour after the incident, in the Hokage's office.
After handing over the mission target to the interrogation department, the horse-faced ANBU came to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi with their mission report.
The members of the Dark Guard performed this mission quite poorly. Not only did they rely on external forces, but more importantly, the battle also affected ordinary villagers.
While looking at the mission report in his hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the details of the mission from the ANBU member, Horse-Faced Assassin.
After a long while, when Horse-Faced Anbu finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi also shifted his gaze from the report to Horse-Faced Anbu.
Immediately, the horse-faced ANBU member felt an overwhelming pressure, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He immediately lowered his head and sincerely apologized, "Hokage-sama, it's all our fault for failing in our duties. Please punish us!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak. He put down the mission report in his hand, picked up his pipe from the table, filled it with tobacco, and after everything was ready, he didn't light it directly.
A long sigh resounded, as if thunder had struck the mind of the Horse-Faced Dark Guard.
"Kosuke, take off your mask?"
Upon hearing this, the horse-faced member of the secret service stiffened for a moment, but finally reached out and took off the horse-faced mask he was wearing.
Beneath the mask, a face somewhat resembling Hiruzen Sarutobi emerged, making one immediately think that the two were probably related.
"Lord Hokage, the outcome of this mission was due to my misjudgment of the enemy's strength. Please punish me."
Holding a horse-face mask, the ANBU ninja named Kosuke apologized again.
"Kosuke, now that you've taken off your mask, call me uncle. It's been a long time since I've chatted with the clan members like this."
It turns out that this ANBU member was also a ninja from the Sarutobi clan, and even had some kinship with the Third Hokage.
"Yes, Hokage—no, Uncle." Kosuke hesitated, but finally said it.
"It's inevitable that the mission will fail to some extent. There's also the reason of insufficient intelligence. You don't need to blame yourself too much."
The previous silence was a warning, and the current comfort is encouragement. Even though it's his own nephew, Hiruzen Sarutobi still uses this PUA technique quite skillfully.
"What do you think of Taiichi?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked an unrelated question. After asking, he leisurely lit his pipe, took a deep drag of the tobacco, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"Taichi-sama—he's amazing!" Kosuke recalled every scene he encountered with Taiichi today, from his clean and efficient killing of enemies to the Uchiha's attitude towards him.
"Your strength and prestige have far surpassed those of a Jonin. In the village, the only ones who can rival you are probably your three disciples."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. He could also discern something from Kosuke's expression, but Kosuke couldn't make out his true feelings through the wisps of smoke.
"What do you think—how about letting Taiichi join the Anbu?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words were always surprising and his suggestion left Kosuke speechless.
Although the Anbu is the Hokage's trusted organization, its members are all experts in their respective fields. Even Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake once held positions within it.
But is it really appropriate for Taiyi to join the Anbu now?
Putting everything else aside, if such a master were to actually join the Dark Guard, what position would you assign him?
Regular team members are definitely not suitable; that would create conflict. So, should he be a squad leader? A platoon leader? Or a vice-minister? A minister?
"This—the decision regarding the members of the Anbu should be made solely by the Hokage; it is not something I can comment on."
Kosuke was quite shrewd; he simply threw the question back at Kosuke, who, with his small arms and legs, had no desire to get involved in these high-level decision-making processes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi really didn't intend to ask him to answer; the question he just asked was just something he casually mentioned.
However, once this idea appeared in my mind, it was like a seed taking root, growing deeper and deeper.
These past two days he's been racking his brains over what to do with Taiyi. You can't just leave such a talented person idle by transferring him back to the village.
However, Taiichi's age is a factor, making it difficult for him to hold many positions. This is not because Taiichi lacks ability, but because ordinary people naturally distrust young people.
As for places like Konoha Hospital, where Taiichi has already proven his strength, and the high-level positions are already filled, you can't let him serve as an ordinary medical ninja.
Thinking about it now, this position in the secret service is actually not bad. At worst, he can become a free agent and be directly responsible for himself.
"Alright, you can go now. Regarding the villagers' compensation, you'll need to coordinate with the security department afterwards. Make sure you take responsibility for what you're owed, and don't let anyone misunderstand the Dark Division!"
After Sarutobi Kosuke put his mask back on and left the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen got up, pushed open the balcony door, and looked down at the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
In the past, I always saw reports about how high Taiyi's prestige was, but I never had a direct feeling about it.
But today's event is different; it happened right here in Konoha Village.
He wasn't particularly bothered by the failure of the secret mission.
He was only slightly angry that the common people were affected.
Taiyi's clean and efficient defeat of his opponent was within his expectations.
However, the attitude of the Uchiha from the Security Department towards Taiichi made him frown.
Even the arrogant Uchiha clan members agree with Taiichi so much, so what will the attitude of the other ninjas in the village be? Will they already be able to command a large following?
It seems that it is really necessary to transfer Taiyi to the Anbu and make him disappear from everyone's sight for a while.
At this time, Taiyi was unaware that his act of bravery had led to his job being assigned for the foreseeable future.
He is currently maintaining Sage Mode while simultaneously training his physical skills.
After several days of continuous experimentation, he also discovered that training in physical skills, meditation, and swordsmanship in Sage Mode was significantly more effective than training in normal conditions.
Just like physical techniques, in Sage Mode, his experience gain efficiency is three times that of normal mode.
This only refers to the effects that can be directly seen, such as panel experience. The same applies to physical fitness training, where the training effect is at least twice as good.
Taiyi can now maintain Sage Mode for over 90 minutes at his current limit. After several attempts, he was able to maintain a training state in Sage Mode for half an hour while conserving enough stamina.
This effect is quite remarkable, equivalent to gaining an extra hour of training for nothing. It may not seem like much, but when accumulated over time, it makes a huge difference.
However, Taiyi has also noticed a problem these days: in crowded places, especially densely populated places like Konoha.
Natural energy doesn't seem to be that concentrated, nor is it easy for people to mobilize it, which explains why the three holy sites are all located in those sparsely populated places.
This is also a topic that needs further research.