The next day, when the Anbu Ninja's exclusive vest and fox mask were delivered to Hoshimi, he realized that everything from yesterday was not a dream!
There was no intention to refuse, nor was there the right to refuse.
Donning his new attire, Hoshimi, led by Hyuga Clan Members, headed to the Anbu.
In front of the Anbu gate, when Hoshimi arrived, a similarly short figure had already been waiting for a long time.
With just one glance, Hoshimi recognized the other person: his classmate and deskmate, Uchiha Itachi.
However, their relationship was not as close as people might assume; instead, it felt somewhat like strangers.
It wasn't that Hoshimi intended it to be this way; rather, ever since he and Uchiha Itachi had a private spar, Uchiha Itachi had gradually reduced his contact with him.
On normal days, they barely even spoke.
Hoshimi, of course, didn't know that Itachi had misunderstood him because of his process of learning the Ninjutsu Shadow Clone at the time, and also because he often zoned out during classes at school recently.
However, he didn't care, as he never intended to become close friends with Uchiha Itachi anyway; the only reason he initiated contact before was to gain some benefits from the Uchiha!
And his goal had already been achieved; several elemental Ninjutsu, as well as the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which was most useful to him, were already in his possession.
Although the Uchiha Clan had many more advanced Ninjutsu, Hoshimi wasn't foolish; it was clearly not something he could obtain from Uchiha Itachi!
So, even if their relationship was now distant, Hoshimi wasn't bothered.
However, to maintain his persona, Hoshimi still stepped forward and greeted him:
"Good morning, Itachi-kun!"
"Hmm, good morning!"
Even through the mask, Hoshimi could feel the coldness emanating from him.
Hoshimi was noncommittal about this; he also had no desire to warm up to someone who was cold towards him.
Neither of them spoke further, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle.
Fortunately, this atmosphere didn't last long, as Shisui's sudden appearance broke the awkwardness.
Both of them just felt a flash before their eyes, and an arm was placed on each of their shoulders, as a familiar voice rang out:
"Oh, you two little guys, you'll be my teammates from now on!
My Anbu codename is Meikarasu, please take care of me!"
"From now on, you must use codenames during missions, so, do you want to choose suitable codenames?"
Hoshimi and Uchiha Itachi exchanged glances, almost simultaneously saying:
"Raven!"
"Tenmoku!"
The former was Uchiha Itachi's codename, and the latter was the codename Hoshimi thought of.
"Raven, Tenmoku, both are good codenames. Alright, I'll register them for you!"
Saying this, Shisui took out a special scroll and wrote down the two names.
After doing all this, Shisui was clearly in a good mood: "Alright, today is your first day in the Anbu, there are no missions, so I'll first take you to familiarize yourselves with the Anbu's environment!"
With that, he disregarded the two young ones' wishes, grabbed one by each hand, and walked into the Anbu gate behind him.
Unlike the hidden Root base, the Anbu is openly present in Konoha; in fact, its base is right next to the Hokage Building. On normal days, Anbu Ninja gather here, except when on missions, always awaiting the Hokage's deployment.
Moreover, Anbu Ninja are directly subordinate to the Hokage, considered his "private army," and in terms of status, they are significantly higher than other Ninja in Konoha!
Of course, since it's a private army, the resources enjoyed by the Anbu are also beyond what ordinary Ninja can compare to.
Being directly under the Hokage, almost every Anbu Ninja receives the most professional training.
In the Anbu, as long as you can complete the Hokage's missions, you can easily accumulate enough merits to be promoted.
Furthermore, if you have demands for your own strength, you can also exchange merits for many Ninjutsu that ordinary Ninja rarely get access to; even the scroll of seals, the foundation of Konoha, you have a far greater chance of accessing it than ordinary Ninja!
These things, for Hoshimi, undoubtedly held considerable appeal, but the greatest benefit of joining the Anbu for Hoshimi was not actually these.
He has a skill panel and can continuously improve by grinding experience points.
However, grinding experience also requires strategy, and battling others is undoubtedly one of the most efficient methods!
So, what Hoshimi valued most were actually those Anbu elites.
In his eyes, these people were walking experience packs!
Under Shisui's guidance, Hoshimi gained a preliminary understanding of the Anbu. Of course, along the way, he indeed saw many Anbu Ninja.
How to put it? As expected of the private army personally trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi, their quality is indeed a cut above ordinary Ninja!
Every official Anbu member Hoshimi saw was at least Chunin level, and Jonin were constantly appearing!
Hoshimi was certain that with this Ninja armed force, Hiruzen Sarutobi could easily subdue any Ninja Clan in Konoha.
Coupled with Hiruzen Sarutobi's three thousand Sarutobi troops, calling him Konoha's strongest hokage indeed had some credibility!
After familiarizing themselves with the environment, Shisui then led Hoshimi and the other person to meet the Hokage.
After all, he was their direct superior, and they needed to make an impression.
Entering the Hokage's Office, Hoshimi and the others removed their fox masks. Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting in his chair processing documents, Hoshimi and the others showed excited expressions.
Of course, Hoshimi's was a disguise, but Uchiha Itachi's was completely genuine emotion.
His eyes blinked, just like two light bulbs.
He was somewhat similar to the idol fans Hoshimi had seen in his previous life!
After finishing the documents in his hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally looked up at the two "new bloods" who had joined the Anbu.
"Little Itachi, and little Hoshimi, seeing you two, this old man feels deeply gratified!
I believe that in the future, you will grow from Konoha's sprouts into towering trees, allowing the will of fire to be passed down through generations!"
"Where trees grow, fire burns eternal..."
Upon meeting, it was a barrage of brainwashing and mental hypnosis. Hoshimi felt his head growing large, yet he still had to pretend to be eager to listen and wanting more. This was undoubtedly a very challenging task for Hoshimi!
Fortunately, there was a reference template nearby, so Hoshimi's performance wasn't too strenuous.
This brainwashing session lasted for over half an hour before Hoshimi and Uchiha Itachi were able to leave the Hokage's Office.
As soon as he left the Hokage Building, Hoshimi couldn't help but show a look of relief. He was just about to go back and rest, clear his head, but he didn't expect Uchiha Itachi to suddenly block his path.
"Where are you going? This isn't the way back to the base for training!
Have you joined the Anbu, yet you still intend to be unmotivated as before?"
"Huh? I'm unmotivated?" Hoshimi looked at his steadily improving skill panel, then at his system evaluation which firmly placed him as an Elite Jonin.
Finally, he looked at Uchiha Itachi, whose strength at most reached Chunin level, and with a helpless "Nonsensical" retort, he left gracefully.
Having no desire to argue with a good-for-nothing who didn't even have Jonin strength, Hoshimi thought it better to consider how to gain more benefits from the Root!
Watching Hoshimi's retreating back, Uchiha Itachi slowly clenched his fists: "So negligent, to thus disappoint Hokage-sama's expectations, he truly is a fellow with no will of fire at all!
Never mind, after all, he is not a member of the Uchiha Clan. That reminder just now was the extent of my responsibility.
What level you reach in the future is no longer my concern!"
Thinking this, Uchiha Itachi's impression of Hoshimi dropped even further.
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