Hearing Yōkō say this was only his third time meeting Hatake Sakumo, Yellow Dog said:
"Leaving the Anbu when not on a mission doesn't mean you can't have friends.
If you perform Anbu missions every day without any hobbies, you'll quickly develop mental illness.
Jiraiya usually goes to peek in the women's bathhouse, and Princess Tsunade has a gambling addiction; these aren't considered major problems among the higher-ups.
If a shinobi kills every day and doesn't find some outlet for their strained nerves, very serious psychological problems will arise.
Those Anbu who stay at the base for months or years on end are key monitoring targets for the Anbu; they easily go to extremes due to mental distortion.
I know you go to the Tsurugetsu Izakaya after leaving the Anbu. As your Battalion Commander, I strongly encourage you to use this method for recreation and to avoid post-war stress syndrome.
However, your private activities must not affect Anbu missions or your stance.
I hope you are not influenced by Hatake Sakumo."
Beneath his mask, cold sweat appeared on Yōkō's forehead.
Yellow Dog was secretly monitoring the entire battalion; he knew all about Yōkō's frequent visits to the Tsurugetsu Izakua.
"Battalion Commander, please refuse Hatake Sakumo. I will not go to see him."
"No." Yellow Dog said:
"Lord Sakumo is my senior; he was my Battalion Commander when I entered the Anbu.
You must go. I am just reminding you to pay attention to your stance."
"Understood, Captain. I understand. I will maintain proper boundaries."
Leaving Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's tent, Yōkō's expression beneath his mask was gloomy.
Yōkō frequently visited the Tsurugetsu Izakaya in private; this matter couldn't be hidden.
When he left the Anbu, he needed somewhere to stay, right? If not the Tsurugetsu Izakaya, then it would be another place.
No matter how many missions he performed for the Anbu, the Anbu would never fully trust him.
Even if Yōkō followed Battalion Commander Yellow Dog every day, pledging loyalty daily, he would not gain absolute trust.
It wasn't because of Yōkō's attitude, but because of Yōkō's identity.
If Yōkō were a shinobi from the Sarutobi clan or the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, it would be easy to gain the trust and cultivation of the higher-ups.
A Battalion Commander's authority was significant, possessing strong control over the Anbu shinobi.
He had to find a way to become a Battalion Commander, to have autonomy and no longer be passive.
Entering Hatake Sakumo's tent, he found Sakumo alone inside.
Hatake Sakumo immediately began praising him:
"Fox, many shinobi are possessive of their inventions and rarely dedicate them to the village.
If you had held onto the glider tightly, it would have become your unique ability.
I never expected you to dedicate it to the village. This surprised me greatly.
I will apply for an S-rank mission reward for you. Successfully poisoning the water was the first S-rank task; inventing and dedicating the glider will be the second S-rank reward."
Yōkō thought to himself, an unexpected bonus. He said:
"I hope to end the war quickly. Too many of my subordinates have died. I am already tired of death, tired of the faces beneath the masks changing in waves.
For a while, my biggest problem was remembering who the new people were and what abilities they had."
Hatake Sakumo also said:
"The casualty rate in the Anbu has always been higher than among regular shinobi. Like you, I also want to end the war quickly.
There's another matter I called you for. Last time, you suggested I focus efforts on promoting the jutsu assessment system.
This policy has been extremely successful. Many Chūnin have learned B-rank, even A-rank jutsu suitable for them.
Some universal abilities shouldn't be kept secret.
Fox, thank you very much for your suggestion, and thank you very much for dedicating the glider."
By Konoha's standards, the bond between Yōkō and Hatake Sakumo was growing deeper.
Successfully promoting the jutsu assessment system on the battlefield had greatly increased Hatake Sakumo's prestige, earning him support from more and more civilian shinobi who lacked jutsu.
Yōkō said: "Lord Sakumo, I am an Anbu directly under the Hokage. This is the second time you've summoned me. I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for me to see you again in the future."
Hatake Sakumo said: "That is precisely another purpose for me calling you here."
He formed hand signs, and a circle of silent lightning suddenly appeared beneath the tent walls.
It was a Lightning Release barrier, blocking reconnaissance.
Hatake Sakumo said: "Don't worry, no one in this camp can eavesdrop on us."
Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief; Hatake Sakumo was still very cautious.
Hatake Sakumo's expression turned serious: "Fox, do you remember Arata?"
"Arata?"
Yōkō thought about it. Arata was a civilian Chūnin, one of Hatake Sakumo's followers.
Yōkō had once carried out a mission to investigate Arata, and even killed a Sarutobi clan Special Jōnin to save him.
"I have an impression of him. A very strong Chūnin, experienced."
Hatake Sakumo said:
"Arata said he was once saved by a mysterious Anbu shinobi. You are that mysterious Anbu, aren't you?
Arata was my friend. But, he died on a mission.
If it was a normal death in battle, I would feel regret for him. But his death was suspicious; he cannot have died for no clear reason.
I want to ask you, regarding Arata's death, do you know anything about it?"
Yōkō said: "Lord Sakumo, I don't know anything. Moreover, you are suspected of probing into Anbu missions. Isn't that inappropriate?"
Hatake Sakumo shook his head and said:
"My judgment is never wrong. Last time you warned Arata, later you supported the jutsu assessment system, and now you've dedicated such a precious invention as the glider.
You are different from other Anbu shinobi. If you weren't Anbu, we would definitely be good friends.
If, I mean if, if you happen to know any clues about Arata's death, I hope you can tell me.
Please!"
Hearing this, Yōkō appeared to be hesitating and calculating, but inwardly he felt somewhat pleased. Hatake Sakumo had finally acknowledged him. He said:
"Lord Sakumo, I truly don't know right now, but I can try to inquire.
As long as it doesn't violate my Anbu duties, I will tell you whatever I happen to know.
However, I can no longer have private contact with you like this. Battalion Commander Yellow Dog just warned me; I cannot frequently associate with a specific Jōnin."
Hatake Sakumo took out a scroll and said:
"This is the summoning contract for the Eight Ninja Hounds.
This will be the last time I summon you. All our future communication will be relayed through the Eight Ninja Hounds.
If you agree, you can form a contract with my Eight Ninja Hounds."
Dedicating the glider invention to the village and supporting the jutsu assessment system led Hatake Sakumo to mistakenly believe Yōkō was someone like him, someone willing to dedicate everything to Konoha.
Yōkō nodded and said: "Alright."
This was the best outcome. Just like he used the Spear Egret scroll to communicate with Uzumaki Yuka, he could also use summoning animals to carry messages with Hatake Sakumo.
Yōkō bit his finger and pressed five fingerprints onto the scroll.
After forming hand signs, Yōkō used the Summoning Technique.
The white smoke cleared, revealing eight ninja hounds on the ground.
"Huh? Sakumo, no fight? Why did you call us out?"
The lead hound was none other than Pakkun from the original story, but Pakkun's voice wasn't as mature as in the original; at this time Pakkun was very young and had a puppy's voice.
Hatake Sakumo said: "Pakkun, it was the Fox behind you who summoned you. You are responsible for passing secret scrolls between me and Fox. It must not be known by anyone else."
Pakkun turned to look at Fox, thinking, Why is it an Anbu? Has the simple-minded Hatake Sakumo finally had an epiphany and started bribing the Hokage's Anbu? This is significant progress.
Yōkō greeted him: "Hello, Pakkun."
"Hello, Fox."
Yōkō took the investigation scroll regarding Arata's death and returned to his own tent.
From then on, their communication would be conducted via summoning animals; there would be no more private meetings.
Once Hatake Sakumo identified someone as a friend, he trusted them immensely. Yōkō benefited from this, signing a new summoning contract.
Simultaneously, he had to be extremely careful. If his ability to summon the Eight Ninja Hounds was exposed, the village would certainly label him as Hatake Sakumo's man.
He didn't know what had happened to Arata. He needed to investigate this properly and present his proof of loyalty.
***
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(End of Chapter)