All the Anbu members looked at the podium, waiting for the Third Hokage to announce the new deputy leader of the Anbu.
The Third Hokage said:
"During the mission to pursue the rogue ninja in the Land of Grass, Deputy Commander Lynx, Squad Leader Wildcat, and others sacrificed themselves for Konoha.
These Anbu shinobi, filled with the profound Will of Fire, burned their lives for Konoha.
The Anbu is one of Konoha's most important institutions, protecting the village from the shadows.
The Anbu's missions cannot cease.
I hereby appoint Fox as Deputy Anbu Commander!"
Yōkō, standing to the side, acknowledged the crowd and then took his seat in the chair.
With this, Yōkō had finally secured a place at the table.
During the Second Great Shinobi War, the Anbu, under Danzo's command, had suffered repeated heavy losses, or rather, repeated annihilations.
Yōkō, then a cannon-fodder Chūnin, had been urgently recruited into the Anbu.
At that time, Danzo controlled the Anbu, and Anbu members were more expendable than Shadow Clones for intelligence gathering.
Yōkō's history of promotion was also a history of Danzo's suppression.
Supporting Yellow Dog's promotion to Deputy Anbu Commander had stripped Danzo of a portion of his power.
Taking control of the spy networks in two major countries had stripped Danzo of another portion of his power.
Supporting Yellow Dog's promotion to Head Anbu Commander had stripped Danzo of yet more power.
Killing Lynx, the Deputy Commander Danzo had pushed forward, had finally reduced Danzo's influence within the Anbu to almost zero.
Of course, this smooth journey was also because Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Yellow Dog father-son duo shared similar intentions.
To rise to prominence in Konoha, one either had to be like Hiruzen Sarutobi—the young master of a great clan from the start—or like Mitokado Homura—incredibly lucky to encounter the Second Hokage's policy of nurturing civilian shinobi. Or, one needed a top-tier inheritance like Orochimaru's sage training, or talent as dazzling as Namikaze Minato's.
For Yōkō to be addressed as 'Lord', even with his 'cheats', the path had been so difficult.
To say that Konoha's civilian shinobi were barely surviving, their lives as insignificant as ants, was not an exaggeration.
Looking down at the several dozen Anbu members below, Yōkō felt sympathy for them.
However, Yōkō was not a good person, not cut out to be a saint.
Being a good guy was a role best left to Hatake Sakumo.
The only thing Yōkō could do was occasionally help Hatake Sakumo from the shadows.
The only one who could make Konoha fairer was Hatake Sakumo.
Where he was more mature than Namikaze Minato was that Hatake Sakumo had firm and clear principles of conduct.
Although the Namikaze Minato of the original story was powerful, his policies did not break away from the set of Will of Fire theories centered on sacrifice, as dictated by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Below the stage, the two squad leaders, Black Ant and Golden Eagle, exchanged a glance.
With Fox's promotion and Wildcat's death in battle, only the two of them remained as squad leaders in the Anbu.
The Deputy Anbu Commander changing within a month was both unexpected and yet not.
Lynx's strength hadn't been much greater than the other squad leaders, and certainly not comparable to Fox's.
Lynx was incapable of handling certain complex situations and powerful enemies.
Having Fox become Deputy Commander now was much more reasonable.
Fox's strength had been proven; he had always been the Anbu's top fighter.
Black Ant and Golden Eagle decided to pay a proper visit to Fox's office after the meeting.
If Lord Fox could lend a hand against powerful enemies in the future, their chances of survival would greatly increase.
Prestige in the shinobi world came from strength. If I save you, you live. If a sliver of malice stirs in my heart and I act half a second later, you die.
The meeting continued.
The Third Hokage appointed two new squad leaders: Hippo and White Ram.
White Ram was inwardly thrilled; he had actually been promoted to squad leader.
By following Lord Fox, he had not only obtained a trump card like the Cross Seal, survived grave injuries with the help of his master's medical secret technique, and learned the Secret Technique: Insect Clone, but now he was also promoted to Anbu Squad Leader.
Within the Aburame clan, no one aside from the clan head had more influence than him now.
The higher-ups had always treated the Aburame clan as functional shinobi, rarely entrusting them with important responsibilities.
By following Lord Fox, he was now a pivotal squad leader within the Anbu.
Lord Fox's defensive secret techniques were invincible, meaning Lord Fox was very difficult to kill.
As long as he didn't die, the future prospects of following Lord Fox were limitless.
Just look at poor Wildcat, who followed Lynx. That pair celebrated for less than a month before dying in the Land of Grass.
The Anbu assembly concluded.
Yōkō moved into the Deputy Commander's office, leaving his original office for White Ram.
He signed a document.
"Alright, Purple Cat, you can start your maternity leave now. Have White Crane serve as my temporary assistant."
"Yes, Lord Fox!"
Purple Cat was very excited. The Fox she had initially followed as a small team leader had risen to Deputy Anbu Commander within three years. So fast!
White Crane, standing nearby, felt somewhat guilty.
She still hadn't told her sister that she and Lord Fox had already...
Sigh, I'll tell her after she gives birth.
The most important thing was for their family of four to live their lives well.
A shinobi's sense of morality was different from that of ordinary people; some things weren't that important.
After Purple Cat left, White Crane went out and returned, placing several scrolls on Yōkō's desk.
"Hm?" Yōkō said. "Do I have this many scrolls to handle already, just after becoming Deputy Commander?"
White Crane said: "I brought these scrolls from the Head Commander's assistant, Butterfly. Many of these are authority transfer scrolls."
Yōkō understood. Lynx was dead, and much of his authority had been transferred to him. He opened the scrolls one by one.
The first part consisted of control scrolls for the Anbu base's barrier.
Yellow Dog spent most of his time in the basement of the Hokage Building, ready to receive the Hokage's orders at any time.
The daily management of the Anbu base fell to the Deputy Commander.
After Tsunade's forced entry into the Root headquarters, both Root and the Anbu had installed barriers.
There was a Barrier Squad in the Equipment Department responsible for the Anbu barrier.
The second part was the Anbu's mission scroll archive.
Yōkō now had the authority to view and manage all previously completed Anbu missions.
He would need to find time later to specifically organize Konoha's past and master all the intelligence from the Anbu's history.
The third part was the Anbu's ninjutsu scroll archive.
Aside from S-Class Forbidden Techniques, the Deputy Anbu Commander could, at his discretion, reward subordinates with any of Konoha's ninjutsu.
These three powers alone significantly increased Yōkō's weight and influence.
The remaining matters were more trivial.
The daily management of departments like Equipment and Finance also fell to Yōkō.
In short, major missions followed the Head Commander's orders, while daily management belonged to the Deputy Commander.
Yōkō searched through the scrolls and frowned.
No spy systems?
Previously, Assistant Gibbon had been in charge of the spy networks in the Land of Lightning and Land of Wind, while Lynx had been responsible for the Land of Earth and Land of Water.
It seemed that after Lynx's death, the spy networks of all four major countries had been transferred to Yellow Dog's assistant, Gibbon.
Gibbon was very mysterious; Yōkō had only seen him once at Yellow Dog's place.
Gibbon, when will you leave the village?
Can you even manage such a complex spy system?
After signing the scrolls, Yōkō entered the Anbu's mission scroll room.
He found the scrolls related to himself.
As expected, Kyōi and the Tsurugetsu Izakaya were under surveillance. Several teams had been assigned to monitor Kyōi.
The Anbu was monitoring Kyōi, and also monitoring Yōkō during his free time.
Of course, this wasn't specifically targeted at Yōkō. Anbu squad leaders and team leaders leaving the base during their leisure time were all subject to random checks.
Those deemed high-risk were monitored constantly. Those considered lower risk, like Yōkō, were monitored for a period before the surveillance was withdrawn.
When Yōkō returned to his office, he saw the four squad leaders waiting for him in the hallway.
Yōkō first met with the most senior, Black Ant.
They didn't discuss anything particularly special; Black Ant was the Third Hokage's trusted aide.
Black Ant talked about the security work for the Hokage Building, mentioning that at times, they would need a powerhouse like Fox to handle some tricky problems.
Especially since Fox was skilled in sealing techniques, which was very important for the Hokage Building's defense.
Yōkō, of course, agreed to such things.
Being closer to the Hokage Building, closer to the core of Konoha's power, brought more benefits.
If he could get his hands on the Hokage Building's sealing barrier, even better. Yōkō wouldn't mind working overtime for the Hokage Building.
Yōkō's second meeting was with Golden Eagle.
Golden Eagle seemed prepared. He said, "Lord Fox, I am responsible for internal surveillance within the Anbu. I previously handled some investigation tasks, including tracking the whereabouts of Anbu members during their free time.
I assure you, the Golden Eagle Squad will no longer conduct any investigations targeting you.
The previous investigations were also standard Anbu procedure; I had no choice."
Yōkō said, "I understand. Continue monitoring the free time of Anbu members as before. There's no need to investigate me.
It's not like I would betray Konoha or the Hokage, right? That would be too absurd, don't you think?"
Golden Eagle nodded repeatedly.
Lord Fox, who possessed Wood Release, was one of Konoha's pillars. How could he possibly betray Konoha?
Golden Eagle reported a few more things about Konoha's village defense work before leaving.
Hippo was the third to enter the office.
They were old acquaintances. Yōkō instructed Hippo to get his squad combat-ready as soon as possible.
Lynx had wasted two teams in the Land of Grass, greatly depleting their strength.
The Hippo Squad would now be Yellow Dog's direct subordinate squad.
The Anbu was the Hokage's direct force, with complex internal factions. As the Deputy Commander, Yōkō couldn't control all of them immediately.
Watching Hippo's retreating back, a flicker of thought passed through Yōkō's eyes.
The more squads he controlled, the deeper his control over the Anbu.
Which one should I choose? Black Ant, Golden Eagle, or Hippo?
Hippo, it's such a difficult choice, don't you think?
White Ram was the last to enter the office.
As Yōkō's direct subordinate, he was the most excited.
Yōkō tasked White Ram with recommending Antelope, Leaf Monkey, and Black Gorilla for promotion to Jōnin, and he would handle the subsequent procedures.
"Sir, now that I've been promoted to squad leader, I'd like to have Field Duck as my assistant.
Hippo and Yak each took a trusted subordinate with them when they left, so our squad is short several frontline team members. Should we replenish our numbers quickly?"
Yōkō said, "I will urge Root."
He had hit Root a bit too hard, and now he was facing the consequences. Those few people in Root found it too difficult to train new recruits.
It took Yōkō a few more hours to straighten out the affairs of the Deputy Anbu Commander.
Power was the best blue pill for a man; Yōkō felt like he had inexhaustible energy.
The taste of power was truly excellent.
After handling the trivial matters, Yōkō left the Anbu headquarters.
Using the Ephemeral Technique, he arrived on the rooftop of the Konoha Hospital and deliberately released his presence.
Tsunade left her office and entered the restroom to the side.
In the restroom's anteroom, a faucet was running, water flowing noisily.
Tsunade said, "I knew you would come find me. Fox, is there something you want to say to me?"
***
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(End of Chapter)