The next morning, Natsuhiko left his room early.
He didn't have time for a break right now—there were still quite a few missions he needed to complete.
However, his current Division Commander seemed to have heard some kind of news. Although he still assigned missions to Natsuhiko—since the official appointment hadn't yet been issued—the tasks given to him had become extremely easy.
Most of them were simply patrols within the village.
As for other missions—such as those that required leaving the village—he was no longer assigned to them.
This was good news for Natsuhiko, because it meant he could spend more time arranging certain matters before officially taking office.
Regarding Senju Shoma's request, Natsuhiko had indeed thought about it. But just as he had said before, it wasn't something he could decide on his own.
He believed Shoma would understand this, because every place had its own rules. Someone like Natsuhiko couldn't simply break them.
Although he couldn't directly bring those people in, he could report the matter to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This would serve as a show of sincerity. After all, the ANBU still belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and if Natsuhiko wanted to operate comfortably within it, he needed to align himself with that man.
Even if it was only surface-level loyalty, the appearance still had to be maintained.
Of course, I also need to discuss this with Minato Namikaze. After all, Minato Namikaze is the current Fourth Hokage.
After accepting the patrol mission, Natsuhiko sent Kakashi to inspect another area.
Meanwhile, he himself found a secluded forest and directly used the Flying Thunder God marker to summon Minato.
After waiting quietly for a moment, Minato Namikaze quickly appeared in front of him.
The speed of his arrival was even faster than Natsuhiko had expected.
"Natsuhiko-kun, I heard you caused some trouble in the ANBU yesterday?" Minato asked with confusion before Natsuhiko could speak.
"But everyone has been ordered to keep silent. What exactly happened?"
"Hm?" Natsuhiko looked at Minato with a rather strange expression.
He hadn't expected that when he came to talk with Minato, he would be questioned first.
The incident he caused at the ANBU yesterday had actually been quite significant. Yet the information Minato received seemed even less than what his clan elder knew.
At the very least, Senju Shoma knew that Natsuhiko had confronted Murashima Takumi, but Minato only knew that something had happened within the ANBU.
How could Natsuhiko not feel surprised?
He clearly remembered that when he fought Owl, he had knocked him out of the office. Quite a few ANBU members had witnessed it.
Especially when Murashima Takumi arrived—by that time almost all nearby ANBU agents had gathered, meaning plenty of people had seen the entire scene.
Yet in the end, Minato, the Fourth Hokage himself, only knew that something had happened inside the ANBU, without knowing any details.
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had quickly issued a gag order, Minato was still the Hokage.
Even if he didn't control the ANBU's real authority, he shouldn't appear this completely uninformed.
This instantly made Natsuhiko more cautious.
It seemed his understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi's control over the ANBU was still not deep enough.
"Something did happen," Natsuhiko said after thinking for a moment.
He then fabricated a reason.
"Yesterday I went to headquarters to submit a report, including some information about a mysterious puppet master that needed to be delivered to the Third Hokage."
"But I didn't expect that the Commander wouldn't deal with me directly. Instead, someone named Owl stepped forward and insisted on taking my report."
Natsuhiko quickly recounted everything that had happened the day before.
He explained his suspicions about Murashima Takumi and Owl, and how he eventually decided to seize Owl and interrogate him for information.
He told Minato almost everything that could be said. And for the most part, what he said was true.
Except for one thing.
The report he had submitted was completely fake.
Minato listened carefully the entire time. By the time Natsuhiko finished explaining his reasoning and speculation, the Hokage's expression had turned rather strange.
Minato had met the ANBU Commander before—more than once, in fact. They had even spoken on several occasions.
Back then, his impression of the man had been simple: someone completely trustworthy.
Murashima Takumi wasn't the type to hide behind polite lies. In fact, he had openly disagreed with Minato's decisions before and challenged his judgments without hesitation.
At times Minato had thought the man was too rigid, almost painfully so.
But he had never imagined the rigidity ran this deep.
At this point, Murashima Takumi sounded dangerously close to the Root operatives—those shinobi who had no personal will, no sense of self, existing only to carry out orders.
Could it be…
Murashima Takumi is nothing more than a tool? A puppet who follows the Third Hokage's commands alone?
If that was true, then the Owl whom Natsuhiko had beaten badly enough to send to the hospital was likely the one guiding him.
In other words, Owl might be the real intermediary—the person responsible for coordinating between the ANBU Commander and the Third Hokage.
The thought alone was staggering.
Of course, much of this was speculation.
But if it was true, then Minato could finally understand why the ANBU leaned so heavily toward the Third Hokage.
And the more he thought about it, the colder he felt.
It was like falling into an icy abyss.
The very idea that the ANBU Commander was something like this… it made his heart sink.
Minato took a deep breath and looked at Natsuhiko seriously.
"This is all your speculation," he said firmly. "You must never speak of these thoughts or conclusions to anyone else."
"This kind of accusation would be extremely serious. It could even be considered slander."
"I understand, Hokage-sama," Natsuhiko replied with a calm smile. "You're the only person I've told. I haven't spoken about this to anyone else."
Slander? A serious accusation?
Natsuhiko couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Compared to what he was holding onto, this was nothing.
Leaving aside the fact that he had no intention of spreading this information, the sealed chunk of flesh he had hidden away carried implications that could shake the entire shinobi world.
That would be the real earthquake.
Still, he hadn't decided what to do with it yet.
Until he finished squeezing every last bit of value out of it, he wasn't planning to reveal it to anyone.
"By the way, Hokage-sama," Natsuhiko said, smoothly steering the conversation elsewhere.
"My clan heard that I participated in the commander selection exam. If I succeed, they're hoping I could bring a few of our people into my division."
"Into your division?" Minato blinked. "If you become a commander, you have the authority to choose your own members."
But the moment he finished speaking, Minato froze.
Then he gave a slightly awkward smile.
Authority to choose your own members.
It sounded good on paper.
In reality, that authority came with heavy restrictions.
The ANBU wasn't a place just anyone could enter.
Once you joined, your life would no longer have secrets. Everything about you would be exposed to the Hokage.
But in return, you gained privileges few others could dream of.
After all, the ANBU were the Hokage's personal forces.
If someone from a clan joined the ANBU, it was essentially the same as that clan receiving the Hokage's approval and trust.
That was why so many clans flocked to it—even knowing the risks.
Minato scratched his head helplessly.
"You'll probably have to handle that yourself. First, they have to meet the qualifications."
Then he paused and looked at Natsuhiko curiously.
"But why are you telling me about this?"
Natsuhiko's smile didn't change.
"Because…" he said quietly, "You are the Hokage, sir."
Natsuhiko's words clearly pleased Minato.
At the same time, however, they also left him feeling a little frustrated.
On paper, he was undeniably the Hokage. But when it came to real authority, could he truly say he held the power of one?
Minato didn't want to dwell on the matter for too long. He quickly shook the thought away and steered the conversation in another direction.
Still, he was glad Natsuhiko had come to report this to him. Even if parts of it were a bit depressing, overall it was still a positive sign.
So he decided to discuss something else—the Flying Thunder God Technique.
During their last sparring match, Minato had noticed something odd: Natsuhiko didn't seem to have made any real preparations for using the technique.
For example, he hadn't used special kunai marked with Flying Thunder God seals.
In battle, a shinobi could throw such a kunai and instantly teleport to it, turning it into a deadly surprise attack capable of killing an enemy in a single strike.
It was a method originally created by Tobirama Senju, and Minato himself had refined it into an art.
What Minato didn't know was that after Natsuhiko mastered sealing techniques and successfully learned how to imprint the Flying Thunder God formula, he had already figured out how to use the technique that way.
The truth was simple.
Natsuhiko wasn't a talent-type genius.
He was an exploit-type player.
The reason he hadn't used that method wasn't because he lacked throwing skills.
After all, he was an ANBU shinobi. There was no way he didn't know basic kunai techniques.
The real reason was much simpler.
He didn't need it.
Minato was the undisputed master of that style of combat.
If Natsuhiko had tried using marked kunai during their sparring match, Minato would have simply teleported away the moment they were thrown.
At that point, the fight would have been pointless.
Unfortunately, Minato didn't know Natsuhiko's reasoning. From his perspective, the way Natsuhiko had used Flying Thunder God was dangerous and inefficient.
Yes, it produced excellent results—but the risks were enormous.
One mistake, and he could end up losing his life.
"I understand, Hokage-sama," Natsuhiko said with a nod. "I'll work on improving it."
Naturally, he accepted Minato's suggestion without hesitation.
Refusing goodwill like this would have been incredibly foolish.
Of course, that didn't mean he actually planned to prepare special kunai ahead of time.
He didn't need to.
Natsuhiko could carve the Flying Thunder God formula onto a kunai whenever he wanted. All he needed was to carry enough of them.
Thanks to his "cheat," he had already mastered the sealing method behind the technique completely.
If he wanted to mark something, he could do it anytime.
So why make things complicated?
Still, this was something he would never tell anyone.
Not even Minato.
This was one of his hidden trump cards.
The more unpredictable my use of Flying Thunder God is—even to myself—
the more devastating the surprise attacks will be.
And the easier it will be to kill my enemies.
With that thought in mind, Natsuhiko parted ways with Minato and soon found Kakashi again.
The two of them returned to their divsion's base, reported back to their commander, and then headed to the lounge to rest.
Although they had completed their patrol, they couldn't leave yet.
They were currently on standby.
If anything happened in the village, they would have to respond immediately.
That said, incidents inside Konoha were actually quite rare. Even when something did happen, it was usually just hunting down an exposed spy.
Compared to other missions, those were relatively easy.
Besides, Natsuhiko's commander clearly had no intention of interfering with him right now, which meant Natsuhiko had plenty of free time.
After spending a while in the lounge, he told Kakashi he was heading out for a bit andand slipped away to ANBU Headquarters.
Owl had been beaten badly enough by Natsuhiko to end up in the hospital, but the truth was that his injuries weren't particularly serious.
Natsuhiko hadn't actually tried to kill him.
At the time, his real intention had been to capture Owl alive and interrogate him, which was why he had held back. Because of that, Owl recovered fairly quickly.
"So it's you again?" Owl said the moment he saw him.
"I need to report something to the Hokage," Natsuhiko replied politely. "Could I trouble Captain Owl to inform him for me?"
Even though Natsuhiko's tone was calm and courteous, Owl clearly flinched when he saw him.
After all, the last time they met, Natsuhiko had worn the exact same gentle expression… right before suddenly attacking him.
That memory wasn't something he could forget easily.
Still, Owl quickly composed himself.
After all, he served the Third Hokage.
Surely Natsuhiko wouldn't dare attack him again—especially now that everything had already been clarified.
And in truth, Natsuhiko had no intention of doing anything to him.
Once he finished explaining his request, he simply turned around and left.
This time, the process moved surprisingly quickly.
Late that afternoon, just as everyone was preparing to end their shifts, Natsuhiko received a message.
He was to report to ANBU Headquarters.
The Commander wanted to see him.
The news pleased Natsuhiko.
Because he knew it wasn't Murashima Takumi he was going to see, but Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hokage-sama."
After entering the Commander's office, Natsuhiko bowed slightly toward the man seated behind the desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and nodded calmly.
"Owl told me you were looking for me," he said. "So—what is it? If you were this eager to see me, I assume it's not something trivial."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Natsuhiko straightened before continuing.
"There are two matters I wished to report today. The first concerns my meeting and sparring match with the Fourth Hokage—"
"Stop."
Before he could finish, Hiruzen raised a hand and interrupted him.
The old Hokage studied Natsuhiko with interest.
"You already told me that you sparred with the Fourth. Why do you feel the need to report the details to me?"
It was a very interesting question.
Natsuhiko met his gaze for a brief moment before smiling naturally.
"Because I believe it's necessary to report it to you, Hokage-sama," he said respectfully. "Every detail matters. Especially when it concerns the Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen watched him for a moment.
"That answer satisfies me," he said slowly.
"But at the same time… it doesn't."
He rose from his seat and walked over to Natsuhiko, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder.
"Some support I can give you openly," Hiruzen continued.
"But other kinds of support… I cannot give in public. Nor will I acknowledge them if questioned."
"Do you understand?"
"I understand perfectly, Hokage-sama." Natsuhiko dipped his head slightly. "I'll be more careful."
"Good."
Hiruzen withdrew his hand.
"If nothing unexpected happens, your official appointment should be issued tomorrow."
He paused.
"You mentioned there were two matters. What's the second?"
Natsuhiko answered calmly.
"The clan elders wish for me to bring certain Senju members into my division. How would you like me to handle this, Hokage-sama?"
"Hm."
Hiruzen didn't seem particularly surprised.
"I wouldn't oppose it. You'll be the division commander, after all."
Then he looked at Natsuhiko with mild curiosity.
"But I'm curious—why are you telling me this?"
"Because," Natsuhiko said softly, "you are the Hokage, sir."
...
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