Hearing Yagami say it was only the third time he had met Hatake Sakumo, Yellow Dog spoke.
"Leaving the Anbu when you aren't on a mission doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have friends.
If you spend every day executing Anbu missions without any hobbies or interests, you'll succumb to mental illness very quickly.
Jiraiya spends his time peeping at women's bathhouses, and Princess Tsunade has her gambling addiction; these aren't considered problems among the high-ranking officials.
If a ninja spends every day killing without finding an outlet for their tightened nerves, they will develop severe psychological issues.
Those Anbu who stay at the base for months or years on end are the primary targets of Anbu surveillance; they are prone to going to extremes due to mental instability.
I know you go to the That Tavern after leaving the Anbu. As your Commander, I highly encourage you to seek recreation in such ways to avoid post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, your private activities must not interfere with Anbu missions or compromise your stance.
I hope you are not influenced by Hatake Sakumo."
Beneath his mask, cold sweat broke out on Yagami's forehead.
Yellow Dog was secretly monitoring the entire unit; he was fully aware of Yagami lingering at the Tavern.
"Commander, please decline Hatake Sakumo's request. I will not go see him."
"No," Yellow Dog said.
"Lord Sakumo is my senior. He was the Commander when I first entered the Anbu.
You must go. I am merely reminding you to be mindful of your position."
"Understood, Captain. I understand. I will maintain the proper boundaries."
Leaving Yellow Dog's tent, Yagami's expression beneath the mask grew somber.
Yagami frequently visited the Tsuru Tavern in private, and that fact was impossible to hide.
When he left the Anbu, he needed a place to stay.
No matter how many missions he performed for the Anbu, the organization would never fully trust him.
Even if Yagami followed Commander Yellow Dog every day and constantly expressed his loyalty, he would never gain absolute trust.
This wasn't because of Yagami's attitude, but because of his background.
If Yagami were a ninja from the Sarutobi clan or the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, he would easily gain the trust and cultivation of the high command.
A Commander's authority was vast, possessing strong control over Anbu ninja.
He had to find a way to become a Commander himself to gain autonomy and no longer be passive.
Entering Hatake Sakumo's tent, he found the man alone.
Sakumo immediately began with words of praise:
"Fox, many ninja are overly protective of their own skills, rarely offering their inventions to the village.
If you had held onto the paraglider tightly, it would have become your exclusive ability.
I didn't expect you to offer it to the village. It truly surprised me.
I will apply for an S-rank mission reward for you. The successful poisoning was the first S-rank mission; inventing and handing over the paraglider will be the second S-rank reward."
Yagami thought to himself, an unexpected bonus. He spoke.
"I hope to end the war as soon as possible. Too many of my subordinates have died. I am tired of death, tired of seeing the faces behind the Anbu masks constantly changing.
For a time, my biggest struggle was remembering who the newcomers were and what abilities they possessed."
Sakumo spoke as well.
"The casualty rate of the Anbu has always been higher than that of ordinary ninja. Like you, I also want to end the war as soon as possible.
I called you here for another matter. Last time, you suggested I focus my efforts on promoting the ninjutsu merit system.
This policy has been extremely successful. Many Chunin have learned B-rank or even A-rank ninjutsu suited to them.
Abilities with general utility should not be hoarded selfishly.
Fox, I am very grateful for your suggestion, and also for the paraglider you offered."
According to the Leaf's way of thinking, the bonds between Yagami and Hatake Sakumo were growing stronger.
The successful promotion of the ninjutsu merit system on the battlefield had greatly increased Sakumo's prestige. More and more civilian ninja who lacked access to ninjutsu were supporting him.
Yagami said, "Lord Sakumo, I am an Anbu directly under the Hokage. This is the second time you've sought me out. I'm afraid it won't be convenient for me to see you again in the future."
Sakumo said, "That is precisely my other purpose for calling you here."
His hands formed signs, and suddenly, a silent ring of lightning appeared beneath the tent's fabric.
This was a Lightning Style barrier to block surveillance.
Sakumo said, "Rest assured, no one in this camp can eavesdrop on us."
Yagami breathed a sigh of relief; Sakumo was still very cautious.
Sakumo's expression became solemn: "Fox, do you remember Shinmei?"
"Shinmei?"
Yagami thought for a moment. Shinmei was a civilian Chunin and one of Sakumo's followers.
Yagami had once executed a mission to investigate Shinmei and had even killed a Sarutobi clan Special Jonin to save him.
"I remember him. A very strong Chunin with a wealth of experience."
Sakumo said.
"Shinmei mentioned that he was once saved by a mysterious Anbu ninja. That mysterious Anbu was you, wasn't it?
Shinmei was my friend, but he died during a mission.
If he had died a normal death in battle, I would feel sorry for him, but there is something wrong with his death. He cannot die without explanation.
I want to ask you, do you know anything regarding Shinmei's death?"
Yagami said, "Lord Sakumo, I know nothing. Furthermore, you are treading close to prying into Anbu missions. Is this not inappropriate?"
Sakumo shook his head and said.
"My judgment has never been wrong. Last time you warned Shinmei, later you supported the ninjutsu merit system, and now you've offered such a precious invention as the paraglider.
You are different from other Anbu ninja. If you weren't in the Anbu, we would certainly be good friends.
If—and I say if—you happen to know any clues about Shinmei's death, I hope you can tell me.
Please!"
Hearing this, Yagami appeared to hesitate and calculate, though he felt a secret joy in his heart. Hatake Sakumo had finally acknowledged him. He said.
"Lord Sakumo, I truly do not know anything right now, but I can try to ask around.
As long as it doesn't violate my Anbu duties, I will tell you whatever I find out.
However, I can no longer have private contact with you like this. Commander Yellow Dog just warned me; I cannot have frequent contact with a certain Jonin."
Sakumo pulled out a scroll and said.
"This is the summoning scroll for the Eight Ninken.
This is the last time I will seek you out personally. All our future communication will be passed through the Eight Ninken.
If you agree, you can sign a contract with my Eight Ninken."
Handing over the paraglider invention to the village and supporting the ninjutsu merit system had misled Sakumo into believing Yagami was the same kind of person as him—someone willing to give everything for the Hidden Leaf Village.
Yagami nodded and said, "Alright."
This was the best outcome. Just as he used the Spear Heron scroll to communicate with Uzumaki Yuka, he could use summoned beasts to carry messages for Sakumo.
Yagami bit his finger and pressed five fingerprints onto the scroll.
After forming the signs, Yagami used the Summoning Jutsu.
White smoke cleared, and eight ninja dogs appeared on the ground.
"Hmm? Sakumo, there's no battle? Why did you call us out?"
The lead ninja dog was Pakkun from the original story, though his voice wasn't as mature; he was quite young now, with the voice of a puppy.
Sakumo said, "Pakkun, it was the Fox behind you who summoned you. You will be responsible for delivering secret scrolls between me and Fox. It must not be discovered by anyone else."
Pakkun turned to look at Fox, thinking to himself that it was an Anbu.
Had the simple-minded Hatake Sakumo finally wised up and started bribing the Hokage's Anbu?
This was quite an improvement.
Yagami greeted him: "Hello, Pakkun."
"Hello, Fox."
Yagami took the investigation scroll regarding Shinmei's death and returned to his own tent.
From now on, their communication would be handled by summoned beasts, and there would never be another private meeting.
Once Sakumo designated someone as a friend, he would trust them implicitly. Yagami reaped the benefits and signed a new summoning contract.
At the same time, he had to be extremely careful. If the fact that he could summon the Eight Ninken was exposed, the village would certainly conclude he was Sakumo's man.
He didn't know what had happened to Shinmei, so he had to investigate thoroughly and present it as his token of loyalty.
***
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