Several days later, one early morning.
As soon as Sora returned to the orphanage after finishing his morning training, he discovered a small scroll on the windowsill that had appeared there at some unknown time.
The scroll was completely black. It had no markings, only a bright red character for "Secret" stamped in the center.
'It's here.'
Sora's heart tightened. He quickly picked up the scroll, flashed back to his room, and after confirming no one was around, carefully untied the sealing string on the scroll.
The scroll slowly unrolled. The first thing that caught his eye was the symbol of Konoha. Below it were a few lines of concise text:
[ANBU Admission Notice]
Name: Sora
Age: 7
ID Number: ANBU Cadet-567
Rank: Cadet Member
Assigned Jonin Instructor: Not yet assigned
Reporting Location: Konoha Underground Headquarters, Area Three, Entrance Seven
Reporting Time: Valid within three days from today
Sora's gaze lingered on the words "Cadet Member" for a moment.
Formal ANBU members used codenames. Cadet members were different. They only had ID numbers.
This was more or less what Sora had expected. Given his current age and his surface-level abilities, directly becoming a formal ANBU member was indeed unlikely.
'Cadet... That's suitable.'
Sora continued reading.
The latter part of the scroll briefly introduced the ANBU's organizational structure and basic system.
ANBU was a secret black-ops unit directly under the Hokage's command, responsible for assassination, intelligence gathering, and the execution of high-risk missions. Operating in the shadows and concealing their identities behind masks, they represented Konoha's most elite and ruthless force.
The current total membership was approximately one hundred people. The ranks from top to bottom were: one Captain and one Vice-Captain.
It was divided into four squads, each led by one Squad Leader. Each squad oversaw six teams. Each team consisted of four ninja.
The members' strength was generally at the high Chunin level or above. The proportion of Tokubetsu Jonin (Special Jonin) was very high, mixed with quite a few Jonin. Leader-level positions were all held by Elite Jonin.
ANBU benefits were quite generous. Monthly stipends were more than three times that of ordinary ninja of the same rank. Mission rewards were calculated separately. They also enjoyed the highest priority in material allocation rights and medical security.
But corresponding to this were an extremely high casualty rate and extraordinarily high mission intensity.
The main differences between cadet members and formal members were in authority and mission types.
Cadet members did not have the qualification to carry out missions independently. They needed to conduct practical training and support missions under the guidance of an assigned Jonin instructor. At the same time, their range of activities was somewhat restricted. They could not access core secrets.
Only after passing a probationary period of at least half a year could a cadet member become a formal ANBU member.
However, the scroll also noted that this half-year period was not absolute. It could be reduced for special individuals, such as those like Sora who were specifically named by Sarutobi Hiruzen, or geniuses like Kakashi whose strength far exceeded their peers.
'Half-year probationary period... It seems I need to perform well during this time,' Sora thought silently.
However, Sora remembered that in the original story, ANBU usually had 70 members. It seemed Konoha during this period was indeed powerful. The ANBU's numbers, as well as its quality, were far higher than during Naruto's later era.
And this didn't even include Danzo's "Root" organization.
...
The end of the scroll also mentioned the ANBU's current highest commander, the Captain, Hatake Sakumo.
Sora was very familiar with this name.
Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Kakashi's father, a legendary ninja whose strength and reputation at his peak even surpassed the Sannin.
He was skilled at using a short sword that emitted white light, famous throughout the ninja world for his astonishing speed and decisiveness.
In the original story, Hatake Sakumo abandoned a mission to save his comrades, suffered criticism from the village, and ultimately chose to commit suicide. This became the biggest psychological shadow in Kakashi's life.
'At this point in time, Hatake Sakumo should be at his peak...'
Sora recalled the original timeline. He remembered Hatake Sakumo died in Konoha year 40. He still had a little over a year left to live.
Sora's impression of Hatake Sakumo wasn't actually bad.
As a commander, he was exceptionally capable. As a ninja, he was extremely powerful. And as a person, he valued the lives of his comrades, although this ultimately led to his tragedy.
'Working under someone like this, at least I don't have to worry about being treated as pure cannon fodder,' Sora thought. 'However, I also need to be careful not to get too close to him...'
After all, knowing the original story well, he was very clear that Hatake Sakumo's future outcome wasn't very good.
Getting too close might mean getting dragged into the political turmoil among Konoha's higher-ups.
In Sora's memory, Hatake Sakumo was ultimately hounded to death by rumors and gossip in the village after returning from a mission.
And these rumors were most likely orchestrated behind the scenes by Danzo.
At that time, Sarutobi Hiruzen was in his prime. Although a Konoha White Fang didn't threaten his position enough to be considered a case of "merits overshadowing the lord," if he could use the opportunity to suppress Hatake Sakumo's reputation a bit, why wouldn't he?
After all, when it really came time to choose the next Hokage, with just a word from Sarutobi Hiruzen, these rumors would be trivial matters that could be easily erased.
Moreover, people always have their favorites and those they are closer to.
Although Hatake Sakumo was also part of the Hokage's faction, compared to Orochimaru, the personal disciple he had raised himself and poured countless effort into, he was clearly a level apart.
Therefore, regarding the village's critical gossip targeting Hatake Sakumo, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned a blind eye and didn't pay much attention to it.
But what no one expected was that Hatake Sakumo directly chose to flip the table. He committed suicide.
This move completely stunned both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo. They were caught completely off guard.
Sora could even imagine Sarutobi Hiruzen's and Danzo's inner thoughts at the time:
'Seriously, man, are you that fragile?'
'If you were this easy to break, you should have said so earlier~'
'...'
And Hatake Sakumo's death also indirectly led to Konoha's later predicament of lacking a new generation to replace the old.
By Naruto's generation, the village's usable Kage-level combatants were only the aging and weakened Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Kage-level gatekeeper Danzo, and Jiraiya who spent most of his time wandering the world.
...
But Sora wasn't some kind-hearted saint. He had no intention whatsoever of changing Hatake Sakumo's fate and naturally didn't want to have any involvement with him.
After committing the information on the scroll to memory, Sora spat out a small ball of flame, burning the scroll to ashes.
This was a requirement stated on the ANBU notification: destroy immediately after reading.
After finishing all this, Sora wrapped the bandages tightly, put on a black training suit suitable for movement, said goodbye to Miyamoto Ichirō and the others, and headed out towards the reporting location specified in the notice.
The ANBU headquarters was located underground in Konoha, with multiple hidden entrances.
The Area Three, Entrance Seven that Sora needed to go to was located in a small forest at the edge of the village.
Along the way, Sora kept thinking about his upcoming life in the ANBU.
'With my current strength, I should be considered top-tier among Chunin, especially in taijutsu and explosive power. But compared to Tokubetsu Jonin and Jonin, there is still a clear gap.'
'The Eight Gates Released Formation is strong, but it can't be used as a regular method. The Azure Dragon Fruit's abilities are an absolutely must-not-reveal trump card.'
'So, what I need to do most in the ANBU is learn and accumulate experience, while carefully hiding the fruit's abilities.'
Sora understood clearly that a place like the ANBU, while full of opportunities, was also far more dangerous than it appeared on the surface.
The dangers weren't just from missions, but also from internal competition and strife.
Although Danzo's Root organization was independent from the ANBU, personnel flowed frequently between the two organizations. There were certainly quite a few Root agents lurking within the ANBU.
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