Collapsed on the bed, Sora could not help but think of the scene during dinner.
From Miyamoto Ichirō's mouth, he learned that Konoha's higher-ups seemed to have completely forgotten this place. They neither sent new caretakers to take over Nonō's work, nor were new war orphans sent over.
The vast courtyard was now left with only these few "familiar faces" and the increasingly silent old Director.
Fortunately, basic funding was still disbursed on time. Although the amount was not large, it was barely enough to keep them fed.
'This is fine.'
Sora thought to himself. He did not have much sense of belonging to the orphanage itself. What he cherished were the people here.
Initially agreeing to Nonō's request to take care of the other orphans was more out of a promise and gratitude towards her.
But after a long period of interaction, without realizing it, a feeling similar to "family" had quietly taken root. This gave Sora, who had been an orphan in two lifetimes, a new feeling.
"Bonds..." Sora murmured, staring at the ceiling.
The core of power in the Naruto world always seemed to revolve around this word. It was both a source of strength and often became a shackle of pain.
...
The morning of the day after tomorrow, 5:50 AM.
Konoha Anbu Underground Headquarters.
Sora arrived on time. He had changed into that black Anbu trainee uniform, wore that simple tanuki mask on his face, and the number "567" was clearly printed on his back.
Nine people were already standing at the assembly point. They were the other nine who passed the assessment, numbers 233, 269, and others were among them.
The atmosphere was silent and oppressive. No one was talking, maintaining a subtle sense of distance between each other.
Occasionally, full-fledged members wearing various animal masks passed by silently, casting indifferent glances over them, this group of newcomers, as if looking at a new batch of tools.
Sora silently walked to the end of the line and stood still. Eyes observing nose, nose observing heart, he maintained silence like the others, but his mind was quickly analyzing the arrangements to come.
According to Sora's knowledge, the Anbu currently had about one hundred members, divided into four divisions, labeled A, B, C, D. Each division had six squads. He did not know which squad he would be assigned to.
...
6:00 AM sharp.
An intangible sense of pressure suddenly descended.
Without any sound of footsteps, a figure appeared like a ghost directly in front of the line.
He was also wearing Anbu attire but did not wear a mask, revealing a somewhat weathered face with eyes sharp like electricity.
His posture was not deliberately imposing, yet it naturally exuded a sharp aura of one who had been through many battles, like a sharp blade sheathed. Though not drawn, its cold gleam already pierced to the bone.
Most striking was the short sword at his waist, emitting a faint white chakra glow.
'Konoha's White Fang...' Sora's pupils beneath the mask contracted slightly.
Even though he knew in advance that the Head Commander was Hatake Sakumo, facing him directly, he could still feel that immense pressure stemming from strength and achievements.
This was completely different from facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's gentle authority. This was a more direct, purer form of power.
Hatake Sakumo's gaze slowly swept over the ten people. Everyone touched by his gaze unconsciously straightened their backs, as if locked by an intangible searchlight.
His gaze seemed to linger on Sora for a fraction of a second longer. Although extremely brief, Sora keenly caught it.
'So I am indeed being specially noted...' Sora understood in his heart.
His age of seven, his status as a Hokage special recruit, and his performance of defeating Uchiha Kenta in the assessment were enough to attract the attention of this Anbu Head Commander.
But this was also within Sora's expectations. If he wanted to pass the assessment quickly, he would inevitably attract these people's attention.
Fortunately, he had already considered this. Merely opening the Eight Inner Gates to the fourth gate would not make Sarutobi Hiruzen wary of him. On the contrary, it would make him value Sora more.
Therefore, Sora was not flustered at all. He simply reined in his aura, making himself seem no different from the other trainee members.
But if Sora knew Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others' evaluation and handling of him, he would probably laugh out loud.
Hatake Sakumo indeed had the ability to keep an eye on Sora, but the premise was that Hatake Sakumo had to stay alive. As a transmigrator, Sora knew that soon, Hatake Sakumo would be maneuvered to death by Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen…
...
Hatake Sakumo's inner thoughts were indeed stirred slightly because of Sora.
He had carefully read Sora's report. Opening the Eight Inner Gates' fourth gate at seven years old, excellent taijutsu, sharp combat awareness, and even more rare was his on-the-spot calmness and decisiveness.
Such a seedling was indeed uncommon. As for whether he was originally from Konoha, Hatake Sakumo did not care.
Just as he had said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, he cared more about character.
But children who gain power too early are prone to go astray. Therefore, he needed to observe carefully to see what kind of heart lay beneath this power.
From what he saw now, at least he was very composed, without the arrogance of a young person who had achieved success early.
"I am Hatake Sakumo, Head Commander of the Anbu." A cold voice broke the silence, without any wasted words. "Congratulations on passing the assessment. From today, you will be official members of the Anbu."
"The Anbu has only one rule. Absolute obedience to orders. The mission comes above all else. Your past identities, your names, mean nothing here. Remember the code names you will choose later. They will be your only identifiers in the future."
"Now for division assignment."
Hatake Sakumo took out a scroll and unrolled it, beginning to read the list and division assignments.
"Number 233, Third Division, C4."
"Number 269, First Division, A4."
...
"Number 388, Second Division, B6."
"Number 567…"
When he read Sora's number, Hatake Sakumo's gaze fell on him again.
"Third Division, C5. Squad Leader, code name 'Fox'."
Third Division? Squad Leader code name "Fox"?
Could it be him? Sora pondered privately. The Anbu who had brought him from outside to Konoha back then was precisely someone wearing a fox mask.
Subsequently, the other nine were also assigned to different divisions and squads.
After the assignments were complete, Hatake Sakumo rolled up the scroll.
"Your squad leaders will inform you of specific missions and duties. Remember, the Anbu is Konoha's shadow, the sharpest blade protecting the village. Do not fail in this duty, and do not fail the effort you have put in."
His gaze swept over everyone once more, pausing on Sora for a moment, seemingly containing some kind of warning and expectation.
"Dismissed. Go find your squad leaders to report."
As his words fell, Hatake Sakumo's figure, just as when he appeared, silently merged into the shadows and disappeared.
That suffocating pressure also dissipated. The ten people at the assembly point all secretly let out a sigh of relief in unison.
Without any communication between them, everyone, according to their division information, tacitly walked toward different passages.
Sora glanced at the area indicator map on the wall, identified the location of the Third Division, and followed behind number 233, stepping into the converging, gloomy passageway.
"Third Division, C5, Fox…" Sora thought silently. "I hope I can receive external missions early, so I'll have more free time to develop my abilities."
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