Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the intelligence scroll in his hand and nodded with satisfaction:
"You have done very well. This intelligence is very important to us."
He looked up at the four Anbu standing before him, his gaze lingering on Sora for a moment longer.
In two and a half years, this child, whom he had specially recruited into the Anbu, had grown into a reliable combat force.
Although only ten years old, his strength was already no less than that of many adult ninja.
'Pity, after all, he is not a child born in Konoha...'
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly, but on his face he wore an approving smile:
"This mission's difficulty exceeded expectations. You have four days off. Rest well."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The four responded in unison.
After walking out of the Hokage Building, Fox patted Sora on the shoulder:
"Kid, you performed well this time. The power of that Great Fireball technique has increased again."
Sora scratched his head:
"Just okay. Maybe because the ground was wet from the rain, the steam effect was more obvious."
Grey Wolf and Night Owl also walked over. Grey Wolf said with a smile:
"Green Snake, your Fire Release is practically more impressive than an Uchiha's. If I didn't know your background, I'd suspect you might have some kind of Kekkei Genkai."
"Just luck."
Sora replied modestly. After two years of getting along, their teasing was mostly in good fun, and he didn't mind.
After bidding farewell to his teammates, Sora went straight back to the Anbu dormitory. He changed out of his Anbu attire and put on ordinary ninja clothing.
Although only ten years old, long-term training made him appear much more mature than his actual age.
His silver-white short hair was particularly conspicuous under the sunlight, causing several passing female ninja to glance over frequently.
'Two and a half years. Time really flies.' Walking on the road back to the orphanage, Sora felt a surge of emotions.
Over these two years, he had carefully hidden his true strength, secretly training at night while maintaining the image of a "taijutsu genius" during the day.
Just as Sora was deep in thought, a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Sora!"
He looked up and saw Yūhi Kurenai standing at the orphanage gate, waving at him.
Two and a half years had passed, making the little girl who used to cry easily grow more and more graceful and poised.
Her red eyes were like the purest gems. Her black long hair was tied in a ponytail that swayed gently with her movements.
Though only ten years old, one could already see the shadow of the future Genjutsu Master.
"Kurenai, why are you here?" Sora asked with some surprise.
Yūhi Kurenai's pretty face flushed slightly as she said softly, "I was passing by after finishing a mission, so I just came to see..."
"Hey, Sora, your little girlfriend is here waiting for you again!"
Miyamoto Ichirō poked his head out from the courtyard, winking and teasing.
Uesugi Rin also chimed in with a laugh: "Yeah, yeah. Kurenai comes every week asking about your news."
Yūhi Kurenai's face instantly turned as red as her eyes. She stomped her foot:
"You, stop talking nonsense!"
Sora also scratched his head awkwardly.
Over these two years, Yūhi Kurenai often came to the orphanage to find him. Anyone with eyes could see the young girl's feelings.
But after all, they were only ten years old. Lolicon is illegal~
Sora tried to change the subject: "Um... Kurenai, have you eaten? Let me treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
Yūhi Kurenai's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly: "Okay! I'm actually quite hungry."
Then the two walked side by side on the streets of Konoha, with Kurenai chattering away about interesting things that had happened recently.
Sora listened quietly, occasionally nodding.
'Peaceful days are really good...' He sighed inwardly, 'Unfortunately, such days won't last much longer.'
According to the original timeline, the Third Great Ninja War would break out in full force in about a year.
At that time, the current peace would be completely shattered.
"We're here." Kurenai's voice pulled Sora back from his thoughts.
Teuchi saw the two and greeted them warmly:
"Hey, Sora, Kurenai, long time no see!"
"Boss, twenty-one bowls of Tonkotsu ramen, extra chashu."
Sora ordered expertly. Twenty bowls were for him, and the other one was for Yūhi Kurenai.
The two sat down at the counter. Kurenai stole a glance at Sora and asked softly:
"Have missions been tough lately? You look a bit tired."
"It's okay." Sora smiled, "Just regular patrol missions."
'Far from it. Not long ago, I was killing and burning things at the border of the Land of Rain.' He grumbled internally.
Such was the life of an Anbu. You might be joking with friends during the day, and have blood on your hands by night.
Sora had gradually gotten used to this double life.
Steaming hot ramen was served, the rich aroma filling the air.
"Let's eat!" They said in unison, smiling at each other.
The setting sun shone through the curtains into the shop, dyeing everything a warm golden color.
At this moment, war, conspiracies, life-and-death crises all seemed far away. Only two teenagers remained, enjoying the simple happiness brought by a bowl of ramen.
The steaming hot ramen emitted an enticing aroma. Yūhi Kurenai ate in small bites, looking up at Sora from time to time, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes holding the unique shyness and joy of a young girl.
Sora ate his noodles heartily. The taste was as delicious as ever, but his mind wasn't completely on the food.
Many things had happened over these two and a half years.
Two of them were of particular note to Sora.
First. Hatake Sakumo died.
It was about a year and a half ago, around Konoha year 40.
Just like in the original story. Hatake Sakumo chose to abandon the mission in order to save comrades who were in a desperate situation.
The news reached the village. At first, there was silence.
But soon, all kinds of rumors and gossip sprouted like poisonous mushrooms after rain, quickly spreading throughout Konoha.
Sora had also seen Hatake Sakumo once or twice from afar after the mission failure.
The man who had once been as sharp as an unsheathed blade now appeared somewhat hunched. The light in his eyes was gone. Though still calm, beneath that calm was an indescribable weariness and... disappointment.
He had been the Anbu Commander of Konoha, a hero admired by countless ninja. Yet overnight, he was pushed into an abyss by the very people he had sworn to protect.
Sora remembered that during that period, the atmosphere at the Anbu Headquarters was particularly oppressive.
Many Anbu members, especially those who had been directly commanded by Hatake Sakumo or saved by him, had looks of resentment and injustice in their eyes. But they could say nothing, do nothing.
Captain Fox was also unusually quiet those few days. Sora could sense that Fox held deep respect for Hatake Sakumo.
'Truly... laughable and tragic.' Sora thought silently while eating his noodles.
He had known the outcome, so he wasn't surprised. But witnessing this process firsthand gave him a deeper understanding of the darkness beneath Konoha's glossy exterior.
'Sarutobi Hiruzen... as expected, chose to stand by and watch.'
Sora understood very well that with the Hokage's authority, it wasn't completely impossible to suppress or even reverse public opinion if he wanted to.
But he didn't!
Finally, one morning, news came that Hatake Sakumo had committed suicide at home with a short sword.
No suicide note, no explanation.
He ended his life silently in this way, responding to all the criticism with the most decisive method.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━