Early the next morning, the nineteen new Genin who had passed the assessnt arrived early at the spectator stands of the First Training Ground, waiting with nervousness and anticipation for their fate to be assigned.
Soon, one Special Jonin or Jonin after another ca to the edge of the field, called out nas, and the called Genin imdiately stood up, excited or nervous, and left with their future ntor.
The crowd gradually thinned.
Finally, only four people remained in the spectator stands… Toneri, Yusuke, Ai, Sato.
Sato fidgeted uneasily, muttering softly, "What's going on? Only the four of us left? Does no one want us?"
Ai also looked nervous, wringing her hands together.
Toneri sat with his eyes closed, seemingly unmoved.
Yusuke sat straight, his gaze calm beneath his silver hair, silently waiting.
Just then, the branches of a large tree nearby rustled slightly. Hikari's figure appeared soundlessly on the trunk like a falling leaf, looking down at them from above.
"Otsutsuki Toneri, Suzuhara Ai, Saionji Sato." She called out the three nas coolly, "Co with , to the Second Training Ground."
The three were startled, then imdiately stood up, their hearts filled with both excitent and apprehension. Saionji and Ai instinctively glanced at Yusuke, who remained seated, a hint of confusion in their eyes, but they quickly followed Hikari and disappeared from the field's edge.
Now, the empty spectator stands held only Yusuke.
The sun rose gradually, ti passed bit by bit.
From early morning until nearly noon, Yusuke maintained his straight sitting posture, motionless, like a silent statue.
Only the occasional soft rumble from his hungry stomach betrayed a hint of inner anxiety.
But he still waited patiently, his gaze unwavering.
Just as the noon sun was at its most intense, a tall, oppressive figure appeared like a ghost in the shadow behind Yusuke, without any warning, completely blocking the light behind him.
An indescribable pressure, mixed with the scent of blood and powerful Chakra, instantly enveloped Yusuke!
Yusuke's muscles tensed instantly. Almost instinctively, his hand went to the hilt of the training short sword at his waist, and he spun around!
What t his eyes was a face as ferocious as a shark's, a grinning mouth with serrated teeth, and a huge, strange sword tightly wrapped in bandages on his back.
Kisa looked down at the silver-haired boy who had instantly entered a state of alert, a trace of imperceptible satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
He grinned, his voice low and hoarse:
"Kid, getting impatient waiting?"
"My na is Hoshigaki Kisa. From today, I am your Jonin Instructor."
"And also your direct superior in the Anbu."
"Now, don't just stand there. Co with , to where you belong."
Yusuke's pupils contracted slightly, 'Anbu!'
The full na, Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai), was the most elite unit of every Ninja Village, also the one with the heaviest responsibilities!
Yusuke instantly understood the aning of his wait and felt the weight and darkness of the path ahead, so different from what he had imagined.
Without the slightest hesitation, he released the sword hilt, stood up, and bowed solemnly to Kisa.
"Yes! Hoshigaki-sama!"
No unnecessary questions, no cowardly retreat, only absolute calm and obedience.
This temperant made the smile on Kisa's face widen a bit more.
"Heh… interesting. Let's go, rookie."
The Second Training Ground was smaller than the First, but its environnt was more complexly simulated, with forests, water areas, and small rocky zones.
After bringing Toneri, Ai, and Sato here, Hikari dispensed with pleasantries and directly took a scroll from her tool pouch.
"This is your team's first mission." She tossed the scroll to Sato, who stood at the front, "C-Rank extermination mission. The target is to clear out an ard group in the deep mountains of northern Demons County."
Sato fumbled to catch the scroll and hurriedly opened it with Ai and Toneri to check.
The scroll contained detailed mission intelligence:
This ard group was a remnant force of the forr Land of Demons' Daimyo. After the Daimyo's governnt was overthrown, they fled into the steep, deep mountains of the north with so wealth and loyalists, relying on their familiarity with the terrain to repeatedly evade police-organized purges from Demon County.
Originally, they had been lying low, but the past winter's food shortage forced them to erge recently, attacking and looting two remote villages, causing casualties and loss of supplies.
The Demon County's police initially thought they were ordinary bandits and sent special police forces to suppress them.
However, during the firefight, they found the enemy unusually tough, well-equipped, and combat-experienced.
After several encounters, the police paid a significant price to kill a few and capture one.
From the captive, they learned that the leader of these remnants was the illegitimate son of the forr Land of Demons' Daimyo, guarded by at least three skilled rogue samurai, and, most likely, had also hired Rogue Ninja.
"Therefore, the mission difficulty is on the higher end of the C-Rank spectrum." Hikari's cool voice sounded, interpreting for them, "If the presence of multiple Rogue Ninja is confird, the mission rank may be temporarily raised to B-Rank. For you three greenhorns, it's just right. You can experience real combat and bloodshed without facing enemies you can't handle at all."
This mission was the only one Hikari could find among the many tasks that was below B-Rank but still challenging.
If there were no Rogue Ninja, a few rogue samurai and so hardened bandits wouldn't require her intervention.
Sato looked at the words on the scroll describing 'attacked villages', 'casualties', etc., his crimson pupils burning with anger, his fists clenching, "These damned noble remnants! How dare they still co out to harm people!"
Ai's small face also paled slightly, not from fear, but from sadness and anger for the victims. She subconsciously touched her dical pouch.
Toneri frowned slightly, his white eyes unconsciously activating as he scanned the surroundings, seemingly simulating reconnaissance in a mountainous environnt.
"The mountainous environnt is complex, not conducive to large-scale searches, but favorable for small, elite raids and concealnt. We need to formulate a detailed infiltration and attack plan."
Hikari looked at the three's reactions, relatively satisfied, "You have half an hour to familiarize yourselves with the scroll's intelligence and discuss preliminary tactics. We depart for Demon County in half an hour. During the mission, I will not intervene easily unless an unforeseen circumstance beyond your capabilities arises. Understood?"
"Understood!" The three responded in unison, their expressions becoming serious and focused. They imdiately huddled together and began discussing.
anwhile, Kisa led Yusuke through the bustling streets of the Star City to an ordinary-looking warehouse on the outskirts of the military district.
Two guards who seed lazy but had sharp eyes stood at the door. Seeing Kisa, they imdiately saluted silently and opened the warehouse's door.
Inside the warehouse were stacks of ordinary building materials. Kisa walked to the innermost wall, seemingly casually ford a few hand seals, and pressed his palm against a specific spot on the wall.
After a slight Chakra Fluctuation, the wall slid open silently to the side, revealing a downward, brightly lit tal staircase.
"Follow." Kisa walked down without looking back.
Yusuke took a deep breath, suppressing his curiosity and tension, and followed closely.
The staircase was long, leading deep underground.
At the bottom, the view opened up.
It was an extrely vast underground space with astonishing height, its overall style cold and efficient, primarily made of tal and reinforced stone.
Soft Chakra Lights were embedded in the ceiling and walls, providing illumination.
The space was divided into several areas: training grounds, equipnt depot, intelligence analysis room, rest area, mission briefing room, etc.
Many figures shuttled back and forth, busy. Most wore black Anbu's uniforms or casual clothes. Although many wore animal masks, most didn't cover their faces completely or had their masks pushed up on their heads. They occasionally exchanged a few words in low voices. The atmosphere, while serious, wasn't lifeless… instead, it had a tense feeling of efficient operation.
This was completely different from the oppressive, blood-scented Anbu Base Yusuke had imagined.
"Hoshigaki-sama!"
"Commander!"
"Sir, you're back."
Anbu mbers passing by stopped or nodded in greeting upon seeing Kisa, their tones carrying respect.
Their gazes also curiously swept over the youthful yet calm-faced silver-haired boy behind Kisa.
Yusuke tried hard to suppress the urge to look around, keeping his eyes forward as he followed Kisa.
Kisa seed to have eyes on the back of his head, his hoarse voice sounding, "No need to be so tense, rookie. Since you're here, look around openly. From today, you are also a mber of the Anbu, with Level 1 clearance here. You have access to most equipnt and areas, as long as you don't foolishly touch those marked as dangerous restricted zones."
Yusuke was startled, then relaxed slightly and began observing his surroundings cautiously.
He saw people in the training grounds practicing high-speed moving target shooting, others practicing silent assassination techniques, and even so wearing more advanced Chakra-powered armor than his, undergoing adaptive training.
In the intelligence analysis room, huge screens scrolled with complex data streams and map information.
"The Anbu is the shield of the Land of Stars, and also the blade hidden in the shadows." Kisa introduced as he walked, using his unique voice, "Main responsibilities are protecting important national figures, preventing and eliminating external threats and infiltration, scouting enemy intelligence, and… carrying out so special tasks not suitable for public disclosure, including assassination."
He paused, then added, "Different from the Anbu of other villages who only follow orders and beco pure killing tools. Shura-sama said, Anbu's Ninjas are first and foremost people, Ninja of the Land of Stars. So here, for every mission, we clearly know why we are carrying it out, who the target is, the cause and effect. What we need to do is understand the aning behind the mission, then execute it, not beco puppets swinging blades with blindfolds on. Rember this firmly."
Yusuke listened seriously, engraving these words deeply in his heart.
This philosophy gave him a strange sense of reassurance and identification.
The two arrived at a door marked [Equipnt].
Kisa pushed the door open and said to a staff mber inside who was cleaning tools and wearing a tanuki mask, "The usual. A standard set for the rookie."
"Well, Commander, brought in another new one?" A voice, slightly aged but vigorous, ca from behind the tanuki mask as he looked Yusuke over, "Kid, lucky you, to be personally brought by Hoshigaki-sama. Co here, let's get your asurents."
Soon, a brand-new set of matte black Type-2Chakra Armor, along with matching tight combat fatigues, a tool pouch, communicator, and other equipnt were handed to Yusuke.
After changing into it, he felt his body beco lighter, and his strength seed to have increased sowhat.
Finally, Kisa pointed to a row of various animal masks hanging on the wall, "Anbu's mbers all have their own code nas and masks. Pick one, rookie. From now on, in many situations, it will be your face and na."
Yusuke's gaze swept over those ferocious, mighty, cunning animal masks, finally settling on one that looked inconspicuous, even sowhat plain… a bird mask.
It looked like a young bird, not yet fully grown, slightly immature.
He reached out, took down that mask, his voice calm but firm, "Since you call rookie, then my code na will be [Rookie]."
Kisa was taken aback for a mont, then let out a low laugh, "Heh… suit yourself."
From then on, the Anbu had a new mber with the code na [Rookie].
In the following days, Yusuke, under the code na Rookie, began the high-intensity training and life in the Anbu, completely different from that of ordinary Ninja.
Due to the heavy and dangerous nature of Anbu's missions, although he was a Genin, he was thrown into trials far exceeding those of his peers.
Initially, the missions he carried out were mostly protecting important officials and escorting confidential supplies.
But even these 'relatively safe' missions required him to maintain the highest vigilance at all tis and be familiar with various contingency plans.
At the sa ti, he had to undergo a large amount of additional training: infiltration, tracking, counter-tracking, torture and anti-torture, cryptography, disguise, and proficiently mastering the various functions and application scenarios of the Chakra Armor.
Every day, his ti and energy were pushed to the limit.
But he never complained. Those black pupils beneath his silver hair always maintained calm and focus, hungrily absorbing all knowledge, honing all skills.
He knew that here, slowing down ant the risk of death, and not being strong enough ant being unable to protect anything.
Star City, underground level of the Military Research Zone, a heavily guarded laboratory.
nma stood before a workbench. The tal tabletop was covered with various sealing formulas.
His fingertips condensed highly concentrated Chakra, carefully guiding these formulas, finally perfectly inscribing an extrely complex, powerful binding technique, the [Cage Seal], onto a specially made blank scroll.
As the last formula settled, the entire scroll emitted a faint glow, then drew inward, looking like an ordinary scroll.
nma let out a soft breath and picked up the scroll, carefully sensing it.
"Success. It activates as soon as Chakra is injected, instantly forming a powerful sealing barrier… however, it's still far inferior to the scientific ninja tools from Boruto that even ordinary people can use." He murmured to himself.
"It ultimately requires Chakra as a key to drive it. Those without Chakra can't use it even if they get it."
This sealing technology, developed by nma based on the scientific ninja tool, the Chakra Capacitor, researched by Tono Katasuke in Boruto, was still far from true 'scientific ninja tools'.
But it was sufficient for now.
"Tono Katasuke is still too young now-" His gaze beca deep as he looked out the laboratory window at the seemingly endless underground passages, his vision seeming to pierce through layers of rock, projecting towards the distant Land of Fire.
After encountering Katasuke by chance before, he had considered whether to recruit him, but never had a good opportunity.
However, as the Night of the Massacre drew closer, nma felt that perhaps he could use that night to not only take away the Hyuga Clan's branch family and the Uchiha Clan's remnants but also try to recruit Katasuke.
"I rember, besides Tono Katasuke, there's another scientist in the [Kara], what was his na? Amado?" nma rubbed his chin with his right hand, frowning in deep thought, trying hard to recall mories from over twenty years ago.
Thinking of the Kara inevitably led to thinking of Jigen, this [Vessel] of Otsutsuki Isshiki.
nma hadn't watched much of Boruto, and it was intermittent.
He only knew it was the story of Naruto's son, Boruto, and the antagonists were a group called [Kara]. Its leader, Jigen, was the [Vessel] of Otsutsuki Isshiki.
A thousand years ago, Isshiki was ambushed by Kaguya, and half his body was even fed to the Ten-Tails.
As Isshiki was dying, Jigen happened to pass by. Isshiki shrank his body, entered Jigen's body through his ear, and gradually took control of Jigen's brain in a parasitic manner, transforming him into his [Vessel].
But Jigen was even better at hiding than Black Zetsu. It was only after the Fourth Great Ninja War that he gradually began to establish Kara, or perhaps he had established organizations before but hadn't found a suitable [Vessel] like Kawaki.
As a result, even after nma founded the Land of Stars and multiple intelligence agencies spent years gathering information on Kara and Jigen, they found not a single trace.
"How did Jigen find Amado again? I think Amado's daughter died of illness, and Jigen lured Amado with the promise of resurrection?" nma continued digging into his deep mories.
'I vaguely rembered that Amado's secret base was in... Agakure?'
'If Amado was in Agakure, then Jigen, who had long had his eye on Amado, was likely also lurking in Agakure.'
'It was even very possible that Jigen was behind the death of Amado's daughter.'
"Isshiki still has a second Ten-Tails… it might be the key for to break through to the Six Paths-level…" nma recalled more mories about Boruto and Isshiki.
"Tch, it seems I need to find an opportunity to go to Agakure." A map of the Ninja World appeared in nma's mind.
'This Agakure, located at the center of the Ninja World, really was a place of extraordinary people.'
'Nagato and Konan of the Akatsuki, Black Zetsu, Obito, and Amado and Jigen, who were even better at hiding than Black Zetsu...'
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