"Our identities are somewhat special. Captain Nightingale, you should be able to guess. We've had contact before."
Since they couldn't simply eliminate the situation, the only option was to handle it properly.
The man spoke to Natsuhiko in an even, composed tone. He had already decided how to resolve this.
"We've had contact before?"
Natsuhiko had long known who they were, but he still played along seriously.
He furrowed his brow as if thinking, then suddenly showed a look of realization.
"So it's you."
"It seems Captain Nightingale understands." The man nodded. "I apologize for today's incident. Due to special circumstances, an unnecessary misunderstanding occurred. I will discipline them when we return. However—"
"I understand, sir," Natsuhiko interrupted calmly. "I will forget this matter. I will forget this place. I will not record it in my mission report. At most, if the Hokage-sama asks, I will report truthfully."
Natsuhiko handled the situation smoothly.
He knew exactly what should be said, what shouldn't be said, and to whom it could be said.
In truth, he would have preferred to say that he would only report directly to the Third Hokage—
But he hadn't forgotten that Kakashi was standing beside him.
So he deliberately used the general term "Hokage-sama."
At the same time, his gaze casually flicked toward Kakashi.
The man in front of him immediately understood Natsuhiko's meaning and nodded seriously.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko knew the matter was settled.
Although he truly disliked running into these people—
He also knew he had no real power to oppose them.
Fortunately, for the time being, they had no reason to target him.
Or rather—
No reason to target the now-declining Senju clan.
For people like Danzō and the Third Hokage, who inherited the will of the Second Hokage—
Their primary focus was always the "problematic" Uchiha clan.
Even if they intended to deal with the Senju,
They would never do so openly.
After all, it was the clan of the First and Second Hokage—
The founding family of Konoha.
They wouldn't dare go too far.
And even if they acted,
They would likely rely on the Second Hokage's own policies.
Making the Senju serve as "model representatives," allowing them to fade naturally—
So that at least on the surface, it wouldn't appear cruel or heartless.
"Who were they?"
After the situation was resolved, Natsuhiko immediately pulled Kakashi away.
Only once they were far enough did Kakashi finally speak up.
Before today, he had never encountered those people.
He hadn't even known of their existence.
How could he not be curious?
Especially given how ready they had been to attack—
That alone showed how reckless they were.
"They?" Natsuhiko glanced back once before turning to Kakashi.
"You'd be better off not asking about them. If possible, forget what happened tonight."
"We have to follow ANBU confidentiality rules."
"Is that so…" Kakashi frowned, then fell silent.
That answer naturally left him extremely frustrated. They had nearly come to blows, yet he still didn't even know who the other party was.
But there was nothing he could refute in what Natsuhiko had said. The rules of the ANBU were exactly like that—Kakashi himself knew those rules very well.
Just as Kakashi shook his head helplessly, deciding not to press further, Natsuhiko suddenly made a subtle hand signal to him—
We're being monitored.
The moment Kakashi saw the signal, his eyes sharpened with vigilance.
They're even monitoring ANBU?
Natsuhiko, however, had no idea what Kakashi was thinking. His gaze subtly shifted toward the small insects fluttering in the air nearby.
He had always been cautious—especially when dealing with Root. He never allowed himself the slightest relaxation.
After leaving, he had continuously used his sensory abilities to scan the surroundings.
Sure enough, he quickly noticed something—
Around him were insects carrying faint traces of chakra.
"From the Aburame clan?"
Natsuhiko could now confirm the clan of the one tailing them. And according to his memories, Root had always been interested in members of the Aburame clan.
In the original story, when Danzō brazenly broke the unspoken rules by demanding members from the great clans, his primary target had been the Aburame.
If Aburame Torune hadn't voluntarily taken Aburame Shino's place and entered Root, then Team 8's future story would have been very different. There might not even have been an Aburame Shino living openly in the sunlight.
And it was precisely because Danzō—under Hiruzen's tacit approval—had broken those rules,
That Hiruzen gradually lost the trust of Konoha's clans.
By the time of the Chūnin Exams, no one stepped forward to save him.
But who is it now?
Pretending not to notice anything, Natsuhiko pondered inwardly. Soon, something clicked in his mind.
I remember… when Danzō went to see Yakushi Nono, he brought two people with him. One was Orochimaru… and the other…
Aburame Tatsuma.
Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes slightly. He was almost certain now.
If nothing unexpected had happened, it had to be Aburame Tatsuma.
Anyone capable of standing beside Orochimaru to protect Danzō was certainly no ordinary shinobi.
Earlier, Natsuhiko had already sensed that this man's chakra was terrifying.
Both in quality and quantity, it exceeded that of a typical jōnin.
And that wasn't all.
The insects inside his body were even more terrifying.
Those densely packed, faintly chakra-infused bugs—
Just sensing them made Natsuhiko's scalp tingle.
No wonder the Hyūga clan disliked being around the Aburame. If the Byakugan accidentally saw that scene clearly, it would be nothing short of an epic disaster.
Natsuhiko didn't know whether those insects were venomous.
But given Root's nature—
Even if they weren't poisonous originally, they would absolutely have been cultivated into something deadly.
He wouldn't gamble on it.
And he would absolutely never allow those insects to touch him.
One bite from those bugs would likely result in an "accidental death."
Natsuhiko had no intention of becoming the victim of such nonsense.
It seems that underground chamber earlier—if nothing unexpected—it's probably a Root laboratory. Or perhaps a joint laboratory between Root and Orochimaru.
Sealed so tightly, protected so thoroughly, and guarded by someone as powerful as Aburame Tatsuma—
The importance of that place was beyond question.
Of course, it was also possible that someone inside required strict protection.
For example—
Shimura Danzō himself.
Natsuhiko didn't know which it was.
But no matter which possibility, he had no desire to probe further.
What relieved him was that once they left the forest, the insects stopped following.
Clearly, the act he and Kakashi had put on was enough—for now—to reassure Aburame Tatsuma.