"Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked slowly down the street leading to ANBU Headquarters. His pace was unhurried, his expression peaceful—like a retired old man enjoying a leisurely afternoon.
However, the sudden appearance of an ANBU operative kneeling beside him instantly shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
Hiruzen frowned slightly. He didn't like being disturbed at a time like this, but he had no intention of blaming the ANBU.
"Stand up," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a shake of his head and a gentle tone.
"What is it? You seem so hurried. That's not the attitude an ANBU should have."
"Hokage-sama, it's Captain Nightingale," the ANBU said in a low, hurried voice as he stood.
"Captain Nightingale is at headquarters… fighting with Owl."
"Fighting?" Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but frown.
Of course he knew that Natsuhiko had gone to headquarters. In fact, it could even be said that from the moment Natsuhiko stepped onto that street, Hiruzen already knew his movements.
He hadn't shown himself immediately because he knew Natsuhiko intended to use this opportunity at headquarters to possibly hand something over to him.
That was why he only started moving slowly after Natsuhiko arrived at the ANBU headquarters. After all, Takumi and Owl were both there at headquarters. No matter how he looked at it, nothing unexpected should happen.
Even if something did happen, the most likely scenario would be Natsuhiko having some conflict with Murashima Takumi, considering Takumi's personality.
But even if there was conflict, it wouldn't be a big issue. After all, Takumi was the ANBU Commander.
Natsuhiko was a smart person. He wouldn't choose to make things unpleasant with his direct superior.
And besides, wasn't Owl also there?
Yet reality gave him a hard slap in the face.
Natsuhiko indeed didn't have any problems with Murashima Takumi—but he actually started fighting with Owl. What exactly was going on?
"What exactly happened?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked directly.
"How did the two of them end up fighting?"
"I don't know, sir," the ANBU immediately shook his head.
"Reportedly, after Captain Nightingale finished his meeting with the Commander, he was intercepted by Owl.
After that, Owl brought Captain Nightingale to an office to talk. But not long after, sounds of a fight came from inside."
Frowning, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued walking while thinking.
Natsuhiko was undoubtedly a smart person. The fact that he came today also showed that he had made the correct choice.
Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't completely trust him. After all, no one knew whether he might be playing both sides. Loyalty needed time to be tested.
But for a smart person to suddenly start fighting—there must definitely be a problem.
Could it be…
that the cause of the problem was Owl?
Or perhaps both Owl and Takumi had aroused Natsuhiko's suspicion?
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately realized this key point. Given Natsuhiko's current sensitive identity, he would naturally be wary of everything around him.
And Takumi's behavior definitely didn't resemble that of a normal ANBU Commander.
Furthermore, Owl absolutely shouldn't casually reveal certain information when meeting Natsuhiko.
With those three factors combined, Natsuhiko choosing to make a move was inevitable.
And the purpose of his actions was probably to attract his attention.
Whether it was for self-protection, suspicion toward Takumi and Owl, or using the opportunity to show loyalty to him.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
That kid Natsuhiko really is a clever one.
But sometimes, being too clever makes people uneasy.
Especially since…
you are from the Senju clan.
...
"Let me borrow your hand for a moment."
Inside the office at the ANBU headquarters, Natsuhiko spoke in a gentle and calm voice. However, his words instantly filled Owl with unease.
Suddenly, Natsuhiko fiercely raised his right hand. The ninja blade in his hand struck upward, knocking Owl's kunai into the air. But the force of the move also sent Natsuhiko's own ninja blade flying away with it.
In the next moment, Natsuhiko threw a punch straight toward Owl's chest. At the same time, his left hand loosened slightly before clamping down on Owl's fingers.
With a subtle twist—
Owl's kunai slipped right out of his left hand.
Seizing the opportunity, Natsuhiko kicked sharply at the handle of the falling weapon.
Owl raised his arm to block the punch, but the kunai flying straight at his face left him with no choice but to lean backward. Only then did he barely avoid having his head blown open.
The kunai grazed past Owl's cheek and shot toward the ceiling. It then collided midair with Natsuhiko's ninja blade and began spinning as it fell back down.
Although Owl had avoided the attack, his expression did not improve at all. His left hand was still firmly controlled by Natsuhiko. What made his face turn even uglier was that Natsuhiko had already used his hand to complete a hand seal!
"You—!"
Owl roared angrily, but Natsuhiko ignored him completely. Taking advantage of Owl's unstable posture, Natsuhiko bent his right arm slightly and drove his elbow directly into Owl's chest.
"Ugh—"
Owl immediately felt intense pain surge through his chest. The elbow could be considered one of the most terrifying weapons on the human body. In Natsuhiko's previous life, there were countless incidents where elbow strikes had caused death.
Many competitions—even boxing and other combat sports—prohibited elbow strikes.
Taking Natsuhiko's elbow like that naturally felt terrible for Owl. Even though he was a ninja with strong endurance, he couldn't withstand such a blow easily.
The worst part was that after taking that hit, his left hand was once again controlled by Natsuhiko, and two more hand seals were completed!
Owl knew he had to counterattack. If this continued, he would really be in serious trouble.
He quickly steadied his body and then threw a powerful punch toward Natsuhiko's neck.
Unfortunately, Natsuhiko's reaction speed was far too fast. He grabbed Owl's wrist and then twisted his left hand violently.
Crack!
The harsh sound of bones breaking echoed through the office. Immediately afterward, Natsuhiko kicked Owl hard in the stomach.
Owl felt his stomach churn violently, as if everything inside had been turned upside down. But the most fatal thing was that at this moment, Natsuhiko had already used his left hand to complete the final hand seal while still holding Owl's hand!
Suddenly, Natsuhiko released his grip.
At the same time, he leapt into the air. The spinning kunai that had been falling from above dropped perfectly in front of him.
Natsuhiko quickly calculated the kunai's spinning trajectory. Then, while turning his body in midair, he delivered a fierce kick toward it.
With the force of Natsuhiko's kick, the kunai's speed instantly increased, shooting toward Owl like lightning.
BANG!
The office door was kicked open at that exact moment, and three ANBU operatives rushed inside.
At the same time, chakra surged wildly throughout Natsuhiko's body. His hands overlapped in rapid succession, and without the slightest hesitation he completed his technique.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Facing an attack that was almost like being assaulted from two sides, Owl—despite being beaten badly by Natsuhiko—still managed to evade.
First, he twisted his body sideways with great difficulty, narrowly dodging the incoming kunai. Then he dropped his weight and pushed against the ground, rolling backward to barely avoid the direct impact of the charging water dragon.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The ANBU reinforcements who had arrived also held nothing back. Especially since Natsuhiko had already used ninjutsu first, one ANBU who specialized in Fire Release immediately launched his attack.
Natsuhiko's water dragon alone was enough to put immense pressure on the reinforcements. If they didn't deal with it quickly, they would be in serious trouble.
The moment the water dragon and the massive fireball collided, a huge cloud of steam exploded outward.
And taking advantage of that brief opening—
Owl immediately escaped from the office.
Terrifying. Truly terrifying.
Even though he had lost the initiative from the very start, and the cramped office left him no room to maneuver—forcing him to rely solely on taijutsu—it still didn't change the fact that the fight had turned out like this.
But just how old was that brat Nightingale?
Owl was a full-grown adult, yet he had been suppressed to this extent by a kid barely thirteen or fourteen using nothing but taijutsu. That alone said everything.
And the kid's creativity was downright unbelievable. Owl had never imagined someone could fight normally while simultaneously gripping the enemy's hand and using it to assist themselves in forming hand seals.
In Owl's opinion, the only people capable of doing something like that were those mentally unstable lunatics from the Uchiha clan.
Of course… they'd have to be the kind who had awakened the Sharingan.
"You alright? What exactly happened between you and Captain Nightingale?"
After quickly retreating from the steam-filled office, one of the ANBU glanced at Owl's miserable state and couldn't help asking.
They had come as reinforcements, but they truly had no idea what had happened.
"Huff… huff…"
Owl took two heavy breaths, then glanced at the ANBU beside him.
"It's… a misunderstanding. But I can't explain it."
"Why not?" another ANBU asked in confusion.
"What exactly happened? Didn't Captain Nightingale just meet with the Commander? What did you do?"
"Enough about that," Owl interrupted directly.
"Deal with the current situation first, and hurry to inform the Commander."
Right now, Owl had absolutely no desire to answer those questions.
Especially when he heard these ANBU respectfully addressing Natsuhiko as "Captain." That made him feel even more uncomfortable.
Calling those squad leaders "captain" was natural.
But Natsuhiko was only a small unit leader. Was there really a need to show him so much respect?
Of course, Owl only complained about it inwardly. If he were asked to question it openly, he wouldn't dare.
At least after being thoroughly beaten by Natsuhiko, he truly didn't dare anymore.
The reason these people respected Natsuhiko so much was largely because he had already demonstrated his strength—and he had even learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If it weren't for that, Owl would have gladly called him Captain Nightingale as well.
But he had been forced into such a miserable situation by Natsuhiko, and the worst part was that he had no way to explain what had happened.
He couldn't get rid of that feeling of frustration, so naturally he felt extremely displeased toward that brat Natsuhiko.
...
Steam continued to spread outward, and more and more ANBU members remaining at headquarters began to gather.
Although many of those staying here weren't combat-ready personnel—some were even reserve candidates.
They were still ninja, and each possessed a certain level of strength. Naturally, they couldn't fail to notice what was happening here.
"What happened here?"
"No idea. Seems like someone started fighting."
"Who would dare start a fight inside ANBU headquarters? And where is the Commander?"
"Someone already went to fetch him. He'll be here any second."
The ANBU members whispered among themselves. Some had already taken out their weapons, ready to act at any moment.
Causing trouble inside ANBU headquarters was no small matter.
They were all curious about what had happened, but before satisfying their curiosity, they knew their most important task was to suppress the incident first.
While they were quietly discussing, a figure suddenly appeared behind Owl like a ghost—without any warning at all.
Owl's body stiffened slightly. He had already sensed that someone was behind him.
But sensing it and having the body react were two entirely different things—that was the terrifying aspect of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Owl was already considered fairly strong; at the very least, he had managed to sense it. When Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique against his enemies, many of them couldn't even perceive his presence at all.
THWACK!
With a fierce kick, Owl was sent flying by Natsuhiko. Only at that moment did the ANBU around him finally react.
But Natsuhiko gave them no time to respond. This time, however, his attacks were not as ruthless as when he had fought Owl.
The moment he kicked Owl away, before even retracting his leg, Natsuhiko reached out and grabbed one ANBU's arm, then violently flung him outward.
After fully withdrawing his leg, he immediately used a Body Flicker Technique and flashed to the side of the other two.
While they were still turning their heads to react, he delivered a powerful kick to one of them. The unlucky ANBU crashed straight into the one standing behind him.
In the blink of an eye, Natsuhiko had taken down all four of them.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was truly terrifying. You could never know when your enemy would suddenly appear beside you. Even if you knew when he would strike, you still couldn't defend against it.
Not everyone was a monster like Madara Uchiha. Even the Fourth Raikage, who had reached the peak of speed while using Lightning Release Chakra Mode, had once suffered quite a few losses against the Flying Thunder God Technique.
All the surrounding ANBU stared at the scene in shock.
Originally, they had planned to step in and resolve the situation, but when they saw who was fighting, every single one of them froze.
Because the one fighting was Captain Nightingale.
And the technique he was using… was the Flying Thunder God Technique!
What exactly was going on?
At that moment, the same thought appeared in the minds of the watching ANBU, just like the reinforcements earlier.
They simply couldn't understand why Natsuhiko would start fighting here—and even more so, why he was attacking fellow ANBU members.
For a moment, everyone hesitated.
None of them knew whether they should step in or not.
Amid this hesitation and confusion, Murashima Takumi finally arrived at the scene.
"Stop!"
Using a Body Flicker Technique, Murashima Takumi appeared in the center of the battlefield. He separated Natsuhiko from Owl and the others, staring coldly at Natsuhiko.
"My apologies, Commander," Natsuhiko said.
However, he had no intention of lowering his guard. Although he had stopped attacking, he still maintained a combat stance.
"What do you mean by this?" Murashima Takumi stared at him, his expression turning even colder.
"Are you going to disobey my order?"
"My apologies, Commander." Natsuhiko gently shook his head. The chakra within his body began to gather once again.
"I have my reasons for acting. Commander… once this is over, I will submit a full report."
Natsuhiko's words instantly caused Murashima Takumi's expression to darken. His own chakra also began to surge at that moment—it was clear he was preparing to take action as well.
The atmosphere suddenly became even more tense.
All the ANBU present seemed somewhat at a loss.
But at that moment, a voice suddenly broke the tension.
"What are you all doing? Do you want to destroy the entire ANBU?"