When Natsuhiko received the document, even though he had been mentally prepared, he still couldn't help feeling a little pleased.
This meant one thing—
He could finally leave the village openly and legitimately.
And more importantly, he could finally start doing some of the things he had been planning for a long time.
Of course, now wasn't the time to get carried away.
He still needed to figure out who he was going to bring along for the mission… and more importantly, what excuse he could use to separate from them later.
If whoever he brought stuck by his side the whole time, it would be extremely inconvenient for him to deal with certain matters.
And he definitely hadn't reached the point where he was willing to kill his own subordinates just to keep secrets.
"…Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time."
After thinking for a while, Natsuhiko finally made a decision.
"This mission—bringing Kakashi alone should be enough."
Whether as an old classmate or a former subordinate, Kakashi would naturally trust Natsuhiko's judgment more than anyone else.
After making up his mind, Natsuhiko found Kakashi before leaving the division base.
He didn't reveal the details of the mission, but he did tell Kakashi to prepare tonight—they would be leaving tomorrow morning.
Although Kakashi had only just transferred into the Third Division, he had already worked under Natsuhiko long enough to be accustomed to his style.
Besides, Kakashi had long adapted to the high-pressure lifestyle of the ANBU.
He didn't ask any questions at all.
He simply answered with a calm, "Understood."
That reaction satisfied Natsuhiko greatly.
After settling Kakashi's arrangements, Natsuhiko went to find Trout and explained the situation.
"While I'm gone, keep an eye on the Third Division for me," Natsuhiko said calmly.
"Follow the assignments issued by headquarters. As for the patrol rotations, I've already arranged them. Just carry them out as planned."
"I understand, Division Commander," Trout replied honestly, nodding his head.
Then he hesitated for a moment.
"But Division Commander… is it really okay for only you and Captain White Fang to carry out the mission? Isn't that a bit… too few people?"
"It's enough."
Natsuhiko shook his head, dismissing the suggestion.
"Especially given the current state of the Third Division."
He leaned back slightly as he continued.
"The training of the new recruits is the top priority right now. They're far from ready. Bringing them along wouldn't help anything."
"Your task is the important one—turn them into qualified ANBU operatives. Understood?"
"Yes, Division Commander."
Trout nodded obediently.
Now that Natsuhiko had made his position clear, there was no reason for him to continue pressing the matter.
And truthfully, Natsuhiko was right.
The Third Division was practically a newly rebuilt unit. Entrusting the training to him was, in its own way, a form of responsibility.
Of course, Trout was also aware that this wasn't necessarily because of trust.
It was simply because Natsuhiko didn't have many people he could rely on yet.
Still, having this level of authority was an opportunity Trout had no intention of wasting.
After all, he himself had participated in the recent Division Commander selection.
Unfortunately, he had been eliminated early.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko had fought through the entire competition—from the first round all the way to the last.
And throughout the process, he hadn't even used that massive summoning beast everyone knew he possessed.
Even so, he had steadily advanced round by round until the very end.
More importantly…
He had mastered the nearly impossible technique—Flying Thunder God.
For someone like that, Trout couldn't help but feel a genuine sense of respect and approval.
After briefly explaining everything that needed to be handled, Natsuhiko left the office.
However, he didn't head home immediately.
Instead, he turned and headed toward the ANBU break room.
There, he found the lockers belonging to the four Senju clan members who had recently joined the ANBU.
After slipping a small note inside, he quietly left.
When he returned home later that evening, Natsuhiko once again noticed that his room had been cleaned spotless.
That only made him more confused.
Who on earth keeps coming here to clean my place?
Still, after thinking about it for a moment, he simply shrugged.
Well, whoever it is, it doesn't matter. It's not like I have any bad habits.
Although he was still puzzled, Natsuhiko didn't dwell on the matter too much.
He suspected it might be someone sent by the Senju clan.
After all, there were no signs that anyone had rummaged through his belongings, and his instincts hadn't detected any hint of danger.
More importantly, after spending so many years in the ANBU, he had long since developed the habit of carrying all important items with him.
As for documents and sensitive materials…
He burned them the moment he finished reading them.
No evidence. No traces.
...
After casually organizing the things he needed to prepare, Natsuhiko glanced at the time. Then he formed a one-handed seal.
His chakra stirred slightly.
In the next instant—
His figure vanished from the room.
When he appeared again, he was already standing inside a small forest not far from his residence.
"Division Commander."
The moment Natsuhiko appeared, four figures who had been waiting in the forest immediately stepped forward.
They bowed respectfully and greeted him.
These four people were all members of the Senju clan who had recently been selected to enter the ANBU.
"I won't waste your time," Natsuhiko said calmly.
"I'll keep it brief."
He turned to face them.
He wasn't wearing his mask, and a gentle smile rested on his face.
"Tomorrow, I'll be leaving Konoha for a while. I don't know how long I'll be gone."
"This mission is highly confidential. Very few people know about it."
"So during this time, you'll follow Captain Trout's orders."
"Understood?"
Natsuhiko spoke quickly, but his words were perfectly clear.
Even so, the four of them couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
After a long pause, a young man who looked about eighteen years old cautiously spoke up.
"Division Commander.… do you mean… even the Elder doesn't know you're leaving?"
"Yes."
The gentle smile on Natsuhiko's face remained unchanged.
But somehow, in the eyes of the four Senju members, that smile suddenly felt… different.
"Even the Elder doesn't know," Natsuhiko repeated calmly.
"I already told you—this matter is extremely confidential."
The moment those words fell—
All four of them lowered their heads immediately.
Cold sweat began to form on their foreheads.
Something that secret… something that barely anyone knew…
And he had just told the four of them directly.
For them, that definitely wasn't good news.
The reason these four had been selected to enter the ANBU wasn't just because their strength was solid. Like Natsuhiko, they were also relatively detached from the complicated internal politics of the Senju clan.
But the most important reason was something else entirely.
They were smart.
Only people who could think quickly could survive in the unpredictable and dangerous environment of the ANBU.
And by sending sharp-minded individuals like them into the ANBU, the Senju clan had clearly revealed a bit of its ambition.
They hoped these people could eventually rise to positions of power.
"Division Commander, this mission..." One of them seemed to swallow hard before asking carefully, "Should we come with you? That way—"
"Are you questioning my decision?" Natsuhiko interrupted him with a gentle smile before he could finish.
Then he slowly walked forward, stopping directly in front of the four of them.
His expression was still calm.
His voice was soft.
He hadn't released any chakra pressure at all.
Yet at that very moment—
All four of them felt their hearts tremble.
It was as if an invisible danger had suddenly surrounded them from every direction.
"I don't care who you are, and I don't care who stands behind you." Natsuhiko's voice was calm, but every word carried weight.
"But remember one thing."
"If you're part of the Third Division, then you follow my orders—and only mine. Understood?"
At that moment, Natsuhiko finally showed his fangs.
He truly didn't know who stood behind these four people.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that he had the strength—and he also had the authority.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Lizardmaru, a chakra fruit that could mature at any moment, and his Sage Mode already upgraded to the intermediate level—
All of these visible and hidden improvements to his strength gave him the right to make decisions like this.
Not to mention, after several conversations with the clan elder Senju Shoma, he had gained a rough understanding of the current limits of the Senju clan's strength. That knowledge only made him more confident in his choices.
He intended to drag the Senju clan out of the abyss.
He would accomplish that goal his own way.
And to do that, he had to seize power that belonged to him.
Becoming an ANBU Division Commander had given him exactly that—
A rare opportunity.
If he failed to grasp it now, then there would be no point thinking about anything else.
...
If they're truly smart, they'll forget what happened last night.
Walking along the road toward the Land of Wind, Natsuhiko recalled everything that had taken place the night before.
Even if they were just pretending to cooperate, those four clan members would keep their mouths shut.
Because in truth…
They didn't have a choice.
From the moment they stepped into the ANBU, their fate had already been placed firmly in Natsuhiko's hands.
If they developed thoughts they shouldn't have…
If they made moves they shouldn't make…
Then Natsuhiko would happily teach them exactly why the ANBU had such a high casualty rate.
As the commander of an entire division, he had countless ways to deal with troublesome subordinates.
Sometimes all it took was adjusting a mission assignment slightly…
…and someone would suddenly find themselves in very bad luck.
When Natsuhiko had first transmigrated into this world, he had still been a rather decent person.
But after nearly six years in the ANBU, things had changed.
Of course, he still retained his humanity.
He still desired connections, emotions, and relationships.
He still possessed a certain sense of gratitude.
But there was one thing he absolutely would not tolerate—
Someone defying his will within the sphere of his authority.
And he would never allow anyone to touch his interests.
Those four had been sent into the ANBU. In some sense, that meant they had already become pieces on a chessboard.
If their fate was already sealed…
Then did it really matter who their master was?
"Captain… what's wrong?" Kakashi's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts. "You seem a bit distracted today. Is something bothering you?"
"Distracted? Not really." Natsuhiko shook his head lightly and smiled.
"I was just thinking about what we might run into on this mission."
He glanced ahead along the road.
"Hopefully we won't be that unlucky… but don't forget the guy we're escorting."
"Considering how many secrets we've already squeezed out of him, there's a chance someone might come looking for him."
Hearing that, Kakashi instinctively turned his head.
Behind them walked Yashamaru, head lowered, silently following.
His chakra had been completely sealed by sealing techniques.
His condition… was far from good.
At first glance he looked perfectly clean, without a single visible wound.
But that didn't mean he had been treated gently.
After all—
Konoha had plenty of ways to extract information.
If they didn't use the ANBU's interrogation division, they could always bring in the Intelligence Division instead.
Techniques like genjutsu and mind-reading were more than enough to extract information without leaving a single mark on the body.
At this point, Yashamaru probably didn't even know how many secrets he had already revealed.
There was no way he wasn't feeling depressed.
On top of that, all of his senses—except for sight—had been sealed.
He couldn't hear anything.
He couldn't speak.
Which meant Natsuhiko and Kakashi could talk freely about certain things… or more precisely, things that shouldn't be said in front of Yashamaru.
Kakashi withdrew his gaze and began quietly thinking about what Natsuhiko had just said.
In truth, he understood very well that this trip to Sunagakure might appear peaceful on the surface—
But underneath, it was unlikely to be safe at all.
After all, both of them were ANBU.
One was a Division Commander, the other a squad leader.
And Kakashi himself was also the disciple of the Fourth Hokage.
Even if Sunagakure didn't make a move openly, all sorts of underhanded tricks were practically guaranteed.
It wouldn't even be surprising if their own ANBU forces got involved behind the scenes.
"So… Captain, why are you personally taking this risk?" Kakashi hesitated for a moment before asking. "And if we had to move, wouldn't it be better to bring more people with us?"
"That would actually be worse," Natsuhiko said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"Too many people, especially inexperienced ones, would only increase potential losses. That's not something I'm interested in."
"And don't forget—I have the Flying Thunder God Technique. If necessary, we can split up and move independently."
He paused for a moment.
A faintly mysterious look appeared in his eyes.
"Besides… I don't intend for this mission to end with simply returning this guy."
"I want to obtain something more interesting."
"More valuable intelligence."
He glanced sideways at Kakashi.
"There are things I'd rather not explain in detail. The Hokage probably didn't tell you much either… likely because he doesn't want you getting dragged too deeply into this."
"But Kakashi, sooner or later you'll have to take responsibility yourself."
"Especially now that you're already a squad leader."
Natsuhiko's voice lowered slightly.
"Have you noticed something?"
"The Hokage's influence within the ANBU is… surprisingly weak."
"When you first joined, didn't you notice the unfriendly looks around you?"
"But strangely enough, none of them ever lingered on you for long."
Kakashi walked silently behind him.
Listening to those words, his expression grew even more serious.
He had actually noticed these things a long time ago.
And when he recalled the message Natsuhiko once asked him to pass to his teacher, it indeed carried a deeper implication.
Kakashi wasn't stupid.
He had always been considered a genius.
Even though many things were never explicitly explained to him, he had already sensed that something was going on beneath the surface.
Now that Natsuhiko had brought it up, the vague suspicions in his mind were gradually becoming clearer.
"Captain… are you saying…"
Kakashi looked up at Natsuhiko and lowered his voice.
"That through this mission, we'll try to earn greater merit… and then use the Third Division to help my teacher—"
"What are you talking about?"
Before Kakashi could finish, Natsuhiko suddenly cut him off.
"I didn't say anything like that."
"All we need to do is proceed carefully."
"And if the opportunity arises…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…we'll avenge Captain Kusunoki."
"Understood?"
"…"
Kakashi pressed his lips together before finally nodding helplessly.
"Understood, Captain."
For a brief moment, he couldn't help thinking that his captain was starting to resemble someone completely devoid of moral restraint.
And yet…
For some reason, the level of trust he felt toward Natsuhiko only continued to grow.
...
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