Just as Kakashi decided he had heard enough and was about to leave the tavern, something another Grass shinobi said caught his attention.
"Now that hospital finally feels like a real ninja hospital," the man said while drinking. "The old one was huge, sure but it was full of medics who only knew basic healing techniques. They could barely treat more than scratches. Might as well have been a regular civilian clinic."
Another ninja nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. But now that red-haired woman is there? All you have to do is bite her and your injuries heal instantly. I bet even the hospital in Konohagakure can't match that kind of speed."
A red-haired woman… rapid healing…
Kakashi paused for a moment and silently committed the details to memory before leaving the tavern.
In the shinobi world, red hair almost always meant one thing, the Uzumaki clan and their extraordinary vitality.
Konoha's mastery of sealing techniques was largely due to its alliance with the Uzumaki. Their former clan leader, Ashina Uzumaki, was even considered the founding master of many of Konoha's sealing arts.
Kakashi happened to have a certain familiarity and a bit of fondness for the clan.
After all, his teacher's wife was an Uzumaki.
"Lord Morishita."
The two Grass ANBU guards at the courtyard entrance bowed respectfully as Aaron walked in.
"Mm," Aaron replied coolly before entering the building.
His aloof demeanor didn't raise any suspicion. Once he disappeared from sight, one of the guards sighed admiringly.
"Lord Morishita is unbelievable. He just finished a mission and he's already back at headquarters."
The other guard nodded. "Yeah. He works harder than anyone. And yet some people still criticize him behind his back. Makes no sense."
The first guard sneered. "Those pathetic fools begging for peace can only whisper complaints when he's not around."
After all, anyone assigned to the Hidden Grass leader's personal ANBU unit was firmly part of the pro-war faction.
Inside the building, Aaron quickly located the underground entrance to the ANBU headquarters.
It was in the first room behind the main hall.
The floor had been completely excavated, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
Aaron walked down calmly.
At the bottom was a checkpoint station. His sensory perception detected four shinobi inside, one special-jonin level and three chunin.
He walked past the station, stopped beside it, and casually pointed at one of the chunin.
"Take the documents I brought and deliver them to my office."
The selected shinobi blinked in surprise. "But I'm assigned to guard duty…"
"I said take them to my office," Aaron interrupted flatly.
The chunin looked at his squad leader uncertainly.
The captain spoke immediately. "If Captain Morishita told you to deliver them, then go. Don't hesitate."
With that approval, the shinobi stepped out of the checkpoint, took the folder Aaron handed him, and hurried toward Morishita's office.
Meanwhile, Aaron walked deeper into the ANBU base as though he had urgent business elsewhere.
In reality, he was simply wandering while tracking the courier's chakra signature.
He had no idea where Morishita's office actually was.
So he had grabbed a random file pouch, stuffed some papers inside, and used the errand as a way to have someone unknowingly lead him there.
When he sensed the courier stop briefly at a location and then head back, Aaron followed the path the shinobi had taken.
Soon, he found the office.
He pushed open the door and glanced around.
The room was extremely plain, almost austere.
There were no decorations, only a desk, a chair, and a few cabinets for storing documents.
The file he had sent earlier sat prominently on the desk.
Aaron took a seat, tossed the fake documents aside, and began flipping through the papers already on the desk.
A quick scan revealed several types of files:
ANBU mission orders issued by the Grass leader
Intelligence reports gathered by Grass ANBU
Status reports from the squads under Morishita's command
Aaron chuckled softly.
"Looks like I'm getting a preview of what it's like to be a commander."
Grass probably never imagined someone would be bold enough to impersonate an ANBU division captain and stroll straight into their headquarters.
Just as he was about to check the cabinets for personnel records
Knock. Knock.
Someone was at the door.
Aaron sensed the chakra signature, chunin level.
"Come in," he said calmly.
A Grass ANBU operative entered quickly.
"Lord Morishita, the leader has summoned you to a meeting."
Aaron nodded. "Understood. Lead the way."
Soon, guided through the tunnels, Aaron arrived at a chamber deep within the ANBU headquarters.
It wasn't a formal conference room, just a modest chamber with a square table and several chairs.
Seven people were seated.
Only the middle-aged man at the head of the table; his face lined with worry was not wearing ANBU gear.
The other six were dressed in ANBU uniforms.
From their chakra signatures, Aaron could tell every one of them was at least jonin level. None were merely special-jonin.
The man at the head radiated the strongest presence Aaron had felt in the Hidden Grass so far stronger than Aaron himself had been before acquiring the Whitebeard template.
So this was likely the village leader.
When Aaron entered, the man spoke.
"Morishita, you're here. Now that everyone's present, let's begin."
The ANBU commander seated second on the leader's right spoke with a grave tone.
"The unit we sent to intercept Konoha's peace-treaty intelligence has been missing for over a week. They were almost certainly captured or killed by Konoha. We need to prepare for the consequences."
Aaron felt a slight stir internally, but his expression remained perfectly calm.
He waited for the others to speak.
"Preparation is obvious," said the deputy commander on the leader's left. "The real question is how."
One of the ANBU captains suggested, "We could deny they were ours. Maybe Konoha doesn't know who sent them. They weren't wearing headbands and didn't use Grass-issue equipment."
Aaron thought briefly, then spoke in a steady voice.
"You're forgetting the mind-reading techniques of the Yamanaka Clan. If they captured our agents alive, their identities are already exposed."
The captain who suggested the idea frowned and fell silent.
The room descended into uneasy quiet.
After a moment, the village leader cleared his throat and turned to Aaron.
"Morishita… what's your opinion?"
---
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