Satoshi asked, "Itachi is eleven years old?"
"Not yet, his birthday is still some time away." Inaho spoke halfway, then suddenly turned to look at Satoshi.
Wasn't the focus of his attention a bit off?
"Did Itachi really join Anbu?"
Inaho nodded lightly. "Three days after you left the village for your mission, Itachi also received an outdoor mission. He came back about half a day earlier than you."
"I was visiting the clan head's house yesterday and overheard the news."
Inaho sighed, "But I really didn't expect it. The Uchiha clan would also have a member join the Anbu."
From the Uchiha clan's perspective, joining Anbu was as difficult as winning the lottery. After all, Anbu was a department directly managed by the Hokage, responsible for all matters, big and small, in the village.
Those who could join were usually not ordinary ninjas. They not only had to be loyal to the Hokage but also fit the mysterious style of the Anbu.
Guy, for example, didn't meet the latter requirement.
When he fought, others didn't even need to know his identity. One roar of "Konoha's Green Beast" would basically give him away.
"Oh."
Satoshi replied perfunctorily, "That's good, let's go."
The few of them strolled slowly down the street, but Satoshi's mind was already elsewhere.
Itachi joining Anbu was Fugaku's arrangement, he wanted Itachi to be a spy.
Once the Uchiha clan decided to revolt, the two sides would cooperate from inside and out, stabbing Hiruzen to death and capturing the Hokage Building.
They would shout, "Hiruzen is dead, the Uchiha clan shall rule."
Theoretically, there was nothing wrong with this idea. After all, Itachi was his own son, completely trustworthy.
However, Itachi was not an ordinary son. He was a traitor.
Who would have thought he could be a double agent?
He, along with another great traitor, killed his parents, relatives, friends, and lover.
What's even more incredible is that this bastard made Sasuke watch it again and again, saying something like, "Hate me, Sasuke."
Isn't that just nonsense?
It's good enough that he didn't cut you into pieces and feed you to pigs. And you're still here with this nonsense.
—
The next day, Itachi reported to the Anbu.
Kakashi welcomed him.
"Another Uchiha brat? Am I destined to deal with the Uchiha clan?"
Itachi bowed slightly. "Kakashi-senpai, please guide me."
Kakashi said, "There's nothing to guide. Go get your equipment, uniform, and fill out the onboarding form. Anbu work is very tough, I hope you're prepared."
"I will do my best and not let Hokage-sama down."
Kakashi waved his hand. "Come with me."
He muttered as he walked, "What's wrong with these Uchiha brats? One is loyal, one is hopeful, are they crazy?"
Hiruzen's move to bring Itachi into Anbu naturally sparked discussion among his two old friends.
"Hiruzen, I know you want to solve the Uchiha clan problem, but haven't you been too friendly to the Uchiha clan lately?" Homura pushed up his glasses and nudged Koharu.
Koharu understood and quickly echoed him, "Exactly, first letting Jiraiya teach Satoshi, and now putting Itachi into Anbu, this is too dangerous."
Hiruzen put down his scroll and gestured for the two of them to sit down and talk.
"So? I can't just recruit Itachi into Anbu and then fire him tomorrow for stepping into the office with his left foot, can I?"
Koharu clearly heard that Hiruzen was being sarcastic.
"Hokage's orders are certainly not a joke, but since we've brought Itachi in, we should make him demonstrate some value."
"What value?"
Koharu lowered her voice, "Is there a way to make Itachi our spy within the Uchiha clan?"
This idea was so bold that even Homura was startled but Hiruzen seemed very calm.
"Wait, Hiruzen, you wouldn't…"
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe. "What spy or no spy? He's just a child who prioritizes the greater good."
—
Itachi joining Anbu naturally split the Uchiha clan into two factions.
One part believed that a dignified Uchiha should not be Konoha's dog.
The other part believed that if Itachi could join Anbu today, he could be a guard tomorrow, an assistant the day after, and Hokage the day after that.
"Assistant my foot, Danzo was already dismissed."
"Isn't that perfect for Itachi? I think the Hokage is paving the way for Itachi."
"You're crazy. How many drinks did you have to become like this? How about sobering up before the meeting?"
"Fugaku-sama, did you have any other deeper meaning in letting Itachi join Anbu?"
At these words, the noisy room quieted down. They all looked at Fugaku, awaiting his reply.
"Itachi's future path is not decided by me, nor by him, but by the Hokage."
Fugaku paused, then continued to talk nonsense, "If in the future the village can send more goodwill signals to the Uchiha clan, I believe both sides can coexist peacefully."
"But if the Uchiha clan continues to be treated unfairly, we cannot rule out the possibility of a military coup."
The clan members looked at each other. They understood that after all that talk, Fugaku had said nothing.
The clan head was still playing both sides.
Several older elders scoffed, not even bothering to speak.
Revolt if you're going to revolt, act like a coward if you're going to act like a coward.
What's with all this fence-sitting? Sooner or later, you'll lead the entire clan into a ditch, then you'll learn.
Fugaku heard the clan members' whispers, so he coughed a few times and continued to evade the issue by changing the subject.
"How is the Konoha Military Police Force lately? Hey? Why are so few Police Force members here today?"
A clan member stood up and said, "Fugaku-sama, they're working with Yashiro-senpai on expanding recruitment."
"Expanding recruitment?"
Fugaku became interested. He had heard Satoshi mention it that morning and had vaguely agreed.
He had thought it was just hiring three or four clan members, but it seemed to be more than that.
"After the meeting, I'll go take a look."
At the Konoha Military Police Force, several Uchiha were drafting a recruitment notice.
"Recruiting 100 Konoha Military Police Force personnel. Requirements: healthy, upright character, no bad habits."
"Benefits…"
Wait, 100 people?
Fugaku gasped.
Is this an expansion or a rebellion?
If the Hokage knew, he'd kill you.
"Satoshi, this is too extreme. The Police Force has a total of two hundred members. Expanding by half like this, Hokage-sama will inevitably overthink it."
Unexpectedly, Satoshi said righteously, "The Konoha Military Police Force exists to protect every villager. I know this, the clan head knows this, and Hokage-sama knows this."
"If we had enough manpower, we might have caught the intruder last time."
"But now the intruder hasn't been found, and the people of Konoha are in a state of panic. If we don't take action, how can we reassure the villagers behind us?"
Fugaku scratched his head.
Satoshi was eccentric. Whenever he talked about these things, he was so righteous it was scary, but normally he was all smiles.
Fugaku knew his parents, and they weren't like that.
Who did he take after?
It can't really be Tobirama…
Bah, what am I thinking?