On the empty road ahead, a cane suddenly poked out from behind a tree and struck the ground, followed by a man wrapped in bandages stepping out from behind the tree.
He tilted his head slightly, scanning everyone with his remaining eye before his gaze finally settled on Aokawa.
"Aokawa!"
"I have been waiting for a long time..."
When Asuma Sarutobi saw the newcomer, his expression instantly turned sour.
He instinctively took a step forward, shielding Aokawa, his voice carrying a hint of tension that even he didn't notice.
"Elder Danzo!"
"Aokawa... he's my friend!"
Danzo Shimura's single eye didn't linger on him for even a second.
That eye peered over Asuma Sarutobi's shoulder, locking onto Aokawa like a hawk onto its prey, as he slowly spoke in a raspy voice:
"Aokawa."
"Hyuga Branch Family, twelve years old. Lacked talent in the Gentle Fist since childhood, so you dedicated yourself to the bow and arrow."
"Approximately half a year ago, you underwent an Awakening of a Bloodline Limit known as Holy Arrow."
Danzo didn't speak quickly, yet his words carried a heart-pounding sense of pressure.
"During the Land of Sand mission, you single-handedly defeated two Jonin Puppet Masters, and subsequently annihilated over fifty Sunagakure Chunin and Genin."
"Killed the S-rank rogue Ninja Onigumo with a single arrow."
"Participated in the Yunagi Pass defense battle, engaging the Two-Tails Jinchuriki in direct combat."
"Outside the front line Main Camp, you captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, heavily injured the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and forced the Eight-Tails to retreat."
With every sentence Danzo uttered, the expressions of those nearby shifted further.
Asuma Sarutobi, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu stood with their mouths agape, their faces filled with disbelief.
They knew Aokawa had fought two Tailed Beasts, but they hadn't realized that even before that, he was already capable of killing Jonin and fighting fifty Ninjas at once.
Were these brilliant, almost blinding achievements truly accomplished by this seemingly ordinary classmate beside them?
Anko Mitarashi's eyes were practically glowing, looking at Aokawa as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
So cool!
She hadn't expected the silly, handsome senior to be this powerful!
Capturing the Two-Tails, fighting the Eight-Tails!
This was a truly strong person!
However, as the person at the center of it all, Aokawa showed no expression on his face.
He just listened quietly until Danzo finished speaking.
"Elder Danzo, you've certainly dug deep into my background,"
he said in a flat tone, betraying no emotion. "You understand me even better than I understand myself."
Danzo Shimura's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Something was wrong.
The script wasn't supposed to go like this.
The reason he had listed the other's achievements in such detail was, firstly, to demonstrate the pervasive intelligence-gathering capabilities of the 'Root' division to create a sense of intimidation.
Secondly, he hoped that a youth like Aokawa, upon hearing his own glorious achievements recited so solemnly, would feel a sense of lightheaded vanity.
In his view, a teenager who suddenly gained great power and dazzling achievements would inevitably have an extremely inflated ego.
With a Hokage Assistant like himself personally appearing and validating his successes as if they were precious treasures, the boy should have been overwhelmed by the favor and started floating on air.
At that point, winning him over would be twice as easy.
But the result... did this kid not understand, or did he simply not care?
I, an Elder, am here singing your praises and reciting your deeds one by one; if you aren't awestruck and looking to exchange flatteries, you should at least offer a few words of humility.
What was with this sarcastic tone?
A flash of displeasure crossed Danzo's mind, but he immediately rationalized it to himself.
Fine, he's a Genius!
Coupled with being young, it's natural to have some arrogance after such achievements; if he's been praised too much, he might be desensitized to it.
Furthermore, I have walked in the shadows for years, so my name isn't very prominent among the lower ranks of Konoha. Not many people know me, so this kid doesn't recognize my worth.
The mindset of being valued by an ordinary person versus being valued by someone of high status and great power is always different.
As an intelligence chief, he understood these psychological phenomena to some extent.
Thinking of this, he decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"Perhaps you have rarely heard of me."
Danzo's voice rose slightly, carrying a deliberately displayed majesty.
"My name is Danzo Shimura. Along with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, I am a Disciple of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama."
"I am the current Hokage Assistant and the leader of the Anbu!"
The effect of these words was immediate.
A light of worship instantly erupted in the eyes of Shiranui Genma and Ebisu.
Hokage Assistant!
Disciple of Nidaime(2nd)-sama!
Anbu leader!
To ordinary Ninjas like them, each of these titles was practically legendary.
The reactions of Asuma Sarutobi and Anko Mitarashi were much flatter.
One often hung around the Hokage Office, and the other followed Orochimaru; both had seen Danzo before.
Though they weren't well-acquainted, they instinctively disliked the cold aura about him.
Especially Asuma Sarutobi; he had seen this guy argue with his old man more than enough times to have no good feelings toward him.
But at this moment, Danzo Shimura's gaze was locked onto only one person.
Aokawa.
However, the youth just looked at him quietly, his eyes clear, as if watching a performance that had nothing to do with him.
That look seemed to say: "And?"
The displeasure in Danzo Shimura's heart deepened another level.
But having lived for so many years, what kind of person hadn't he seen?
It was just the arrogance of a Genius; once a Cursed Seal was applied, whether a Genius or a commoner, they were all just dogs by the roadside.
He suppressed his impatience and threw out the final bait.
"I have come this time because I see your youthful promise and have developed an appreciation for your talent."
"I have specifically come to invite you to join the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad."
"That is... what you usually hear referred to as..."
"The Anbu!"
The Anbu!
Shiranui Genma and Ebisu's breathing hitched, and their envious gazes simultaneously turned toward Aokawa.
That was Konoha's elite organization, the place they had dreamed of since their days in the Ninja Academy!
As expected, only a Genius like Aokawa was qualified to be directly invited by the Anbu.
Asuma Sarutobi, however, frowned.
Although he didn't pay much attention to the Village's institutions, he vaguely remembered that the Anbu was under his father's direct control.
The place Danzo managed seemed to be somewhere else... Aokawa laughed upon hearing this. He was about to speak when he suddenly frowned and said in a displeased tone, "Elder Danzo..."
"An invitation doesn't seem like it should be handled this way, does it?"
The moment he finished speaking—
Hum—
In the night sky above everyone, sparks suddenly filled the air without warning.
Those tiny sparks were like fireflies on a summer night, brilliant yet eerie, as they slowly drifted down.
It wasn't until the sparks landed on their shoulders, bringing with them a burnt smell, that everyone realized with horror that they weren't sparks at all!
They were the charred corpses of insects!
Kikaichū!
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