"Danger? Difficulty?"
"That's exactly what I want—danger. Difficulty."
"Kakashi, just wait and see what happens next."
Kusunoki Naraku tossed the documents in his hand onto the desk. A confident smile appeared on his handsome face.
Seeing this, even Hatake Kakashi had to admit that this guy really did have a certain flair about him.
Of course, compared to himself, he was still a bit lacking.
…
Over the next few days, Kusunoki Naraku quickly familiarized himself with ANBU's operational procedures. Under Kakashi's guidance, he was introduced to every member of the unit.
"This is Tenzō," Kakashi said, leading a ninja over to Naraku and introducing him. "You should already know him."
"Senior, I'm Tenzō."
Tenzō stepped forward and gave Naraku a slight bow.
Naraku immediately recognized him—this was Yamato, though at this point he had yet to take that name.
"Of course I know you. Quite a few ANBU have passed through my hands for treatment."
ANBU missions were notoriously dangerous, and casualties were common. As Konoha's most outstanding medical-nin at the time, Naraku had indeed treated many ANBU operatives.
Back then, however, he hadn't realized just how many of his patients belonged to ANBU.
Now, it turned out to be an advantage—at the very least, it allowed him to integrate into ANBU as quickly as possible.
"Tenzō has other important duties, so I didn't assign him under your command," Kakashi added casually.
Even without the explanation, Naraku already knew what those duties were.
Monitoring the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—Uzumaki Naruto.
Many people joked that Hashirama's Wood Release once dominated the ninja world, while Yamato's Wood Release was mostly used to green the village. Jokes aside, Wood Release was undeniably effective at suppressing tailed beasts.
Even if it couldn't compare to Senju Hashirama's level, as long as it could temporarily restrain the Nine-Tails' chakra and prevent Naruto from losing control, Tenzō was the most suitable person for the job.
Thus, unless an emergency or exceptionally critical mission arose, Tenzō was almost always stationed in Konoha, keeping watch over Naruto.
After chatting briefly with Kakashi and Tenzō, the latter soon departed to carry out his surveillance mission.
"He's that busy?" Naraku asked.
Kakashi noticed the confusion on Naraku's face and explained, "Tenzō's assignment is extremely important. He only gets a few hours of rest a day, and sometimes he doesn't even have time to eat."
"To be honest, he has it relatively easy. ANBU who are sent out on missions face even greater danger."
"But that's the reason ANBU exists. Our sacrifices are what allow the village to prosper."
Damn…
That was brutal.
Naraku's expression darkened. Thankfully, he was only the deputy captain for now. If he still had to treat patients on top of this, he'd probably be worked to death.
After talking a bit longer, Naraku left ANBU Headquarters and headed for the Hokage Tower, where he met Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"The Root Word Destruction Seal?"
Hiruzen tapped his pipe lightly after removing it from his mouth. He understood what Naraku was aiming for.
In truth, he had never approved of Danzō using that seal to control Root operatives, but he had never openly opposed it either.
"I only need the method to release the seal," Naraku said. "I don't need the full fūinjutsu itself."
"That's fine."
Hiruzen agreed and had someone bring over a scroll.
After handing it to Naraku, Hiruzen added, pipe clenched between his teeth, "Get used to ANBU quickly. In a few days, you'll be leading a team on a mission."
"Understood."
Naraku accepted the scroll and left the Hokage Tower.
Rather than returning to ANBU Headquarters, he decided to head straight home.
As deputy captain, he had that authority—besides, his main task at the moment was simply to familiarize himself with ANBU operations.
Compared to other ninja clans in Konoha, the Kusunoki clan was a very small one.
Before Naraku rose to prominence, the clan hadn't produced aJōnin in many years.
There was no helping it—the entire clan had fewer than a hundred members.
Simply too few.
According to clan records, the Kusunoki clan had once enjoyed a period of glory. During the chaotic Warring States Period, they had even become a subordinate clan of the Senju. According to those same records, they had fought alongside the Senju against the Uchiha.
Naraku believed the alliance with the Senju was genuine. In that era of chaos, nearly every ninja clan formed alliances or maintained close ties simply to survive.
For example, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio clans were affiliated with the Sarutobi. The Senju, besides their distant relatives in the Uzumaki clan, also had many subordinate clans like the Kusunoki . The Hyūga clan even had blood ties to the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure.
Sometimes, Naraku couldn't help but wonder whether the Kusunoki clan's current decline was the result of having followed the Senju into their brutal wars with the Uchiha.
After all, everyone knew how devastating those battles had been—so intense that even the Uchiha had struggled to endure them. One could easily imagine how many Kusunoki ninja had died.
From that perspective, given Tsunade's identity and status, it wasn't strange at all that Kusunoki Naraku had become her personal disciple.
…
Clatter…
Sounds came from inside the house, clearly indicating someone moving about.
Naraku already knew who it was.
His girlfriend—Uzuki Yugao.
"You're back."
Long purple hair cascaded down as a beautiful, pale face peeked out from the room. Uzuki Yugao greeted him with a warm smile.
"Dinner will be ready soon."
Naraku wasn't surprised to see her. Yugao was a tokubetsuJōnin within ANBU, and as deputy captain, he naturally knew she had returned to the village after completing her mission the day before.
"You just got back yesterday. You should rest more," Naraku said as he walked into the kitchen, where Yugao was busy cooking. "We can eat anytime."
"It's fine. I was planning to come see you anyway. Usually, you're even busier than I am."
They chatted and laughed as they spoke, and before long, the meal was ready.
"Try this—it's good…"
"You should eat too."
They served each other food, smiling as they talked.
After finishing dinner and doing some light cleanup, the two sat together in the courtyard and continued chatting.
Yugao briefly talked about what had happened during her mission. Now that Naraku was an ANBU squad leader, there was no concern about confidentiality.
Naraku, in turn, told her about the interesting things that had happened in Konoha—and about his promotion.
The atmosphere between them was warm and intimate. In just a few minutes, the distance between them disappeared, and they leaned against each other.
"Ahem…"
Naraku stopped holding back and lifted Yugao into a princess carry.
"T-this is still daytime…" Yugao protested softly.
"So what? You're supposed to exercise after eating—it's good for your health."
Yugao's fair, delicate face flushed red, stunningly beautiful.
With a bang, the door closed.
The light was cut off, the room dimmed, and the atmosphere grew heated.
"Mm…"
…
"The Medical Department suits you so well, yet Lord Hokage insisted on transferring you to ANBU," Yugao said, resting against Naraku, her cheeks still flushed with color. "I really don't understand it."
"What? You worried I won't adapt to ANBU?" Naraku asked with a smile.
"I just think it's a shame. You did so well in the Medical Department, built so many connections. Now that you've left, won't it…"
Naraku smiled faintly and gently stroked Yugao's long purple hair, confidence evident on his face.
"It's not that easy. Their plan sounds good, but actually removing my influence from the Medical Emergency Unit? That's impossible."
"Kaguya Aoshi is also a medical-nin," Yugao said hesitantly. "His medical ninjutsu skills aren't low, right?"
"That depends on who you're comparing him to…"