Capítulo 193: Chapter 193: Mission with Hiruzen
Regarding this mission, Tatsuma's enthusiasm is still high, and he is not bothered by the need to travel right after joining.
After all, this trip is to ask for money from the Land of Fire Daimyo. Currently, Konoha cannot pay salaries, so they can only urge the client to pay up, and Tatsuma is also one of the ones owed wages.
Ninjas are supposed to be a high-paying profession, but Tatsuma often finds himself short of money. Initially, it was because he didn't receive missions frequently.
When he was with Jiraiya, training was the main focus, and missions were just periodic evaluations of learning outcomes. Later, when Jiraiya became too busy to lead teams, Tatsuma had even fewer opportunities for missions.
Then, the war broke out, and all the village's resources were poured into the war effort. Not only Tatsuma and Minato, but almost all the ninjas involved in the war had their incomes suspended.
Recording and approving completed mission counts on the battlefield cannot be settled on the spot. After all, there are too many participants, and coordinating the manpower for real-time payments would be impractical.
Moreover, the large-scale transactions for purchasing war supplies have long depleted the village's savings. The funds allocated by the Daimyo are also earmarked for the war effort and cannot be easily diverted.
Now that the war is over, the funds allocated by the Daimyo for the war effort can be converted into compensation for participating ninjas, but this amount is far from sufficient.
In addition to Konoha's effective control, the war did not spread to the Land of Fire internally. Setting the battlefield in the territories of other countries indeed put Konoha at a diplomatic disadvantage.
However, internally in the Land of Fire, it was a "good thing" because it saved a significant amount of money for reconstruction and subsidies. In a certain sense, it helped save money for the Land of Fire.
In the correspondence between Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Land of Fire Daimyo, the Daimyo expressed satisfaction with Sarutobi Hiruzen's measures and Konoha's performance in this war.
The request for funding at the Daimyo's residence this time actually has another layer of meaning, which is to report the results of the battle in person.
Tatsuma wasn't sure if this was the Daimyo's idea or Sarutobi Hiruzen's intention, but regardless, it wouldn't affect the distribution of funds. Moreover, if the face-to-face report could satisfy the Daimyo, perhaps he would generously allocate another large sum of funding.
Hiruzen didn't wait until Tatsuma's induction to visit the Daimyo's residence; rather, this kind of important meeting and negotiation activity required time for preparation.
It's just a coincidence. If Tatsuma hadn't completed all the training and passed the assessment so quickly, even if it was just two days later, he wouldn't have needed to go on a business trip.
Back at home, Tatsuma informed Mito about the need to visit the Daimyo's residence. After all, he had told Mito before that he would stay in Konoha, but now he had to leave again, so it was necessary to inform her.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Although Mito wasn't Tatsuma's parent or blood relative, Tatsuma saw her love and care, so he naturally treated her like a grandmother.
Mito was also a reasonable person, so she just gave a few instructions and didn't inquire further.
The next day, inside the Hokage's office, watching Tatsuma proficiently seal scrolls containing recorded documents, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Unfortunately, Sakumo wasn't very talented in sealing. Every time he went out, he needed to prepare a lot of things. Now that you're here, we can travel light."
"I only have a little talent; I still need to learn so much from Sakumo-sama in many aspects before I can share your burdens like him."
Tatsuma remained humble, and when Hiruzen heard Tatsuma respect for Sakumo Hatake, he smiled and shook his head. Indeed, Sakumo Hatake was stronger in many aspects than Tatsuma.
However, Tatsuma also had many strengths compared to Sakumo. While Sakumo's strength was unquestionable, he was weak in administrative matters. He was like a sharp blade, not a good assistant.
Tatsuma checked everything he needed to carry once again, then looked at Hiruzen and said, "Hokage-sama, everything is ready. When do you want to depart?"
"Let's leave now. If we wait until daylight, my departure might attract some attention. It wouldn't be good if it's overinterpreted by someone with ill intentions."
Hiruzen took a deep puff from his smoking pipe, then emptied the burning tobacco into the ashtray, stood up, and put on the Hokage's hat, symbolizing his position as the Hokage.
Tatsuma nodded, slung the scroll behind his back, adjusted the side-mounted mask, and put on the beige cloak that Hiruzen had brought to the Hokage's office. Then the two of them walked out of the Hokage's office.
In an instant, in the corridor, four figures appeared. One person was wearing a beige cloak similar to the one Tatsuma had, with a blue-striped red-nosed mandrill mask. His code name was Mandrill, one of the ANBU leaders.
The other three ANBU in black cloaks beside him were his team members.
The number of ANBU was very small, with only about seventy official members, divided into four squads and sixteen teams. However, this number was not fixed. For example, Tatsuma did not belong to any of the sixteen teams.
Among the sixteen teams, there were four teams from Root, or formally, the Root's official members. Of course, all of them were official members.
The Root had its own talent training base and talent pool, and so did the ANBU. Inside and outside the village, there were many ANBU or Root members who were not on the official roster, or were waiting to be activated.
For example, during the war, Danzo activated a large number of non-official Root members. When these individuals were in action, they had the same rights as ANBU ninja.
Moreover, many ANBU members are allowed to cultivate their own intelligence networks. These networks do not know that their leaders are ANBU ninja, and they may not even be sure if they are Konoha ninja.
This process is both about cultivating intelligence networks and about identifying potentially defeatable ninja for the village. Even after ANBU ninja retire from ANBU, their intelligence networks are not necessarily withdrawn.
Perhaps the village may require a backup contact method and a way to issue orders, but retired ANBU ninja are also allowed to deploy their intelligence networks when necessary.
It is precisely because of the privileges and operating principles of ANBU that a team of less than a hundred people has the power to monitor and eliminate key threats both within and outside the Land of Fire.
Tatsuma's original authority was just that of a regular ANBU member, but today Hiruzen gave him a beige cloak, which can be seen as an unofficial promotion for him.
Of course, perhaps it's only during this particular mission that he needs the authority to command other ANBU members who are also assigned to guard the Hokage, given his role as the Hokage Guard. Ordering a squad leader as an ordinary member is obviously inappropriate.
Upon seeing the four ANBU ninja, Tatsuma nodded and then donned the beige cloak. He issued a few hand signals, and the four ANBU ninja stealthily followed suit once again.
Immediately, Tatsuma took the lead, slightly ahead of Hiruzen, and swiftly exited the Hokage Building. He quickly calculated the route with the lowest probability of being discovered at this time and began leading the way.
Hiruzen was happy to accept Tatsuma's arrangements, and every step he took fell where Tatsuma had previously stepped.
Among peers, Tatsuma's speed and proficiency in Body Flicker are second only to Minato. However, for ANBU and Hiruzen, the speed can almost be considered a leisurely stroll.
Nevertheless, Hiruzen couldn't complain about Tatsuma's speed not being fast enough. After all, he personally approved Tatsuma's promotion to ANBU, and Tatsuma's speed being insufficiently fast is only relative to other ANBU ninja and the Hokage.
With Tatsuma's speed, it would take less than a day to reach the Land of Fire Daimyo's residence from Konoha. Departing this morning and resting upon arrival at the Daimyo's residence tomorrow morning, the timing is just right.
Of course, this is under the assumption that no accidents occur. If there are any unexpected incidents, the little margin of time left may not be sufficient.
Tatsuma chose not to use the village gates, as there would still be personnel coming and going even in the early morning. Since Hiruzen expressed a desire to keep the news of leaving the village to as few people as possible, it's best to take the safest route.
Arriving at a section of the wall, Tatsuma swiftly approached it and formed hand seals. He then pressed his hands against the wall, activating the concealment jutsu placed on it. Tatsuma felt the ANBU insignia tattooed on his left shoulder under his sleeve faintly warming up.
Just a second later, the sealing jutsu on the wall gate dissipated, revealing a crack in the wall. Tatsuma pushed it open, and a hidden door was revealed.
He turned around and gestured, and the four ANBU hidden in the surroundings appeared. Mandrill, accompanied by two members, quickly left through the secret door. After inspecting the area, they signaled to Tatsuma inside the door.
Tatsuma nodded and said to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, please."
Hiruzen nodded, walked out from the secret door, with the last ANBU closely following by his side. When all four had exited, Tatsuma finally followed suit, closing the secret door behind him.
No need for sealing again, the technique on the wall appeared and then disappeared. Seeing this, Tatsuma issued the command for stealth once more.
Such commands could be quicker with words, but in the absence of special circumstances, this "standard" procedure had to be followed.
Setting off again, Tatsuma used the Perception Technique every few kilometers to sense the surroundings. Until the afternoon, nothing unexpected happened.
Just when Tatsuma thought this journey was quite peaceful, another sensory perception made him aware of something different. About five kilometers ahead of their planned route, several Chakra reactions appeared.
Tatsuma frowned, pondering whether to change the route or send someone to investigate. Just then, Hiruzen seemed to understand Tatsuma's dilemma and said with a smile:
"Go take a look. If they are Ninja from another village, it will also reduce some workload for the village."
This went against the principles of ANBU's actions, but Hiruzen had the complete authority to command ANBU. Therefore, Tatsuma nodded and replied, "Yes, Hokage."
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