Chapitre 319: CH_9.4 (319)
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The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
The rest of the day after his meeting with Fugaku was a blur for Takuma. The Chief of the Police offered him a deal he would be a fool to take, claimed that it suited him, and then gave no further explanation. In truth, Takuma didn't want an explanation—he didn't want to get roped into something clearly detrimental to his career, so he wrapped up the conversation and left behind a token statement of getting back to them.
He was so upset that he didn't even talk to Setsuna about the B-rank jutsu restriction because even if that problem was solved, he still didn't want to work in the Department of Corruption Investigations. No reasonable amount of benefits would have him take the job. He wasn't at a stage of his career where he could take such a controversial offer—nor did he have a powerful backing or background to survive the job.
The work itself wasn't a problem. He had the Police Force's backing, so he could use their weight to get what he wanted. The real problem started after he was finished. Once he was out of the Police Force, he would lose the backing but retain the enemies—so many doors would be barred for him. He would either have to be very lucky, or just stick it out with the Police Force, which had a limited ceiling due to its clan-dominated nature.
Becoming a ra" would only push that ceiling lower. He had the option of choosing another department and starting from the ground up, as he had done at Organised Crime, but even then, the benefits weren't enough to warrant accepting the offer—especially with the B-rank jutsu restriction.
"Why would he say I would be good at it?" he whispered.
Despite the awful nature of it all, Fugaku's words floated atop his thoughts. The statement struck out to him. Was he so gullible that a vague compliment was all it took to sway him? Takuma didn't want to believe that, but something about Fugaku's words stuck out to him.
He didn't think the man was trying to dress up an ugly deal to him—but at the same time, he wondered if it was nothing but flattery. When he tried to look at his options from a strictly objective point of view, there was a clear winner.
"The ANBU leaves them in the dust," Takuma whispered to himself.
Limitless access to C-rank jutsu archives, access to village's B-rank jutsu archives without the year-long wait, and a performance-based jutsu compensation package. The ANBU deal stood out despite its non-negotiable five-year employment clause and Takuma didn't particular mind it, either.
He was only worried about the performance-based jutsu compensation because it complicated things. Things were simple with mission points—earn and exchange them for a jutsu— and the ANBU pay was fixed with zero variable components, so he could calculate the specific date he would have enough points to buy a jutsu.
Not to mention the lack of a waiting period until he could purchase a B-rank jutsu.
However, the free-of-charge performance-based compensation came with an inherent uncertainty as someone else would be judging his performance. If said person didn't like him or simply didn't think his output was particularly impressive, they could mark him down, all but eliminating the benefit altogether.
He would still have the ability to get B-rank jutsu the standard way, but that still meant a huge advantage going to waste.
Takuma, sitting alone in the living room, sighed as he thought about his decision.
The Police Force had given him five days to decide, but he had to send in his response to ANBU in two days, which meant he only had that much time to make a decision.
Despite how the Narcotics Taskforce situation had been handled, somewhere in his heart, he wanted to continue working there. Maybe it was because of the comfort. Because he didn't have much power, he had to learn to work the system to boost the growth of his taskforce.
Some part of him genuinely thought that if he had another try, he could game the system even harder. However, the decision seemed to have made itself.
———
"Now, this is a first," said Mikoto as she walked around the Uchiha compound with Takuma. You have never asked out on a walk like this. I must admit, I quite like this." She gazed at him silently for a moment. "Hmm... this is not the good news kind of walk, is it?"
Takuma pursed his lips as he shook his head.
"I didn't want to run into your husband," he replied. It would've been awkward if Fugaku walked in on him breaking the news to Mikoto.
"So you're turning down my offer," she said.
"Unfortunately. I've decided not to return to the Police Force, and seeing that you wanted me to stay until the external hiring stabilised in return for your sponsorship."
He had decided to go with ANBU.
"What if I waived that condition?" she asked.
Takuma looked at her, unsure how to answer. He wasn't surprised to see another offer from her. If he was being completely honest, he didn't think she really wanted him to work at the Police Force when she had first set down the condition. She knew his conflicted feelings toward what had happened, and her setting up the condition away to settle those feelings.
And now she had even waived that condition.
He understood that she was thinking about her clan, but that didn't mean she wasn't also thinking about him. Becoming affiliated wasn't just a big decision for the individual shinobi—it was also important for the clan, which was not only offering resources they could use elsewhere but also attaching their name to an outsider.
Mikoto's offer showed that she valued him to devote the clan's resources that could be used to satisfy another subordinate clan, and trusted him to be the right representative for the clan. Being valued like this wasn't something he was familiar with, so her straightforward intentions meant a lot to him.
Enough that he couldn't put them in words."I... I'm sorry."
"May I ask why?" asked Mikoto; she sounded neither happy nor angry.
Takuma gazed up at the sky in silence for a moment. "I think I'm tired. I thought I'd spent too much time away at war and wanted to start strong when I got back in—but I've been feeling tired. For a while, I thought it would get better if I just pushed through it," he shook his head, "but nothing has changed. If I let myself go, I would be listlessly staring at clouds all day long," he chuckled. "But I can't allow that to happen, but I can't also allow myself to crash and burn, so I decided to just focus on one thing."
Too many things were changing in his life.
He was being promoted to chunin, which came with additional responsibilities. On top of that, he had to adjust to his new job at ANBU and whatever they had waiting for him after joining. Training for a B-rank jutsu was a different beast than learning a lower-ranked jutsu.
His genjutsu sessions with Mikoto were making a return and he had to fix his approach to combat; he was on the verge of grasping on something, and yet it felt far in the distance simultaneously.
All those things were alread too much for him to handle.
"And my offer can't be that one thing," said Mikoto, a tone of understanding in her voice.
"Right now, I don't think I'm in the proper mental space now to join the Uchiha clan. All eyes would be on me because when they find out that you brought me in. I would need to show results—great results—to not only hold up your name but also show my worth. You might not care, but I do care about not disappointing you—"
"Oh, I do care. Ruin my name, and I'' get angry, and no one likes me when I'm angry," said Mikoto with a smile.
Takuma chuckled before sighing.
"And what is the one thing you'll focus on?" she asked.
"Inner peace, I think," he said. "I've been ignoring some things that I need to take care of before I can move forward."
Above all else the real benefit of joining ANBU was the closeness he would have with ROOT.
More than learning powerful jutsu, he wanted to hunt Kon down because Rikku would not rest in peace as long as her murderer stayed alive. Moreover, Takuma would not be safe as long as ROOT existed to come after him for revenge. He didn't think he could exterminate an entity as vast as ROOT, but ignoring them wasn't an option either.
The day he could tell Rikku's family that she was avenged and informed the team of the same would be the day he would put down the guilt he carried for being the one to survive.
Mikoto hadn't missed the turmoil writing across his face. "So what's next? Back to the Genin Corp?"
"I have something else lined up. I'll tell you when it's confirmed." Takuma didn't want to say anything before ANBU briefed him about what he was supposed to tell people.
"Alright, your loss," said Mikoto as she ruffled his hair.
"Indeed," Takuma smiled apologetically.
"You better not skip our genjutsu lessons."
"Wouldn't even dream about it. Speaking of lessons, there's this girl I want to introduce to you who could use some taijutsu pointers, if you don't mind. Her name is Uchiha Izumi; you might know—"
"You're introducing a Uchiha... to me?" said Mikoto, looking at him as though he had said something absolutely ridiculous.
Takuma grinned. "Well, what can I say? I'm very well connected."
———
The next day, Maruboshi returned from his wilderness trip looking refreshed, and he brought along wild herbs and berries that Takuma used to prepare dinner. They sat together and talked about the ANBU recruitment, explaining what he had to do during the ten days he was away.
Takuma set his chopsticks down and said, "I have decided to join the ANBU. I sent my response earlier today."
"I see." Maruboshi smiled. "I suppose congratulations are in order. You are about to be promoted to chunin. You have worked hard, Takuma."
"Thank you," Takuma smiled.
"Have you already talked with the Police Force?"
"Yes, I even had a meeting with Morino Ibiki of Torture and Interrogation. I also visited Mikoto-sensei and had to apologise for declining her offer," Takuma sighed as he rubbed his temple. It had been very tiring.
"Good, it's good to deal with these matters swiftly," Maruboshi nodded.
Takuma gathered his empty dishes and was about to get up and wash them when he stopped, but he decided to stay seated and fixed his posture while sitting on his knees and facing Maruboshi.
"Uhm, about what you talked about before," said Takuma hesitantly. "Are you sure it won't inconvenience you? Me staying here, that is."
"Of course." Maruboshi smiled warmly. "Do you want to stay?"
"If you would have me," said Takuma, bowing his head.
He had decided that he did not need a separate place, and with Maruboshi opening his home to him, he was more than happy to live with his teacher. He enjoyed their conversations, and it was a warm experience to have someone there to welcome him when he returned home.
"That makes me happy. Meals will be more interesting from now on."
"Thank you," said Takuma, once again bowing in gratitude.
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
Chapitre 320: CH_9.5 (320)
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @
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The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
The process of joining the ANBU was hectic.
He had to formally turn down the Police Force offer and participate in an exit process, which had him sit in three meetings with the Narcotics Taskforce, the Department of Organised Crime, and the personnel office. The only nice thing about the process was that they let him keep his Police Force uniform and identity badge, which he was planning to frame and hang up at home.
He also attended a farewell party with the original Narcotics Taskforce members. He was bombarded with questions about what was next for him, which he answered vaguely because he genuinely didn't know much and also didn't want to reveal anything before everything was confirmed.
The Torture and Interrogation department also sent an offer, which would have been a good, standard rank promotion deal. However, it was lacklustre compared to what the ANBU and even the Police Force had offered, so he politely refused them with a formal letter.
Anko admonished him for rejecting the offer when he said he didn't have anything else lined up. Just like everyone else, he had been vague with her as well, but when she found out that he had quit the Police Force, he had to sit through a long talk. She even offered to talk with Ibiki to convince him to disregard Takuma's refusal—but he managed to reassure her that he was fine.
After all that, he was finally invited to the ANBU headquarters for a briefing.
———
Just like the last time, he entered the headquarters through the front gates and found himself before the same kunoichi receptionist he had pickpocketed for weapons. And from the way she was frowning, she remembered him.
"I am truly sorry about last time." Takuma took the initiative to apologise because, from the looks of it, she had at least been reprimanded for the blunder—and he felt guilty about that.
The kunoichi narrowed her eyes at him before putting on a plastic, professional smile. "Please, there is no need to apologise. I was careless. It wouldn't happen again," she said before guiding him through the building.
She walked beside him instead of leading from the front and remained at a vigilant distance so he wouldn't be able to swipe things off of her. He felt awkward because she didn't speak a single word to him the entire time, and he felt it was not the correct time to make things right.
The location was through same door as the last time, which opened up to an empty space with office rooms on one side and open floor space on the other. The bright white lights were all turned on, but unlike the last time, five people dressed in standard gear were waiting instead of the two ANBU-nin.
They were the other candidates from his cohort.
"Yo, you're the last one," Amami waved at him before patting the empty seat next to her.
Six chairs were set up in two columns of three, facing each other. Only six candidates, including Takuma, were present. The final round had eight, meaning the other two had either failed or rejected the offer.
He sat down beside her, and she immediately bumped his shoulder with hers.
"Stealing my job, was it?" she whispered into his ear.
He shrugged. "Did it bother you? I hope so."
"Not one bit. Seeing that you're here, you must've accepted them."
"You as well, I suppose," he said.
Amami nodded.
Takuma gazed at the other candidates. None of them were strangers to him; he chatted with everyone during the day they had spent at the camp after the forest test. But, except the Hyuuga, it was his first time seeing their faces.
Four and Five were missing, but their teammates, Ten and Sixteen, were present.
"Introduce yourself," said Amami.
"Oh yeah, sure." Takuma faced the candidates. "Hello, everyone. I am Thirteen. My name is Takuma. It's nice to meet you all again. Congratulations on passing."
Everyone introduced themselves to him.
Three — Yamanaka Amami.
Seven — Hyuuga Kojuro.
Ten — Sonaba Yazo.
Fourteen — Azugimoto Etomi.
Sixteen — Yaya Utamatsu.
All of them except for Takuma were already chunin.
"You're quite young, Takuma," said Yaya Utamatsu with an impressed nod.
"I might be wrong, but ANBU's minimum age requirement is thirteen and above. You barely meet that at fourteen. They must really like you to recruit you so young," said Azugimoto Etomi as she looked him up and done with crossed arms.
Takuma was by far the youngest of the group at fourteen. After him, Hyuuga Kojuro was eighteen, and Etomi was nineteen. The group itself had a wide age range. Utamatsu was the oldest, at twenty-five. Amami was twenty, and Sonaba Yazo was twenty-two.
"It just means I have the most to learn," said Takuma. And it was true when it came to experience. The others had been chunin for a while, and seeing that ANBU selected them, they were all talented and skilled.
He knew he would be playing catch-up from the very start.
"The ANBU gives their operatives animal codenames. Eisbaer, Leopard, Ant, and so on." Amami addressed the group. "Naturally, we'll get our codenames as well, but I was wondering how about we have a group thing and use our candidate numbers with each other. Something more personal just for our cohort."
"It works from a practical standpoint," said Kojuro. "It will prevent us from using our real names or codenames since we'll be in the habit of using numbers, so the chances of accidentally revealing our real names or codenames at the wrong places will go down significantly."
Sonaba Yazo smiled. "I like the sound of that; let's do it."
"I don't mind it either," said Takuma. It gave the group a sense of belonging unique to themselves; they were entering a very secretive organisation, and having allies for even moral support was a positive.
He glanced at Amami; she was very good at socialisation. Since everyone was in agreement, it was decided that the group would address each other by their candidate numbers. Ten minutes later, the door opened, and two operatives dressed in black-and-grey ANBU gear walked in. They were Swine and Vespa, the two shinobi he had met during his first visit to the headquarters.
"Good morning, everyone," said Swine, a large man with even larger muscles. He made Yazo, who was taller than him, look smaller in comparison in sheer width. "First of all, I would like to congratulate you on passing our assessments. We are excited to bring you in and allow you to show what you can do for the village and the country."
Vespa, the kunoichi wearing the bee-inspired mask, stood behind Swine and stared at the group like she had done the last time.
"As a welcome, allow us to introduce ourselves," Swine said before removing his mask to reveal a a square face, sharp jaw and rough beard, and swept-back dirty blonde hair.
Vespa removed her mask as well. She had sharp, angular eyes and a gaze that seemed to cut through steel. Her hair was styled in an asymmetrical bob, and she wore earrings with a yellow crystal design.
"Every ANBU-nin is given a codename. Mine is Swine; my associate goes by Vespa. You will be given your names on your first day. There's no rule against sharing or using your real names among operatives and colleagues. I imagine you will use your real names regularly, however, we encourage you to stick to codenames to address yourself and your colleagues whenever possible to develop a habit of only using codenames. Do not stress about having your name floating out there within the department; it will eventually get out regardless of your intention."
The group glanced at each other; they were just discussing codenames.
"This meeting is to inform you about what the next few months of your life will look like and other key details now that you are joining us," said Swine. "Your employment with ANBU is a secret that's not supposed to be shared with others. However, we understand everyone has family and friends, and you need to tell them something. For that reason, we provide cover jobs for all operatives that you are free to share with whomever your heart desires.
"For example, ANBU-nin often use covers such as being diplomats, secretaries, cultural and security attache, or nothing at all and simply being independent shinobi running missions. Usually, the cover jobs are anything that allow for and expects frequent travel so your loved ones won't be suspicious about why you are out of the village so often."
The ANBU had extensive manuals and modules to prepare them for their cover job and Takuma would need to pass a test to check their knowledge so they don't attract suspicion by behaving incorrectly. To support the cover, he would even work out of pseudo-legitimate offices and workspaces outside the headquarters, which was very important for the cover's legitimacy.
"What is your cover job?" Yazo asked Swine.
"Good question. Many operatives' cover jobs have them work from a restricted area within the village to avoid family looking for them at their place of work.."
Restricted areas existed within the Hidden Leaf village and were heavily guarded. Only those with specific clearance and access could enter them. The ANBU headquarters itself was located within a restricted area, as was the area around the village's water treatment and power plants, which were considered key security locations.
"My cover job has me working in a fuinjutsu research and testing facility located in a restricted area," Swin replied. "My family or friends can't visit that restricted area, so I don't need to be there, which allows me to work out of the headquarters. Even if they somehow managed to get there, we have contingencies planned for those cases."
"We've had decades' worth of experience to refine our operating procedures," said Vespa for the first time; her voice was soft but clear. "As long as you properly study the resources, you won't have to think, much less stress about maintaining your cover."
"She is right. In my nine years working with ANBU, I have only run into a problematic situation once, and it would've been avoided if I followed the instructions in the manual," Swine nodded with a sigh.
"Can we choose our covers?" asked Etomi.
The entire group was interested in the question. Since they would all have to justify their choices to their friends and family, it was important to have a cover that was easier to explain. There was also a prestige and reputation aspect where having a good cover would mean having a better social status.
"The short answer is no. We will discuss options with you, but the final decision will not be yours to make," Swine said semi-sternly.
The disappointment was expected.
"After your onboarding is complete, you will go through a training period that may last anywhere up to three months, depending upon how quickly you pass all our requirements to be field operational," said Swine before his amusement vanished, replaced with a cautioning stare. "Do not take more than three months to complete all your requirements. The moment you pass that three-month mark, your pay will stop, and you will start accruing harsh fines that will be deducted from your future pay—and you do not want to be known as someone who didn't pass the training."
"People will look at you differently," said Vespa in a grave tone.
The way the two ANBU-nin put it was enough to get the point across, nevermind the fines. They couldn't tell them to hurry up the training as that would be reckless and irresponsible, but their intention was clear: complete the training as soon as possible.
However, when Takuma heard they had three months to train, he was thinking of something else entirely. 'They're going to pay me to train for three months? Hmm...'
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
109 Power
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