Chapitre 320: CH_9.5 (320)

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———

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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Chapitre 321: CH_9.6 (321)

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———

In the afternoon, after lunch, the Uchiha family gathered in the living room to relax together while doing their own things. This was a rare occurrence, as their schedule seldom allowed them to spend time together except for meals, and even that was irregular.

The youngest of the family, Sasuke, had a cute frown between his brows as he stared at the shogi board before him. His elder brother, Itachi, sat on the other side with a calm smile.

"There's nothing left for you, Sasuke. It's over," said Itachi.

"No, give me a minute!" Sasuke pouted.

It had been several months since Shimura Danzo had abandoned the Hidden Leaf and more time since Shisui's death. The family that had been fractured due to the reveal of Itachi's action had healed to the point they could behave as they did normally before everything happened. However, the truth remained in the back of their minds, and it created walls that the family as a whole chose to ignore to preserve their peace and harmony.

Fugaku was reading some literature when he heard his wife gasp. He looked up to see her covering her mouth with a hand in surprise as she read a letter. He asked what it was about.

"Takuma..."

"Yes?"

"He's getting promoted," she said with joy.

There was a social tradition where shinobi announced their promotions to family, friends, and acquaintances. Only a few managed to get promoted to chunin, making it a significant event in a shinobi's life.

Fugaku remembered sending out letters before his chunin promotion. He had to send them to more than a thousand people, making it impossible to write them by hand—but his father didn't want to send printed letters, so he hired calligraphers to write the letters.

Takuma's letter was also handwritten. The calligraphy was barely average but it showed that he had put in the effort to address everyone individually.

"Where did he join?" asked Fugaku, trying to see which entity had given Takuma his promotion. He was disappointed to see a promising talent like him leave; unfortunately, the circumstances weren't right.

"It doesn't say. I bet he got a field promotion," Mikoto sighed.

Fugaku paused. He had managed to get his hand on the war commission's file on Takuma, and what the lad had done in the Steam-Frost war had been surprising, to say the least. His position as the Uchiha clan head granted him a great deal of influence, allowing him to see even the confidential bits.

Reading that he had killed a jonin was the biggest surprise he had gotten that week. That alone made a field promotion unsurprising and Takuma had done a lot more during his time away from the village.

"Mister Takuma is a chunin now?" said Sasuke, using the conversation as an excuse to escape the lost game. Takuma had been at their house enough that he had left an impression strong enough that Sasuke remembered him despite not seeing him for a year.

"Yes, dear," said Mikoto. "Want to come with me to the ceremony?"

"Okay!"

"No wonder he passed on the Police Force offer; he must be confident about earning a field promotion," said Itachi as he reset the shogi board.

"He's the first one from his batch who went to the Genin Corp to get a chunin rank promotion," said Mikoto with pride.

"Aren't brother and Mister Takuma the same age? Brother is better; he's already a jonin!" said Sasuke with a similar pride.

As his wife bragged about her student, their kid bragged about his elder brother.

"That's not a fair comparison," said Fugaku from the side.

Mikoto chuckled. "Listen to this: Takuma actually introduced a Uchiha to me. Isn't that funny? An outsider introduced two clan members to each other. Isn't that hilarious, Sasuke?"

"Yes!"

"Who was it? Someone from the Police Force?" asked Fugaku.

"It was Izumi. She's your friend, right, Itachi?" Mikoto looked at her son.

"Izumi?" Itachi muttered with a slight raise of his eyebrows. "They are from the same academy batch." Technically, he was as well, but he took an early graduation after attending for one year.

"Are you planning to take her as a student?" Fugaku asked Mikoto. She had been focused on their children and parenting for over a decade, but now that Itachi was grown and Sasuke was increasingly able to take care of himself, she had a lot of free time.

"I don't know. It was easy with Takuma because he was an outsider and from the Police Force, so no one complained, and they definitely won't complain now," said Mikoto. Takuma had cemented his position as her student. "But if I teach Izumi, everyone and their grandfather in their clan will beg me to teach their kids... I don't know if I want to do that."

It all sounded very annoying from Mikoto's point of view.

"Did Izumi want to discuss taijutsu?" asked Itachi.

"Yes, she has been facing blocks with her taijutsu progress and wanted my advice." Mikoto sighed, "How can a Uchiha face a block with taijutsu? They just need to use their eyes properly."

The father and eldest son held back their sighs as they heard the familiar rant. Mikoto saw the sharingan and its abilities much differently than the rest of the clan. The father-son duo agreed with her views and saw the potential—she was a jonin—but they had heard the same rant hundreds of times over the years.

"You should give Izumi a chance, mother," said Itachi.

He knew his mother was disappointed that she never taught him much when he was younger. For a year before Sasuke was born, she taught him taijutsu, and he picked up her methodology and even applied it, making her happy. The problem was that Itachi preferred genjutsu and ninjutsu over taijutsu; thus, he never took it anywhere near where she wanted him to.

Mikoto wanted a taijutsu-centred student.

Takuma was her genjutsu student and didn't possess the sharingan to copy her methods. Until Sasuke unlock his sharingan, he couldn't be a true student, and even then, there was no telling if he would take to her teachings. However, Izumi not only had the sharingan but was also interested in taijutsu.

"She's very open-minded. If you teach her your philosophy, she might apply it earnestly," said Itachi.

Mikoto gazed at her son before giving him a knowing look.

"Mother?"

"Okay, I will meet with her again to test her. She's your friend, right? When was the last time you met her?"

"It's been some time."

"That's not good. You have to keep in contact with friends, dear. Go catch up with her and invite her to come meet me."

Fugaku, reading the letter, noticed the date of the promotion ceremony. It made him realise that it hadn't been too long since Takuma returned home, but he was already getting promoted, which was surprising as field promotions took at least a couple of months to go through.

He remembered the Takuma's jonin-in-command out at the war, Toridasu—an unreasonable type with no problem being pushy. He was an old player who had done a lot for the village. At Toridasu's age, jonin didn't go to the frontlines, leaving such duties to younger jonin, but the old man remained active—and it had given him a large amount of influence.

A jonin's interference could explain the quick turnaround.

Fugaku nodded. It made sense why Takuma felt comfortable not taking his offer.

———

A rank promotion was debatably the most important moment in a shinobi's career. A meagre percentage of genin managed to get promoted to chunin. For most, it was the ceiling they would yearn to reach in their lives, making it all more special.

There was a dedicated hall in the Hidden Leaf village, which was exclusively used for rank promotions. Even jonin—all of them—had their promotion ceremony held at the same hall, which increased the importance and charm of the location.

Takuma, dressed in the standard Leaf gear without the flak jacket, looked at the tall ceiling of the hall and felt the jitters of nervousness. Everything from the carpet beneath his feet to the ornaments decorating the hall dripped with opulence.

Culturally, shinobi lived simple lives—but this place was the complete opposite.

Today, he was getting promoted to chunin.

Officially speaking, he was already a chunin. The ANBU had made it so that anyone looking would see that he had received a field promotion. He had all the paperwork sitting in his room in Maruboshi's home.

The promotion ceremony was a social tradition in the Hidden Leaf. Initially, he didn't want the fanfare, but Maruboshi insisted he do it because it was an occasion of celebration and joy. He had written nearly a hundred invitations to his promotion ceremony that went to all his friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.

Thankfully, he had the Water Clone jutsu to assist him in the mindless copying while he personally handled the personalised variations he sent to the people he was close to, like Mikoto. The chunin rank promotion ceremony was a group event that only happened three to four times a year, during which a handful of chunins would have their ceremony together. However, because the Chunin Exams had happened recently, there had already been a ceremony—making it so that Takuma was having his ceremony alone.

Better yet, Takuma hadn't spent a single coin on expenses besides the letters. Normally, he would have had to wait for his ceremony until the next group slot, but ANBU pulled strings to have it done immediately because they wanted everything over before he joined so he could focus on training.

Takuma was suddenly slapped on the back, leaving a searing burn that made him hiss. He turned back to see the trio of Masaaki, Ai, and Nenro all dressed up for his ceremony.

"Lighten up; why are you so stiff?" said Masaaki after slapping him.

"Congratulations. This is from us," Nenro smiled as he gave him a gift-wrapped box.

"You didn't have to," said Takuma as he received the gift.

"This place is too much, as always," Ai sighed as she looked around the hall.

"Ah, right. You were here for Mister Oishi's promotion ceremony," said Takuma. Taro's dad had been promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin while he was at the war. Ai, being his student, was naturally invited.

"Yo, Takuma!"

A loud voice flew through the hall. Anko walked in her usual attire but perhaps had a more fancy coat on and had her hair combed properly. She waved with a big wine bottle with a gift ribbon in one hand while her other hand was around Kameko, dressed in standard gear, who looked a tad bit embarrassed.

Takuma had an inkling that Anko would end up drinking that wine bottle on her own.

"You made me worry for nothing, you little bastard," said Anko, laughing. "You should've told me you were getting promoted. I was so worried when you quit your job and turned down the T&I offer."

"Congratulations, Takuma," said Kameko after pushing Anko and presenting him with a gift.

"Thank you," said Takuma before introducing the two parties. "This is Chunin Mitarashi Anko; she was my commanding chunin at Land of Hot Waters. Anko, these are my friends... and everyone already knows Kameko."

Anko was quick to get chatty with the trio, who knew a couple of things here and there about her from his letters. And after Masaaki challenged Anko to a spar as the first thing he said to her, making her laugh, there was no sign of awkwardness.

More and more people began to arrive at the hall.

"Congratulations, Chunin Takuma," said Iruka with a grin.

"That sounds strange," said Takuma before gazing at the man for a silent second.

"What?" asked Iruku.

"I wouldn't be here if not for you," said Takuma.

Iruka was his first chunin team leader. He had then retained him on his team, allowing him to go on C-rank missions, which was the start of him adding experience to his resume. But much more importantly, if not for Iruka submitting an application to the Police Force on his behalf, Takuma would not have touched them with a hundred-foot pole.

"Please, it was all you. I think you would've come here even if I did nothing," Iruka smiled and patted him on his shoulder. "I am very proud of you, Takuma."

Takuma thought about it and shook his head. His career trajectory could've been very different if he had not entered the Police Force.

Then came Arisu and two more guys, Minoru and Gouki, from the Narcotics Taskforce. Minoru was the sensory-nin, and Gouki was the first and only Uchiha to join the team when he was running the show.

Both of them and Arisu had been with him on the farm raid mission.

"I knew you would make chunin sooner rather than later," said Gouki with a small smile. Maybe because Gouki had unlocked his sharingan during the raid, he held Takuma, who selected him for the mission, in high regard.

"Not as fast as you," said Takuma. Gouki was internally promoted to chunin while he was out at war. It wasn't surprising. An Uchiha received a huge boost to combat when they unlocked their eyes.

"Who knew the ear-biter would be the first one to get promoted from our Genin Corps batch," Arisu said with a beaming smile.

"I think your ear was lucky. I ended up winning the tournament, didn't I? said Takuma.

Arisu turned red and smacked his arm.

Just then, Mikoto walked in with Sasuke, both wearing yukata; they looked the most formal out of everyone present. Unlike when she was at home, Mikoto looked much more dignified and reserved, fitting her position as the Lady Uchiha.

"Takuma," she said.

The Narcotics Taskforce group turned and immediately turned stiff in attention as they suddenly faced their chief's wife, who also happened to be a jonin.

"None of that is needed. Relax," said Mikoto, chuckling.

They did not relax.

"Congratulations, Mister Takuma," said Sasuke, presenting a 'gift scroll' to him.

"Thank you, Sasuke. You look very smart today," Takuma gave the kid a smile. It was all sorts of surreal having Uchiha Sasuke at his rank promotion ceremony.

"So, who's the jonin?" asked Mikoto, looking around. "Maybe I should ask if I can do it."

The chunin promotion ceremony involved presenting the shinobi with a flak jacket. There was no restriction on wearing a flak jacket as it was functional tactical gear—but receiving a flak jacket was a tradition for new chunin.

And the one presenting the flak jacket was always a jonin.

That's where Takuma's nervousness came from.

"It's... Might Gai."

———

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