The middle-aged man who gathered at the agreed place stood in the center of the open space, looking very calm.
There was no subordinate genin beside him.
In fact, Itachi was the only one who came here to meet the middle-aged man.
This middle-aged man is Itachi's leader, Yuzuki Minazuki.
A jounin with a slight reputation in Konoha, but he is not a powerful jonin himself, and he looks very ordinary, not a great big shot.
Almost three days have passed since the joint chuunin exams ended.
The transfer order from the Hokage has been issued. Itachi will later serve as a member of the Anbu, directly under the command of the third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and serve as a bridge of communication between Uchiha and the village's senior officials.
Therefore, he could not continue to stay in the usual team, that is to say, he came to say goodbye to Ninzu Mazuki Yuzuki.
Moreover, there was always an unsolved doubt in his mind.
This was also the main purpose that prompted Itachi to come here.
"Congratulations, Itachi."
As Itachi's leading jounin, Minazuki Yuzuki showed a plain smile on his face and said congratulations to Itachi.
But there was no pride or joy in his eyes, only an inexplicable sense of exhaustion.
"Thank you. By the way, where are the others?"
Itachi looked at the clearing where only Minazuki Yuzuki was alone, and the other two genin in the team were missing.
"They are not strong enough. I have ordered them to return to the ninja school and re-study."
Minazuki Yuzuki smiled with the same calm tone.
Itachi couldn't help but clenched his fist.
Although his former teammate Izumo Denma was killed two years ago, Inari Mako quit the ninja industry because he realized the cruelty of the ninja world, returned to inherit the family property, and opened a tea shop in Konoha with a prosperous business.
However, two more teammates were added later. Although the relationship was not harmonious, they were sent back to the ninja school to re-study...Itachi couldn't help but get to know his leader Yuzuki Minazuki again.
This man may be very despicable.
"Don't you have anything to explain?"
Itachi asked.
Seeing Itachi's gradually recovering calm expression, Yuzuki Minazuki couldn't help but admire: "You are indeed a genius of the Uchiha clan. It is precisely because of your status that you can stand out from me."
"What?"
Itachi frowned.
"You guessed it right. It was my intention to let the two of them return to the Ninja School to re-study."
"Why do what?"
"This has nothing to do with you, the eldest son of the Uchiha clan, right? Or do you want to teach me a lesson?"
Minazuki Yuzuki smiled.
Itachi couldn't help but tense up.
Although he passed the chuunin exam, with his current strength, it may be very difficult to deal with a jounin.
Minazuki Yuzuki must have paid attention to the battle in which he used illusion to defeat his opponent, and would not easily fall into his illusion.
In this situation, it would be unwise to fight a Jonin.
However, he did not come here this year to fight Minazuki Yuzuki.
This is still Konoha Village, and even though he is disdainful of Minazuki Yuzuki's behavior, he is still a member of Konoha.
"Chuan Ma said something to me before he died. I didn't understand it before, but I understand it now."
Itachi suddenly mentioned Izumo Denma, who had been dead for two years.
His death prompted the birth of Itachi's Sharingan.
Minazuki Yuzuki continued to laugh and said: "Really? Although that boy Denma is usually careless, he is extremely sensitive in some aspects. He must have already seen that I have the intention of hiding you. However, you can see the 'friend' in your eyes These two words are really not easy."
"What's the meaning?"
"You are too aloof, Itachi. The reason why you never forget Denma is probably because his death became the nourishment for your Sharingan."
Minazuki Yuzuki seemed to have seen through something.
"So what? Carrying the will of my companions to die and protecting the village is what I want to do."
"That's really great. Forget it, I'm not qualified to scold you. Now that you are a chuunin, you really don't need to look at my face to speak... You have graduated from the fledgling stage, Itachi."
Minazuki Yuzuki's tone was very complicated, but this time the congratulations were serious.
"Then why do you want to do this? In the past few years, you have been avoiding letting me participate in the Chunin Exam. If the village's higher-ups hadn't allowed me to participate in the Chunin Exam alone, I might never have made it."
Itachi said.
He wanted to know Minazuki Yuzuki's reason for doing this.
Is it really just boring jealousy?
Even if it is jealousy, it is too much to reach this point.
"Haha." Minazuki Yuzuki suddenly laughed out loud, looked at Itachi who was confused, and said to him: "You are thinking too much. Even I don't have the ability to hide you. It's just your father who thinks it's okay. It’s just not time to take action.”
"Father?"
"Yes, political matters are always unclear. Your Excellency is far more terrifying than you think. However, as an Uchiha clan member, you may not be able to avoid it. As your teacher, although in the past I feel sorry for you, but I still want to remind you not to have too much trust in the village’s higher-ups.”
Seeing the dissatisfaction on Itachi's face, Minazuki Yuzuki just laughed to himself, shook his head, and turned around to leave.
"As expected, you are just a child. The answer to the question you asked is - I once followed Namikaze Minato."
After leaving these words, Minazuki Yuzuki's figure walked further and further away until he disappeared from Itachi's eyes.
'I once followed Namikaze Minato'... What does this mean? Itachi couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence.
Minazuki Yuzuki kept sending his genin back to the ninja school in an almost rude manner, and even suppressed him, a genius of the Uchiha clan. What does it have to do with the deceased fourth generation Hokage Namifeng Shuito?
◎
After saying goodbye to Itachi, Minazuki Yuzuki was walking alone in the park. What he felt was not despair, but a kind of confusion.
He didn't lie to Itachi.
Because he had a reason to do so.
During the time when the Fourth Hokage was confirmed, he offered his loyalty to Namikaze Minato, thinking that he could do great things with the energetic Hokage.
At that time, he was in his thirties, at the peak of his powers as a ninja, and his passion had not faded. He did not want to live a life of death struggle.
It is reasonable to be attracted to the young Hokage Namikaze Minato.
He had always believed that Namikaze Minato could become the master of Konoha's revival and remove the solidified remnants of the era from the village.
In addition, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Tingza and others also joined the camp, which made him feel that Konoha still has the potential to move forward.
When they were all carrying out this great undertaking with great hope - the fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato died.
This bad news directly defeated all the ninjas who took refuge in him.
After that, the old third-generation Hokage returned to power, and the subordinates belonging to the fourth-generation Hokage, those who resigned, those who were recruited, those who were hidden... suffered unprecedented suppression.
As an ordinary Jonin himself, Minazuki Yuzuki knew that he had no power to resist the Third Hokage.
He is just a civilian, and he has become a jounin through more than thirty years of hard work.
There is no family behind it, and the ninjutsu is very simple.
If targeted, he would be the first.
It is definitely not possible to rather die than surrender. That will really 'disappear' from within Konoha, and it will not affect the Third Hokage at all.
Because the person who takes action will definitely be Shimura Danzo, the root leader.
When the Fourth Hokage dies, his power will naturally be divided up by the upper echelons.
He does not have a family background like Nara Shikaku, so he can rely on the strength of his family, which makes Danzo dare not act rashly. Relying on the influence of the Nara clan, Nara Shikaku can still inherit his father's position and become the Jonin squad leader of Konoha.
Unlike Hatake Kakashi, who became famous at a young age and saved the life of Jiraiya, one of the three ninjas, he could still be respected by the Third Hokage afterwards, join the ANBU, get steadily promoted, and be close to the core of the village.
This is the sadness of being a small person.
If you want to survive, you can only use self-destruction to let Danzo catch him and escape the fate of being wiped out.
In this way, it is tantamount to leaving your life completely to the roots to decide.
Just as he suspected, Danzo let him go and used these handles to develop him into a non-staff member at the root, acting as an informant.
After that, Minazuki Yuzuki felt that his dream had been shattered.
Therefore, what I feel is not only despair, but also confusion.
It's like standing at a crossroads, without direction indicators, and you don't know what to do for a while.
The Third Hokage would not reuse him, and Danzo would not loosen the chain around his neck.
If you want to blame, you can only blame yourself for standing in the wrong queue in a moment of impulsiveness.
"Really, it's such a failure that people in their thirties and forties still have such drive..."
Minazuki Yuzuki smiled bitterly while sitting on a park bench.
Itachi successfully promoted to chuunin from his team, so Genji no longer needed him to monitor Itachi.
Naturally, this team is no longer worth maintaining.
What kind of fate will be arranged for me next?
Should we go directly to the root...or should we continue to use this 'jealous' method, continue to lead the genin to perform tasks, repeat this 'jealous' pattern, and live a life of embarrassment and despicableness...
Thinking of this, Minazuki Yumu's heart was filled with unwillingness.
I have experienced countless lives and deaths on the battlefield in the past. Even if I am surrounded by enemies, I have never been so desperate.
If possible, if he died on the battlefield, he would still be entitled to the title of 'hero', and he would not have to live in such a miserable state.
I also thought about committing suicide.
But thinking about his wife who shares the same joys and sorrows, and his children who are already in school... these are all reasons that prevent him from committing suicide. He must live.
Even if he is barely alive, he still has to shoulder the responsibilities that a man should have.
It would be too easy for you to commit suicide.
We can only take one step at a time.
Just when I was feeling depressed, a voice rang in my ears:
"You don't seem to be in a good mood, Minazuki Jounin."
When Minazuki Yuzuki heard this, he subconsciously raised his head.
I saw a man with a strange five-pointed hairstyle.
"Are you... Haruno Zhao?"
It’s the other person’s hairstyle that is so recognizable.
The other party was an ordinary chuunin from Konoha, so he could barely be considered a familiar person.
But it’s also true that we didn’t have much communication in the past.
"It's me. Why, didn't your student become a chuunin? Many people say he is a genius. Why are you looking so sad?"
Haruno Zhao sat next to Minazuki Yuzuki very familiarly and said in an envious tone.
He was indeed envious that a ten-year-old child had become a chuunin. He was much more powerful than a chuunin like him who was just dawdling.
"My team was disbanded, just yesterday."
"Eh? Is that so? Sorry."
"It doesn't matter, but your life is still free."
Minazuki Yuzuki said.
"Haha, a mediocre chuunin like me can only live like this."
Haruno Zhao laughed at himself.
"There's nothing wrong with dawdling around."
"If you're feeling depressed, would you like to go have a drink? I know a newly opened izakaya. The food and drinks there are delicious."
Haruno Zhao could tell that Minazuki Yuzuki was in a bad mood, so he suggested.
Minazuki Yuzuki thought for a while and nodded in agreement.
That's right, even if the road ahead is difficult, you still have to endure and survive.
Since the death of the Fourth Hokage, he has no future in this village.
As long as the Third Hokage reigns for a day, little people like him will only be marginalized, and when war breaks out, they will be put to use as soon as possible.
"Well, let's invite some friends to go together."
"Is today a festival?"
"No, but life needs a sense of ritual, right? You work hard every day, and you need to reward yourself occasionally."
Haruno Zhao said with a smile.
Minazuki Youmu was a little envious, it seemed good to live a stable life like this.
◎
The day of farewell has arrived.
"Thank you for your hard work over the past two years, Mr. Fujimura."
Kazuki bowed respectfully to her class teacher, Taiga Fujimura.
Today is the day she leaves Konoha and officially returns to the Kingdom of Demons.
In the Kingdom of Ghosts, her ticket for sailing back to the Kingdom of Ghosts has been booked.
Before that, Yiji also said goodbye to her classmates and teachers one by one.
No matter what, we have known each other for two years and should not leave without saying a word.
"Ah, it's okay. I didn't expect Mahiru-san to be the princess of the Kingdom of Demons..."
To be honest, Fujimura was quite confused when he suddenly heard the news.
He originally wanted to train a new outstanding ninja in Konoha, but it turned out that the other party was a princess from the country of ghosts. He was just a transfer student at Konoha Ninja School in the name of diplomacy.
He didn't know about this at first, he just trained Kazuhime as a member of Konoha.
Only today did I know Yi Ji’s true identity.
"Although parting is very sad, I will remember Mr. Fujimura's education. This is a farewell gift."
Kazuki solemnly put a gift box into Fujimura's hands. Inside was some specialties from the Kingdom of Ghosts, which could be regarded as a small reward for Fujimura.
Fujimura hesitated for a moment and accepted it.
Yes, even if the other party is the princess of the Ghost Country, he is still his student.
It's just such a farewell, I don't know when we will see each other again.
After all, the Kingdom of Oni is too far away from Konoha, and the other party is still a princess. In the future, she may inherit the position of the miko of the Kingdom of Oni, which is equivalent to a daimyo of a country.
Watching Ichiki leave, he walked towards the entrance of the ninja school, where the accompanying miko and ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni were waiting.
The next time we meet, maybe we will meet as enemies. Yiji was thinking as she walked.
"Really, Hokage-sama made a joke on me."
Fujimura complained slightly helplessly.
It has always been his wish to train outstanding ninjas.
Although it is a skill to teach three S-class defecting ninjas, it has always had a bad reputation.
If possible, I would still like to train excellent ninjas who are loyal to the village.
The appearance of Yi Ji gave him hope.
It turned out that the other party was a princess from another country. It was absolutely impossible for her to join Konoha, and Konoha could not take her in.
Hopes dashed... Touching his bald head with sparse hair, Fujimura sighed.
Being twenty years younger was indeed his own illusion.
He withdrew his gaze and walked straight back into the classroom.
◎
Uchiha tribe, Nanga Shrine.
This was Itachi's first time entering the family's secret place.
He has always been curious about Nanga Shrine, and now he can finally get a closer look.
At this moment, in the huge house of Nanga Shrine, the elite ninjas of the Uchiha clan gathered.
Almost all Uchiha ninjas without missions gather here.
This includes his father Fugaku, and his close friend Shisui who is regarded as an elder brother.
They congratulated themselves on becoming chuunin, and Itachi thanked them one by one.
It can be seen that these clan members are sincerely happy that they have become chuunin.
Itachi is also very aware of his status in the family. Although he is a low-key person now, as long as he continues to become stronger, one day he will have a greater say in the family.
That way, you can change this family.
Moreover, as he plans to join ANBU, he already has a certain say.
"In this way, Itachi can also join the guard team, which may change the clan's status in the village."
The Uchiha ninja who spoke had high expectations for Itachi.
But after he finished saying this, Fugaku fell silent and replied: "I don't plan to let Inuko join the police force."
"Um?"
Fugaku's words attracted the attention of many Uchiha ninjas.
"What does this mean? Clan leader?"
"Literally, I plan to let Itachi join the ANBU, and the Third Hokage and other senior officials have already agreed."
The transaction with the Third Hokage was not revealed to anyone in the clan.
Mentioning it at this time also means cutting it off first and telling it later.
Sure enough, after Fugaku said these words, many Uchiha ninjas had strange expressions, and most even expressed dissatisfaction.
"You mean to let Itachi join the ANBU? How is this possible? Because of the security issues in the village, we have had many conflicts with the ANBU. What's the point of going to a place like that?"
The business of the police force and ANBU overlap in many places.
But as long as the security issues are not handled well, the villagers will only attribute the problem to the Uchiha clan and blame the ANBU. This is where many Uchiha clan members feel dissatisfied and rejected.
Because of this ambiguous management boundary, the Uchiha clan is extremely repulsive to ANBU.
Fugaku put Itachi into the ANBU, which naturally made many Uchiha ninjas working in the security force dissatisfied.
It's just that due to his status as the clan leader, he didn't completely explode.
"I know this very well. That's why Itachi needs to enter the ANBU and monitor the movements of the ANBU and high-level officials for us."
Fugaku replied calmly.
There are two troops maintaining law and order in Konoha.
One is the Konoha Guard, the chief of the Uchiha clan.
The other one is the ANBU that belongs directly to the Hokage.
When a major crime occurs in Konoha Village, the security team will not intervene, but the ANBU will handle it.
It's just that the boundaries are not clearly defined.
Which major criminal incidents are handled by the police force and which ones are handled by the ANBU, all depends on the Hokage's judgment of the severity of the incident and handling. There is no precise dividing line.
It is precisely because of this ambiguous 'law' that the job conflicts between the police force and the Anbu have arisen.
When the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato was in power, the Jonin squad leader Nara Shikaku once raised this issue, but later with the death of the Fourth Hokage, this matter fell into disuse.
In recent years, the number of conflicts with ANBU has become more frequent.
The reason is that the Uchiha clan is under surveillance by ANBU.
The higher-ups suspected that the Nine-Tails Rebellion was caused by Uchiha Ruri, who had long since defected, and the mole who remained in the Uchiha clan.
Although there is no definite evidence, ANBU's sight often stays in the domain of the Uchiha clan, and many Uchiha jounin are aware of this.
"You mean to let Itachi..."
"Yes, just as the ANBU monitors us, Itachi will be our eyes to monitor the ANBU and higher-ups."
Fugaku answered in the affirmative.
Many people doubted this and thought that Itachi could do such a thing well.
But Fugaku's approach was also for the sake of the clan, and there was no reason to refute him.
They do have one eye to monitor ANBU and higher-ups.
"That's okay. We, the Uchiha clan, have been ostracized since the founding of the village. If Itachi can play the role of a good eye, then future plans will be much smoother."
The speaker was a radical Uchiha ninja.
He said meaningfully.
"This kind of matter needs to be considered in the long term and should not be taken hastily..."
Fugaku hesitated.
The other party's hidden intention was very clear, and he wanted to obtain Uchiha's right to speak through a dangerous coup.
"You are too concerned about one thing and not the other, clan leader. Isn't it possible that the combined strength of all the Uchiha clan is not as good as that of a fourth-generation Mizukage?"
The radical Uchiha ninja blurted out.
Don't worry about misfortune coming from your mouth. The people here are all members of the Uchiha clan. No one will tell such things and betray the interests of the same clan.
The most important thing is that the fourth generation Mizukage of Kirigakure relied on a coup to seize power. There is no reason why the Uchiha clan cannot do it.
Compared to the Fourth Mizukage, their Uchiha clan background is deeper.
The success rate of beheading high-level village officials is high.
"Don't mention this kind of thing again, give me some more time to think about it."
Fugaku shook his head.
A coup is a method that will be chosen only when there is no choice.
The risk of failure is simply too great.
Moreover, the Fourth Mizukage's successful coup was unknown to many circumstances, and the Uchiha clan simply could not replicate the successful coup model of the Fourth Mizukage.
Itachi just silently listened to the conversation between his father and the clan members, feeling slightly repulsed.
He is obviously a companion of the same village, but why are the tribesmen always dissatisfied with the village and the Hokage and other senior officials who carefully manage the village.
And some people are obviously instigating some dangerous ideas in an attempt to harm the village's senior officials.
His father, Fugaku, was so accommodating to these people and did not dare to refuse clearly. This was a dangerous signal in Itachi's opinion.
People with narrow vision always create disputes that should not arise because of their own selfish interests.
Facing the tribesmen who doubted the correctness of the village and even had fierce resistance, Itachi's inner enthusiasm suddenly dropped.
Always limited to the narrow-minded thinking of one group's interests, these people are simply unable to realize the true overall situation.
