"..., there were a total of eighteen craftsmen who entered the Uchiha clan yesterday. They were the same as those who entered the day before yesterday. They were all provided by the foreman in charge of Konoha's planning. And every one of them was present. Under the surveillance of at least two companions, nothing suspicious has been found yet."
[Xiang], half-kneeling on the floor, methodically reported on the status of the mission assigned by the adult.
"Yeah, hard work."
"But don't let up."
After listening to this daily report, the solemn expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face did not improve, but gave people the illusion of being more uneasy.
And the list of craftsmen that he keeps flipping through in his hand is the best testimony.
[What is the purpose of that guy recruiting craftsmen to renovate the building that was destroyed by Uchiha Itachi a few years ago? 】
This question has been lingering in his mind for several days, but he has not been able to find the answer until now.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
[Xiang] replied in a deep voice.
However, after responding, he did not stand up and leave as usual, but still half-knelt on the ground, showing a hesitant look.
The eyes hidden behind the white mask flickered, as if there was something else he wanted to say.
"What's wrong? Is there any speculation or discovery?"
"But it doesn't matter."
Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally saw the hesitation of his subordinates.
On the premise that he couldn't find any clues, he hoped to hear some information that could open up his blocked thoughts.
However, it was doomed to be disappointed.
Because the craftsmen who went to the Uchiha clan to renovate their houses were the most ordinary residents in Konoha, and there was nothing special about them.
Huang did indeed ask Xuan Neng to help defend his clan territory.
but,
This is the autonomous region of the Uchiha clan, and it is not the oppressive era controlled by the cowardly clan leader Uchiha Fugaku. How could it be possible for ANBU ninjas to stand guard and watch every day?
To deploy all defenses, you only need to give the other side a comprehensive architectural drawing covering the entire tribe, and the rest of the work can be completed by the tribesmen. This is an opportunity to practice their practical operations.
Those craftsmen, on the other hand, deliberately used feints to attract attention.
Since it has been known for a long time that the two old foxes, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, cannot easily give up monitoring the Uchiha clan, as well as the social forces and individuals with the Uchiha clan.
Then simply let go and let them monitor openly.
Those ordinary carpenters can not only consume the energy of Anbu and Root, but also provide convenience for Xuan Neng's real actions.
yes,
The old man who had sneaked into Konoha several times in the past thirty years entered this seemingly invulnerable village again.
As for his purpose of lurking in this time, in addition to close cooperation and guiding the Uchiha clan to deploy defenses, he also shoulders another unspeakable task.
Of course, the premise of this mission is still that it cannot affect ordinary civilians.
Such a major premise really sets a lot of difficulty for this craftsman who is good at using detonating symbols as a mechanism. As for the deadline to be met, it is naturally the Chunin Examination to be held in Konoha in two months!
Well, it's worth mentioning by the way.
With Xuan Neng providing guidance from outside, hiring ordinary craftsmen to enter the Uchiha clan's territory to carry out bluff repairs was also his own plan.
According to Huang Yuan's intention, he would have directly brought the other party into the clan.
"No, it's not."
[Elephant], who was half kneeling on the ground, hurriedly objected,
Lord Hokage's inquiry made his already hesitant and somewhat tangled heart start to waver again.
"What is that? When did hesitation become the ANBU's way of doing things?"
"Or is it because we 'outsiders' are here and there are some things below that we are not allowed to know?"
In the short gap, Xiaochun suddenly stepped in. The sharp words and the emphasis on the word "outsider" all vented his dissatisfaction at the moment.
But you can't blame her entirely.
Nowadays, the external situation of Konoha is as turbid as a puddle of muddy water. The Uchiha clan inside the village has unveiled a powerful brand like the [Mangekyō Sharingan]. In addition, the Chunin Tournament jointly organized by Sunagakure and Konoha The joint examination is urgent, and everything requires them, those in power, to be extremely careful and cautious.
And during this sensitive period for all parties, the Uchiha clan suddenly made the decision to repair the clan land, which had to make the already tense nerves of these old guys become nervous again!
The ANBU captain, who was scolded by Advisor Koharu, had a strange look in his eyes.
He was already suppressing anger in his heart, but now he was questioned by a consultant with no real power, which made his already uncomfortable mood even worse.
After all, in the final analysis, I am directly loyal to and take orders from the Sandaime Hokage.
It's not just any cat or dog that can be commanded!
"Xiaochun, pay attention to your words, pay attention to your attitude!"
"Don't inflict your emotions on others."
"The ANBU members are all elites that I selected from among a hundred ninjas. I know their abilities best. If you have any questions, please ask me directly next time!!"
However, [Elephant]'s inner dissatisfaction has not been fermented.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's sullen response directly scolded Koharu, who was increasingly unable to calm down his mind.
Of course, under this ruthless and shameless 'big stick', he still dropped a small 'sweet date' for it.
"If you have anything to say, just tell me directly, including Danzo and Men Yan. There's no need to be shy."
"Because regardless of their status as advisors, they are all elite ninjas who have inherited the will of fire and are willing to pay any price for the prosperity of Konoha!"
"The reason why Xiaochun shows such excitement is because caring leads to chaos."
"As the captain of the ANBU, you should be able to see the general environment of the ninja world today. Although it is calm on the surface, the undercurrent is surging."
"The country of Yu in the east suddenly declared a ban, and all the ANBU members there lost news; the Akatsuki organization in the north is still active between the small country and the underground bounty house; even the Sunagakure Village in the west has signed a peace covenant with us , and also proposed a joint examination during this special period."
"Everything around us is reminding us that in this undercurrent environment, we must never see civil unrest again."
"That's why Counselor Koharu is in a situation. Here, on behalf of Koharu, I would like to express my most sincere apology to you and the Anbu who are working hard to protect Konoha. I hope you will not take this matter to your heart."
Such a "big stick" plus "sweet dates" reflects the moderate style of doing things that he has always adhered to. While comforting the Anbu's psychology, it also suppresses and beats Koharu's attitude towards sleeping.
Of course, the one-eyed old man who was also present and mentioned sneered at this, and even lowered his eyes without raising them.
However, [Xiang], who was the captain of the ANBU, looked flattered by such words and the old man's low voice.
At least, the hesitation and strange color in his eyes completely disappeared.
"Yes, Hokage-sama, your words are serious, and all your subordinates will understand!"
"It's just that a few new members of the Anbu who are ignorant are a little dissatisfied with the current surveillance mission, so my subordinates want to report it."
"Now it seems that we were short-sighted."
"The attitude shown by the Ara clan leader recently has indeed endangered the safety of Konoha. Moreover, the Uchiha clan had similar changes a few years ago. Such surveillance is understandable!"
"When my subordinates get back, they will immediately give a good lecture to those impetuous new members."
[Xiang] responded immediately, his voice and attitude were very sincere.
However, he did not fully explain the truth.
The surveillance missions carried out against those ordinary craftsmen did cause dissatisfaction among ANBU members.
But in fact, it is not the so-called new members who are dissatisfied, but some old members with team leader qualifications!
This situation is very scary.
You must know that the ones who should least be dissatisfied and who should unconditionally carry out orders from Hokage are the more senior members! !
【Day by day! 】
[Boss, are we becoming ninjas and ANBU just to monitor these ordinary craftsmen who have lived in Konoha for several years, or even more than ten years? 】
[What is the point of doing this? 】
[What is the meaning of our existence as ANBU? 】
This is what those members complained about themselves in private.
And [Xiang] knows very well that when they, as team captains, have these dissatisfactions, it means that similar emotions must also appear in the teams commanded by these people!
Therefore, he banned his companions who were supposed to come to make routine reports today and chose to come in person.
But now he got the answer, and he also knew the Hokage's foresight and their own short-sightedness.
All these complaints will be explained and settled by myself as the captain of the ANBU.
In the final analysis, such a situation occurred in the ANBU entirely because of its own lack of ability. It was not able to discern the true intention of Lord Hokage at the same time. On the contrary, a similar complaint arose in its heart.
Thinking of this, [Xiang]'s already drooped head drooped even more.
The deep guilt that was ignited also made the heart of supporting the Hokage stronger.
"No, don't blame them."
"It's understandable that young ninjas want to perform some meaningful tasks and make achievements quickly."
"Just like those little guys who just graduated from the Ninja School a month ago, aren't they all clamoring to go on high-level missions?"
Concerned about the ANBU captain who was in a low mood, the white-haired old man sitting in the chair smiled and comforted him without any airs of being a Hokage.
"In this way, we can't let the ANBU keep an eye on those craftsmen who have lived in Konoha for several years every day. Let them rest separately at the end of today. During the remaining period until the end of the chunin exams, there will be ninjas from the base to monitor .”
At the same time, he also rearranged tasks and spoke directly to the roots without asking for advice.
This is indeed a mistake.
The root ninja who abandons all emotions and exists only to complete the task is indeed more suitable for performing such boring tasks.
"Of course, you don't need to blame yourself too much. It was me who didn't disclose all the circumstances when assigning the task."
"And it's normal for everyone to have their own ideas. Otherwise, everyone would be like a cold machine, so what's the point of existence?"
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly picked up the cigarette rod placed on the table.
When the spicy tobacco slipped into his heart and a thick white mist rose up in the room, the palpitations and uneasiness in Yu's heart were slowly suppressed.
[Anbu, something has changed. 】
[It seems that the roots are what the dark parts should look like. 】
"No, no, Hokage-sama trusted the ANBU to assign the surveillance mission."
"This is all due to the subordinate's incompetence."
"If I could understand your meaning earlier, Hokage-sama, then those guys below wouldn't have these unnecessary thoughts."
"I will definitely handle this matter properly when I go back!"
"And I beg you, Hokage-sama, to leave the mission to ANBU."
[Elephant]'s head lowered lower and lower, and his voice became very urgent.
He really felt deep remorse and guilt.
"No need to force it."
To this, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not directly agree, but slowly revealed these four words.
Indulging in lust is also the best way to manipulate people's hearts.
"Please, Hokage-sama, please give ANBU another chance."
[Lord Hokage must also be a little disappointed with himself. 】
The guilt in [Xiang]'s heart became stronger and stronger, and such pessimistic thoughts filled his mind in an instant.
"In this case, if there is dissatisfaction among the ANBU again, let the root..."
After a brief pause, Sarutobi Hiruzen made a symbolic concession.
But before he could finish his words, [Xiang], who was half-kneeling in the room, suddenly raised his head and swore fiercely:
"If this happens again, I will take the initiative to remove you from the position of ANBU Captain."
Such an abrupt response caused a break in the smoke that was rising upwards.
"No need..."
The Sandaime put down the cigarette rod and wanted to continue to say some comforting words.
But when he met the decisive and serious gaze of his subordinates, he suddenly stopped.
"I understand, then it's up to you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was full of helplessness and compromise.
"Yes, thank you Hokage-sama for making it possible."
[Xiang], who got the affirmative answer, responded in a deep voice.
"Is there anything else I need to report?"
"there is none left."
Facing the old man's question again, [Xiang] responded, abandoning other thoughts in his mind.
In fact, before arriving, he had another question, a question from ANBU.
'Boss, have you heard? [Li] and [Tong Yue], who returned to the normal ninja queue, were captured by the people at the root. '
'The crime is to reveal the secrets of Dark Konoha! '
'But being monitored by those shady guys 24 hours a day, even a piece of wood will have mental problems! '
'You know clearly [Li] and [Tong Yue] are human beings, and they will never do anything like leaking Konoha secrets. '
'Boss, can you please beg Hokage-sama to release the two of them from their roots? '
Initially, [Xiang] wanted to express this question together.
But think about it now,
Wasn't the Uchiha clan under their 24-hour surveillance? Why can they still maintain a normal life?
Hokage-sama can't be wrong!
If there is a problem, then the problem must be with them!
What's more, since he is no longer an ANBU person, there is no need to continue to worry.
"Then, my subordinates will resign first."
After gathering his chaotic thoughts, [Elephant] disappeared into the Hokage's office.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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