Inside the Hokage's office, Tatsuma entered through the window this time without breaking the window frame, which left Hiruzen with a bit of regret. After all, Tatsuma's performance was too perfect; an occasional mistake would make him seem more like a youth, a somewhat imperfect young person. However, now that Tatsuma had regained control over his body, Hiruzen could only be disappointed.
Tatsuma came to Hiruzen's desk, saluted, and said, "Hokage-sama, I have returned from leave."
Although Hiruzen had previously hinted that Tatsuma should return as soon as possible, he still asked, "Do you not need to rest for a while longer?"
Tatsuma shook his head and said, "My body has long since recovered, and I have completed my adaptive training. During this time, I also learned Shikigami Jutsu from Jiraiya-sensei. There's nothing else urgent."
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen nodded. He could tell that Tatsuma was indirectly referring to the vacation, but his words subtly hinted at the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Jutsu. Since Tatsuma understood this, naturally, Hiruzen did too. He maintained his expression as if he hadn't understood a thing and asked, "I heard Danzo also taught you some skills?"
Tatsuma, with his head lowered, pursed his lips. Hiruzen's question could be interpreted in many ways, and a wrong answer could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. After thinking for a moment, he chose the safest response, saying, "Danzo-sama valued me and taught me some exclusive Wind Release techniques. I have a basic grasp, but I'm not yet proficient."
On the surface, he was talking about techniques, but implicitly, he was referring to people. Hiruzen remained expressionless, but in the shadows, Shikaku, who had recently taken up his post, narrowed his eyes.
No wonder this classmate received so much praise; this level of conversation doesn't offend anyone.
If Hiruzen approved and appreciated Danzo's actions, then Tatsuma's gratitude would be perfectly appropriate, especially since Tatsuma is so closely aligned with Hiruzen's faction. On the other hand, if Hiruzen was previously unaware of the situation and later disapproved of it, Tatsuma's statement of "not familiar" would quickly distance himself from any association.
While such words may not bring Tatsuma closer to either Hiruzen or Danzo, they also wouldn't push him further away. In the absence of knowing Hiruzen's stance, this is an excellent approach.
Having been the Hokage's guard for half a month, Shikaku had seen many ninjas coming and going in the Hokage's office, but few could be as cautious as Tatsuma, responding in a way that wouldn't displease Hiruzen.
Seeing that Tatsuma neither acted arrogant due to favor nor hurried to distance himself, Hiruzen nodded and continued, "Danzo has had this intention for a long time. I had you visit Danzo with this in mind."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma immediately responded, "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your guidance."
Only then did Hiruzen smile. Tatsuma, this kid, really knows how to behave!
In the shadows, Shikaku almost rolled his eyes as far back as a Hyuga Clan member. So, Danzo's intentions and the Ninjutsu he taught ultimately turned into Hiruzen's credit? Okay then.
Hiruzen said, "Danzo's expertise in Wind Release is something even I may not fully match. Since you have learned his techniques, you must study them well; they will greatly benefit you."
Tatsuma also wanted to roll his eyes, but Hiruzen was right in front of him. Even with his head lowered, Hiruzen would easily notice such a gesture.
In the end, it was all about not wanting to give the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Jutsu. Next time Tatsuma wants to ask for it, he must first prove he has mastered the Wind Release Ninjutsu that Danzo taught him. Moreover, Tatsuma couldn't demonstrate it too soon. After all, he just said he wasn't proficient; showing mastery right away would be deceiving Hiruzen, the Hokage.
Hiruzen also knew that Tatsuma couldn't possibly be happy at this moment. After all, Tatsuma had done a lot of preliminary work for the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Jutsu. As the Hokage, he had promised it, but now it was being delayed repeatedly. It would be strange if Tatsuma were happy. So, he spoke to change the subject:
"By the way, your ANBU code name has been exposed by the Hidden Cloud Village. Do you need to change your ANBU code name to operate more effectively?"
ANBU ninjas use code names for confidentiality. The high level of secrecy within ANBU results in minimal information leaks. When enemies encounter ANBU ninjas, they cannot know their information, making it difficult to counter them at the start of a battle.
The fact that Sakamoto Tatsuma is Konoha ANBU ninja "Yaksha" has already spread among the elders of the Five Great Nations and underground exchange facilities. Additionally, the Hidden Cloud Village publicly disclosed much of Tatsuma's information.
This means that in future missions, whether enemies see Tatsuma or ANBU Yaksha, they are likely to use this information against him. First, Tatsuma's habitual use of the Flying Thunder God technique will be heavily guarded against. Secondly, enemies will be wary of his Sealing Jutsu, along with his previously demonstrated proficiency in large-scale Ninjutsu on the battlefield, making it difficult to achieve surprise in combat.
However, Tatsuma didn't possess the same abilities as Sakumo Hatake, whose hard and soft skills would hardly decline regardless of confidentiality. For most ninjas, Sakumo Hatake is unstoppable unless one can draw their sword faster than him or has a solid defense against him.
But Tatsuma wasn't like that, so changing his ANBU code name might be a good idea. Although the enemy might figure it out after a few exchanges, many battles are decided within those few exchanges.
However, Tatsuma shook his head and said, "Among the missions in the Konoha ANBU task list, there are 782 tasks directly or indirectly related to defected ninjas from other villages, but only about 10% of these have enough intelligence to support the mission's progression."
The ANBU intelligence network is powerful, but it cannot monitor everyone in real-time, especially those cunning and exceptionally good at counter-surveillance defected ninjas. Updating the latest intelligence on a dozen defected ninjas each month already stretches ANBU's resources. Therefore, many defected ninjas remain hidden in the shadows.
Moreover, every year, many new defected ninjas appear in the ninja world. Those that ANBU can monitor and update are often newcomers among these defected ninjas. Some old defected ninjas have even become familiar with parts of ANBU's intelligence network, making it almost impossible to expose them.
As Tatsuma spoke, Hiruzen's expression grew more serious, realizing something. Tatsuma continued, "If I use myself as bait to attract these hidden defected ninjas, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."
At this moment, Hiruzen seemed to see the unique brilliance of the Will of Fire in Tatsuma, and thus he decisively refused, "I disagree. It's too dangerous. Not only is this completely uncontrollable, but even if it were a purposeful and targeted strategy to lure out enemies, the village cannot allow you to be the bait. The risk is simply too great."
Tatsuma was silent for a moment before saying, "Hokage-sama, this is not my personal decision."
The leaked information didn't pertain only to Tatsuma. Besides him and Sakumo Hatake, who wasn't bothered by it, there was also Minato and other members of Tatsuma's team.
Tatsuma's implication was that he had already reached an agreement with Minato, and even convinced the other two team members. Hiruzen's face darkened as he said, "Nonsense, since when can ANBU be commanded by you?"
ANBU has always been directly under the Hokage's command. Although Tatsuma is the leader of his team, excessively contacting team members and reaching agreements that go against the Hokage's wishes during non-mission periods could be considered insubordination at the least, and outright betrayal at the most.
However, Hiruzen wasn't going to accuse Tatsuma of betrayal over this matter. He only wanted Tatsuma to understand the seriousness of the situation and abandon his original idea.
Hiruzen's opposition was expected by Tatsuma, but unlike most ANBU who blindly follow orders, he knew this issue couldn't be avoided forever. Tatsuma wouldn't stay in ANBU for his entire life, nor could any ninja. Thus, the issue of leaked information was something he would have to face sooner or later.
If he waited to address it later, his growing strength, increasing age, and the accumulation of exposed information over the years would eventually provoke the deeply hidden defected ninjas at the exchange facilities to make a move.
Those old defected ninjas aren't stupid; they wouldn't rush to attack a young person whose intelligence and background are incomplete for thirty million ryo. They will continue to gather information, and once they believe they understand Tatsuma enough and have identified his weaknesses, they'll make their move.
This could be during the chaos of a large battle, taking advantage of a weakened Tatsuma after a fight, or by rallying others to ambush him. But regardless of the method, Tatsuma will be facing powerful defected ninjas who do not lack comprehensive information about him, putting him at a disadvantage.
However, if he faces them now, he will mostly encounter reckless newcomers and a few desperate or opportunistic old defected ninjas. Is it dangerous? Yes, it is. But these individuals possess a wealth of information about the underground exchange facilities. If Tatsuma can take them down one by one and gather enough intelligence from them, he might be able to piece together the profiles of the truly powerful and mysterious old defected ninjas connected to these facilities.
Both approaches are forms of self-preservation. However, exposing himself now would allow Tatsuma to seize the initiative more easily, and Tatsuma is not someone who likes being passive.
He doesn't like waiting until the last minute to come up with a plan, just as he chose to go to the battlefield early on, even though his mindset wasn't suitable for it. He forced himself to adapt.
He looked up at Hiruzen and said, "Hokage-sama, the existence of the exchange facilities indeed brings some benefits to the Land of Fire and helps us target defected ninjas. But what do you think would happen if there were no exchange facilities in the Land of Fire?
You should understand the exchange facilities better than I do. You know they are not just places where defected ninjas take on missions and exchange currencies. They also provide information, routes, and various channels to Konoha's defected ninjas and those from other countries. These facilities allow defected ninjas, who should be punished, to continue living, becoming thorns in the side of the Land of Fire.
Removing these thorns might cause some pain, but keeping them will only make the Land of Fire hesitant and could lead to even greater harm.
Hokage-sama, do you think your sons, Shinnosuke and Asuma, would end up with bounties on their heads? If they did, could you feel at ease letting them walk within the Land of Fire? Even if you didn't want to give them special treatment, how many ninjas in the village might end up on the bounty lists of the exchange facilities due to grudges held against their fathers or even grandfathers?"
After Tatsuma finished speaking, Hiruzen was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "Tatsuma, your ambitions even surpass those of me as the Hokage. I suppose I have no reason to refuse you anymore."
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