After the war, Vulture changed his usual way of slacking off and silently cleaned up the battlefield. This might be the most serious and best job he has done since joining ANBU.
Caterpillar dealt with the surrounding corpses, while Tatsuma collected samples from Caterpillar before he consumed the corpse of the Boil Release rogue ninja.
The previous Shikotsumyaku Orochimaru project had only recently been established and was interrupted for a long time due to Tatsuma's issues. 'He is likely just now officially beginning research. I wonder what kind of feeling he would have to see another sample of Kekkei Genkai.'
Tatsuma initially tricked Orochimaru into researching Kekkei Genkai due to the power of the Uzumaki Clan, but it now seems that researching it may not be necessary.
However, Tatsuma still wants Orochimaru to continue. He dislikes ambiguous gains; he wants to understand not just what happens but why it happens. This is Tatsuma's attitude.
Even with Ninjutsu, Tatsuma wants to thoroughly grasp the knowledge, let alone the changes in his own body. Although the unknown cells seem harmless now, Tatsuma views them as a Sword of Damocles.
This will be a lengthy task, but Tatsuma is prepared. After all, villages have been researching these things for years without turning Kekkei Genkai into a controllable technique.
Though there is a sense of urgency, Tatsuma won't do anything reckless. After collecting the samples, he plans to get another check-up from Orochimaru once he returns to the village. He intends to collect and analyze data on the extent of injuries and estimate the growth of unknown cells. Once the model is complete, he will know what consequences his injuries might cause in the future.
Minato noticed Tatsuma was deep in thought and walked over to him, asking, "Is everything okay?"
"Nothing's wrong, just thinking about some things."
Tatsuma didn't tell Minato about the unknown cells. He knew Minato wouldn't be able to help with his concerns and would only worry unnecessarily.
Minato didn't know what Tatsuma was thinking but sat down next to him and said, "Tatsuma, I want to understand why your emotions have been so volatile recently. I want to hear the truth."
Since there were no outsiders present, Minato didn't use Tatsuma's codename, or perhaps their codenames had become meaningless by now.
When Minato asked the question, Tatsuma instinctively wanted to brush it off, but after hearing Minato's follow-up, he remained silent for a moment and asked in return, "What do you think is the reason?"
Minato shook his head and said, "I don't know. During those two years at the research institute, it was confidential, so I couldn't inquire. But I think it might be related to that experiment or the people involved in it?"
"Do you think Orochimaru-sama has changed some of my thoughts?"
Minato nodded. It wasn't just a guess; Hokage-sama had informed him that Tatsuma had had excessive contact with Orochimaru due to that experiment. This had led Orochimaru to develop some incorrect ideas, which he then passed on to Tatsuma. Hokage-sama had also asked Minato to keep a close eye on Tatsuma to prevent him from going astray.
As for the specific ideas, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't say, and Minato couldn't guess.
Seeing Minato nod, Tatsuma remained silent for a while before saying, "Isn't it true that you would confide everything to the Third Hokage and show your truest self in front of him?"
"I would hold back somewhat, but I would show my true self to him," Minato answered.
After Minato responded, Tatsuma spoke again, "I only tell the Third Hokage what I'm willing for him to know, and I can't show my true self in front of him."
"Why?"
"Because, unlike you, the real you is already able to satisfy and gain the trust of the Third Hokage. But I can't. The real me would only make him feel offended."
"Ah?"
Minato was puzzled because, in his view, Tatsuma was someone more outstanding than he was. How could such a person make Hokage-sama feel offended?
Tatsuma shook his head and didn't continue to explain, saying, "I've digressed. What I want to say is that most people's perception of me is just a mask, a mask that they like and are pleased to see.
But that's not the real me. I'm just playing the role they have in mind for me. During this process, I've accumulated and fermented too many negative emotions, which eventually explode uncontrollably at some point.
I'm not as friendly as I appear, nor as violent as I seem. Those are just exaggerated results. You don't need to worry; after all, I haven't deliberately played any role in front of you."
As Tatsuma spoke, he patted Minato on the shoulder. He was speaking the truth; Minato was a trustworthy person, and Tatsuma trusted him enough.
Minato lowered his head, and after a while, he uncertainly asked, "Have you really never played a role in front of me?"
"Have I ever helped you?"
"Yes, you have."
"Have I ever harmed you?"
"Yes, you have."
"Have I ever praised you successfully?"
"Yes, you have."
"Have I ever said harsh words to you?"
"Yes, you have."
"So, do you still think I'm deliberately friendly or violent in front of you?"
"I understand now."
Minato nodded with understanding, his tone becoming lighter. Although he still had some doubts, as long as Tatsuma was the friend he knew, everything was fine.
Tatsuma didn't provide further explanation. His deliberate role-playing was real, perhaps stemming from a lack of security—on one hand, insufficient influence, and on the other, a lack of people he could trust.
Due to insufficient influence, he needed to hide the aspects people didn't like and show only what they wanted to see when facing those in high positions.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and even Uzumaki Mito when they first met, all saw only this side of him.
And trustworthy people are few and far between. Apart from Minato, there is only Uzumaki Mito, with whom he shared a deep bond, but she has passed away. There is also Tsunade, his sensei, and Jiraiya.
None of these people can fully understand him. Tsunade is too carefree to grasp many subtle things. And he is too different from Jiraiya; sharing his thoughts with Jiraiya would be pointless as Jiraiya might not only fail to understand but also oppose Tatsuma's ideas. Therefore, Tatsuma doesn't want to confide in him.
Minato is indeed someone he could share everything with, but Minato's overly kind and considerate nature makes Tatsuma reluctant to add to his friend's worries and mental burden.
Some things, especially negative emotions, are better processed alone. There's no need to burden others with them. Tatsuma feels that occasional venting is sufficient.
Even the rational Senju Tobirama used to express his frustration by talking about "evil Uchiha" all the time. Tatsuma could adopt a similar approach, but he can't find a suitable target. He certainly can't follow Senju's example and constantly criticize the Uchiha.
You should know that there is a naive guy in the Uchiha clan who trusts him blindly.
"Achoo~"
A member of the Konoha security team with a patched sleeve sneezed again.
...
The recent operation did not cause severe damage to the surroundings, so Vulture was able to handle it properly. With Caterpillar's assistance, it was resolved quickly.
However, it's not yet time to return to the village. Although the primary purpose of this mission was "fishing," and they indeed caught their "fish," the surface mission used to cover this objective is not yet complete. Even though they could leave directly without raising suspicion, Tatsuma prefers to be thorough.
The task is not particularly difficult; it's just about retrieving a confidential document, essentially a manual delivery of a letter.
This method is extremely outdated and the message is severely delayed, but its security is unmatched by using messenger beasts or high-tech communication devices. The likelihood of interception for messenger beasts is higher than for ANBU delivering the message in person. Additionally, if enemies intercept the message, messenger beasts often lack the habit or ability to immediately destroy the information, whereas a person can.
As for using high-tech communication devices, it's because there are no connections between countries, and the probability and ease of interception and decryption are high.
After the operation, everyone seemed to be in poor condition, so they didn't expose their movements as they did when they arrived. Naturally, if they were attacked once and then walked around carelessly, it would be too suspicious.
Therefore, there were no problems on the way back to the village with the document.
"Back already? Is everything okay?"
At the ANBU base, Sakumo personally welcomed them. Seeing the four return safely, Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief.
As ANBU Chief, he was aware of Tatsuma's plan and was even involved in it. For example, their movements were leaked through Sakumo's intelligence network.
Sakumo was very worried, staying in the ANBU base these days waiting for their news. Even now, he was fully armed, clearly prepared to provide support at any time.
Seeing the four return, Sakumo finally relaxed. Tatsuma took off his mask and said with a smile:
"We encountered an attack with a total of twenty people. Six of them fled before the battle began, and two had their brains destroyed, so their bodies were not recovered. The rest are all here."
Saying this, he took out the sealing scroll and handed it to Sakumo. After receiving it, Sakumo nodded and said, "I will go to the analysis team and arrange for this matter."
"Sakumo-sama."
At this moment, a figure approached and said, "My father sent me to take this. There's no need for you to make a trip."
Tatsuma looked over and was surprised to see it was Yamanaka Inoichi. Yamanaka Inoichi wasn't wearing a mask or ANBU attire, clearly not an ANBU member. This should be a departmental coordination.
Seeing Tatsuma's expression, Yamanaka Inoichi gritted his teeth and said, "It's all Shikaku's fault for secretly joining the Hokage Guards."
Instantly, Tatsuma understood. Ino-Shika-Cho support each other and advance together, so it was impossible for one side to be absent. Choza must have been assigned some family duty as well.
"It's you. Then you can take care of this for me."
Sakumo smiled as he handed the scroll over. Inoichi nodded and then asked, "Sakumo-sama, and Tatsuma, do you have any other tasks?"
Hearing this, Sakumo raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Do you remember the Hidden Mist Village ninja that Tatsuma and Tsunade-sama sent over? The results have been out for a while, and we've recently found quite a few things based on the clues. My father wants to discuss it with you."
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