Three shuriken flew towards Tatsuma. One hit his chest instantly, causing dark red blood to gush out, staining his clothes. Tatsuma's face turned extremely pale. He pressed around the wound and dashed upstairs. However, halfway up the stairs, a thick iron barrier suddenly blocked his way. Tatsuma's Enhanced Strength burst out as he smashed against the iron door.
Thud~
A cloud of dust fell, leaving shallow marks on the iron door, but it remained unaffected. Despite his increasingly pale complexion, Tatsuma continued relentlessly striking the door.
Thud thud thud~
The sound grew fainter, and Tatsuma's body trembled involuntarily. Eventually, he collapsed, tumbling down to the platform between two flights of stairs, his body convulsing sporadically.
The exposed skin was covered in visible sweat, but the trembling of the body gradually subsided. Even though his eyes were open, the pupils were dilating gradually. Even when facing a lamp directly, his pupils didn't constrict.
Tap tap tap~
At that moment, faint footsteps sounded, and a masked ANBU ninja appeared beside Tatsuma, extending a finger towards his neck.
"Senpai, don't forget I also know Medical Ninjutsu."
Suddenly, Tatsuma's pupils constricted. The hand, which was previously rigid and contorted, now held a kunai, its tip pointing at the ANBU ninja's throat.
"I just didn't expect your reaction to be so quick, and very convincing."
The ANBU ninja, unfazed by the kunai at his throat, remarked in an admiring tone, "And this blood pouch... enough to deceive most ninjas."
The ANBU ninja had suspected Tatsuma of feigning injury, but Tatsuma's physical reaction was akin to those resilient ninjas he had encountered before. Moreover, the scent of blood was just too real.
"It's homemade, using real blood. Luckily, we slaughtered a pig yesterday and collected some fresh blood. Otherwise, I probably couldn't have deceived you."
Tatsuma didn't retract his kunai but smiled and continued, "I'm always ready to face an assessment. Did I pass?"
"You could have killed me at any moment. What else can I say?"
The ANBU ninja rested a hand on his mask and said, "Hokage-sama mentioned that your weak point is Genjutsu, so he assigned me to assess you. I didn't expect that I couldn't even activate Genjutsu and got deceived by you."
After speaking, he lifted his mask, revealing a thin, somewhat mismatched face with large eyes. Tatsuma quickly retrieved his kunai a bit and said, "Shinku-sama, I didn't expect it was you. I didn't expect you were also an ANBU."
Tatsuma finally understood why this assessor was so eager to check on him. It turns out they were acquainted. If it were a stranger ANBU assessor, they might not have cared about Tatsuma's life and wouldn't have checked on him immediately for stability.
Seeing that Tatsuma's hand only retracted slightly and was not completely withdrawn, Shinku Yuhi understood that this guy still wasn't entirely at ease. He shook his head and smiled, "Tatsuma, congratulations, you've passed the ANBU assessment."
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma finally fully retracted his hand, and the kunai was returned to his pouch. He smiled and said, "I only brought one set of clothes, and now they're ruined. I'll have to change into new clothes before I can leave."
Shinku Yuhi chuckled and ruffled Tatsuma's head, then put on his mask and said, "From now on, call me Tenko."
Standing up, Shinku Yuhi said, "Come with me now. Indeed, it's time to get you a new set of clothes."
Tatsuma nodded and quickly got up to follow Shinku Yuhi. As they descended to the third basement floor, some ANBU ninja were on standby. When they saw Shinku Yuhi bringing Tatsuma in, there were some mocking remarks and scenes of some people paying and others collecting money.
Following Shinku Yuhi, Tatsuma noticed the tight grip of Shinku Yuhi's fist, suggesting there might be an undisclosed bet going on.
Approaching a table, Shinku Yuhi also took out a stack of money and placed it on the table without saying a word. Leading Tatsuma, he walked directly into the adjacent room.
"This is where we store equipment and masks. You can take two sets. If you need more, you'll need special approval or provide evidence of damaged equipment for replacement," Shinku Yuhi explained to Tatsuma after entering the room and closing the door.
Tatsuma nodded and selected a set of ANBU clothing that fit his size. He then went to the nearby bathing area, took off his clothes, and washed away the pig blood from his body.
Afterward, he put on the ANBU clothes and wiped the water droplets off his head. Tatsuma then walked towards the area where many masks were hanging, asking as he did, "Tenko-sama, can I choose any mask here?"
"Yes, these are all masks that have never been used or have been retired. You can choose whichever you like. Of course, if you like mine, I can give it to you," replied Shinku Yuhi.
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma looked at Shinku Yuhi with confusion. Shinku Yuhi shrugged and said, "I'm planning to retire from ANBU. Being in ANBU is harmful to my family after all. I can't be there for them."
Tatsuma nodded, realizing that if it were Shinku Yuhi, his daughter Kurenai should have already been born. With the war over and the ANBU atmosphere no longer as tense, retiring was indeed a good choice.
However, Tatsuma didn't immediately intend to choose an old member's mask. Instead, he looked at the unused masks, most of which were animal-themed, with a few simple geometric patterns.
After scanning around, Tatsuma's gaze suddenly fell on an ugly and somewhat comical mask. He picked it up, and Shinku Yuhi explained, "Yaksha. It means strong, fast, and able to devour. Quite suitable for you."
Tatsuma rejected the words Shinku Yuhi suggested, in plain terms meaning strong, fast, and able to eat. Tatsuma suddenly wanted to put the mask back, but...
Indeed, there were no masks on the wall that made him feel more interested. After a moment of thought, Tatsuma directly put the mask on his head.
"Hmm?"
Shinku Yuhi's hesitant voice came, and Tatsuma asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Shinku-sama?"
"These masks, who knows how many years they've been here, who knows how many people have touched them, they might have been touched by hands that touched dog food or bugs, or even touched more unspeakable things. Don't you want to wash them first?" Shinku Yuhi said.
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma instantly took off the mask, quickly walked to the bathing area, and washed the mask and his face.
Seeing Tatsuma's strong reaction, Shinku Yuhi quickly said, "Oh, it's no big deal, I was just joking. They've been here for so long, the chances of infection are slim."
Tatsuma's face, now red from scrubbing, turned completely black with embarrassment. It took him longer than his shower to finally stop rinsing.
But looking at the mask in his hand, he still didn't have the courage to put it on again.
This mask. It's not indestructible, right? Could it be possible to apply for a remake? Or accidentally damage the mask, then ask the village to issue a new one?
But Tatsuma ultimately gave up on this wise idea. After all, he hadn't even completed the onboarding process yet, causing losses to ANBU before that would not be good if he were dismissed because of it.
After taking several deep breaths and summoning up courage, Tatsuma finally put the mask back on his face to cover his flushed face.
He looked in the mirror and found that the mask wasn't quite suitable for him. It was a bit too big, and the image of the Yaksha mask was becoming more and more ridiculous the longer he looked at it.
Fortunately, there was plenty of room around the eye area of the mask, so Tatsuma's vision wasn't restricted. After getting a little more familiar with it, Tatsuma looked at Shinku Yuhi and asked, "Shinku-sama, what should I do next?"
"Have you chosen all your equipment?"
Shinku Yuhi asked, and Tatsuma looked at himself, nodded, and said, "I'm not too skilled with weapons like Ninjato, so I'll pass on receiving one."
"Alright, then I'll take you to get your ANBU identification card. Training for the future will be notified separately. You'll follow the arrangements for some training, and then you can report to Hokage-sama."
The onboarding process was much shorter than Tatsuma had imagined. He thought it would be more cumbersome, but perhaps his performance on the battlefield had already proven his abilities. Also, being specially approved by the Hokage, maybe only a simple assessment was needed.
After completing a series of procedures, Tatsuma only needed to wait for his onboarding training before he could start his duties. As he left the base with another set of ANBU ninja uniforms, Shinku Yuhi once again reminded him not to let others know about his ANBU identity.
Even when dealing with civilians and some grassroots ninja, it was best to hide the existence of "ANBU".
Therefore, Tatsuma used Transformation Jutsu all the way back home, changing his appearance so that when he returned to the Senju clan's territory, he wouldn't appear suspicious.
The ANBU guarding the Senju clan's territory discovered Tatsuma's identity, but after he showed his identification card, they let him pass. When he returned home, Tatsuma had no intention of showing off.
Although Mito knew he had joined the ANBU, Nawaki and Minato also had some understanding of the ANBU, but rules and regulations had to be followed.
Not revealing himself as an ANBU ninja was one of these rules. Of course, if others figured it out, that wouldn't be Tatsuma's fault. After all, being in the ANBU couldn't limit others' intelligence and deductive abilities, right?
The next day, Tatsuma received his training notice and began training the same day. After his morning exercises, he went to the base for training.
The training wasn't focused on combat skills but rather on stealth, surveillance, and other related courses. There were even classes on how to protect one's mask during combat. There were dozens of courses in total, but none were particularly difficult.
After a week of training, Tatsuma passed the assessment. Finally, he met Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen for the first time in his capacity as an ANBU member.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen looked at the child before him, who already possessed the qualities of an ANBU member. He nodded in satisfaction. This child was indeed talented, but his taste in aesthetics was lacking. How could he choose such an ugly mask?
After a moment, Hiruzen spoke, "Well done. From now on, you'll be on standby in the office. You can bring some books or scrolls you're studying. When you have free time, you can study on the side. If I'm available, you can also ask me about any knowledge you don't understand."
Tatsuma nodded and said, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen pulled out a file and continued, "Although I've told you before that being my guard doesn't require frequent trips outside the village, tomorrow you'll still accompany me to the Daimyo's residence."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Indeed, you couldn't trust what was written in recruitment documents about infrequent travel and the like.
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