Konoha Notes.

Chapter 57 ANBU?

Chapter 57 ANBU?

"Speaking of which, Itachi," Anko said casually as she deftly secured the last tent peg, "you and Shuuji completed a mission together before I joined, right?"

The itachi, who was leveling the ground nearby, responded with a "Mm".

"This guy has changed so much compared to before," Anko muttered to Itachi, her back to him. "He's the same age, but he acts like an adult. He was excellent before, but he's completely different now, like an old man."

"Shuji-senpai just knows a lot." But what was he like before?

"Okay, okay." Anko pouted, then suddenly turned to Itachi with a dark expression. "Don't tell on me, Itachi."

"If Shuji-senpai didn't ask," Uchiha replied flawlessly.

"Hey hey!! We two are the best tactical partners, Itachi—" Anko said unhappily, and before she could finish speaking, she suddenly turned her head to look at the dark forest on her left.

They stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.

One person was in front, and the other was behind, both heading towards the direction where Lin Zhongxiusi was.

"prove."

Shuji's gaze swept calmly over the four people in front of him, ignoring the wolf-faced man's outstretched hand.

The night wind ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, and the moonlight in the woods cast cold, hard lines on his face.

"I have not received any orders to hand over anything to you."

Behind the wolf mask, a female ninja wearing a white cat mask and a dangerous single ponytail spoke in a suddenly sharp tone: "We have a mission, we don't need to provide you with any proof! Hand over the items immediately!"

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the snake and tiger masks standing on either side of the white cat mask quietly dispersed, assuming an attack stance.

"Oh?" Shuuji's tone rose slightly. "Since when have the Anbu been allowed to command the village's Jonin without the Hokage's authorization?"

The Anbu, directly under the Hokage, have very high authority and do all sorts of work.

In reality, according to the village's operational command structure, without a clear order, no one except the Hokage, a few advisors, and the Jonin squad leader can command Jonin to do anything, not even Special Jonin; the Anbu do not have that authority.

A chill silently spread, and Wolfface cautiously took several steps back.

Where Xiu Si stood, only a very faint afterimage remained.

The next instant, the person appeared in front of the wolf-faced man.

With his right fist clenched, chakra seemed to gather as if it were a tangible substance, and the air appeared to be compressed by an invisible force.

Not good! Wolf Face raised his arms, instinctively crossing them to brace himself, the hard metal arm guards firmly blocking his vital areas in front of his chest!

Boom!

A dull, drum-like roar exploded through the forest!

The moment their fists clashed, Wolfface felt as if he had been head-on hit by a charging giant rhinoceros.

The sickening cracking sound of bones breaking came from the arms that were protecting his chest, and excruciating pain shot through his body like an electric shock.

He was sent flying backward, crashing into two tree trunks as thick as bowls, before finally landing with a thud on the muddy ground, raising a cloud of dust.

After struggling for a couple of seconds, it became still and had clearly passed out.

"Proof that you are Konoha's Anbu." Shuuji slowly withdrew his fist and repeated.

"You can't produce anything, yet you put on that act. Dying at my hands would be pointless." Shuuji looked at the female ANBU with the white cat mask.

He has never liked to intimidate in battle.

But the current situation has forced him to say more useless things.

"You actually dared to attack the Dark Guard!?" The white-masked man was both shocked and furious, his voice slightly distorted with shock.

Her squad had strict rules, and without the squad leader's explicit permission, she and two other ordinary members had no authority to attack the village's Jonin.

The squad leader was none other than Wolfface, lying amidst broken branches and rubble, his fate unknown.

The white cat mask could only suppress the turmoil in its heart and adopt a defensive posture.

Tiger Face and Snake Face quickly recovered from the shock of their captain being knocked down, gripping the hilts of their knives tightly behind their backs with fierce eyes, but they were only assuming a stance ready to retaliate.

"Idiot, do I need to repeat myself?"

Seemingly having exhausted his patience, Shuji finally positioned his hands in a hand seal position.

"Even if I beat you all to a pulp and return to the village, and even if the Third Hokage holds you accountable, the responsibility ultimately lies with you for demanding important items without verifying your identities!"

Almost at the same moment that Shuji formed the hand seals, a deep purple figure appeared on a towering tree trunk not far away.

Red Bean, perched high above, swept her gaze across the scene in an instant: the distinctive attire of the three confronting Xiu Si, and the wolf-faced figure lying motionless on the ground in the distance—

The Anbu?! Why are the Anbu here? Why is Shuji attacking the Anbu?!

The chilling memories of being subjected to strict interrogation and imprisoned in a dark room months ago resurfaced, bringing a suffocating cold.

But that's Shuuji; his judgment has always been correct, he can't be wrong. Even if—never mind.

Based on the tactical positioning, Hongdou formed hand seals, ready to strike.

The three ninjas, who looked like members of the Anbu, were startled to find that they were surrounded. In front of them was Shuji, whose strength was unfathomable and who had already made his move, and to their sides and above was Anko, who was watching them intently.

And... there's one more person.

The white cat mask knows that there are now three people in Class 5. Two have already shown themselves, while the third is hiding and his whereabouts are unknown.

Now that they've lost the person with the authority to make decisions, the person who could take down the captain in one blow, and the support, the three of them can't win under these tactical conditions.

His silver teeth were almost ground to powder, and a hint of humiliation and struggle flashed in the eyes of the Hundred Cat Mask.

Finally, she suddenly raised her hand, revealing the white cat mask!

Standard movements:

Right hand: Thumb tucked in, the other four fingers held together and upright—representing a leaf.

Left hand: Swift as a knife, sweeping horizontally across the right wrist—representing severing the [shadow].

Hands: Quickly clench into fists, overlap in front of the chest, pause for two seconds – this represents [darkness].

This is a common hand gesture code used by the Konoha Anbu to verify identity in emergency situations when it is inconvenient to show identification.

"Is this enough?"

"Hokage's warrant, seal."

Shuji lowered his hands from the hand seal, but the oppressive pressure remained as tangible as ever.

The white cat mask froze. A warrant? A seal? She did have one, but it wasn't the Hokage's, and she couldn't show it under these circumstances.

Why does Shuji, who was just promoted by the Third Hokage, have such an attitude and even dare to attack them without any scruples?

Seeing that the white cat mask remained motionless, Shuuji said no more. He raised his left hand and made a simple and powerful gesture toward the tree trunk where Red Bean was hiding—[Back off, clear the way].

"You've only proven your identities as members of the secret service."

"Let's go. I will explain the details to the Third Hokage in person after we return to the village."

The wind in the forest seemed to pause for a moment, leaving only suppressed breathing and the faint groans of the wolf-faced creature in the distance.

The three masked ninjas looked extremely grim, yet none dared to utter a word. The white cat mask stared intently at Shuuji's calm face. Finally, she suddenly waved her hand, and the tiger mask and snake mask swiftly rushed to the wolf mask's side, checked him over, and carefully lifted him up.

The three, carrying their unconscious companion, quickly retreated into the depths of the dense forest and disappeared.

Only after their presence had completely vanished did Hongdou gracefully fall from the treetop, quickly walking to Shuji's side, her face still showing lingering surprise and doubt: "Shuji! What happened? Were those really Anbu? How could you—"

"It's the Anbu, but there's a sub-team within the Anbu that isn't directly commanded by the Third Hokage."

Hongdou's body suddenly stiffened.

They really are the secret service. This time, they're not really going to run away with us, are they?

The purple-haired woman sighed inwardly.

"Itachi".

"I'm here, senior."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Uchiha's figure silently appeared in the shadows on the other side. "Pack your things," Shuuji said, withdrawing his gaze. "Set off immediately and return to the village tonight."