After bringing Mumei back to the laboratory, Shinji prepared another batch of nutrient solution and arranged for her to enter the rest pod.
This rest period would last seven days.
According to Shinji's estimation, after completing this rest, sixty percent of the damage caused by Mumei's long-term sealing would be healed.
By then, Mumei would be able to use her Mangekyo Sharingan with ease.
Once Mumei had fully entered her rest state, Shinji set up security measures around the laboratory and returned to Hidden Leaf.
Recently, he had been preoccupied with Mumei's matters, causing him to neglect affairs in Hidden Leaf.
Now that Mumei was in rest mode, he could use this opportunity to handle village matters and fabricate an identity for her.
The next morning, Shinji arrived at the Anbu headquarters.
After completing registration, he collected four sets of Anbu gear, including one for himself. Tsunade had officially appointed him as an Anbu team leader, granting him the privilege to freely select his subordinates, allowing him to form a four-person Anbu team at his discretion.
Shinji had thought carefully about this Anbu team.
The special status of Anbu would provide significant convenience for both him and his team members, serving as an excellent cover identity.
Thus, he planned to include Haku and Karin. With Anbu identities, their freedom of movement would greatly increase.
As for the third team member, he had considered inviting Shion to join.
However, since Shion was the priestess of the Land of Demons, her prestigious status might draw unnecessary attention if she joined the team, so Shinji set that idea aside.
Mumei's appearance perfectly filled this vacancy.
With an Anbu identity, Mumei's background could be secretly archived, rendering ordinary investigations ineffective.
All Shinji needed to do was strike a deal with Koharu Utatane.
At the level of an advisor elder, inserting one or two people was a simple matter. For example, Yakushi Kabuto could move freely in Hidden Leaf not only because of his own strength but also because Danzo had opened doors for him, providing a temporary identity.
Leaving the Anbu headquarters, Shinji went to Koharu Utatane's office.
Upon meeting her, Shinji handed over his team roster. "I've reported to Anbu. This is the list of my team members. Please review it!"
Taking the list, Koharu Utatane glanced through it.
She wasn't surprised to see Haku and Karin, as they were Shinji's teammates from his academy days, making their inclusion in his Anbu team reasonable.
But when she saw the name "Mumei," she frowned. "Who is this Mumei?"
Shinji said, "She's an informant I recruited from the shinobi world, skilled in genjutsu and very strong!"
"This is nonsense!" Koharu Utatane put down the list. "This is Anbu, not the Shinobi Academy! Even village shinobi must undergo strict vetting to join Anbu, let alone a suspicious outsider!"
Facing Koharu Utatane's aggressive tone, Shinji stepped forward, picked up the list, and turned to leave.
Koharu Utatane said, "What are you doing?"
Shinji replied calmly, "If you can't approve this, Elder, I'll just have to go upstairs to the Hokage's office and discuss it!"
Koharu Utatane's expression darkened. "Shinji, you should know the consequences of doing this!"
Shinji waved the list in his hand. "Why do you think I care about this Anbu team leader position? With my current strength, I don't need anyone's approval to get what I want. So the one who should consider the consequences is you!"
Koharu Utatane was speechless.
After the recent Chunin Exam battle, the village's intelligence division had assessed Shinji's strength, concluding that the academy's First Chair was already approaching the level of an elite jonin, comparable to Yakumo.
In other words, at just twelve years old, Shinji was already a highly valuable asset to Hidden Leaf.
As he said, he didn't need anyone's handouts—with his strength, he could seize whatever he wanted!
Koharu Utatane sighed. "Who exactly is this Mumei? You know the current situation. Placing someone like her in Anbu puts both of us at risk!"
Seeing her tone soften, Shinji smiled. "If I don't place someone, how will I know if I have that kind of authority? I'm tired of hearing about risks and rules. Isn't the whole point of my training to gain the privilege to surpass them?"
Koharu Utatane said, "It's still too early for that!"
Shinji replied, "But I can't wait!"
Koharu Utatane relented. "Fine, I'll help you this time, but I must warn you—even the Hokage can't break rules at will!"
"Thank you!"
Shinji left the list and turned to leave.
After he was gone, Koharu Utatane narrowed her eyes, thinking, "As expected of an Uchiha. He's growing less and less discreet about his ambitions. I need to prepare a contingency plan!"
Koharu wasn't surprised by Shinji's behavior. Perhaps in her eyes, the Uchiha were always such defiant, untamable people.
Meanwhile, Shinji glanced back at the elder's office, a smirk tugging at his lips.
His arrogance in front of Koharu Utatane was deliberate, as he was confident she wouldn't dare cross him now.
With Tsunade having successfully taken office as the Fifth Hokage, advisors like Koharu Utatane were inevitably being sidelined. If she wanted to maintain her influence, she had no choice but to cooperate with Shinji. It was she who needed him, not the other way around.
With his current strength, Shinji no longer needed to lay low in Hidden Leaf.
However, with the Hegemon of Terror's invasion looming, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Problems that could be resolved simply shouldn't be complicated, so he could focus his energy on improving his strength. He had to avoid reckless actions that might expose his identity as the Lampbearer, making him the primary target when the Hegemon of Terror invaded.
After all, no matter how much Shinji improved, his strength still paled in comparison to the Hegemon's!
Having settled Mumei's identity, Shinji headed to Hidden Leaf Hospital.
The Chunin Exam battle had left many injured, from the participating genin to the supervising jonin.
Even after so many days, Hidden Leaf Hospital remained overcrowded.