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"I understand."
White Fang smiled and nodded. Indeed, with Rong Lin's strength, joining other squads would not be a match for his abilities. It was well-known that the First Anbu Squad was always the strongest squad in the entire Anbu, and its captain was White Fang himself, the Anbu commander.
Within Konoha, almost all powerful ninjas had spent time in the First Anbu Squad.
This was true for the original Three Sannin—White Fang, Minato—and now for Rong Lin, as well as for Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi who would follow.
"Let's go."
Knowing that the Hokage was busy, White Fang beckoned to Rong Lin and led him out of the office. Ordinary people would need to be respectful, but these Kage-level powerhouses had certain privileges and didn't need to worry about rigid rules.
Haven't you seen the way Jonin refer to the Third Hokage? It's just speechless—constantly calling him "old man Third," and Tsunade is even more direct, skipping "Third" entirely and just calling him "old man"!
Compared to them, White Fang was quite proper, always referring to him as "Hokage."
"Mm."
Following White Fang, they left the Hokage Office and headed towards the Anbu Headquarters.
"Commander!"
"The Commander is back."
It was clear that White Fang had a high reputation within the Anbu. As they walked, everyone greeted him with smiles, and many still wore masks.
"Hello everyone," White Fang responded with a smile.
Rong Lin walked behind White Fang, remarking emotionally, "Uncle White Fang, your reputation in the Anbu is truly high. I reckon if the Three Sannin came, they might not even compare to you."
"Staying in one position for a long time naturally leads to higher prestige. Similarly, in the village, the Three Sannin's prestige is also higher than mine. But I have high hopes for you. Keep up the good work; who knows, perhaps one day I'll be calling you Hokage-sama."
White Fang chuckled, making a joke.
Rong Lin rolled his eyes and said, exasperatedly, "Uncle White Fang, that joke isn't funny at all."
"Hahaha, I know, but at least there's hope, right?" White Fang didn't mind, just letting out another laugh.
This is truly... how did this news get around everywhere?
If this continues, won't people mistakenly believe that the Fourth Hokage's position is already within my—Uchiha Rong Lin's—grasp?
That would offend quite a few people, such as Danzo, the insidious figure in the shadows, or Orochimaru, who wants to become Hokage, or Minato, and all the others who aspire to become the Fourth.
"This is the newcomer, Uchiha Rong Lin. Give him a set of equipment."
Everyone joining the Anbu receives a new set of equipment. If it's destroyed in battle later, it can be replaced. However, everyone must choose a mask to represent themselves and take a codename.
For example, White Fang's original name was Hatake Sakumo, and his Anbu codename was White Fang. This codename spread from the short blade he used, and over time, everyone now refers to him as White Fang, not Hatake Sakumo.
"You need to think of a codename. From now on, during Anbu missions, you will only use codenames; you won't call each other by your names."
Handing the equipment to Rong Lin, White Fang explained,
"This saves a lot of trouble for Anbu members. You know that many times, Anbu missions are about preventing retaliation and exposure."
"I understand. Then I'll call myself Rinne."
He had transmigrated, which was a form of reincarnation. Plus, he would eventually acquire a pair of Rinnegan, so Rong Lin simply chose "Rinne" as his codename.
A more important reason was that Rong Lin was too lazy to think much. It was just a codename, and this codename was rarely used outside the Anbu. There weren't many people who became famous with a common codename like White Fang.
"Rinne?"
White Fang raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That's right, Rinne it is. Go, choose your mask."
Everyone in the Anbu chooses a unique mask. While not every person's mask is different, at least within the same squad, people cannot have identical ones.
"Mmm..."
Rong Lin looked at the masks hanging on the wall, feeling a bit conflicted. All these masks were animal faces—pigs, monkeys, and the like—which looked really strange.
"Oh! I'll take this one."
Suddenly, Rong Lin spotted a dusty mask hanging in the corner of the wall. The mask was very special; it wasn't a common animal, but a Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails!!!
"Huh, you want that one?"
White Fang was stunned to see Rong Lin choose the Nine-Tails mask. Rong Lin picked up the mask, wiped off the dust, and asked, "Is it not allowed?"
"It's not that it's not allowed; it's just that normally, no one chooses it. Mostly due to reverence and fear, I suppose."
White Fang chuckled bitterly, explaining.
"This mask has been stored in the Anbu for a long time, but no one has ever chosen it because it was used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."
"Oh? Tobirama Senju!!!"
Rong Lin was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected this mask to have such significance. But now, Rong Lin was even more determined to choose it. Since it was chosen by Tobirama Senju, wouldn't it be a shame not to use it?
"Yes, that's why no one chose it. But there are no rules saying you can't choose this mask. So, let it be. The Third Hokage will surely be very surprised."
White Fang smiled, patted Rong Lin's shoulder, and led him to the First Squad's rest room and changing room.
The rest room and changing room were connected, providing a place for Anbu squads to rest and change clothes, and more often, a place for squad discussions.
"Captain!!!!"
The five members of the First Anbu Squad were all excited to see White Fang.
"Hello everyone, long time no see. This is our new member, Uchiha Rong Lin. You might have heard of his name. So, I hope nothing I don't like to see happens.
Of course, if you really want to do something, I won't stop you, but don't come complaining to me if you get embarrassed. This kid is very strong, so don't be a pushover."
White Fang patted Rong Lin's shoulder as he introduced him. His words were a bit exaggerated, making Rong Lin speechless. What do you mean you're not his opponent? Why are you hyping him up like that?
"Hehe, we know, of course. Kato Dan is still in the hospital. We wouldn't bully a newcomer, Captain, so rest assured."