Stepping out of the Hokage Building, Jiraiya wore a confident grin.
With brisk steps, he headed straight for the academy.
His first target was the students—children were easier to train and influence when they were young.
They were perfect prospects for future spies and would become the foundation of the Intelligence Department later on.
As for spies ready for missions in the short term, he had other people in mind.
He knew Kawaki, the principal, pretty well and expected things to go smoothly.
But deep down, he understood Tsunade's confidential letter wasn't effective on just anyone.
For Kawaki, it was basically just a piece of paper.
Even if he wanted to go to the Medical Department and ask Orochimaru for someone, he'd have to rely on personal connections.
Halfway there, Jiraiya spotted a familiar figure.
"Hey, Jiraiya."
"Where are you off to?"
Kawaki had just left the school and was heading to the Hokage's office to loaf around.
Among all the higher-ups in Konoha, he was definitely the most laid-back.
"You never change," Jiraiya remarked.
"Don't bother going to see Tsunade. Come with me to the academy."
Jiraiya didn't even need to guess where Kawaki was headed.
"To the academy? What for?"
Kawaki hadn't caught wind of anything yet, casually walking up beside Jiraiya as he spoke.
"Well..."
"I'm planning to check the academy first, see if there are any promising kids."
Jiraiya briefly retold what had happened.
"Man, you really don't get it, do you?"
"What good prospects could there possibly be at the academy?"
"You should head to the Anbu instead."
"There are still former Root members hanging around."
Kawaki's eyes narrowed, and his mind quickly turned to the Anbu.
Let someone else deal with this mess—he wasn't about to let Jiraiya drag Sakumo into it.
The academy was for education and growth—not the place to recruit spies.
Though Tanzō had long been taken out by Kawaki, those once trained under Root still existed.
In the original plot, several famous spies had worked under Root.
When it came to training spies, Tanzō was second to none.
By going to the Anbu, Jiraiya was sure to find solid candidates.
"I was planning to go to the Anbu too."
"I just wanted to stop by the academy first."
Jiraiya stayed composed and held firm to his plan despite Kawaki's words.
"You leave the academy to me—you can relax completely."
Kawaki pounded his chest proudly.
What he truly intended, however, only he himself knew.
"I'll make the announcement right away and let interested students come find you."
"Then you can handpick them yourself."
He sounded too good to be true, eagerly taking over the responsibility.
How things would actually play out would be entirely up to him, though.
Whether they weren't interested in being spies or whether they all dreamed of becoming Hokage themselves,
It was unlikely Jiraiya would get even a few from the academy.
Perhaps the orphanage would be a better bet—it could give orphans a different path in life.
"No worries—I think I'll handle it myself."
Jiraiya caught a whiff of something fishy. When had Kawaki ever been so helpful?
There had to be a catch!
"No trouble, no trouble at all."
"I'll walk with you to the Anbu first. Besides, I miss my Big Bro anyway."
Kawaki waved his hands repeatedly, having completely lost his motivation to go to the Hokage's office.
Since he was just going to loaf around anyway, what difference did it make where he did it?
He grabbed Jiraiya by the arm and acted first, ask questions later.
We're already sharing a place! What's there to think about?!
"I..."
Before Jiraiya could even get a word out, everything began spinning violently.
When he opened his eyes again, Sakumo was sitting behind his desk, busy going through paperwork.
There was no way he didn't recognize this was the Anbu headquarters.
"Big bro, Jiraiya has something to discuss with you."
Kawaki casually poured himself a glass of water, then sat on the nearby sofa and crossed his legs.
Still talking to Jiraiya, he said, "Pour your own water. Don't be so polite."
"You think everyone can be like you?"
At the sound, Sakumo looked up, his expression unchanged.
"Big Bro Sakumo, I'm here at your Anbu division looking for a few people."
Since Kawaki had brought him here already, Jiraiya figured he might as well explain why he came.
He took a step forward and pulled out the sealed letter written by Tsunade from within his robe.
"Intelligence Department?"
Sakumo looked at the sealed letter, frowning slightly.
Although he felt reluctant to send away his subordinates, he still chose to cooperate.
He understood better than most how crucial intelligence was to a ninja village.
"Yeah, time is tight."
"There's no time to train someone from scratch."
"Anbu members are all elites. A bit of guidance will make them ready to use."
Jiraiya spoke honestly, openly expressing his admiration for the Anbu.
Under Sakumo's leadership, the Anbu had grown stronger than ever.
"Alright, how do you want me to assist?"
Sakumo didn't waste words—compared to how Kawaki dodged responsibilities, working with him was much more pleasant.
"Thank you in advance, Big Bro Sakumo."
"The Intelligence Department is just being established. I need some absolute elites."
"They must have solid strength and meet the requirements of spies."
"I'd like to first look through the personnel files of the Anbu, make a preliminary selection, and then proceed accordingly."
"Do you think that's okay?"
Actually, Jiraiya's request was somewhat excessive.
The Anbu reported directly to the Hokage; aside from the Hokage and the Anbu head, there wasn't a third person who knew all the identities of Anbu members.
After speaking, he looked at Sakumo somewhat nervously.
If refused, he wouldn't feel surprised—but he would definitely feel disappointed.
"Fine, you can review them right here in this office."
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Sakumo agreed after slight consideration.
He didn't believe Jiraiya would betray Konoha, nor did he think Jiraiya would easily be captured and forced to reveal intelligence.
Plus, there was Tsunade's sealed letter.
Reviewing Anbu member files—a matter of such secrecy—didn't seem particularly odd under these circumstances.
As long as they stayed inside the office, no one else would see them.
As for Kawaki, he never intended to pay attention.
He knew Kawaki probably had zero interest in these things.
He might actually show interest if there were files on beautiful women, offering his two cents whether asked or not.
He wouldn't waste time looking at Anbu members' files unless literally dragged into it.
"Alright, that's only fair."
Jiraiya was delighted—the request to review files inside the office counted as practically nothing.
Sakumo put down what he was doing and stood up, walking toward the safe when he saw Jiraiya agree.
This safe had several layers of seals and locks, specifically designed to store important Anbu intelligence. If someone didn't know how to remove the seals, forcefully opening it would yield nothing but destruction.
Kawaki heard every word of their conversation.
As Sakumo expected, Kawaki didn't even have the slightest urge to move.
Carefully, Sakumo opened the safe and took out a stack of documents.
"It's all here. Sit over there and take your time reading."
Sakumo handed the documents to Jiraiya and turned back to his seat. He still had a bit of unfinished paperwork.
"Sure."
After answering, Jiraiya went to the side where Kawaki was and began reading slowly.
He had his own standards for selecting people.
He avoided anyone with a distinctive look, special abilities, or those who were just plain naïve.
Take Minato, for example—none of them were suited for espionage work. Either they stood out physically or they used unique Ninjutsu techniques known only to them.
Such people wouldn't survive long as spies—they'd be discovered within days. They might go undercover in the morning and be captured before sunset. That would be risking their life recklessly.
Kawaki occasionally glanced over, curling his lips slightly.
Some Anbu members definitely needed masks—he was clearly part of the "looks club." As for their actual abilities, he didn't bother checking them at all.
After quite some time, Jiraiya divided all the documents into two piles. He set aside the larger pile and kept the smaller one for his final selection.
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