Sitting in the Anbu office, Hibari still looked like a nouveau riche, tightly wrapped in his mink fur coat.
At this moment, some Anbu members had already gathered in the office. Hiruzen, seeing Hibari's cold-fearing demeanor, chuckled and said, "Hibari, we all know your clothes are expensive. Stop showing off. Just tell us what orders the Hokage has given..."
Hibari heard this, stretched a little, picked up a cup of hot tea from the table, took a small sip, and then calmly said, "Given that, recently, some spies, primarily from Kumogakure, have been continuously infiltrating and probing Konohagakure's intelligence, Hokage-sama has decided to implement some countermeasures. Therefore, all subsequent counter-espionage operations will be handed over to the Intelligence Division. Our Anbu has a new mission."
Kagami, sitting on a nearby sofa, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What new mission?"
"Investigate Kumogakure's movements. Get a clear understanding of everything in Kumogakure," Hibari said softly.
At this point, a man sitting on another sofa suddenly spoke. He possessed a pair of unique eyes, his entire pupils completely white. Yes, this was a member of the Hyūga clan, hailed as Konoha's strongest after the Senju clan shifted its focus and the Uchiha clan declined.
This person was Hyūga Hitenn (Solar Heaven). Hibari had known him since he was very young and almost died laughing at his extremely boastful name.
However, while Hitenn's name might be amusing to Hibari, only Hibari truly understood the implication; others found it quite imposing.
Of course, Hitenn did not disappoint his impressive name. He was a very famous shinobi in Konohagakure, exceptionally powerful, a genius shinobi of the Hyūga clan's generation, and from the Main Family line, possessing a perfect Byakugan kekkei genkai.
Presumably, he would also become the head of the Hyūga clan in the future. Although there was no definitive evidence at the moment, Hibari believed this guy would later be the father of Hizashi and Hiashi.
Hitenn spoke, "Investigate Kumogakure? Isn't this still something the Intelligence Division should be doing? Are we still just cooperating with the Intelligence Division?"
Strictly speaking, the Anbu's administrative rank was slightly higher than the Intelligence Division's, as it was directly under the Hokage. However, the Anbu had far fewer personnel than the Intelligence Division, so many operations were completed through cooperation between the Anbu and the Intelligence Division. That's why Hitenn asked that way.
However, Hibari shook his head this time, then said, "Hitenn, this mission will be carried out by our Anbu alone. If you're asking why, it's because the confidentiality level is different. This mission isn't some simple intelligence gathering..."
Upon hearing this answer, Hitenn's expression became slightly more serious. He asked, "Then, Deputy Commander, what's the situation with this mission?"
As a direct descendant of the strictly disciplined and rigid Hyūga Main Family, Hitenn appeared somewhat 'stiff.' Although Hibari had emphasized many times that he should just call him Hibari or 'Commander,' he still insisted on calling Hibari 'Deputy Commander,' which often made Hibari feel awkward.
However, over the past half-year, Hibari had also come to understand Hitenn's personality and knew he wasn't intentionally targeting him, so he no longer bothered about it. Instead, he directly said, "Our Anbu is a special organization directly under the Hokage, so all of you here are highly trustworthy individuals. I won't beat around the bush. This mission concerns war. Hokage-sama speculates that Kumogakure is likely plotting something. Everything behind this could turn into a powder keg of war at any moment, and our Konohagakure cannot sit idly by. Therefore, we need to thoroughly understand Kumogakure. This mission's primary investigation direction is precisely this: to see if Kumogakure indeed has such intentions, and if so, how far along are they!"
Although Hibari had just said that this mission was not simple, as soon as his voice fell, it still made everyone in the room show surprised expressions.
War?
To be honest, although Konohagakure had minor skirmishes with various countries before, a true war had not broken out for over a decade. At this moment, Hibari abruptly bringing up the word 'war' naturally made everyone else feel incredulous.
"Hibari, you're not joking, are you?" Hiruzen asked with some surprise.
Hibari glanced at him helplessly, then said, "Do I look like someone who would joke about something like this?"
Kagami, after a moment of silence, said in a deep voice, "Thinking about it carefully, it's not entirely impossible, is it?"
His words made everyone else fall silent. After a long while, Hitenn asked, "Then, Deputy Commander, how is this mission being arranged?"
Hibari grinned and said, "My idea is for me to personally lead a team and infiltrate Kumogakure, but I'll need someone to assist me. I think Kagami is very suitable..."
Hiruzen, after hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, this matter is no small thing. It's appropriate for you, Hibari, to take personal charge so you can make timely judgments. As for the assistant, Kagami is also very suitable."
"If it's intelligence gathering, my abilities in that area should be stronger. Why not choose me to assist?" Hitenn asked.
Although his tone seemed a bit blunt, he actually had no other ulterior motives; it was purely out of curiosity. And clearly, everyone else seemed to have grown accustomed to his way of speaking and didn't mind it.
"After all, it's an infiltration mission, and your eyes are too conspicuous. The moment you open them, everyone will know where you're from, so you're not suitable. Are you going to pretend to be blind in there?" Hibari said, chuckling and teasing.
After a slight pause, Hibari then looked at Kagami and spoke again, "But Kagami is different. His Sharingan also has excellent intelligence-gathering capabilities, since his eyesight is good. At the same time, when unnecessary, he doesn't have any overly obvious features. If we disguise ourselves a little, we can pretend to be brothers and openly enter Kumogakure, can't we?"
Hitenn understood these points after listening to Hibari's explanation. He nodded and said, "That is indeed true."
"As the Anbu leader, Hiruzen naturally has many other matters to arrange in the village, so it's not suitable for him to go either. So, let's settle this then. Kagami and I will conduct the infiltration and investigation, and you all will support us from the rear," Hibari said with a smile.
The Anbu itself wasn't a large department. Only the four of them truly had a say; the rest simply needed to follow orders and directives.
After the direction of this matter was settled, Hiruzen quickly nodded and said, "Then it's decided. Kagami, go back and prepare. We'll begin this mission tomorrow. Hitenn, you'll take over Kagami's other duties."
"Yes, Commander!" Hitenn and Kagami both responded quickly.
Then, the two went out to hand over their work. Seeing this, Hibari also stood up, rubbed his hands together, and said, "What a tough life. It's so cold, and I have to go on a business trip. I heard it's already snowing in the Land of Lightning, right? What bad luck..."
Hiruzen chuckled, then said, "Don't complain so much. This is no small matter. Pay more attention to it."
"Don't worry, I understand all that. If there's nothing else, I'll go back and prepare. When I return, remember to treat me to a hot pot meal," Hibari said with a chuckle.
Hiruzen's face darkened. He said, "Didn't you invent hot pot yourself? All the hot pot restaurants in the village are yours. How can you have the nerve to ask me to treat you?"
Previously, after Tobirama assumed the position of Second Hokage, Hibari also received his share of 'reward money' for his planning and even an advance on some Anbu salary. Coupled with collecting many of Hashirama's debts, Hibari had become quite wealthy.
Once bitten, twice shy. After suffering such a significant financial loss, Hibari deeply realized that money was absolutely essential. So, this time, he didn't secretly hide and save his money; instead, he opened a hot pot restaurant.
Sure enough, the hot pot restaurant immediately became 'popular.' Hibari then borrowed a lot of money from his family and successively opened several more in the village. Recently, he was even preparing to expand throughout the entire Land of Fire. He might even make it an international brand in the future. In short, leveraging the powerful 'might' of this hot pot restaurant, Hibari suddenly became rich. Otherwise, how could he afford a fur hat worth over a million ryo?
"Even between close brothers, you have to keep accounts clear. When I asked you to invest and become a shareholder, you refused, thinking I was just messing around. Now you must be regretting it bitterly, aren't you?" Hibari said with some smugness.
Hiruzen said, somewhat annoyed, "I had just gotten married then; where would I have spare money to invest with you?"
At this point, Hiruzen's expression genuinely showed some regret. He then continued, "Hibari, if you have any other good ventures in the future, remember me first."
"Aren't you my ojisan?" Hibari asked with some surprise.
"What 'ojisan' or not 'ojisan,' don't be so polite," Hiruzen said very shamelessly.
After some more banter, Hibari turned to leave. But just then, Hiruzen said, "Oh, right, you interrupted me just now and I almost forgot about something important. Wait, I have something I want to discuss with you."
Hibari stopped, frowned, and said, "What is it? I'm busy..."
"It's important. Don't you think our Anbu is a bit understaffed?" Hiruzen said softly.
Hibari raised an eyebrow, seemingly having thought of something. He turned around and said, "A little, yes. What about it?"
"In the past, when we recruited personnel, we personally selected experts from various families. It was fine when this makeshift group was first established, but it's been half a year, and our Anbu is now on the right track. Continuing this way would be unreasonable and also quite troublesome, wouldn't it?" Hiruzen explained.
Hibari nodded along and said, "So you mean we should establish an organization specifically for training Anbu personnel?"
Hiruzen's lips curled into a smile. He said, "Exactly, that's what I'm thinking. And I happen to have a trustworthy candidate who can be in charge of this matter..."
Hearing this, Hibari also smiled, then said, "You're the Commander. If you think it's suitable, then it's fine. My mission is urgent, so I won't waste any more time with you. See you later!"
After expressing his support, Hibari quickly opened the door and walked out, not giving Hiruzen any more chances to speak.
Closing the door, Hibari softly murmured, "Danzo Shimura...?"
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