Before Hibari's Anbu recruited new members, they were all selected from the elite. Only later did Danzo begin to select promising talents and gradually cultivate them.
Moreover, Danzo's ideology hadn't yet become overly sinister at this point. He conducted his affairs in an orderly manner, without any personal agenda, so the entire Anbu was very stable, united in their efforts to serve the Hokage and benefit the village.
Over the next three years, not to mention the personnel Danzo trained, the initial squad formed under Hibari, Hitenn, Kagami, and Hiruzen consisted of truly formidable members, all elites drawn from various clans.
Among them, the individual under Hibari who just used his sword to dismember the roasted goat was the one who would achieve the highest accomplishments among these Anbu members in the future: Sakumo Hatake.
In the future, this man would make a name for himself throughout the shinobi world, known as the White Fang of Konoha. Especially during the Second Great Ninja War, that's when he truly began to gain fame.
In the battle against Sunagakure, he decisively eliminated Sasori's parents, which caused a significant shift in Sasori's personality, gradually twisting him, and made Chiyo despise him to the core.
However, his later fate was somewhat regrettable. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he was ostracized and shunned, eventually dying by suicide, filled with sorrow.
Similarly, his death also brought immense psychological trauma to the Hatake clan's sole heir, Kakashi Hatake, leading to Kakashi's somewhat twisted personality during his youth.
But at this time, Sakumo wasn't yet as legendary as he would become. He was roughly the same age as Hibari, just two years older, and only seventeen this year.
However, for a shinobi, seventeen years was entirely enough for him to grow to a very strong level. Thus, he was also quite well-known in Konohagakure. Relying on the incredibly sharp kenjutsu passed down through generations of the Hatake clan, he became one of the few master swordsmen in Konohagakure!
Later, Hibari recruited him into the Anbu, and he became one of Hibari's direct squad members.
"That was just catching him off guard. It wasn't even kenjutsu, it was strategy, if you ask me. Anyone who doesn't understand my methods would fall for it. Kinkaku is already very impressive; he only lost an arm and didn't get his head chopped off by me," Hibari said with a chuckle.
Afterward, the few of them chatted a bit, exchanging compliments, then all sat around the campfire and began eating the freshly roasted goat. Hitenn, who had just been so serious, was eating with the most relish.
"At a time like this, if we could also have some sake, it would truly be wonderful, hahahaha," Hibari said, laughing loudly.
Hitenn, upon hearing Hibari's words, instead said very earnestly, "Deputy Commander, everything else is understandable, but drinking alcohol is absolutely out of the question. It would affect many things. If an urgent mission arises, we wouldn't be able to execute it in time! The consequences would be unimaginable!"
Kagami, gnawing on a lamb leg, chuckled and said, "Hitenn, just listen to Hibari boast; he's not actually going to drink..."
Hitenn was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Indeed. On second thought, the Deputy Commander is only almost fifteen this year and hasn't reached the legal drinking age. The Deputy Commander wouldn't do anything illegal anyway."
"Yeah, don't let this kid's tall and big appearance fool you; it's all an illusion. He's still a child, hahahaha," Kagami said, laughing loudly.
Hibari hadn't expected that a casual joke from him would lead to Kagami, that bastard, teasing him. His expression was a bit annoyed, and he was about to retort when he saw a hawk flying in the distance. Seeing this, Hibari lost his desire to joke around with them anymore and quickly said, "Stop talking nonsense, Sakumo's summoning animal is back. Without a doubt, we should have a mission!"
As Hibari's words fell, Sakumo also stopped eating, wiped his hands, stood up, and whistled, seemingly signaling something. The hawk circling in the air received the signal and swiftly swooped down towards Sakumo.
Watching this scene, Kagami chuckled and said, "Sakumo's beast-taming skills seem no worse than the Inuzuka clan's dog-taming skills... just lacking a bit of cooperation."
It's hard to say why, but the Hatake clan members always seemed to prefer training small, ordinary summoning animals, like cats, dogs, and these hawks. Most of them were for auxiliary purposes, not for combat.
The future Kakashi was also like this, with a whole bunch of summoning animals, all canines, as if he was preparing to marry into the Inuzuka clan.
Sakumo smiled, then said, "Before our Hatake clan became shinobi, we were originally hunters for generations. Although we later became shinobi, we still enjoy studying such things."
Hibari heard this for the first time and said with some emotion, "So that's how it is... Anyway, let's not talk about that. Quickly see what the message is. If there's a new mission, let's not delay."
As soon as Hibari finished speaking, the hawk had already landed on Sakumo's arm. Then, Kagami stepped forward, opened the small box tied to the hawk's leg, took out a small scroll, and handed it to Hibari.
Hibari wasted no time and quickly opened the scroll to read it.
The first half was nothing special, just the village expressing affirmation and commendation for Hibari's team perfectly completing their mission, and the corresponding merits had already been recorded.
Of course, since the Second Hokage, Tobirama, had already declared a state of war, their mission, although classified as 'S-rank,' didn't come with any monetary reward.
Fortunately, Hibari was now quite wealthy, so he didn't care about these things. When he had time, he could pay out of his own pocket to treat everyone to a good meal and entertain them. After all, he was the 'leader,' and it was only right to take care of his subordinates.
The content of the second half made Hibari's expression turn serious, and his brows furrowed. After a long moment, he said with some doubt, "If it weren't for the unique chakra signature left by Ojiisan... by the Hokage, I would suspect that Hiruzen was playing a trick on me..."
Hearing Hibari's words, Kagami asked curiously, "What's the situation? Hurry up and tell us!"
"According to the intelligence gathered by the Intelligence Department in various countries, it's not just our side that's seeing unusual activity. In fact, many countries are starting to stir. The smaller nations aren't a big deal; they basically fight among themselves every year. But the Land of Water seems to be preparing for a war with the Land of Earth, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers," Hibari said, stroking his chin.
Speaking of the territorial area of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire actually ranks third. The Land of Wind ranks first; their country has the largest area, but it's largely useless, mostly meaningless and worthless desert. So, even though their country is large, resources are scarce, and various supplies are in short supply, making their lives very tight.
Following closely is the Land of Earth, whose territory ranks second. But they are much richer than the Land of Wind. After that come the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water.
That's right, among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Water has the smallest territory. Its main landmass is just a huge island, and most of its other territories are small islands.
But even though the Land of Water is small, its people have a huge appetite, considering the entire ocean their territory. They have many conflicts with the Land of Earth, which is tens of thousands of miles away.
Of course, the Earth is round, so if you insist that the Land of Water goes around, it is indeed a neighbor to the Land of Earth...
"Isn't this normal? We already predicted this during our meeting earlier, that the Land of Water was highly likely to go to war with the Land of Earth, wasn't it? Why are you bringing this up now?" Kagami asked, somewhat confused.
"I'm bringing this up now because, in the past, their life-and-death struggles had nothing to do with us. But now, we have to go there to execute a mission. Everyone, perk up and listen carefully! By direct order of the Second Hokage, Anbu Second, Third, and Fourth Squads are to immediately withdraw from the Land of Hot Water and proceed to the Land of Water to investigate the movements of Kirigakure in the Land of Water and confirm whether the Land of Water intends to launch a war against the Land of Earth. There must be no mistakes!" Hibari said with a very serious expression.
As his words fell, everyone else's expressions also became somewhat surprised.
"Deputy Commander, if we act according to this order, then our involvement in the battle with the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure seems to be greatly reduced, doesn't it?" Hitenn asked, very astonished.
Originally, their squad was on the front lines of the conflict between the Land of Hot Water and Kumogakure. How could they be immediately transferred to the Land of Water for an intelligence mission after just one engagement?
Logically, this should be the Intelligence Department's job. However, their Anbu belonged directly to the Hokage's forces and could handle anything, so they could get involved in any mission. Since the Hokage ordered them to stir things up in the Land of Water, they couldn't refuse.
Although Hibari was also somewhat reluctant, he still said, "That's right, we're withdrawing from the front lines. It seems the main force is ready. Our mission to warn Kumogakure has also been completed. If those guys still want to cause trouble, our main force will be deployed, and a true war will break out... As for going to the Land of Water..."
At this point, Kagami interjected, "I imagine the Hokage-sama is worried. After all, the Land of Water isn't very far from us. If we engage in large-scale combat with Kumogakure, and the Land of Water has ill intentions, they could completely invade our Land of Fire from the coastline. Therefore, if the Land of Water truly goes to war with the Land of Earth, the Hokage can truly feel at ease fighting Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning!"
A smile appeared on Hibari's lips, and he then said, "Exactly. The Hokage is just seeking 'peace of mind.' Therefore, this mission seems on the surface to be about gathering intelligence, but secretly... I don't need to say more, do I? All right, quickly eat, then pack up. We're withdrawing swiftly! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we might even be able to rejoin the fight."
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