[ ANBU HQ - Training Ground Zero ]
"You're all here on time. Good. Let's begin, then." Phoenix stood before a group of trainees, fresh recruits from the recruitment program. Beneath their still, blank masks lay faces full of nerves and expectation.
"Each one of you has been selected based on my judgments and considerations of your talents. From this day forth, you will be granted ANBU codenames." Phoenix snapped his fingers, opening a large storage seal and revealing multiple mask displays containing detailed designs.
"Remember, these masks do not represent some role. They represent the new you, reborn in the fires of will and vigilance. Before you select your respective masks, I implore you to consider this," Phoenix's chakra flared, creating the illusion of a man within a dazzling fire, "what mask calls to you? What symbol resonates with your methodology? It may seem obtuse, but these masks are more than tools for anonymity. They will become your new identities, your new faces."
"Come forth one by one and select your mask. Do not delay, for we have more important matters to discuss afterwards."
The trainees listened to Phoenix's words carefully, each truthfully considering each animal symbol to see which one resonated. After a short moment, the first trainee walked forward to select their mask.
"Vulture. A scavenger that waits patiently for days just to feed off of the scraps of deadlier animals' kills. It is a symbol of resilience and patience. You may don this mask." Phoenix commented from the side as the first mask was taken.
As soon as the first mask was selected, the remaining 11 trainees kicked it into high gear.
"Squirrel. An arboreal rodent that prepares caches of food in various locations in order to guarantee a consistent food supply throughout winter months. It is a symbol of preparedness and agility."
"Horse. A beast with powerful legs and excellent stamina known for its long history of working alongside us humans. It is a symbol of loyalty and stamina."
"Crocodile. A reptilian with nigh-impervious scales and the ferocity to dominate any waters, standing at the top of its food chain. It represents dominance and sturdiness."
"Ant…" "Chameleon…" "Bear…" "Lynx…" "Beetle…"
Eventually, the only two trainees left who had yet to select their masks stepped forward in tandem. Instead of walking towards the mask displays, they approached the Commander himself.
"Commander, sir. We have special requests for our masks." The voice of a teenage girl came out slightly muffled and nervous from the trainee on the right.
'Jiro and Hina, the orphan twins specializing in fire and wind release with supplementary Genjutsu abilities. This should be interesting…'
"You may speak. What is your request?"
"Um… would it be possible to create an Oni mask?" Hina's embarrassment was evident as she mentally cursed her brother for making her be the one to speak up.
Jiro mentally gave a big thumbs up to his sister. Kami knows he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the Commander when making such a brazen request.
"Custom masks are possible, though they require special circumstances to be granted." Phoenix replied with his usual deep timbre, though his thoughts were contrasting his outward appearance.
'Ahh that brings me back! I remember when my Commander looked at me like I grew a second head for asking such a question. Good times, good times…'
"You have surely already noticed that my symbol does not exactly match the typical ANBU codename. The reason for this is quite simple.
The sole purpose of ANBU is to serve and protect the village from the shadows. As the leader of the village, the Hokage holds ultimate authority over ANBU. So, if you truly wish to be granted a custom mask and codename, you must consult with the Hokage."
'How do you think I was able to become Phoenix? That old Commander was too much of a stickler for the rules, so I had to wait until Minato became Hokage just to switch it. Honestly, these kids are lucky that they get to ask Minato and not that nicotine addict…'
"Any further questions?" Phoenix's voice rang out, startling Jiro and Hina out of their own muddled thoughts.
'How the hell are we supposed to ask the Hokage that??!' - Jiro & Hina
"*ahem* We're fine with selecting from the display for now, thank you." Jiro cleared his throat from behind, pulling Hina by the hand towards the mask displays.
Jiro and Hina selected their masks quickly. From now on, they were Salamander and Flamingo, respectively.
"Now that you have all donned your new identities, it is time to begin training. You have already experienced the weather capabilities of training ground zero, but are not yet familiar with its other functions." Phoenix stepped behind the console and tapped away at various buttons. "Alongside weather simulation, you can train your resistance to foreign substances."
The seal array on the floor lit up with a green flash as the activation sequence finished. Before the trainees' eyes, each zone was flooded with different types of vapors. Some were colored, making it easy to track the poison in the air. Others were colorless, but stinky. The most frightening of all, though, was the desert zone, which seemed untouched.
"The seal system in training ground zero has been updated thanks to some unwilling contributions from a Suna spy we captured recently. What you see, or rather can't see, before you is the most recent poison developed by Sunagakure's Lady Chiyo. It is both invisible and odorless. Worse yet, it has corrosive capabilities that will melt you from the inside out should you inhale any." Phoenix introduced the frightening poison as if it were simply a thing to be cataloged.
Meanwhile, the scalps of the fresh recruits tingled with fear at even the concept of such a poison, let alone potentially facing it in simulation.
"Don't be alarmed, we have already developed an antidote for it. Additionally, you can avoid this particular poison with some creative elemental release applications. For instance," Phoenix carelessly stepped into the desert zone simulation that was filled with the deadly poison, "with a sufficiently thick cloak of wind-nature chakra you can avoid the poison in its entirety."
Phoenix stepped out of the desert zone as if nothing happened, returning to stand before the group.
"For today's training, we will work on your coordination in teams of four within the simulated environments. I will serve as your sparring opponent. ANBU agents should be able to seamlessly work together with one another, even if they have never met before." With his display complete, Phoenix quickly began the actual training session as promised.
While the trainees aimed to perform well in order to impress the Commander, his thoughts remained elsewhere even as he blocked/dodged various attacks seamlessly.
'Two orphans, one Uchiha, one Nara, one Yamanaka, two Inuzukas, two Aburame, one Akimichi, one Hyuga, and… wait what was that last one again? Right, the Kurama clan kid. Looks like the Aburame and Inuzuka clans were trying to make amends for the whole Danzo thing by sending me some special talents. How nice of them.'
The training session continued in a flurry of repetitive coordination drills focusing on combat and containment. By the end of it, the trainees felt as if their entire bodies were beaten by a sledgehammer, leaving them all sprawled out on the ground gasping for breath. Who said the Commander couldn't attack back?
"Training is concluded for the day. You may return home and rest. Be here tomorrow at 0500 sharp. Dismissed." Phoenix's last words echoed out as he had already flickered away.
[ ANBU HQ - Commander's Office ]
Sitting behind Phoenix's desk signing on various documents and mission reports was Monkey. His posture was slightly bent forward as he attended to ANBU'S various logistical needs. After signing another document, Monkey glanced up at Phoenix.
"I'm requesting a vacation leave of at least three weeks after this, you know."
"You've already been on vacation three times this year, stop complaining. I just wrapped up training with the newbies. I gotta say, some of them perfectly match the requirements of having 'strange talents'. That Inuzuka kid with a grizzly bear is built like a beast." Phoenix sat casually on the chair across from Monkey, grabbing a report from the desk.
"I don't see what's so special about him, a bear is basically just a bigger version of a dog anyways. Doesn't even come close to your summons…" Monkey commented unseriously as he continued to dejectedly work on the paperwork.
"They're still in their fast growth phase, y'know. I can turn that kid into an absolute tank that grounds any squad within six months. Plus, he's not the only interesting one. They all have some quirks to them that make them useful. Like that Uchiha kid that acts more like Tobirama-sama than an Uchiha." Phoenix mused jokingly.
"Whatever, I don't have time to keep hearing about the bright-eyed brats. Just help me finish up so I can go home before sunset for once…"
Phoenix and Monkey's relationship had always been unusual. Monkey, or rather, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had always admired the ANBU since he was a young boy. His admiration led him to request his father's permission to join a decade ago, around the same time Sumoku himself did. As recruits from the same class, they went on countless missions together with the highest stakes.
Little did poor Shinnosuke know, ANBU didn't really get showered in praise and glory as he had once dreamed. It was a mostly thankless job that required many, many sleepless days of work and dedication. The once-bright-eyed youth who aimed to become Commander eventually lost his passion and left ANBU by the time the Third GNW was coming to a close.
It was only when Sumoku ascended to the ANBU Commander position that Shinnosuke was personally requested back into service. Sumoku's reasoning? He wanted ANBU's leadership to be from the same generation as the Fourth Hokage, and Shinnosuke was a perfect match of demographics and capabilities. He could be quite convincing when he wanted to.
Thus, Monkey was reinstated and given the role of the Commander's right hand. And right now, he was sorely regretting his decision back then!
Just as the two ANBU leaders were finishing the paperwork, a figure flickered into the office.
"Owl. Report." Phoenix returned to his domineering aura.
"We finished the interrogation and information extraction. The sleeper agent was branded with a curse seal we've never seen before. Lord Hokage was able to spare some time to analyze the seal personally. He is waiting for you in interrogation room two." Owl reported without delay, waiting for further orders before acting.
"Monkey, finish up here and join us when you're done. Let's go." Phoenix flickered away, leading Owl towards their destination.
"Hokage-sama. Have you been able to decipher anything?" Phoenix entered the bloodied interrogation room without ceremony, asking the most pertinent question.
"Mm. This curse seal is incredibly complex, but I noticed it shared striking similarities to certain cults of the past. This one in particular connects to the Cult of Jashin, an organization worshipping the god of pain and suffering. What concerns me is why such a dangerous cult would want to spy on a hidden village like ours." Minato's face was scrunched up in serious contemplation. His eyes were narrowed as he tried to recall every detail he could on the 'long dead' cult.
"The Cult of Jashin has been mentioned offhandedly in rumors around the Land of Lightning. Most of them reference scattered missing persons, believing the cult is responsible for their disappearances. I'll have my agents scout out the area. I suggest you create a mission of at least A-rank to act as cover for our search operation." Phoenix was already mentally preparing various mission objectives in his head that needed to be completed. The Cult of Jashin could not be allowed to flourish under his watch.
"Then I'll follow your advice. Keep the sleeper agent contained, no disposal. From what I recall from Mito-sama's records, some of the curse techniques of the cult require intense pain or even death to activate. We need to avoid any unforeseen consequences." Minato responded with conviction. In his mind, any threat to the village's peace was unacceptable.
"Understood. I'll leave his containment to Rhino, then. Owl, you will lead the mission to search for remnants of this cult. You may select your team as you wish. Dismissed." Owl responded quickly with a nod before flickering away at astonishing speed.
"In the meantime," Sumoku removed the mask after confirming the prisoner was unconscious, "how about you and I get some quality friend bonding time together! I'll invite Fugaku over too. Whaddaya say?"
"Ehh, I'm a dad now, though… would it really be okay?" Minato seemed to relax back into his usual personality, though the suggestion left him conflicted.
"What, you too good to spend time with your best friends?! I knew becoming Hokage would make you like this. *sigh*" Sumoku playfully guilt-tripped his best friend.
"Well… I guess it has been a while…" Minato responded. As usual, he was deadly with enemies, and helpless with loved ones!
"Haha, nice! Meet at my place when you're done for the day, I'll let Kushina know for you. See ya later!" Sumoku grinned mischievously before flickering away.
'Why do I feel like I just made a huge mistake…' - Minato
[ Konoha - Hatake Residence ]
"Man! All this work is seriously making me feel stiff all over. Don't you agree, Fugaku?" Sumoku exaggeratedly complained. In his hands was a bong, ready to rip. He passed it over to Fugaku after taking a hit, his finger aglow with fire-nature chakra.
"It's your damn fault I have to work so hard in the first place, you punk!" Fugaku snatched it out of his hands before skillfully taking a hit as well. If Itachi had been here, Fugaku would have never even dared. It was only around his longtime friends that he could let loose like this.
"Don't be like that, Fugaku. Sumoku and I want to help your clan situation without overstepping. How could we possibly interfere in your process?" Minato grinned cheekily, his eyes already slightly squinted and red.
"Yeah, what he said." Sumoku waved his hand as if to mimic the sentiment.
"How the hell did I ever befriend you two idiots…" Fugaku grumbled before taking another big hit.