After leaving Danzo's office, Shawn regrouped with Inuzuka Ryō and the others.
"You can keep the sealing technique materials," Shawn said calmly,
"but under no circumstances are they to be spread outside."
Sarutobi Atsushi and the others nodded immediately.
"Understood!"
Shawn waved his hand.
"Dismissed."
The three activated the Body Flicker Technique and departed in different directions.
Shawn returned to his quarters and changed clothes. He no longer felt like wandering the streets, so he took out the sealing technique materials he had just obtained.
"The Sky-nin stealing Konoha's sealing techniques…" he muttered.
"Is their goal the Zero-Tails?"
"So they were already planning this at such an early stage?"
Shawn frowned in thought.
"The Sky Ninja Village… if I remember correctly, it was wiped out by Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War."
"Was this incident the fuse?"
He also remembered that the remnants of the Sky Ninja had attempted to assassinate Danzo multiple times.
"Shinnō… daring to call himself that."
"That alone is enough reason to die."
With a cold snort, Shawn immersed himself in the sealing technique documents.
Tsuchiya Naoya had stolen quite a bit—
Basic techniques such as the Fire Sealing Method and the Five Elements Seal,
the Uzumaki clan's Four Symbols Seal,
and even the legendary Reverse Four Symbols Seal, rumored to have once sealed an entire bridge.
These materials were relatively complete and detailed.
There were also many fragmentary sealing techniques, some without even a name.
But from their content, it was obvious—
They were designed specifically for tailed beasts.
These incomplete materials were likely remnants from Konoha's old research into sealing the Nine-Tails.
By the time Shawn finally lifted his head from the documents, it was already five in the morning.
"The Zero-Tails… a creature formed from dark chakra."
"In some ways, it's even more dangerous than the nine tailed beasts."
After a moment of thought, Shawn set the matter aside. He packed up the materials, changed clothes, and went out to train.
Basic physical conditioning and taijutsu—these were long-standing habits.
But now, his training burden was heavier than ever.
Wood Release went without saying.
Rasengan training helped refine chakra control.
Ironically, Wind Release, his original specialty, had been pushed to last priority.
Breakfast was handled with a soldier pill.
From morning to noon, Shawn trained nonstop before returning to the Root base to eat.
He had barely finished—without even time for a satisfied sigh—when Nakamura appeared again.
"A. Lord Danzo summons you."
Shawn wiped his mouth, moved at top speed, and soon appeared before Danzo, dropping to one knee.
"Lord Danzo!"
Danzo nodded slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"According to ANBU investigation, someone within the Border Defense Force has colluded with the Sky-nin and sold out our defensive routes."
"At present, there is no conclusive evidence—only suspects."
"A. Take a team and identify the traitor."
After speaking, Shimura Taichi handed Shawn a stack of documents.
Shawn accepted them and replied firmly,
"Rest assured, Lord Danzo. I will root out the vermin gnawing at Konoha."
Danzo continued calmly,
"The current commander of the Border Defense Force is Sakumo Hatake."
"Go. Depart immediately."
Shawn's eyelid twitched—but his voice remained steady.
"Understood."
Northeast Border
Five minutes later, Shawn led his squad out of the Root base. After leaving Konoha, they headed toward the northeastern border.
On the way, Atsushi asked,
"Captain, what exactly is this mission?"
Shawn answered,
"To identify the traitor within the Border Defense Force who's selling Konoha's layouts to the Sky-nin."
"There are currently three suspects."
"Kushigami Yūma, Michikami Takuya, and Akabane Nozomi."
"Do any of you know them?"
Aburame Hii spoke first.
"Captain, I know Akabane Nozomi."
"We were classmates at the Ninja Academy."
"He's gentle, well-liked, very hardworking—and he's already a chūnin."
Shawn nodded slightly.
He had already memorized all three profiles.
Beyond what Hii mentioned, Akabane Nozomi was also an orphan, proficient in Fire Release and Earth Release.
His reputation was excellent—
not just among teammates, but among almost everyone who knew him.
That alone made Shawn suspicious.
Not because of anything concrete—
But because the evaluation was too perfect.
In ANBU's investigation notes, no one had said a single bad word about him.
Add the orphan background, and it practically screamed spy.
The other two suspects looked entirely ordinary on paper.
None of the squad recognized them.
Shawn briefly summarized their profiles, then said,
"Our public identity for this mission is ANBU."
"On the surface, we're here to evaluate candidates for potential ANBU recruitment."
Atsushi hesitated.
"Captain… will that excuse really hold?"
"Based on their records, none of these three qualify for ANBU."
That was true.
All three suspects were ordinary chūnin at best.
ANBU—especially Hokage直属ANBU—required at least elite chūnin level.
Shawn replied noncommittally,
"Then are there people in the Border Defense Force you know—
who are qualified for ANBU?"
Atsushi nodded quickly.
"Yes. Mimura Yohmaki. He's a special jōnin."
"As far as I know, once his mission quota is met, he can be promoted to jōnin."
Inuzuka Ryō added,
"Our clan has one—Inuzuka Fukurō, chūnin."
Aburame Hii followed,
"The Aburame clan also has one—Aburame Shisei, chūnin."
Shawn nodded.
"Good. Add those three as well."
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
By dusk, the four arrived at the Border Defense Force headquarters.
Shawn left Atsushi and the others outside and entered the command tent alone.
At their first meeting, Sakumo Hatake gave Shawn a gentle impression—
nothing like the ruthless aura implied by the title White Fang of Konoha.
"Lord Sakumo," Shawn said politely,
"I am here under Lord Danzo's orders to evaluate six individuals as potential ANBU candidates."
As he spoke, Shawn produced Danzo's written authorization.
Sakumo took it, read it, and nodded.
"No problem."
"However, pulling six people at once may affect frontline defenses."
Shawn responded immediately,
"Three at a time will suffice."
Sakumo agreed without hesitation.
"That's best. Please tell me the names so I can make arrangements."
Shawn reported all six names, then added,
"For the first batch, we'll start with Kushigami Yūma, Michikami Takuya, and Akabane Nozomi."
"Sorry for the trouble, Lord Sakumo."
Shawn was exceedingly polite.
Not because he wanted to curry favor—
But because he had no desire to make an enemy of Sakumo Hatake.
More importantly—
He couldn't win.