Chapter 126: Rouran Mission!

Raiden Uzumaki handed the list of team members he had personally selected to the Third Hokage. In front of everyone, Hiruzen Sarutobi unrolled the scroll. The first name on the list made him frown.

"Uchiha Fugaku?" Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head in surprise, looking at Raiden with a questioning gaze.

Raiden nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Yes, he is one of the members I personally selected, and I have already confirmed it with him."

"About his deployment..." Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered aloud, but before he could finish, Raiden interrupted him directly.

"I know, sensei, you can handle it."

"Although he belongs to the Uchiha clan, he is still a Konoha ninja."

"It shouldn't be a big issue for him to join the Anbu, especially since you are the Hokage of Konoha!"

Raiden smoothly placed the compliment on Hiruzen Sarutobi, knowing that, in front of the other gathered shinobi, the Hokage wouldn't risk doing anything to undermine his own authority. Hiruzen merely nodded silently, granting tacit approval, and turned his attention to the rest of the list.

Apart from Uchiha Fugaku, the other names Raiden selected seemed easier to manage. The second name was Hyuga Hiashi. Seeing this, Hiruzen briefly recalled the individual before confirming him as the second son of Hyuga Hikite. He made no objection, but the next name on the list truly surprised him.

"Might Duy? You want to transfer him to your Anbu team?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected to see Might Duy's name on Raiden's list. In Konoha, many were familiar with Might Duy. His reputation as a peculiar figure within the ninja ranks was well known.

A shinobi unable to use ninjutsu and reliant solely on taijutsu, Duy had remained a Genin for decades. Moreover, his zealous demeanor often exceeded the bounds of normal understanding, leading many to see him as an eccentric. This perception had left him with limited popularity in Konoha.

"He's just a Genin, unqualified for the Anbu, and—how should I put it—his character..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, choosing his words carefully, "His character is not well-suited for the Anbu."

"Sensei, you don't need to worry about this. It was my decision to transfer Might Duy to Anbu, and I will take full responsibility for his actions."

"If anything happens, you can come to me directly."

"This individual must be transferred to my team."

Raiden Uzumaki stood firm in his decision despite Hiruzen Sarutobi's reservations. Few understood Duy's true potential, but Raiden was well aware of his strength. As a master of the Eight Gates technique, Duy was one of only two people capable of fully opening all the gates. When Duy unlocked the Gate of Death, he had once overwhelmed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, an elite force renowned throughout the shinobi world. Such power was not something Raiden wanted to waste on minor skirmishes.

"Since you insist... Fine. I promised you that the team selection was yours to make," Hiruzen Sarutobi relented, albeit with lingering doubt about Raiden's persistence.

Raiden's list included only three names: Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Might Duy. Excluding Hatake Sakumo, who had already agreed to join Raiden, two slots in the team remained vacant. This puzzled Hiruzen Sarutobi, who looked up and asked, "Is this it? You still have two open positions. Are you planning to fill them later? Need me to assign someone?"

Raiden smirked mysteriously and replied, "I've already decided who I want, but not yet."

"Very well," Hiruzen said with a sigh and began writing the transfer orders. Once done, he handed them to an Anbu operative to summon the selected members.

As the Anbu left, Hiruzen retrieved another scroll from a drawer and tossed it to Raiden.

"What's this?" Raiden asked curiously, catching the scroll.

"A classified report from our operatives in the Cloud Village. They risked their lives for this intelligence," Hiruzen explained.

"The report states that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of the Cloud has begun mastering the power of the beast."

"The Cloud has mobilized in response to the Sand Village declaring war on Konoha. I heard that the Raikage's son is leading the frontline, with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki accompanying the army."

Hiruzen turned to gaze out the window, his voice heavy with thought.

"You mean to say that my control over the Nine-Tails isn't enough?" Raiden muttered after reading the scroll. The information was brief but alarming. The Cloud's Jinchuriki mastering their power posed a significant threat to Konoha.

"You're overthinking it," Hiruzen replied. "The reason I'm sending you on this Rouran mission is to utilize your exceptional sealing techniques."

"I suspect Rouran's chakra anomaly might be linked to the Wind Country's machinations."

Raiden couldn't help but admire Hiruzen's keen insight. Without specific details about Rouran, Hiruzen had still deduced the possibility of its connection to the Wind Country. Such sharp intuition was rare.

"Understood," Raiden replied, closing his eyes to rest as he awaited his team's arrival.

Eventually, the office door creaked open, and Might Duy strode in with uncontained excitement.

"Hokage-sama! I'm here!" Duy declared loudly.

The booming voice startled Raiden, who shot Duy a disgruntled look before closing his eyes again.

"Welcome. Please wait for the others," Hiruzen said without looking up from his paperwork.

One by one, the remaining team members arrived. Once Uchiha Fugaku, the last to enter, closed the door, Hiruzen stood and addressed them.

"From today onward, the three of you are members of Anbu under my direct authority. Your captain is Raiden Uzumaki. Follow his orders."

Raiden stood, stretched, and then turned serious.

"From now on, you are my subordinates. My only request is that you follow my orders exclusively."

His words startled Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi, who immediately glanced at Hiruzen for confirmation. Might Duy, oblivious to the implications, simply nodded enthusiastically.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at Raiden's declaration but soon nodded in agreement.

The gesture left Fugaku and Hiashi re-evaluating Raiden, whose authority seemed unquestionable. As a Sage and Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Raiden's importance to Konoha was evident.

(End of this chapter)