Chapter 57: The Shadowy Figure Behind the Scenes

This mission was very wrong… Habara had this thought as soon as the Uchiha ninja was restrained.

First, the day this Anbu team carried out the mission, Habara and the others were originally supposed to be "off duty," meaning it was a day they had free, and this mission came very suddenly.

Second, a mission like this, involving taking action against a fellow village Jonin, theoretically required a direct order from the Hokage himself. There should absolutely be no situation where an Anbu team captain relays the order; otherwise, the entire of Konoha would be in chaos… Habara didn't know the standard procedure for accepting such a mission, but it certainly wouldn't be like this.

Habara and the other two were newly promoted Anbu ninjas, which meant they were unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Anbu. But being able to become Anbu ninjas meant they were very strong, making them exploitable. One person dealing with an Uchiha Jonin was a completely different concept from four people dealing with one.

Third, after the mission was completed, there was no way the captain should have handled the handover himself; this was the most suspicious point. Given the strictness of the Anbu system, the team receiving the mission and the team handing it over was a necessary process. As long as the mission wasn't handed over, it was "in progress." Since it was "in progress," how could a captain disband his team?

Based on Habara's covert tailing, although he didn't know all of the Anbu's strongholds, he was certain that the location where the captain handed over the mission target was not Anbu headquarters.

Last and most importantly, in his current situation as the newly appointed Hokage, there was no way Namikaze Minato would so rashly touch the mess that was the Uchiha clan. Only someone who didn't want him to be Hokage would do such a thing…

Even without considering personal character, based on political considerations, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't kidnap some Uchiha ninja.

Think about it, what were the actions of the Hokage faction? To avoid arousing the Uchiha's suspicion and backlash, even on the battlefield, Konoha wouldn't let Uchiha ninjas die easily and would prioritize saving them. Given this consideration, how could the Hokage now target the Uchiha…?

There were some things Habara would probably never forget.

So, he was almost certain that the mission he had just completed was not a legitimate mission.

Since he had carried out such a mission, the eventual fate of the three newcomers, including Habara, was almost certain… Either they would suddenly die unexpectedly after gradually realizing what was going on, or they would be dragged down by this "black mark" and forced to become the captain's "accomplices."

So, Habara had to "mend the fold after the sheep were lost." He carried out a textbook sneak attack, his right hand, covered in a lightning-infused iron gauntlet, directly piercing the enemy's chest… This was the most standard ninja fighting style, efficient, concise, and low-cost.

The so-called faking of the murder scene was just a joke. Although it wasn't difficult for someone who could use strong Lightning Release to mimic the traces of Chidori, Habara had absolutely no intention of framing anyone.

Life was like a play, and it all depended on acting. Habara's return was definitely not in Captain Takajo's plans, so he had no idea he would be ambushed like this.

Of course, Habara didn't directly kill this person; otherwise, he would have pierced his heart directly… Next, he would secretly bring this person to the Fourth Hokage.

Someone had ordered Anbu ninjas to capture an Uchiha ninja alive behind the Hokage's back. The nature of this matter was very serious, so Habara catching the culprit and bringing him to the Hokage was definitely not a problem… This couldn't simply be called insubordination, because it was a major matter concerning the internal security of Konoha.

Moreover, Habara had captured a living person, not killed him, which was also very important.

Who did Takajo belong to? Why target the Uchiha? This didn't seem difficult to guess, after all, it all comes back to the pot. (This is a play on words, referencing Danzo and his Root organization.)

But Habara had another question: why did this mission emphasize capturing the target alive? If it was to collect Sharingan, wouldn't it be more convenient to just kill the Uchiha and gouge out his eyes?

Investigating these questions was a matter for later. In short, Habara now had to subdue this Anbu captain and hand him over to the Hokage.

However, just as Habara was about to tie this person up, Takajo suddenly turned his head. A quick glance revealed that his cheeks were puffed up like a toad's belly, and then… Ptoo!

He seemed to spit out saliva.

Was this an expression of unwavering will?

No, it wasn't saliva, it was poison needles.

The poison needles, coated in purple venom, easily pierced the white mask on Habara's face. God knows how this person managed to hide such potent poison in his mouth.

With such strong Lightning Release, shouldn't you be numb too if you got hit? Why could he still attack? One could only say, as expected of a cunning Anbu ninja, even at this point he was still playing the "I can counterattack" game.

Then, he heard Habara continue, "Right, right, you reminded me… I can't let you commit suicide."

Then, a stream of iron sand began to pour into Takajo's mouth, eventually forming a baseball-sized iron ball in his mouth.

Afterward, Habara locked Takajo's hands and feet, ensuring he wouldn't pose any further threat… He also helped stop the bleeding from Takajo's wound, to prevent excessive blood loss.

Actually, Takajo needed emergency surgery. While his heart hadn't been injured, avoiding immediate death, Habara's rough handling seemed to have cut his lung.

Perhaps feeling it was still somewhat unsafe, Habara simply encased Takajo in a layer of iron, making him look like an iron statue.

Then Habara carried this "statue" and began to head towards the Hokage's office building. When he was close, he simply placed the "statue" in a small alley, and then directly entered the Hokage's office building.

Thanks to his status as a Hokage-direct Anbu, Habara reached the door of the Hokage's office relatively smoothly. He had originally been a little worried that the Hokage might have already left for the day, but this worry turned out to be unnecessary.

The Hokage was still working overtime; the Hokage was always working overtime; the Hokage would always be working overtime.

Habara knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he entered the Hokage's office for the first time in his life.

"Lord Hokage, I have an urgent matter to report privately," Habara said directly after seeing the Hokage.

A private report was to protect himself. Who knew if any of the Anbu ninjas in this office were from "Root"?

"A private report?"

The Fourth Hokage looked at this Anbu ninja with a strange expression. In fact, he had already realized Habara's identity, because… besides Habara, no one would carry such an exaggerated thing on their back.

With just a glance at Habara, Namikaze Minato decided to grant his request.

To be honest, although Habara wasn't from Konoha, Namikaze Minato naturally didn't suspect him of having any malicious intent.

The reason was simple. Someone who could make "working for the benefit of commoner ninjas" their ideal couldn't possibly be a spy from another village.

And now Habara clearly looked like something major had happened, and Namikaze Minato could see that…

He could literally see it.

"Alright, I've been sitting for a long time. Let's go to the rooftop to get some air," Namikaze Minato stood up. He really wanted to stretch, but considering his image as Hokage, he refrained.

"By the way, Riku …"

Being able to recognize Habara's identity and call out his codename showed that the Fourth Hokage was indeed working diligently.

He paused slightly, and then continued, "What's that stuck in your face?"

Habara: "…"

"Probably… poison needles?"

Okay, he'd forgotten about that.

The two left the Hokage's office and went to the rooftop, and only then did Habara remove the mask on his face and the iron shell covering his face.

The poison needle was, indeed, still stuck in his mask.

Namikaze Minato glanced at Habara, and everything went without saying.

So your skin is pretty thick… This sentence, which didn't fit the Hokage's image, Namikaze Minato ultimately didn't say.