Chapter no.69 Principal Iruka Umino

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[ 12 Years Before Present Day ]

Settling into the familiar, comforting mediocrity had always been easy for Fujino Omori.

It served as her safety net during the tumultuous times of the Third Great Shinobi War. Unlike Kakashi Hatake, who had been thrust onto the battlefield at the tender age of five—a reality that still shocked her—she had remained on the periphery.

Kakashi, the boy she once briefly shared a classroom with, had grown into one of the most renowned ninjas in the world. Meanwhile, Fujino had barely managed to graduate from the academy at age 12, towards the end of the war.

Her mediocrity meant that she was overlooked for important or dangerous missions.

As the war drew to a close, this obscurity kept her alive, and it even qualified her for the Chunin exams post-war.

The exams, held as part of the first alliance meeting between Konoha and Suna, purposefully excluded the more dangerous Genin.

This provided someone like Fujino—a decidedly average ninja—a smooth path to the Chunin rank.

Through a combination of sheer luck and her unremarkable skills, Fujino had carved out a simple life for herself.

She knew she wouldn't leave behind a legacy or make a mark on history, and strangely, she found peace in that realization.

Living in the present, seizing each day without the burden of legacy or historical significance, felt liberating.

What was the point in fretting over a legacy or a mark on history after she was a rotting corpse?

Today, October 10th, 1241, according to the Fire Country calendar, marked a new chapter in Fujino's life—she got married to Junpei Uzumaki.

As they lay in bed, with his arms wrapped around her, a profound sense of contentment washed over her.

Here, in this quiet, ordinary moment, Fujino found her place in the world.

Lying there, she let her body relax fully against Junpei, her head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Each breath he took lifted her gently, a physical reminder of the life they were about to build together—simple, unadorned, real. Her fingers traced lazy circles on his arm, and she smiled, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers.

Content with mediocrity, content with the present.

The night air was sharp with a chill that hinted at impending danger.

Despite the comfort of their bed, sleep continued to elude Fujino Omori.

It would slip away just as she was about to drift off, driven away by instincts that screamed a persistent buzz at the back of her mind that something was terribly wrong, yet the specifics of that dread danced just out of her grasp.

Lying perfectly still in the darkness of their bedroom, Fujino's eyes strained uselessly, for her glasses lay on the bedside table next to Junpei's. The ceiling above was nothing more than a blur of indistinct shapes and shadows to her unaided sight.

Next to her, the mattress dipped rhythmically with Junpei's deep, rumbling snores. She rolled over cautiously, careful not to disturb the precarious silence with the creak of the old bed springs.

Then, suddenly, as if someone had thrown boiling water over her, she felt it—an overwhelming presence of malevolent chakra that sent her heart racing and adrenaline coursing through her veins. Junpei shot up from the bed.

"Did you...?" she began to ask Junpei, but before he could respond, a distant, monstrous roar cut through the stillness of the night.

Almost simultaneously, Fujino's mind buzzed with the unmistakable sensation of the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transmission Jutsu:

Code Red, Code Red. Konoha is under attack! I repeat, Konoha is under attack from the Kyubi no Kitsune.

All Genins are to escort civilians; Chunin are to either escort civilians to safety or try to defend Konoha; Tokubetsu Jonin and above are commanded to confront the Kyubi in battle.

Panic gripped her as she contemplated their options. The outskirts of Konoha might offer some safety for civilians, a thought that immediately appealed to her instinct for self-preservation.

"Any ideas what I am supposed to do against a biju, babe?" Junpei's voice, laced with grim humor, pulled her from her thoughts as he opened the window to reveal the chaos unfolding outside.

Through the window, the scene was apocalyptic.

Shinobi of all ranks hurled themselves against the Kyubi, which resembled a living natural disaster.

Amidst them, the retired Third Hokage stood out, dozens of powerful S-rank jutsus stemming the tide of destruction, the single force keeping their village from annihilation.

As a Tokubetsu Jonin, Junpei was bound by duty to join the battle—a battle he might not return from. He turned to her with a reassuring smile, the gravity of the situation etched beneath his calm exterior.

"Do I get a good luck kiss?"

"Do you have to go?" Fujino asked, her voice a mix of fear and resignation.

Unlike her, Junpei did not shy away from his duty, even if it meant facing death.

"Of course, it's my duty," he replied, his voice steady as he prepared to jump from their window.

Fujino followed him onto the rooftop, where the reality of their situation hit her fully. Hundreds of shinobi were mobilizing, some rushing to defend, others aiding in evacuation.

Some might call it bravery; she felt it was sheer stupidity.

"Babe, go back, don your uniform and protect the civilians," Junpei instructed, his concern for her clear in his urgent tone.

"I think you shouldn't go," Fujino blurted out, her own words taking her by surprise.

The roaring of the Kyubi filled her ears, its monstrous chakra tingling across her skin. Instinct screamed at her to flee, to escape the terrifying force that clouded her mind with fear.

"Fujino, I know you're scared, but running away isn't the right call," Junpei responded, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling around them.

"Yes, it is!" Fujino practically screamed back, the panic rising uncontrollably within her.

Before Junpei could reply, a massive blast of air surged toward them, a mere byproduct of the Kyubi swishing its colossal tail.

Junpei turned, his stance firm, his stomach expanding as he prepared his counter.

"Wind Style: Air Drum!" he exclaimed, striking his stomach to release a concentrated blast of air that collided with the force emanating from the Kyubi's casual tail movement.

The clash was monumental. Junpei's A-rank jutsu managed to halt the direct impact, but the residual chakra was still a force to reckon with. Buildings around them didn't stand a chance; they burst apart, their structures unable to withstand the unleashed power.

Debris flew everywhere, and the air filled with dust and the sound of crumbling stone.

Fujino's heart raced as she witnessed the destruction. Junpei's ability to counter such a tremendous force was awe-inspiring, yet terrifying in its implications.

If that was the mere result of the Kyubi's tail swipe, what devastation would a direct attack hold?

Junpei was about to rush towards the damaged buildings when Fujino's arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "Don't, please don't, I don't want to wake up tomorrow without you," she pleaded, her voice choked with tears that dampened his back.

Junpei sighed deeply, the tension in his body softening under her grasp.

"Okay, I won't join the fight," he conceded, his voice low and filled with resignation. Relief flooded through Fujino, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders—but it was short-lived.

Her eyes widened in horror as she saw it: the Kyubi raising its massive head, its mouth gathering a swirling mass of blackish chakra into a ball.

"S-Someone help!"

The desperate cry turned her gaze to a young girl, about eight years old, bloodied and bruised, buried partially under rubble.

It was a miracle she was still alive.

The sense of imminent death was palpable, gripping Fujino's heart with icy fear.

She knew Junpei couldn't stop what was coming next.

The thought of abandoning the civilian child was grim, but survival instincts screamed inside her.

The Kyubi was too powerful, too overwhelming…

Before she could fully register her own thoughts of retreat, she felt a sudden force propelling her into the air.

Junpei had acted in a split second, using his wind chakra to coat her body and fling her to safety.

As she soared through the air, time seemed to pause at the apex of her flight.

Below, the Kyubi unleashed its Bijudama, a devastating sphere of energy that knew no mercy.

From her suspended vantage point, Fujino saw Junpei dive towards the girl, his actions driven by a selflessness that she had hesitated to emulate.

Her heart ached as she recognized his bravery—the stark contrast to her own fear.

The black orb erupted from the Kyubi's mouth, obliterating everything in its path. Buildings vanished into dust, the ground was gouged into new, unrecognizable forms, and lives were snuffed out in an instant.

She watched, helpless, as Junpei—her Junpei—was erased from existence, unable to even slow the monstrous attack.

The Bijudama continued its path of destruction towards the Hokage monument, where, at the last moment, it was caught and began to dissipate into a Fuinjutsu array.

The Fourth Hokage had arrived, saving Konoha from total annihilation.

But for Fujino Omori, it was already too late.

Today was meant to be the pinnacle of joy for Fujino Omori.

The morning had seen her wrapped in the warmth of marriage vows exchanged with Junpei.

By nightfall, however, that joy had been cruelly snatched away, erased by the ferocity of a natural disaster that seemed to mock the fragility of human happiness.

Pain exploded across Fujino's body as she fell to the ground, the physical agony a stark reminder of her vulnerability.

Yet, the pain was trivial compared to the despair clutching her heart.

The belief that mediocrity had preserved her life was shattered; it wasn't mediocrity but sheer dumb luck that had kept her alive this long.

And now, that same mediocrity left her powerless, unable to fight back, only capable of pleading to escape.

It highlighted her weakness, her inability to protect or retaliate, only to flee.

As the darkness of unconsciousness began to pull her under, Fujino wished it would swallow her whole, hoping to either never wake up or to find all this devastation was nothing but a nightmare.

Yet, deep down, she knew the bitter truth: all that remained of Junpei in Konoha was his name etched into stone.

His body was lost to the void, erased as if he had never existed.

In those last moments of consciousness, Fujino realized that while the world might forget, she would carry the memory of Junpei forever.

She alone would remember how he had leapt to save a child, how his last act was one of selfless bravery.

The world wouldn't remember Junpei; his name would be just another among countless others, fading into obscurity.

This crushing realization brought a new clarity.

Perhaps this was why she couldn't bring herself to end her own life.

If she died, Junpei's memory would die with her.

He would truly be gone, his acts of bravery and love forgotten forever.

In preserving her own life, she was guarding his legacy, however small and unrecognized it might be.

Life after the attack had reshaped Fujino's existence into a shadow of its former self. Each morning began with nightmares so vivid and terrifying that only medication could smooth the jagged edges of her reality enough for her to function.

Despite the haunting memories, she persevered, clinging to a semblance of normalcy for the sake of preserving Junpei's memory.

She had taken up a modest role as a Kokugo teacher at the Academy.

There, amidst the young, eager faces, she found a routine that dulled the sharper corners of her grief.

For four years, she navigated through her days in a haze, until she met him—Naruto Uzumaki.

The boy was just another orphan, unremarkable at first glance.

But his last name, Uzumaki, the same as Junpei's adopted surname, sparked something within her.

Though she knew the connection was tenuous—Junpei had been a fake Uzumaki, and likely so was Naruto—it brought her a strange comfort.

This thin thread of connection compelled her to treat Naruto with a special kindness.

When Naruto struggled, she stayed late to help him.

When he erred, she offered encouragement. When he succeeded, she rewarded him with candy.

Watching his face light up each day brought her a fleeting warmth, a reminder of happier times.

However, this fragile peace shattered the day Mizuki Touji approached her with chilling news as she graded exams.

"Can't even believe it, you are giving so much to the Kyubi," he sneered.

The words triggered a torrent of fear and confusion within Fujino. Her heart pounded, her hands trembled, and a cold sweat broke out across her forehead as her PTSD flared violently.

"W-What d-do you mean?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyubi Jinchuriki," Mizuki revealed coldly, placing a scroll marked with an A-rank mission scroll on her desk—a directive from the highest authority.

The revelation sent her thoughts spiraling. Fear gripped her—not of Naruto, but of the immense destructive power he unknowingly carried.

He was intelligent, perhaps too much so for someone with the potential to host such a fearsome force.

The village, she feared, could not survive another onslaught like the one that had taken Junpei from her.

Her eyes returned to Naruto's paper, each misspelled word now a grim reminder of the potential danger he represented.

Marking his paper became a torturous act; each point deducted was a step towards sabotaging his education, aimed at stifling his potential to prevent another disaster.

It was a betrayal of her values as an educator, yet each decision was weighed against her haunting memories of destruction and loss. The memory of that fateful night, the cold dread that had once filled her, it all resurfaced, clouding her judgment.

She told herself she was not ruining his future entirely. She was just nudging him away from a path that could lead to devastation. It was a rationalization that sat uneasily in her mind, the words hollow and unconvincing even to herself.

With a heavy heart, Fujino continued to grade, her actions a blend of duty and fear. She couldn't face the possibility of another disaster. She couldn't endure the thought of more loss. This way, she reasoned, she was keeping the nightmare at bay, ensuring that Naruto would grow, but never enough to unleash the potential he harbored within.

Because the alternative would mean accepting the distinct possibility of danger once again.

That, she refused to do.

....

[ Present Day ]

Fujino stood by the door, clutching a katana with trembling hands, her eyes fixed on the wood as if it might betray her at any moment. Exhaustion gnawed at her bones, but a relentless tide of fear kept sleep at bay. Ever since Naruto Uzumaki had confronted her about her sabotage, she hadn't dared to return to the academy, haunted by the thought that the Kyubi might come for her.

Knock.

The sound jolted her upright, a spike of adrenaline coursing through her weary body. Fear clamped down on her chest, making it hard to breathe, let alone move towards the door.

"Mrs. Fujino, it's Iruka Umino. I have come to check if you are okay, you haven't been to the academy in quite a while," a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.

"Go away!" Fujino's voice came out weak and coarse, barely a whisper of her usual tone.

"We just want to talk," another voice added, this one deeper and more commanding than Iruka's.

"We?" Fujino's brow furrowed in confusion and fear, her voice escalating to a scream, "Leave!"

"Open the door."

Suddenly, Fujino felt an eerie loss of control over her own body. Her limbs moved against her will, mechanically and stiffly, as if she were nothing more than a puppet on invisible strings. She walked to the door, her movements not her own, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

Flinching at the sudden intrusion of light as the door swung open, Fujino's eyes met those of Iruka and another man—Inoichi, who was using the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Disturbance Technique.

"Mrs. Fujino, we just want to ask you a few questions about the sabotage that happened with Naruto," Iruka said.

Fujino tried to respond, but her words tangled up in her throat, her face contorted in absolute fear.

"I-I-I... i-It was an order from the higher-ups," she finally managed to stammer out.

Iruka's expression hardened, while Inoichi nodded slightly.

"Guess her memories haven't been erased. Good," Inoichi observed, his hand reaching towards Fujino's head.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt," he assured her, but the comfort offered in his words did little to ease the dread that filled her. As his hand touched her, a numbness spread swiftly through her body, her surroundings beginning to blur and darken.

Secret Ninja Art: Holding-Door Mind Transmission.

....

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his desk repeatedly, a gesture betraying his agitation.

The information laid before him by Inoichi and Iruka was unsettling, particularly the details about the S-rank mission seal extracted from Fujino Omori's memories.

Each tap seemed to echo the throbbing pulse of his rising concern.

What particularly sent chills down Hiruzen's spine was the seal on the mission scroll. For missions ranked B and above, the protocol was straightforward yet secure: a coded message was placed inside the scroll, often disguised as a poem or a seemingly nonsensical paragraph. To anyone untrained, the words would seem like gibberish, but the real meaning of the mission was locked behind a cryptographic code on the back, decipherable only by Konoha's Jonin and ANBU.

This was standard for A to S rank missions, with an encryption seal indicating the mission's rank and ensuring confidentiality.

Only a few key figures in the village had the authority to use such seals: the ANBU commander, Dragon, and the Jonin commander, Shikaku.

Then there were the select few Hiruzen had personally granted similar privileges, including the Sannin—though only two remained loyal—and Minato Namikaze, before his untimely death.

But now, another name crept into his mind, one that Hiruzen desperately hoped was not involved.

"Hokage-sama," Inoichi's voice broke through Hiruzen's reverie.

"An amazing job, I wasn't expecting this investigation to be completed so quickly," Hiruzen commended.

Iruka was about to bow in gratitude when he suddenly lurched forward, momentarily caught off balance as Inoichi nudged him ahead. The Head of Konoha's T&I took over the conversation.

"It's all because of Iruka's personal investigation. If it wasn't for him, I don't think even the ANBU would have finished the investigation this quickly."

Iruka's cheeks turned a bright red, struggling to contain his embarrassment as Hiruzen nodded appreciatively.

"Iruka, would you be interested in being promoted to Tokubetsu Jōnin?"

Iruka's jaw dropped in disbelief.

Him?!

A Tokubetsu Jōnin?!

The thought had barely crossed his mind before he managed to compose himself.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I don't think I deserve the Tokubetsu Jōnin rank," Iruka responded humbly.

"Well, I think you are underestimating your skills. If you don't want the promotion, that's fine, but..." Hiruzen's voice trailed off, giving Iruka a moment to ponder.

"But?"

"But I believe you deserve a promotion nonetheless," Hiruzen declared, resolving the suspense.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I am a teacher," Iruka replied, scratching the back of his head in a gesture of modesty.

"Yes, and that's why you are now going to be the new principal of Konoha's Ninja Academy," Hiruzen announced, watching Iruka's reaction closely.

"I am sorry, but I don't think I heard that right," Iruka stuttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

"No, you most certainly did, Principal Iruka Umino."

Behind them, Inoichi began to clap, offering a silent form of congratulations.

"But what about the previous principal?"

"Him, alongside all the teachers that participated in the sabotage, will get five years in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility," Hiruzen explained, his tone carrying the weight of finality.

Iruka shivered at the thought.

He might have tried to speak on behalf of his colleagues, but the gravity of their actions made any defense moot.

"I am sorry, Iruka, but you will need to find new teachers for the Academy. Don't worry, the academy will be closed for a month until you can find appropriate replacements, and I am sure Konoha will greatly benefit from your new curriculum," Hiruzen concluded.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Iruka said, bowing deeply.

"No, Iruka, thank you for your remarkable work. You are dismissed," Hiruzen replied, nodding in approval.

Iruka bowed once again to Hiruzen, then gave a nod to Inoichi, and left the room with a heavy heart but a new purpose.

....

As soon as the door closed behind Iruka, Hiruzen Sarutobi's demeanor shifted from the composed Hokage to a man under immense pressure.

He quickly placed his hand on the desk, forming a complex series of hand seals.

A barrier seal sprang up around him and Inoichi, ensuring their conversation remained confidential.

"Status of Fujino Omori."

"She will be taken care of in the Yamanaka Clan's Mental Hospital for her issues, afterward she will be transferred to the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility to serve her time," Inoichi responded, his tone clinical yet empathetic.

Hiruzen nodded slowly and sighed deeply, the weight of leadership pressing down on him.

"I am sure you have already figured out who the saboteur is," he said, almost dreading the answer.

"Shimura Danzo," Inoichi stated plainly, confirming Hiruzen's worst fears.

Hiruzen exhaled sharply, his mind racing as he tried to piece together how Danzo could have coerced someone like Kagami.

Danzo was always dangerous, yes, but manipulating Kagami... that's a stretch.

Is Danzo working for someone else, or is he blackmailing Kagami for something?

Kagami clearly is going against Dragon, so why the need for so much secrecy?

Why is Kagami even entertaining, let alone following, Danzo's words?

It doesn't make any sense.

"Hokage-sama, your command?" Inoichi asked, his voice steady.

Hiruzen rubbed his temple, feeling the onset of a headache as he considered their next move.

The investigation had indeed provided many answers, but it had also unearthed a slew of new questions, complicating the web of village politics even further.

"It's time for a surprise visit to the doorstep of the Hawk."

______________________________________

[ Alert: World Quest ]

[ Quest Title: Evaluation ]

[ Description: Following the successful completion of the Psychological Evaluation, Player Naruto must now undergo another examination as part of the ANBU recruitment process. ]

[ Objective:

  - Follow ANBU Agent Bee to ANBU Base 4.

  - Meet the minimum criteria required for ANBU recruitment. ]

[ Reward:

  - Half Fire Seal.

  - ANBU recruit Title. ]

[ Failure:

  - Specific consequences not listed, but failure to pass the physical examination may impact Naruto's potential recruitment into ANBU. ]

[ Action Required:

  - Acceptance or Declination of Quest ]

Naruto barely registered the notification, noodles hanging from his mouth as the sudden voice echoed in his ear.

"Naruto Uzumaki, meet me outside, adjacent building, 5th floor."

The tone was so abrupt it almost made him leap into attack mode, but he quickly regained his composure, slurped up the rest of his ramen, and shouted his farewells. "Bye, Ayame-Nee; Bye Teuchi-oji, I have a lot of cool ninja stuff to do!"

He didn't even hear their responses as he tapped his acceptance of the quest and dashed out.

His eyes were fixed on the adjacent building, a structure with seven floors. Without hesitation, Naruto leapt directly to the fifth.

As he landed, a click sounded near his ear, like a stopwatch stopping, and the air around him shimmered like a mirror.

Before him appeared an ANBU, the agent's face obscured by a porcelain mask featuring a striking bumblebee design. The mask was adorned with vivid black and yellow stripes, each band precisely painted to mimic the natural patterning of a bumblebee.

Naruto noticed the clipboard that the ANBU held seemed to vanish in an out of sight creating a blur using the transformation jutsu's mechanism of light refraction and reflection.

"How did I do?" Naruto asked, a nervous gulp following his question.

The ANBU paused, then silently handed him a key and a crumpled wrapper before turning invisible once again.

Confusion clouded Naruto's mind as he clutched the random items.

Wasn't I supposed to follow the ANBU to base 4? Why was I given a key and a crumpled wrapper?

He inspected the key, hoping for a clue.

[ Item: Bathroom Key ]

  - [ Description: A key provided to customers for access to the bathroom facilities. ]

A bathroom key?

Frustration surged through him, and he almost threw the key away in annoyance. What is going on? he thought, irritation pricking at his patience.

"Fuck this," he muttered under his breath, feeling more lost than ever.

Unable to make sense of the bizarre instructions and the seemingly useless items, Naruto decided to take matters into his own hands.

He activated his Spirit Possession.

In an instant, Naruto pieced it together. The physical evaluation had begun the moment the ANBU agent, Bee, whispered into his ear back at Ichiraku Ramen.

Each subsequent step, from the abrupt summons to the fifth floor to the triggering of the stopwatch, was a test to gauge his reaction to unexpected scenarios.

Holding the key, Naruto realized it was his clue to Base 4.

The key was labeled as a customer key, indicating that Base 4 was concealed behind a shop front—likely one that offered bathroom access to its patrons.

He picked up the wrapper that had fallen to the floor, noting that much of it was scratched out, almost taunting him into a wild goose chase.

The game is afoot.

Naruto thought as he felt the edges of the wrapper, he noticed it was still warm, the glue partially melted—someone had recently peeled it off.

Curiously, he sniffed the wrapper; the faint scents of alcohol and milk mingled together.

With a click of his tongue, Naruto deduced, "Base 4 isn't just some kind of shop or cafe; it's a bar."

But where was this bar?

He paused, considering why he had been called to the fifth floor instead of the roof. Peering through the window before him, Naruto opened it and found himself looking into an empty bar.

The place was dimly lit with shadows pooling around sparsely placed tables and a long, dusty bar counter where glasses lay unattended, hinting at a once-busy watering hole now forgotten.

Naruto couldn't help but snort, realizing that this part of the physical evaluation was designed to test his ability to utilize the breadcrumbs of clues while also having the clear judgement to see the full picture.

"What can I do for you, kid?" the bartender asked, his voice breaking through Naruto's thoughts as he was wiping a glass clean.

"A friend of mine dropped this," Naruto said, placing the key on the counter.

"What did he order?" the bartender asked, not looking up from the glass he was cleaning.

"Milk and alcohol," Naruto replied, watching the bartender's expression twist into a grimace of disgust.

"I guess he deserves to be in the fifth bathroom stall. You should go check to see if he's okay," the bartender suggested, nodding towards the back of the bar.

....

[ System Notification ]

[ Quest: Evaluation ]

[ Status: Successfully Completed ]

[ Rewards Granted: ]

  - [ Half Fire Seal ]

  - [ ANBU recruit Title ]

[ Hidden Rewards ]

  - [ 2000 Exp ]

  - [ +100 Reputation with ANBU ]

Naruto opened the bathroom door and was immediately met with the sight of Agent Bee sitting casually on a chair, a newspaper in hand.

Even through the mask, Naruto could sense the agent's surprise as he stiffened slightly.

"Quicker than I expected," Bee commented, setting the newspaper aside.

"Is this it?" Naruto asked, curiosity piqued.

"Yes, you passed the first portion of the trial. Psychological evaluation of loyalty and a physical evaluation of your ability in espionage," Bee began, acknowledging Naruto's knack for maintaining composure and piecing together clues under stress. "Were you expecting more?"

"Maybe like a physical examination of my stamina or strength," Naruto suggested, deactivating his Spirit Possession technique.

"That will take place with your teachers. Welcome to Base 4," Bee announced.

Naruto glanced around, his eyes searching. "What is it?" Bee inquired, noticing Naruto's inquisitive look.

"I am looking for some kind of switch that will open up a tunnel or door to the base," Naruto said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Enjoy that innocence, boy. The abyss will strip you of it soon.

Bee thought, a hint of somberness in his inner monologue.

"There is no secret tunnel, Uzumaki-san. This entire building is Base 4."

Naruto frowned, puzzled.

"Why make an ordinary building into a base?"

"Base 1 north, base 2 south, base 3 east, base 4 west. They serve a multitude of purposes, but those that a recruit needs to know are that the base is used to recruit ordinary ninjas into the ANBU. Once they make the list, they are allowed into the main base. The other reason is that the bases are close to civilians, in case of any attack on Konoha, the ANBU can quickly remove the civilians from the danger zone," Bee explained.

He then took out two containers from a storage scroll and handed them to Naruto, who looked back, confused. "For now, you are going to be providing me with the material necessary for a medical evaluation," Bee stated.

"Stool in the right cup, urine in the left," Bee instructed as he headed to the door, leaving a bewildered Naruto behind.

"You want me to shit in a cup?" Naruto exclaimed, his face scrunching in disgust.

Bee nodded matter-of-factly.

"Gross," Naruto muttered.

"Indeed, but those stool and urine tests are necessary. After you are done, some blood will be extracted alongside fingerprinting, and at last, you will get a tattooed Half Fire Seal on your body," Bee detailed as he slammed the door shut, leaving Naruto to contend with the less glamorous aspects of joining the ANBU.

[ Item: Half Fire Seal ]

  - [ Description: A Fuinjutsu seal tattooed onto the body of an ANBU member. This seal grants the bearer access to restricted ANBU zones and functions as a homing beacon on the battlefield. ANBU Captains are granted a full fire seal, signifying higher authority and access within the organization. ]

....

[ Author Note:

This entire chapter, not gonna lie, is a setup chapter for future payoffs. Let me tell you how:

1- I can practically hear the comments: "Oh, why did you give Fujino a backstory? We don't care," etc. But to everyone thinking that, you missed the actual point of it:

• Yes, Fujino was given a backstory, but the main purpose was to give you all ideas of how Konoha essentially was during the Kyubi Attack with the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transmission Jutsu to essentially order everyone. This will then be connected with the political tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha clan and how Danzo used this moment to screw over the Uchiha clan.

• Showing off how devastatingly powerful the Kyubi is. Just the Kyubi waving its tail was enough to be an A-rank jutsu.

• Giving you all an example of a fake Uzumaki. Remember in chapter 62, Hiruzen mentioned fake Uzumakis; now here is an example.

• This chapter also highlighted why Naruto, in chapter 7, immediately went after Fujino on his list of teachers that were sabotaging him because, unlike the rest, Naruto saw Fujino as someone he could genuinely trust. Hence why the moment he saw her name, it didn't matter who else was on that list.

.....

2- Mission scrolls, always this small part, but I think I added a little something to it with the whole:

B, A, and S rank mission scrolls are designed to be more ninja-esque like the scroll is a bunch of paragraphs describing how a tomato is beautiful, and on the back is a code that essentially a Jonin or ANBU uses to decipher the actual mission.

A and S ranks have the Hokage's clearance seal on them.

Just a small item that essentially ratted out Danzo.

I hope you all liked it.

.....

3- And yes, the last chapter and this chapter happened in one day.

How did you guys like the more espionage-focused side for Naruto? Originally I was going to write Naruto doing a physical trial like how hero ranks in One Punch Man with barbell pulls, running, etc., where I would actually go into an explanation from an in-character universe on how Naruto's system body is perceived by everyone else.

But I stopped it as I figured that I would add that later on when Naruto is receiving formal training from the ANBU.

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4- This is also the last chapter where Iruka-sensei is going to be a major character; yeah, Iruka would appear throughout the story here and there, but he wouldn't get as much of a role in the story.

I believe I did an excellent job of making Iruka a well-written character.

Anyways, I am thinking of adding a cute GF for Iruka-sensei; thoughts?

I am open to ideas, but currently, I have these maybe ideas:

Iruka × Kurenai: Both like working with kids; could be an interesting dynamic.

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Iruka × Anko: Iruka has a lot of experience dealing with individuals that have been wronged by society, so Iruka can give her support and love.

My Boi can fix her, Dattebayo (believe it)

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Iruka X OC: This would be just a mention, like Naruto asking Iruka if he has someone, Iruka gets sad boy, goes to a bar, and hits it off with some OC that I won't mention (I dislike this option)

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Iruka stays alone: This could also work.

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Choose which one should I do, or if you have a better suggestion, I would love to hear you out.

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5- When I said this is a setup chapter, I meant it.

-It sets up the political explanation for the Uchiha clan.

-It sets up Iruka's role as the principal.

-It sets up Hiruzen sending a team to confront Danzo to figure out how in God's name he is forcing Kagami of all people to be under his thumb. Also, I am going to explain later on why Hiruzen didn't consider Kotoamatsukami as an option.

-It also sets up Naruto's diet in the ANBU from his urine tests, stool test, and blood panel.

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Thank you for enjoying my work, and thank you for your support. I hope you guys have a blessed rest of the day, and please give me your thoughts in the comments.]