261-Disarming Pleasantries

Renjiro stood before Daichi, his eyes focused but calm, as the words from the Uchiha leader lingered in the air. He had been in enough delicate situations to know that showing hesitation or doubt would give Daichi more leverage than he already had.

"I heard that you joined the ANBU," Daichi had said, his tone light but probing.

Renjiro wasn't surprised that Daichi knew about his ANBU recruitment. In fact, it would have been strange if he didn't. As the head of the Uchiha clan, one of the most prestigious and historically powerful clans in Konoha, Daichi was a man with extensive influence and resources. Not to mention the head of the police force.

Even with the clan's current tense relationship with the village, there were still channels of information that filtered through to Daichi. Renjiro knew that much. What puzzled him, though, was why Daichi was bringing this up now.

'What's his angle?' Renjiro wondered silently. 'Does he just want me to know that he knows? Or is there more to it?'

Forcing his thoughts to quiet, Renjiro nodded slightly in response to Daichi's statement. "Yes," he said simply, affirming the obvious. "I was recruited some time ago."

Daichi's eyes narrowed just slightly, as though he were reading the depths of Renjiro's soul, peeling back layers of guarded thoughts. Yet his voice remained steady, his expression calm.

"But enough of that," Daichi said with a dismissive wave of his hand, shifting the conversation as though it were nothing.

"How are things going for you, Renjiro? Life must be busy with your new responsibilities."

Renjiro resisted the urge to frown. This sudden shift in conversation was too smooth, too casual. There was no way Daichi had called him into his office to make small talk. No, this was a calculated move.

Renjiro had learned from his time in both the police force and the ANBU that some of the most dangerous conversations began with disarming pleasantries. He had to tread carefully.

"They're fine," Renjiro replied, keeping his tone neutral, though the skepticism was barely hidden.

He studied Daichi's face, searching for any sign of what the Uchiha head was truly after.

"Busy, yes, but manageable."

Daichi smiled slightly, though the warmth didn't quite reach his eyes. "Good to hear," he said, his voice smooth.

"With the way things are going in the village, it's important to know where everyone stands."

There it was.

The underlying tension, the real reason Renjiro was here. Daichi wasn't interested in pleasantries—he was probing. But what was he looking for? Renjiro felt the trap closing in, but he didn't yet understand the full scope of it.

"And speaking of where people stand…" Daichi's voice trailed off for a moment before his gaze sharpened again.

"What did you think of the announcements during the clan meeting?"

Renjiro's mind raced as he considered his response. 'So that's what this is about,' he thought. 'He's trying to gauge my position on the clan's issues with the village.'

It was a delicate situation. Renjiro had only recently decided to concern himself with clan matters, and now, with his ANBU recruitment, his position within the clan was complicated.

The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the growing tension between the Uchiha and Konoha leadership since he knew how all this would end. But how could he answer this without arousing suspicion?

He decided to feign ignorance, at least at first. "The new police force schedules seem a bit tight," he said with a casual shrug, referencing one of the more trivial matters discussed during the meeting.

Daichi's smile didn't waver, but his eyes sharpened. "I'm sure you know what I'm really asking, Renjiro," he said, his voice soft but firm, almost paternal.

"Let's not dance around the subject."

Renjiro inwardly sighed. There was no dodging this. Daichi wasn't the type to be fooled by evasive answers. If he kept deflecting, it would only make him look suspicious.

After a pause, Renjiro decided to give a more honest answer. "The village is being unfair to the clan," he said plainly, his voice low but steady.

"It's hard not to see that."

Daichi's eyes flickered with approval. Renjiro knew that this was the answer the clan head had been waiting for. He said what Daichi wanted to hear and that it turn meant that he had chosen a side, whether he liked it or not.

"It's good that you share the same sentiments as the majority of the clan," Daichi said, his voice carrying a note of satisfaction.

"We Uchiha have always been a proud clan, and we've always been… misunderstood by the village."

Renjiro nodded, though his mind was working at a furious pace. 'So, I've chosen a side,' he thought, 'but did I really have a choice?'

The older man didn't leave him in suspense for long. His next question, however, was far more loaded than the first.

"And what do you think the remedy to this situation might be?"

Renjiro hesitated, the words catching in his throat. This was dangerous ground now. Giving an answer that was too direct could implicate him in whatever Daichi was planning—or at the very least, it would signal his complete alignment with the more radical elements of the clan.

"I don't know," Renjiro said carefully, his tone measured.

Daichi's gaze sharpened again. "You don't know," he repeated slowly, "or you don't want to answer?"

Renjiro's heart rate picked up, but he kept his expression neutral. He met Daichi's gaze evenly.

"I don't know," he said again, this time more firmly. "There's more going on here than I'm aware of. I can't speculate on a solution when I don't have all the facts."

For a long moment, Daichi was silent, his eyes boring into Renjiro's as if searching for any sign of deceit. But finally, the corners of his mouth lifted into a small, satisfied smile.

"A brilliant answer," Daichi said approvingly. "You're careful, Renjiro. That's a good trait to have—especially now."

Renjiro's muscles relaxed slightly, though he remained alert. He had navigated that particular minefield, but he knew this conversation wasn't over yet. Daichi still had more to say.

"There's something else," Daichi began, his tone shifting slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze thoughtful. "There has never been any Uchiha in the ANBU before."

Renjiro resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew where this was going. While he was not particularly an Uchiha. He knew why Daichi used the specific term. He wanted to include Renjiro under that umbrella name for whatever plan he had.

"It's quite the achievement," Daichi continued, "that you were recruited."

Renjiro nodded, not offering any more than was necessary. He was growing tired of the preamble.

'Just get to the point already,' he thought, though he didn't dare voice it.

Daichi's gaze lingered on Renjiro for a long moment, as if he were weighing his next words carefully. When he spoke again, his voice was low, almost conspiratorial.

"I'd like you to keep me informed about certain… aspects of ANBU operations."

Renjiro's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. He blinked, trying to process what Daichi had just said.

"Excuse me?" Renjiro asked, his voice sharper than he intended.

Daichi remained calm, his expression smooth. "Not directly, of course," he said, his tone reassuring. "But there are things happening in the village—important things—and the ANBU are often at the centre of these activities. It would be beneficial for the clan if we had some insight into what's going on."

'Are they about to put me in the same situation Itachi was?'

Renjiro felt his pulse quicken. This was dangerous territory. He had known from the start that Daichi was playing some sort of game, but this? This was beyond what he had expected.

Sharing information about ANBU operations was a direct betrayal—not only of the village but of the entire system he had sworn to protect. Not that Renjiro really cared that much about it. The issue was the aftermath, something he was not sure he would be able to handle.

"And what exactly are you asking for?" Renjiro asked, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.

Daichi's smile returned, though it was calm and confident. "Nothing that would endanger you," he said smoothly. "Just… a general sense of what the village is planning. We don't need specifics, but we need to ensure the Uchiha aren't left in the dark."

Renjiro's mind raced. He knew he couldn't outright refuse—it would make him look suspicious, or worse, disloyal. But agreeing to Daichi's request could put him in an impossible position with the ANBU. There was no easy way out of this.

"I'll… see what I can do," Renjiro said carefully, his tone deliberately vague.

Daichi nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Good," he said softly. "I trust you'll be discreet about this."

Renjiro nodded in response, though inwardly, he knew this was only the beginning of something far more trickier than he had anticipated.

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