Chapter 41: Anbu Commander

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Hinata activated her Byakugan and gazed into the distance. "The enemy is fleeing rapidly in the noon direction." 

"If we pursue them now, we should still be able to catch up," she said. The group from Konoha looked at Naruto. 

One of them said, "Captain, let's chase them now. With so many of us, we can eventually take them down." 

As they prepared to move, Naruto raised his hand to stop them. 

Calmly, he said, "The mission assigned to us by the Hokage is already complete." 

"The enemy may still have some powerful forbidden jutsu up their sleeve, and I don't want to risk losing any more comrades."

Hearing Naruto's words, the group fell silent, each reflecting on the truth of what he said. 

The team stood on the water's surface in a rare moment of stillness. 

ANBU missions were usually harsh, but this unit was directly under the Hokage's command and loyal to Tsunade.

While the Third Hokage's and Tsunade's policies weren't the most aggressive, they significantly reduced Konoha's casualties and preserved its strength, which proved advantageous in the great power struggles between nations.

This mindset influenced most of the ANBU's loyalty to Tsunade. The ideal outcome was completing the mission with minimal loss. 

Naruto broke the silence, stepping into the centre. "Since the mission is complete, let's head back to Konoha." 

With that, he led the way to their base, and the others could only follow behind him.

Although some still wanted to give chase, no one dared to oppose Naruto. 

At first, the journey back was somewhat awkward, but as they reflected on their successful mission, the mood gradually lightened, and the group became more at ease.

After reaching their base and resting, the team planned their return to Konoha. 

Meanwhile, the two brothers of the "Blood Ninja" desperately fled, fearing pursuit from Konoha. 

They ran at full speed, not daring to stop until they were far away. 

Finally, they collapsed, out of breath, relieved that no one was following them. 

One of them, drenched in blood, fell to the ground and said, "Big brother, we barely made it out. 

If we had stayed any longer, we would have been killed for sure." The other, equally exhausted, collapsed beside him. 

"The legendary Black Flash… No wonder the third one got taken down. We managed to escape, but why didn't they chase us?"

"Forget about that for now," the blood-soaked ninja replied. 

"Our mission was a complete failure. I don't know how we will explain this when we return." 

The other brother sighed, "It wasn't a total loss. At least we discovered that the ninja who assassinated the Daimyo of the Land of Earth is Black Flash, and he's from Konoha." 

"We don't have proof yet, but the information could still be valuable."

The two hurried back to the Land of Water as quickly as possible. 

The Mizukage hadn't expected such a large team of ninjas to return with such bad news. 

Though disappointed in their performance, he realized from their report that the enemy was too powerful and refrained from punishing them. 

The Mizukage paced back and forth in his office, troubled by the mission's failure. 

"Black Flash... I didn't expect Konoha to have such a talented ninja. Could the gap between us and the Land of Fire widen again?" he muttered. 

That night, the Mizukage was destined to have a sleepless night.

Naruto and his ANBU unit had returned to Konoha, and the mission's basic details had already been reported to the village via messenger bird. 

Tsunade was very satisfied with the outcome and agreed with Naruto's decision not to pursue the enemy. 

Her trust in him deepened even further. Gathering the ANBU under her direct command, Tsunade made an important announcement: 

"From today onward, Ryujin (Black Flash) will be the Commander of the ANBU directly under the Hokage." 

"He will hold a position second only to mine, and all of you must follow his orders."

Naruto stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, Lady Hokage, for your trust. I will do my best to fulfil my duties."

Despite this, some ANBU were not happy with the decision. 

Naruto had only been in the ANBU for a short time, and many didn't even know him, so their scepticism was understandable. 

One ANBU member stepped forward and said, "Lady Hokage, the position of Commander has remained unfilled because it's difficult to find someone with everyone's respect." 

"I don't know this Ryujin. Could you explain why he's qualified?"

The implication was clear: they doubted Naruto's ability to take on such a high position. 

But Tsunade had anticipated this. She coughed, and the room fell silent. "It's true that Ryujin hasn't been in the ANBU long, and some of you may not know him well. That's understandable," she began. 

Her words only deepened the doubts of some who stared at her, uncertain about placing a newcomer in such a critical role. 

Unperturbed by their reactions, Tsunade continued, "Let me tell you a bit about some of his more significant missions." 

First, he led a four-man team to sabotage the alliance between the Lands of Lightning and Water, stopping the Raikage's plans to invade Konoha."

This was a challenging mission, and those sceptical began to quiet down, though a few still seemed unconvinced. 

Tsunade said, "Next and this part is classified, he infiltrated the Land of Earth alone and assassinated its Daimyo, completely dismantling their plans to move against the Land of Fire."

The ANBU members looked at Naruto in disbelief. Such feats required incredible skill, and now, no one could deny his strength. 

But Tsunade wasn't done. "Recently, he led Konoha's ANBU in an operation where they were heavily outnumbered, facing over a hundred Mist ANBU, most of them Jonin-level." 

"Among them were three particularly terrifying enemies. Ryujin led his team, and only two of the Mist ANBU escaped, while Konoha only lost two men."

This final point hit hard, leaving the room in stunned silence. 

Tsunade declared, "That's why I've decided that Ryujin will be the Commander of the Hokage's ANBU unit." 

"From now on, you will all call him either by his ANBU title or the Tsuchikage: Black Flash. Are there any objections?"

The room remained silent. With accomplishments like these, only a few legendary figures in ANBU could rival him.

Naruto successfully became the commander of the Anbu unit. 

In addition to receiving congratulations from a few close friends, he also gained some significant advantages. 

First, Naruto's status in Konoha rose considerably, making him a key figure in the village. 

He could now participate directly in many of Konoha's important matters as a member of the Anbu. 

Moreover, he gained the ability to command many Anbu members with a certain degree of autonomy as long as it didn't conflict with Konoha's interests.

Naruto's access to much of Konoha's jutsu attracted him the most. 

As long as they weren't highly classified forbidden techniques, he could study almost any jutsu. 

Being new to the position, Naruto still had many things to learn, but Tsunade personally guided him. 

While Jiraiya was originally better suited for this role, his carefree nature meant he would never agree to take it on. 

Tsunade chose Naruto, whom she trusted the most, to fill the role. 

With someone in charge of the Anbu, Tsunade's workload as Hokage lightened considerably.

Naruto took about half a month to fully adapt to his new responsibilities, and Tsunade now trusted him completely. 

What Naruto was most excited about was Konoha's vast collection of jutsu. 

Upon entering Konoha's jutsu archive, guarded with intense security, he realized the immense number of techniques stored there. 

In addition to basic jutsu, there were numerous advanced techniques related to Kekkei Genkai and even forbidden jutsu. 

However, the most dangerous forbidden techniques weren't stored there and likely required Hokage-level clearance.

Naruto became deeply immersed in the sea of jutsu, spending hours reviewing the materials and even using shadow clones to absorb as much information as possible. 

Tsunade had anticipated this behaviour. 

A genius like Naruto was naturally drawn to jutsu. However, his goal wasn't just personal improvement but also to benefit the team he was building.

Taking some time off, Naruto returned to his base at "Chunlai Manor," where Ryusen greeted him as usual. 

What Naruto cared most about, though, were the children. Under Ryusen's guidance, the children were safely brought to the manor and settled in. 

Ryusen even hired talented teachers to provide them with basic education. 

The place Naruto visited was a separate area in the manor dedicated to their learning.

Naruto appeared in his "Kenji" disguise, and the children excitedly rushed to greet him. To them, Naruto was their saviour. 

Dali, the most active of the group, was the first to run up to Naruto, saying, "Uncle Kenji, it's been a while! Where have you been?" 

Lucy smiled and nodded at Naruto while Tenba and the other children gathered around, curious about Dali's question.

Naruto patted their heads and said, "Uncle Kenji has been busy with many things." 

"If I didn't work hard, I wouldn't have enough money to care for you all, let alone hire teachers."

The eldest and smartest of the group, Tenba, stepped forward and asked, "Uncle Kenji, is there anything we can do to help?" 

"We all want to ease some of your burdens." Naruto sighed softly and replied, "You're still too young. Even if I told you what I'm doing, it wouldn't help much." 

"When you're older, I'll send you out into the world, and then you'll have to take care of yourselves."

Tenba jumped up and said, "Uncle Kenji, we're not little kids anymore! We don't want to leave you. We want to stay by your side and help you." 

"Please don't make us go!" Encouraged by Tenba, the other children echoed, "Uncle Kenji, don't make us leave! We want to stay with you forever!"

Feigning hesitation, Naruto finally relented. "All right, Uncle Kenji will agree, but I have limits. I'll still need your help, and we'll all have to work hard together." 

The children, who already saw Naruto as their saviour, were thrilled and wholeheartedly committed to following him.

Naruto had already formed a plan. 

He asked Ryusen to gather information about the children's ages, and he found that more than twenty of them were over fifteen, an age at which they could understand things more deeply. 

These children had already been through hardship, making them mature for their age. 

Naruto had Ryusen lead them to a secret underground room in the base. 

The children were shocked when they saw this hidden chamber for the first time. 

Despite living there for some time, they had never known such a place existed.

Naruto sat on a slightly elevated chair that made him look like a leader while the children stood below. 

Ryusen stood beside him, guiding the children to meet Naruto in this more serious atmosphere. 

Naruto smiled and said, "No need to be too formal. You're at least fifteen, so I trust you're mature enough." 

"What I'm about to tell you must not be revealed to anyone, including your friends in the manor. Do you understand?" 

The children nodded solemnly, saying, "We understand."

Naruto continued, "I'm sure you're all curious about this place. Now I can tell you: it's a secret base built just for us." 

"No one else can enter without permission." The children were surprised, but they listened quietly as Naruto spoke. 

"You all know that you need certain abilities to survive. To be more specific, you need power. Let me ask you: do you have the power to survive?"

The children looked down, some even bowing their heads in shame, recalling painful memories. "No," they answered honestly. 

Naruto then asked, "Do you want to gain power?" The children shouted in unison, "Yes!"

Naruto smiled. "Since you understand the importance of power, I don't need to explain further. In this world, ninjas hold immense strength." 

"A single skilled ninja can be stronger than a hundred ordinary people. So—" 

Before Naruto could finish, Tenba interrupted, "Uncle Kenji, are you saying you want us to become ninja? But there's no one to teach us. We can't become a ninja on our own."

Naruto chuckled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll set aside time to teach you, including ninjutsu." 

Dali exclaimed, "So, Uncle Kenji, you're a ninja? That's amazing! Now we can learn ninjutsu and become ninja too!" 

Naruto nodded, and the other children were equally thrilled. The idea of learning ninjutsu captivated them deeply.

<End Chapter>

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