"Not yet." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "After Kakashi retired, there's no one in the Anbu with the strength and seniority to command respect."
"Old man, but this position is very important, isn't it?" Jiraiya said. "The Anbu doesn't have a leader right now. The Security Department's requests for assistance missions are more effective than orders I, as the Hokage's assistant, can issue directly. I'm afraid that in a while, the Anbu and the Jonin teams will become the Uchiha's Anbu and Jonin teams."
"So, do you have someone in mind?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"That's right." Jiraiya nodded, took out a resume from his person, and placed it on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked it up and glanced at it, his expression changing slightly: "Itachi?"
"Yes," Jiraiya nodded. "At the moment, he seems to be the most suitable. Although he lacks seniority, his strength is definitely top-notch in the Anbu. More importantly, his attitude towards joint missions with the Security Department is rare among Anbu ninjas; he's one of the few who never gets involved in such matters."
"But he comes from the Uchiha clan and is Fugaku's son," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. Since Itachi returned to the Anbu last time, although the other party directly brought out the Uchiha clan's territory, Hiruzen Sarutobi still had doubts about him. Now that Jiraiya had proposed him as the Anbu captain, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Of course, this is just my idea. I'll have to talk to him to confirm the specifics," Jiraiya said. "But I think he'll stand on the village's side."
"That's true," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and nodded. "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Itachi was indeed a ninja who transcended the clan's perspective and possessed the Will of Fire. But you should still talk to him before making a decision."
"I will," Jiraiya nodded, then said, "Then I'll head back now. Old man, sometimes I don't know if agreeing to this was the right thing to do."
Hearing Jiraiya's reflection, Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say something, but Jiraiya had already jumped out of the Hokage's office window.
...
The next day, Kakashi set off for the border early in the morning with Genma Shiranui and the others, while Touhuan came to the village entrance alone to see them off.
Before leaving, Genma Shiranui handed a kunai engraved with special characters to Touhuan. Touhuan took it and smiled, saying, "You guys are quite well prepared."
"We always need some methods to be prepared," Kakashi chuckled, the Swift Lightning Blade hanging from his waist.
"I won't say much more," Touhuan put away the special kunai and looked at everyone, "I wish you all a smooth journey and good fortune!"
"Then we'll take advantage of Clan Chief Touhuan's good wishes." Shiranui Genma smiled heartily.
After the group set off, Touhuan leisurely returned to the Security Department for work.
Meanwhile, in Jiraiya's advisor's office, Itachi pushed open the door and entered.
"Lord Jiraiya, all the spies sent by the Land of Lightning to make contact have been captured, and the spies hiding in the village have also been found one by one. This time, no information about the village was leaked." Itachi bowed to Jiraiya and said.
"Well done, Itachi." Jiraiya nodded. "Sit down."
Although Itachi had some doubts, he still followed Jiraiya's instructions and sat down in the chair in front of Jiraiya's desk.
"Lord Jiraiya, is there something you need?" Itachi asked.
"Itachi, I've been quite busy, so I'll get straight to the point. I plan to propose to the Third Hokage that you be appointed as the captain of the Anbu," Jiraiya said.
Upon hearing this, Itachi immediately wanted to refuse: "Lord Jiraiya, my qualifications are still too limited; I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."
"Itachi, the Anbu is currently in dire need of manpower. Qualifications aren't the most important issue," Jiraiya said. "Your strength is absolutely sufficient for the duties of the Anbu captain."
"Lord Jiraiya, the position of Anbu captain is indeed of great importance; please consider it carefully," Itachi said. Since moving out of the clan, he had devoted all his energy to the work of the Anbu. The recent fact that the Anbu and the Jonin ninjas were getting closer and closer to the Uchiha clan and the security forces was making him increasingly worried.
Many of his Anbu colleagues talked privately about how they wished they could be transferred to the security forces if given the opportunity.
In their mouths, Touhuan was a great ninja devoted to the Will of Fire. Those who had received favors from Touhuan, led by commoner ninjas like Shisui, secretly considered themselves members of the Isshin-kai. He couldn't imagine which side they would stand on if Touhuan were to stage a coup. Itachi desperately wanted to stop it all, but with almost the entire Anbu praising Touhuan, his voice was too insignificant.
"Itachi, don't rush to refuse," Jiraiya said, walking around the desk to Itachi's side and patting him on the shoulder. "What do you think of your current clan leader, Touhuan?"
"Clan Leader Touhuan?" Jiraiya's question made Itachi frown. He didn't know why Jiraiya was asking him this, and to be cautious, Itachi could only give a formulaic answer: "I'm not familiar with Clan Leader Touhuan within the clan, but the clan members around me all speak highly of him."
"Is that so? This is quite different from what you reported to the Third Hokage, that Touhuan harbored great ambitions," Jiraiya said.
"That was all hearsay I heard before, which affected the unity of the village. Please forgive me, Jiraiya-sama and the Third Hokage," Itachi said.
Itachi," Jiraiya sighed, then said, "You've seen the current situation, so I won't go into the formalities. Do you know why I returned to the village and took on the position of Hokage advisor?"
Itachi looked at Jiraiya with some confusion.
"This story begins with my fortuitous encounter with the inheritance of Mount Myōboku." Jiraiya began to recount the matter of the Child of Prophecy and the chaotic, unknown future mentioned by the Great Toad Sage to Itachi.
The long-lasting peaceful future that Jiraiya spoke of, thanks to the efforts of the Child of Prophecy, stirred something in Itachi's heart, and a hint of anticipation appeared on his face.
Upon hearing that the future had changed and that Jiraiya suspected it was related to Touhuan, Itachi's face showed a hint of understanding.
[Touhuan indeed has immense ambition, but I never imagined that if he became Hokage, the consequences would be so severe.]
Itachi thought to himself.
Most people wouldn't have taken Jiraiya's vague prophecy seriously, but Itachi was different.
First, he harbored an innate prejudice against Touhuan. Second, despite his seemingly empty mind, he constantly pondered grand themes of life's meaning and peace. Jiraiya's depiction of a perfect future, thanks to the efforts of the prophesied child, perfectly struck a chord with him.
Add to that the arrogance and stubbornness characteristic of the Uchiha clan, and Itachi's thought process was perfectly aligned, making him completely convinced of Jiraiya's words.
"Itachi, I need your help." Jiraiya patted Itachi on the shoulder and said, "Help me stop that chaotic future."
"Lord Jiraiya, what do you need me to do?" Itachi asked.
"Take over as captain of the Anbu," Jiraiya said. "Right now, in the entire Anbu, you're the only one strong enough and unaffected by Touhuan."
Itachi was silent, but after the Will of Fire and Jiraiya's prophetic vision of a peaceful future flashed through his mind, Itachi made up his mind.
"I understand, Lord Jiraiya." Itachi stood up and bowed.
"Good," Jiraiya smiled with satisfaction. "The Third Hokage was right when he said you were a good child with the Will of Fire."
"Lord Jiraiya, you flatter me. Contributing to the village is the responsibility of every Konoha ninja," Itachi said.
The next day, Itachi took office as the new captain of the Anbu. Some Anbu members were not entirely convinced of his handpicked appointment, but out of respect for Jiraiya, they didn't express any dissatisfaction. However, that very evening, Shisui delivered the news to Touhuan's desk.
The following day, Touhuan, accompanied by several captains from the Security Department, went to the Hokage Building to deliver the mission report on the case of the three clans' collusion with Orochimaru to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Third Hokage, the detailed investigation report is here. Please take a look," Touhuan said, taking a step back after placing the report on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the report, placed it on the desk, and then said, "Thank you for your hard work, Touhuan."
"It's all for the Will of Fire," Touhuan bowed.
"Furthermore, after compensating the families of the victims in the case according to the established standards, approximately 2 million ryo remained from the illegal gains confiscated from the three clans involved in the case. This money, according to regulations, should be added to the village's treasury. Please sign here, Hokage-sama."
With that, Touhuan placed a scroll containing 2 million ryo in cash and an account book on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
"Only 2 million ryo left?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced up at Touhuan. As the Hokage, he knew exactly how many properties the three clans had been seized during this period.
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(End of Chapter)