Chapter 18: Joining the Dark Side
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the village always came first.
Because of that, he needed to keep Chinatsu—an unpredictable variable under control. However, unlike Shimura Danzō, Hiruzen did not favor extreme measures. After careful consideration, he decided to place her within the ANBU.
The ANBU, formally known as the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, was Konoha's elite covert unit directly under the Hokage. Although often associated with assassination, their duties also included espionage, reconnaissance, protection, and handling sensitive missions between hidden villages.
ANBU members were typically highly skilled shinobi, most at least Chūnin or Jōnin level, carefully selected for loyalty and ability. If Chinatsu joined them, she would constantly be under observation—an arrangement that allowed Hiruzen to monitor her without openly restricting her.
To him, this was the most balanced solution.
Still, he did not expect Chinatsu to accept so easily.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: This girl is far too composed. If she makes demands, I'll have to weigh them carefully…
Chinatsu: "ANBU? Sure, no problem."
She tilted her head slightly and answered with a bright smile.
Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.
As a surviving member of the Uchiha clan, it was natural that Chinatsu knew of the ANBU's existence—especially after the massacre, when such forces moved in the shadows of Konoha. Still, he had prepared for negotiation, resistance, or at least hesitation.
Instead, he received a simple agreement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: That… was too easy?
Chinatsu, however, had her own thoughts.
So all you want is for me to join ANBU? I was preparing for interrogation-level questioning… what a waste of mental effort.
To her, this outcome was actually ideal.
She had already planned to return to active duty as a shinobi. Skipping straight into ANBU meant access to higher-level missions, faster growth, and exposure to real combat scenarios—far more efficient than starting over as a genin.
And more importantly…
Kakashi should still be in ANBU at this time.
Hatake Kakashi—the prodigy who graduated the Academy at five, became a Chūnin at six, and later served in ANBU under the Fourth Hokage and continued under Hiruzen after the Nine-Tails incident.
The future teacher of Naruto and Sasuke.
If she could build a connection with him now, it would be incredibly beneficial.
"The ANBU… I've heard only elite shinobi are selected," Chinatsu said, lowering her head respectfully. "Hokage-sama, thank you for trusting me."
She bowed deeply.
Hiruzen's expression twitched slightly.
No, no, no… this is because I don't trust you at all…
Something felt off.
Was she truly this naive?
Or was she acting?
If it was an act… it was flawless.
The ANBU reports clearly described her as abnormal—far too strong for her age, with suspicious behavior patterns after the massacre. Yet the girl standing before him now looked completely harmless.
Hiruzen fell silent for a few seconds, then raised his head again.
Chinatsu stood there quietly, hands folded neatly in front of her, tilting her head with a gentle smile.
For a brief moment—
Hiruzen felt as though he was looking at pure, innocent light.
He rubbed his forehead.
Chinatsu was already known within Konoha for her appearance, but now, combined with this harmless demeanor, it created a strange dissonance that even someone as experienced as him found difficult to process.
"…You should return for now," Hiruzen finally said. "I will send someone from ANBU to notify you of the formal procedures."
"Understood."
Chinatsu gave a small bow, then turned and left the Hokage's office without hesitation.
The room fell silent.
Ninja Academy
Sasuke sat upright as usual.
On the surface, he appeared to be listening attentively to Iruka's lecture, but in reality, he was quietly refining his chakra, circulating it through his coils as Chinatsu had taught him.
Naruto, seated nearby, noticed Sasuke's posture and tried to imitate him.
Unfortunately… it was purely imitation.
"Naruto, answer this question."
Iruka tapped the blackboard with his pointer, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts.
Naruto jumped, staring at the board.
But staring didn't help.
If he didn't understand the material, looking at it longer wouldn't magically produce the answer.
Iruka sighed, seeing Naruto's flustered expression, and gestured for him to sit.
His gaze then shifted—and landed on Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you answer."
Sasuke opened his eyes slightly, glanced at the board, then closed them again.
"The three fundamental shinobi arts are ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. The three basic techniques are the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique."
A perfect answer.
Iruka blinked in surprise.
He had thought Sasuke wasn't paying attention—but clearly, that wasn't the case.
In truth, Sasuke was distracted—but Chinatsu had already gone over these basics with him.
With her guidance, his theoretical understanding had already surpassed the Academy level. If he wanted, he could apply for early graduation.
Of course, even then, he wouldn't hold the record.
Uchiha Itachi had graduated at seven, awakened his Sharingan at eight, became a Chūnin at ten, and later served as an ANBU captain under the Hokage.
A true prodigy.
And then there was someone even more outrageous—
Hatake Kakashi, who graduated at five.
Compared to monsters like them, Sasuke felt no urgency to rush.
Instead, he discovered that sitting in class and maintaining controlled chakra flow actually helped stabilize his training.
…Did my sister plan this? he wondered.
If Chinatsu heard that thought, she would probably respond awkwardly:
[That's basically the same as me pretending to study while daydreaming in class…]
Time passed quickly, and the Academy day ended.
Sasuke packed his things and stood up to leave.
Naruto immediately followed.
"Sasuke! Wait for me!"
"Who's waiting for you?"
Even so, Sasuke subconsciously slowed his pace until Naruto caught up, and the two walked side by side toward the Uchiha compound.
The girls in the classroom watched this scene unfold.
Some covered their mouths, eyes sparkling.
Others stared at Naruto with poorly hidden jealousy.
"Could Sasuke-kun be…"
"This is too much…!"
Whispers spread rapidly.
At this age, Naruto and Sasuke were still completely oblivious to such things—otherwise, they would have been thoroughly exasperated.
Meanwhile, as the two boys walked home—
Two shadowy figures followed silently from a distance.
Watching.
Observing.
ANBU.