"I've already reviewed your file separately. What I want to ask about is exactly that."
"..."
Byakuya had no idea what Minato was about to ask, and his whole body tensed.
He kept his head lowered and said nothing, waiting quietly for Minato to continue.
"When the refugee incident happened, why didn't you tell the others?"
"..."
That question again.
The scene rose in Byakuya's mind whether he wanted it to or not. The untrained old man lunging at him. The woman shielding a crying child. The father charging forward clutching an explosive tag pouch to protect his son.
His stomach churned, and when he finally spoke, the words came out like toothpaste squeezed from a nearly empty tube.
"The same reason written in the report."
"The report does say they threatened you using students from the Ninja Academy. But I still want to be sure. Was it really only because of that?"
"..."
Byakuya swallowed hard.
Minato had probably noticed how tense the room had become.
Byakuya knew all the effort he had put into hiding it had been meaningless, so all he could do was keep speaking in a faintly trembling voice.
"I had to do it."
"...I see."
So I could die at your son's hands.
Byakuya swallowed the words before they could leave his mouth and carefully watched Minato's expression.
Was Minato going to hold him accountable for what happened back then?
Maybe he would be thrown back into interrogation. Maybe he would even be expelled from the village...
"You don't need to be nervous. I understand."
"...?"
"You were still young at the time. In a sudden situation like that, no one could expect you to make the right decision immediately. Isn't that true?"
What happened had been far more serious than the way Minato put it, but in the end, it had been pushed down under the explanation that Byakuya had been too young at the time.
Byakuya clenched his sweat-soaked hands tighter and could only bow his head even lower.
Minato seemed to misunderstand the reaction. He stepped forward and rested a hand lightly on Byakuya's shoulder.
"You made it through. Something like that will never happen again."
"...Yes, sir. Thank you."
What is this? Why does it feel like he's pitying me?
Byakuya could read the sympathy in Minato's eyes and could only thank him awkwardly.
"We'll leave that matter there for now. As you know, the war is over, and the work piled up afterward is endless. The Hokage's direct ANBU is a department Lord Third entrusted personally, so it has to be managed properly if it's going to keep functioning. But right now, this side is already full."
Minato let go of him, walked to the desk, and pointed at the mountain of documents stacked there.
Just looking at him was enough to understand how busy he was. Byakuya nodded in understanding.
"So I asked Unit One's captain to take full responsibility for ANBU management on the non-mission side. From now on, once you're out on assignments, you probably won't be seeing your former captain much."
Byakuya thought to himself: That chatterbox who was always joking around? That actually sounds like a good thing.
"Unit One's composition is unusual to begin with. You've seen it yourself. The age range is wide, and everyone has their own circumstances. So while I do have concerns, if it's you, I know you can handle it."
"...Yes, sir."
You've only met me a handful of times. Why do you trust me this much?
Byakuya fought to suppress the irritation rising in his chest, but then noticed that Minato's smiling expression had suddenly darkened, and he tilted his head slightly.
"There's also one student of mine in Unit One whom I care deeply about. I don't know if I should ask this of you, but... Kakashi, I'm entrusting him to you."
"...You mean Hatake Kakashi?"
Even as he said it, Byakuya found the whole thing ridiculous.
Entrusting him to me? Entrusting what to me?
"He's too badly wounded inside. This war took too much from him. I doubt he'll ever make friends again, or trust anyone again. That's why I placed him in the same unit as you, someone close to his age."
Minato probably had no idea just how much Kakashi himself hated that arrangement.
Byakuya hesitated over whether he should point out that this was an extremely bad decision or just pretend not to notice.
In the end, he settled for nodding first.
"I'll try."
He had absolutely no confidence, but he might as well agree first and deal with it later.
Even Byakuya knew that answer sounded completely insincere, but Minato did not seem to take it that way.
"Thank you. I'm counting on you. Also, there's a mission you need to handle immediately. This one."
With a sharp slap, Minato tossed over a scroll. Byakuya caught it in one hand and opened it.
The mission itself was simple: scout the village border regions after the war's end and report any unusual activity.
It looked like the kind of job that would take a while.
"Look after Kakashi for me."
"...Yes, sir."
Would he even accept help from me?
The question rose all the way to his lips, but looking at Minato's face, full of hope, Byakuya still could not bring himself to say it.
He forced out a small nod and turned to leave.
---
The members of Unit One waiting outside had only just managed to catch their breath.
"Damn it!"
The oldest ANBU in the group cursed and drove his foot hard into the wall.
Apparently he was seriously unhappy with the new captain.
Kakashi found himself agreeing to some extent and silently watched him.
"Just deal with it. Once you're in the ANBU, orders are absolute."
"And why should I take orders from some brat younger than me?"
"So what are you planning to do?"
A few of them began arguing all at once.
The oldest ANBU shrugged and muttered things like How strong can that kid really be? He said he'd crush Byakuya with raw ability and take the captain's spot himself.
Give me a break.
No matter how Kakashi looked at it, Byakuya had an overwhelming edge when it came to tactical ability.
The rumors about how strong Byakuya really was had mostly been buried under the refugee massacre story.
Everyone was clearly underestimating him.
"As long as I prove to Lord Fourth that I'm stronger than him, that position will naturally become mine."
"Just make sure you don't end up arrested for insubordination first."
"Just wait and see."
What is this idiot trying to do?
The moment those ominous words were out, everyone fell silent all at once, each deciding there was no point inviting trouble by saying more.
Not long after, Byakuya stepped out of the office.
Talking behind my back, were you?
The instant he saw the group go dead quiet the moment he appeared, Byakuya immediately guessed what they had been discussing.
It was hardly the first time people had talked about him behind his back.