If that's what the village needs… then I accept."
Benimaru's voice was calm, but his eyes—those eyes—burned with resolve. He wasn't saying yes out of pride, but duty.
Tsunade smiled. The boy had matured nicely for his age—this was the best outcome.
"Then it's settled. You won't go on any missions for a while, so you will be on security duty."
Benimaru nodded—he didn't expect to be put into action so soon anyway.
Tsunade suddenly clasped her hands in remembrance.
"Before I forget, it was Chandler's idea to promote you to Jōnin."
Benimaru's body visibly stiffened, sweat pouring down his temples like a faucet.
Chandler's training was ruthless enough when he was just a Genin.
Now that he was an ANBU… he might actually die.
The image of Chandler laughing at him while he suffered in training would forever remain engrained in his memory.
Tsunade noticed Benimaru's terrified expression and was confused.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Hokage-sama," he said, eyes darkening. He accepted his fate.
Tsunade gave him an ANBU uniform and asked what would be his code name.
"Mirror," he muttered softly.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Yes, I am."
Tsunade leaned back slightly, studying him. "Why 'Mirror'? It's not exactly a name that strikes fear."
Benimaru paused for a moment.
"A mirror reflects what it sees — it doesn't judge, it doesn't distort. That's what I want to be… someone who reflects the truth, not twist it."
Tsunade smiled faintly, not pressing further. There was more behind those words—more than he realized.
Tsunade clicked her pen, writing something down.
"And your mask?" she asked.
Benimaru stood up and walked over to the wall where the masks were kept.
For a long moment, he stared at a particular one—
a plain white mask with beautiful blue snowflake patterns.
"This one. This is the one I want," he said concisely, leaving no room for argument.
Tsunade nodded slowly. She wanted to ask why but chose not to.
Over the next few weeks, Benimaru would work as an ANBU, answering directly to Tsunade and no one else.
Though he mostly served as the person to fetch her coffee in the morning—there was no action.
He occasionally helped in the rebuilding efforts in his free time—along with training with Sasuke and Naruto.
On a particular night, Benimaru sat atop a building—clad in his ANBU uniform but mask off,
leisurely savoring the taste of takoyaki on his tongue—a look of pure bliss etched on his face.
"Takoyaki will forever be my favorite dish," he said, happiness and joy clear in his tone.
The light of the moon shone brightly on this particular night—a clear indication of the troubles to come.
BANG BANG BANG
The sight of a large explosion filled the corner of his eye.
Gaze hardening, he adorned his mask—snowflakes shining in the night sky.
He was no longer Benimaru. He was Mirror.
He disappeared in a blur.
— — — TRAINING GROUND 32 — — —Sasuke was training as usual when he was suddenly ambushed by an unknown group.
They called themselves the Sound Four.
They offered him power—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—the chance to train with a Sannin.
The snake Sannin, Orochimaru.
But Sasuke swiftly refused. He would not leave the village he cherished for any reason.
Neither would he stoop so low as to become a rogue ninja.
Plus, the curse mark that snake bastard gave him had done more harm than good—even while sealed, he could barely mold his chakra properly.
His refusal created an altercation between the two sides,
in which Sasuke was swiftly overwhelmed.
But even so, he managed to take out one of them—Jirōbō—burning him with a fire jutsu.
He was eventually taken out.
Sakon carried Sasuke's limp body.
"The Uchiha brat was stronger than anticipated," he spat, kicking aside Jirōbō's dead body. "Had the brute not let his guard down, he wouldn't be dead."
"I'm afraid I can't let you enter this village and leave alive."
The voice was calm, cold, and decisive.
Sakon turned to the owner of the voice—a boy of average height, with bright golden hair—clad in the standard ANBU uniform.
Kidōmaru scoffed.
"You're just an ANBU. A playboy for your little Hokage." He rushed at the ANBU, clearly underestimating him. "I'll handle you quick so you don't have to suffer."
The sword sheathed at Mirror's side suddenly left its scabbard.
Kidōmaru underestimated him—big mistake. But it wouldn't have changed the outcome regardless.
The sound of steel cutting air echoed through.
Kidōmaru's eyes widened, a crimson line dismembering him from shoulder to hip—the life in his eyes fading before he even realized it.
He fell to the ground before he could even take a full step.
The blood coating his blade was quickly swatted away, and the sword was sheathed once more
Sakon's eyes widened, even with his strength, dispatching Kidomaru wouldn't have been so easy
Yet this nameless anbu had done it effortlessly
It was absurd
Sakon's eyes darted to his right, Tayuya's fingers gripped the side of her flute tightly
Raising it to her lips, she prepared to cast a genjutsu.
But the split of her flute into two promptly stopped her
A casual flick of the wrist, followed by a controlled burst of pure chakra—had rendered her flute useless
Tayuya eyes widened, a figure creeping up behind her—a hand chopped down on her neck
She felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she fell unconscious
Mirror stood over her limp body, expression unchanging. His voice was calm, no hint of tension or fear
"I need to keep at least one of you alive"
Sakon's eyes bulged in pure outrage
"You fucking bastard"
What utter disrespect
It was one thing to kill them quickly, but to keep them alive after embarrassing them so thoroughly
And out of what. Pity?
He wouldn't stand for it, he would kill this anbu here and now, and report back to lord Orochimaru
Sakon clasped his hands together, charging his chakra—surging to to absurd levels.
"I'm gonna kill you and take your head to Lord Orochimaru as a trophy!!"
Sakon's body began transforming, skin gaining a reddish purple hue—chakra surging to never before seen level
A confident grin adorned Sakon's face—there was no way he could lose now
"Now I'll show you the power granted to me by lord Orochimaru"
Sakon blitzed forward—zipping around the area at incredible speeds
"You can't even see me can you"
"I bet you are too scared to even move"
"Don't piss your pants in terror now"
"I'm gonna kill you slowly and painfully"
The sound of Sakon's mockery filled the training ground
Mirror simply sighed—this guy was hopeless.
He took a breath, entering a stance—nothing fancy, nothing flashy
The tip of his sword gripped by both his hands
His breathing was steady, his mind was blank, and his emotions were stable
The eyes of Mirror were shut, a sign of deep concentration
Sakon's lips curved into a wide arc. He snarled
"Do you think closing your eyes will save you? I'll rip you to pieces!!"
His body moved in a blur, movement creating small cracks beneath his feet
Mirror's eyes suddenly snapped open. He muttered under his breath
"Breath of the Shadows: First form—Silent step"
The air grew still as Sakon's killing intent filled the surround area—but something was wrong.
The world fell silent. No heartbeat, no chakra, no sound.
Nothing.
The sound of a blade being sheath from behind broke away all his thoughts.
"That's the difference between killing…and being prepared to kill"
He twisted his body to look, but his head slid cleanly off his shoulders
The light faded from his eyes before he even knew what happened
The body fell—the head rolling away.
Being a good swordsman didn't just rely on years of training
One needed both a strong body—and a stronger mind
Mirror already possessed the body of master swordsman, but his mind was slightly lacking—needing to calm himself each time
But when he is calm—his swordsmanship is unmatched
Mirror grabbed a storage scroll out of his pocket, sealing the dead bodies in them.
Kneeling beside Sasuke's unconscious form, he slapped him…repeatedly.
The Uchiha's eyes snapped open, face groggy—body language showing obvious signs of fatigue
Sasuke rushed his eyes with both hands.
"What happened?"
"You got beat up"
Sasuke's eyes twitched. What kind of blunt response was that.
It was then that he noticed the anbu uniform the person was wearing.
His eyes narrowed instinctively—anbu arent normally this strong
But maybe this was a high ranking anbu?
But if someone as strong as this existed why hasn't he heard of them before?
It didn't make sense
Sasuke's mind went through possibility after possibility trying to find an answer.
But eventually was at a loss
Mirror smirked, seeing the Uchiha think so deeply about his identity was oddly satisfying
Sasuke finally gave up, mustering up some courage he asked.
"Who are you"
Mirror adjusted his mask, a smirk curling at the side of his lips even though Sasuke couldn't see it.
"The name is Mirror"