Under the moonlit night in Konoha Village,
On the rooftops, an ANBU ninja codenamed Tengu was flickering in and out of sight, constantly shifting positions using the Body Flicker Technique.
His figure was like that of a ghost in the dark—impossible to track.
Yet, behind him, another shadow followed—neither too fast nor too slow.
That shadow kept a perfect distance from Tengu at all times, never lagging behind nor closing in too much.
That person, naturally, was Leo. To him, compared to the Body Flicker Technique, using Shave felt as natural as a fish swimming through water.
He followed behind Tengu with a faint smirk, curious to see just how long this guy could keep up his act with his chakra reserves.
Up ahead, Tengu was inwardly astonished. As Leo's guide in the ANBU, he knew full well that this young man was a genius ninja. Acting on a senior's impulse, he had wanted to test him—teach him not to get arrogant, maybe even gauge his real strength.
He thought he could shake Leo off with the Body Flicker, then wait for him to catch up so he could give some kindly advice: "Don't lose heart, keep training."
But now, it was clear—he had overestimated himself!
After using more than ten Body Flickers in a row, even as an elite Chūnin, he was running out of breath.
The worst part? Leo behind him still looked utterly calm, not even breaking a sweat—he even looked relaxed, as though he were enjoying a moonlit stroll.
Seeing this, Tengu almost spat blood in frustration.
Does this guy even have a limit!?
"Fine, one more flicker! Let's see if he can keep up this time!"
This time, Tengu deliberately tried to open up a larger gap, hoping to save some face.
But when he finally stopped and looked back—Leo was still there, keeping that exact same steady distance, moving with effortless composure.
"Pfft!"
No good—his chakra was nearly depleted.
Tengu jumped down from the rooftops and landed on Konoha's main street. Leo followed him down, puzzled.
"Tengu-san, why'd you come down? Isn't hopping over rooftops much more fun?"
"..."
Tengu was speechless.
A raspy voice came from behind the dog-faced mask. "Walking is good for your health."
With that, he said no more and strode toward the Hokage Building.
Leo couldn't help but snicker aloud.
Tengu, walking ahead, could feel the young man's quiet laughter. His steps faltered slightly, his face darkened beneath the mask—but he quickly regained composure.
No wonder the Third Hokage personally named him a genius. His mastery of the Body Flicker far surpasses mine…
The night in Konoha was peaceful; almost no one was out. The two walked straight ahead until they finally reached the ANBU Headquarters.
As the name implied, the ANBU operated in the shadows, unseen by ordinary villagers. Their base lay deep underground—almost directly beneath the Hokage Building itself—connected by secret passageways so the Hokage's orders could be transmitted instantly.
Though dimly lit and eerie, the ANBU base exuded an unspoken, deadly aura. Masked figures in black or white cloaks passed silently through the corridors.
Some glanced curiously at Leo as he entered, though most ignored him and continued on with their missions.
For a moment, Leo felt like he was in some fast-paced modern city—cold and efficient.
"This area is where missions are assigned and reported."
"That section handles the crafting of personal ninja tools and training gear—all free."
"Over there are the scroll archives for ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. You can read them freely."
"And that's the sparring arena for ANBU members."
Tengu led Leo around the base, giving him a quick tour of its main departments.
By the end, Leo had formed a basic understanding of the ANBU's structure.
Then, the two entered a secret chamber. It was dimly lit, illuminated only by flickering candles mounted on the four walls.
Each side of the room held wooden racks lined with masks—dog faces, cat faces, blank masks, demon masks, rakshasa masks—everything imaginable.
"As an ANBU, secrecy of identity is paramount," Tengu said. "Masks are the best way to conceal who we are. Choose one for yourself."
Leo slowly walked around, studying the countless masks before finally stopping before a blood-red Rakshasa mask.
Once he put it on, the ferocious visage made him look downright terrifying.
Tengu said nothing. After all, the psychological fortitude of an ANBU far exceeded that of ordinary shinobi.
Wearing the mask, Leo felt something shift within him—
as if the mask had stripped away his previous self and bestowed upon him a new identity altogether.
"The ANBU doesn't restrict your freedom or enforce unnecessary discipline," Tengu reminded him. "There's only one rule—absolute obedience to orders, loyalty to the Hokage, and never revealing your identity."
"Understood," Leo nodded. "By the way, do I get a codename like the rest of you?"
"You're not an official member yet. Once you're fully inducted, you'll receive your own codename and ID number," Tengu replied. After giving a few more instructions, he left Leo to explore on his own.
The ANBU was a busy place—Tengu had his own missions to attend to.
Leo didn't mind. Though underground, the base was surprisingly spacious.
He soon found his way to the ninja tools section, where his eyes landed on a stack of white slips.
"Chakra Attribute Test Paper—used to determine a shinobi's chakra nature."
"Testing chakra nature?" A masked ANBU appeared silently beside him.
"Yeah," Leo nodded, curious to see what his own chakra type was.
The ANBU handed him a piece of the paper. "Place it in your palm and release your chakra."
Leo did as instructed. Blue chakra flowed across his hand.
The paper first wrinkled, then split clean in half, and finally crumbled into ash.
"…Three chakra natures? And destructive ones at that—Wind, Lightning, and Fire! Impressive," the ANBU exclaimed in awe.
Most ninjas could only manifest a single chakra nature. Gifted ones might have two.
Three, however—was exceedingly rare.
Before learning ninjutsu, a shinobi's chakra was natureless, meaning it couldn't be molded into elemental techniques.
Rock Lee, from the original story, was a perfect example.
To learn ninjutsu effectively, one has to first understand chakra nature transformation. Once mastered, learning related techniques became far more efficient.
That's why a chakra test paper existed—to reveal which nature a shinobi was best suited for, so they wouldn't waste time.
In theory, anyone who fully grasped nature transformation could wield any elemental jutsu. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," was such a man.
He certainly wasn't born with all five chakra natures—he learned them.
Just like Kakashi Hatake, who copied over a thousand jutsu—only possible because he deeply understood chakra nature transformation.
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