The passage was very dark, illuminated only by a few torches hung on the walls at intervals.
Sora followed silently behind number 233. Fortunately, his vision had been enhanced, so he could see everything in the passage clearly.
After turning a few corners and passing through a heavy iron door that required chakra verification, the scene before Sora's eyes widened slightly.
This place resembled a small assembly area, with several rooms distributed around it, each door marked with a different number.
The room for Team Hei Five, or Class Hei Five, was located in a corner of the assembly area.
Number 233 stopped in front of the door, stepped aside, and gestured for Sora to enter. He himself walked towards the door of the neighboring Class Hei Four.
The two of them did not communicate at all throughout the entire process, as if they were merely strangers sharing the same path.
Sora took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Class Hei Five.
The room was not large and was furnished very simply: a table, a few chairs, and a cabinet for storing scrolls.
At this moment, there were already three people in the room.
One of them was sitting behind the table, wearing the fox mask that Sora remembered clearly. He seemed to be reading a scroll and did not look up when he heard the door open.
The other two were standing to the side. One was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, wearing a fierce wolf shaped mask. The other was sitting quietly in a chair in the corner, posture upright, wearing an owl mask. Judging by the build and subtle movements, this should be a woman.
The gaze from behind the fox mask shifted from the scroll and landed on Sora, who had just entered the room.
His movements seemed to pause for a moment. Although it was hard to tell clearly through the mask, Sora could feel the scrutinizing gaze lingering on him for a while.
"Number 567, reporting," Sora said calmly.
The fox mask put down the scroll and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "567... Sora."
His voice, coming through the mask, carried a matter of fact, cold tone, but Sora keenly caught a hint of subtle, complex emotion.
"That's me, Captain."
Sora was already certain that this "Fox" captain before him was the Anbu who had brought him back from the border to Konoha two years ago.
After all, strictly speaking, this "Fox" was the first person Sora had encountered after arriving in this world.
At the same time, Sora also understood Hatake Sakumo's intention in assigning him to "Fox's team": to use this "connection" to bridge the distance, allowing Sora to gradually develop a sense of belonging to Konoha and to the team.
'And there's probably also the intention of having Fox keep an eye on me.'
The "Fox" before him not only gave Sora a sense of familiarity but also a faint sense of pressure. Clearly, even if not an elite jonin, he was an experienced veteran jonin.
It's worth noting that within the Anbu, this level of strength was barely sufficient for a squad leader position.
And this "Fox" squad leader also felt waves of emotion stirring in his heart at this moment.
That child discovered in the border ruins two years ago, thin, weak, like a candle flame that could go out at any moment. He had merely followed procedure by bringing Sora back to the village, not even expecting Sora to survive.
Who could have imagined that in just two short years, that faint flicker of flame not only stubbornly continued to burn but even burst forth with such dazzling brilliance.
A seven year old official Anbu member, opened the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates, defeated a Uchiha Special Jonin in a direct confrontation... He had read this report several times and still found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Hmm." Fox suppressed his emotions, his voice returning to its usual calm. "I am Fox, captain of Class Hei Five. These two are your teammates."
He pointed to the wolf mask leaning against the wall. "Grey Wolf, skilled in tracking and strong assaults."
Then he pointed to the owl mask in the corner. "Night Owl, skilled in reconnaissance and traps."
Grey Wolf merely gave a slight nod as a greeting. His eyes, visible through the mask's holes, sized up Sora, seemingly somewhat curious about his short stature, but he said nothing.
Night Owl stood up and also nodded in greeting, her movements crisp and efficient.
'It seems Grey Bear and another person were lost in a previous mission.'
Sora thought to himself. He remembered that this team originally had Grey Bear and another person. A standard team had four members. That last vacancy was probably filled by someone who had died before Sora arrived in this world.
The thought flashed through his mind briefly. Sora didn't dwell on it further and also nodded in return to the two.
Fox then tapped the table and said plainly, "A few simple words about the rules. The mission comes first, obey orders. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't look at what you shouldn't see. Teammates can be trusted, but remain vigilant. Staying alive is the only way to continue serving the village."
Concise and to the point, full of the Anbu style.
"Understood," Sora replied.
"Follow me. First, go to the logistics department to get your equipment. Mainly, choose your codename and mask." Fox stood up and walked towards the door.
Sora followed. Grey Wolf and Night Owl remained in the room.
...
The logistics department was located in a separate area deeper within the base, with special guards at the entrance.
After Fox presented the necessary documents, he led Sora inside.
Unlike the dark and oppressive atmosphere of the outer passages, the interior of the logistics department was brightly lit, appearing very orderly and efficient. Rows of shelves were neatly organized with various ninja tools, clothing, medicinal potions, and... a dazzling array of masks.
A clerical worker wearing a plain white mask without patterns received Sora and the other two.
"Newcomer selecting codename and mask," Fox stated the purpose simply.
The clerical worker nodded and guided Sora to a massive wall.
The wall was covered with various animal masks, from common ones like cats, dogs, foxes, and wolves, to rarer ones like eagles, cranes, monkeys, and snakes. There were even some with peculiar designs, appearing quite diverse.
"Choose one that suits you," Fox said, crossing his arms nearby. "The codename usually corresponds to the mask. Once chosen, this will be your name within the Anbu from now on."
Sora's gaze slowly swept across the entire wall.
Within the Anbu, masks and codenames served as identity markers, reflecting to some extent the chooser's personality or aspirations.
'Ghost face, lion head... these are too ostentatious. Wearing them would definitely make you the first target in a fight.'
'Raccoon dog? Wild boar? These two are alright, you'd blend into a crowd and be hard to find.'
Sora mentally picked and chose, not making a decision immediately. His gaze passed over mask after mask, finally settling on two adjacent masks.
One was a coiled, emerald green snake shaped mask. The positions of the snake's eyes were hollowed out, conveying a sense of coldness and mystery.
The other was an even more majestic, fierce horned "Azure Dragon" mask.
Azure Dragon... Sora's heartbeat skipped a beat. This seemed tailor made for him.
But the next second, he dismissed the idea.
Too flashy...
In an encounter with an enemy, wearing such an imposing, obviously extraordinary mask would definitely make you the primary target, prioritized for concentrated attacks by opponents.
Although it couldn't be ruled out that some people looking to save effort or slack off might specifically pick an opponent with a seemingly weaker mask like the Green Snake, those who would choose such a "soft target" were often not particularly strong themselves.
Therefore, Sora's gaze finally settled on that "Green Snake" mask.
Snake... in the world of Naruto, snakes often brought to mind Orochimaru, associated with danger and conspiracy. But on the other hand, snakes also represented concealment, endurance, and transformation.
Sora remembered an old saying from his previous life: "Deep mountains and great marshes produce dragons and snakes." There was also the saying "the transformation of dragon and snake," referring to the rise and change of extraordinary individuals.
Green Snake might one day transform into an Azure Dragon.
"I choose this one," Sora pointed to the Green Snake mask, his voice calm.
Fox followed his finger and looked. Seeing it was the Green Snake mask, he paused slightly in surprise but quickly returned to normal.
"Green Snake... not bad. Record it," Fox said to the clerical worker.
The clerical worker took down the Green Snake mask and handed it to Sora, simultaneously recording on a scroll: "Codename: Green Snake, former number: 567."
The mask felt slightly cool to the touch, hard and lightweight in texture, polished smooth on the inside.
Sora did not put it on immediately, just held it in his hand and examined it carefully.
Fox didn't concern himself with that. Seeing Sora had decided on a codename, he said, "Let's go. The mission briefing should be arriving soon. Grey Wolf and Night Owl are still waiting for us."
The two left the logistics department and merged back into the dark passageway.
From this moment on, number 567, Sora, was in the past. The Anbu "Green Snake" had officially arrived.
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