Chương 421: CH_11.18 (421)

"You can depend on us. We will keep our ear to the ground for any news about ROOT," Chūnin Yamanaka Nakushi smiled as he finished presenting the plan his team had prepared for him, outlining their approach to collect information about ROOT. Taro looked at his boss. He had them work late for the last couple of days to complete the presentation. Even though the department worked regularly with ANBU, an opportunity to work with them was still significant.

It was all about gaining the trust of an ANBU-nin and establishing a long-term relationship.

"I would like your team to also focus on those helping or hiring ROOT," said the ANBU-nin, his voice distorted. From what Taro had heard, that wasn't common. The ANBU-nin wore a badger mask and was on the shorter side. For some reason, he thought that the masked man was glancing at him from time to time.

"Of course. We'll adjust our plan to add that," said Nakushi. The boss was eager to please. Taro noticed everyone was making notes. He opened his notebook and began doodling.

"Please feel free to ask any questions you might have," said the liaison. He handled communication between the two departments. Nakushi had persuaded the man for a very long time to get this gig via recommendation. Taro glanced at the other three analysts. All of them seemed nervous in ANBU's presence. He was, too. He pursed his lips and partially raised his hand,"Why do you want information on the people helping ROOT?" he asked. The reason was skipped because Nakushi readily agreed to the ANBU's request.

They needed to understand his exact reason for wanting that information to ensure they searched for relevant intelligence.' Was it too tactless?' he thought. The question might feel like he didn't like the request. Not to mention, the boss had already agreed.

"ROOT is too careful to give away its presence before a mission, and it'd be too late by then, so the next best option is to find them through the people who work with them," the ANBU-nin replied.

"ROOT won't work with incompetent people, so it's not going to be easy, but not everyone is trained and brainwashed agents. There will be mistakes. We want to be on the lookout for those mistakes."

"What kind of people are you looking for?" Taro asked.

"Local contractors, information dealers, clients." Taro nodded. He looked at the others, hoping that this would be enough for them to open up and ask their questions. The ANBU-nin retrieved a scroll from his person and rolled it across the table. Taro, surprised that it rolled towards him, caught it. It was a storage scroll, which meant there was something inside.

"Those are profiles of people who worked with ROOT. Base your search on those. Study them carefully," said the ANBU-nin. Even though Taro couldn't see his face, it felt like he was telling him, personally, to handle it.

"Thank you. We will use it wisely," said Nakushi. The ANBU-nin nodded.

"The work my team will be doing is heavily dependent on good information. Your contributions will be vital for our operations. We will also share information that we collect with your team to help; I hope I don't need to say that everything needs to be handled with care," he said. The ANBU-nin was treating them seriously. From what Taro had heard from others, most ANBU were deeply distrustful of everyone, including the analyst they worked with.

They needed to earn their trust by consistently providing quality information. But this ANBU-nin was offering information from his side right from the beginning.' Is this a test?' Taro thought. Perhaps the ANBU-nin wanted to see what they could do with this information to see if they were worthy of access to future confidential intelligence. The ANBU-nin looked at the liaison, who nodded. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I think this is enough for today. It's lunchtime, and everyone should take their break. This was very productive. Please look over that information and contact us if you find something." As they were leaving, Taro glanced at the ANBU-nin, and their eyes met. The masked operative nodded at him, and he returned the nod in surprise. Taro knew he was overthinking it, but he really thought that the ANBU-nin was totally focusing on him in the meeting. ———. Kon was in a good mood when he entered the barn.

The assassination plan was coming along smoothly. They only needed to put some finishing touches before they could put it into action. A couple more days at most, and he would have his revenge. The thought soothed the ache in the stump of his amputated arm.

"We have a problem," said one of the agents. The pain in his arm immediately returned, and the vein in his temple throbbed.

"The target's schedule has changed. He hasn't been to the Ironwood Protection Company this week," said the agent. Which meant they didn't know where he was. There wasn't a good vantage point near the home, so they placed one of their own some distance near the Ironwood Protection Company. As long as he was in the village, Takuma always went to work. In the time they had been watching him, he hadn't broken that consistent routine.

"We should postpone and see what these changes mean. Maybe we can find more about ANBU," said one of them. Kon glared at the agent who suggested that. A delay like this would mean months because the motive was to gather information. It would mean that Takuma would be away from his grasp for at least a few more months. He couldn't let that happen. Never.

"No," he said, looking at everyone.

"I agree that it might be beneficial to learn more about ANBU, but that's not the mission. The mission is to assassinate him... I'm sure I don't need to remind you who this mission comes from." And that was enough to silence any protest. He knew they wanted to keep Takuma alive because gathering more information through him was beneficial for those who were stationed in the Hidden Leaf Village. They didn't care if this mission failed because the responsibility of failure fell entirely on Kon.

Ever since the day he arrived—no, from way before he was even involved—they had been trying to spin this to benefit them. However, it didn't matter because he was backed by someone they could never defy. Everyone knew the consequences of defying Lord Danzo's orders, and no one wanted to experience those consequences.

"This Sunday. That's when we do it," Kon said. Takuma had caused his life to spiral out of control. He was going to take back control of his life by killing him—but before that, he was going to make the bastard feel a fraction of the pain he had been through. ———. Takuma dumped himself in a chair. The meeting with the analyst squad was tiring. It was difficult to pay proper attention when Taro was sitting across from him.

He had grown accustomed to voice modulation as Ratel, but he felt particularly self-conscious when doing it in front of Taro. He looked around the empty office space that was going to be the base for his new squad. It was located within the ANBU Headquarters. Now that he had left the Inquisitor Squad, he was also leaving Ironwood Protection Company —which meant his cover job was also changing. His new job was still security and protection, but now he was directly hired by a "confidential client."

This was only possible because Itachi was starting a new squad.

"How's the space?" Takuma turned around to see his captain, whom he had just been thinking about, walk into the workspace.

"Empty," his voice echoed as he replied. Itachi smiled.

"The furnishings will be here by the time you're here tomorrow... How's the recruitment going?" Takuma took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Itachi. Recommendations from Itachi, Seinpachi, and the Hokage had given him quality candidates. And when people found out that ANBU Captain Weasel was starting a new squad, applications began to flood in from all parts of the department. He had been meeting two to three people every day and had met many deserving candidates.

"I'm done with meeting people. Friday's the deadline. I've asked people to contact me if they're interested. I'll decide on that day," said Takuma"You have some favourites," Itachi said as he read from the list. Some of the names had stars next to them.

"Of course," Takuma said. Everyone he had shortlisted was a competent person with an impressive track record, but there were some people he was partial towards.

"Don't take him," Itachi said, pointing to a name that had already agreed to join.

"Huh, why?" Takuma frowned.

"This guy came to meet me. Said that he would be a better choice to lead the squad than you. Seeing that he wants to join you, it's safe to say that he'll try to undermine you so that he can take over the squad." Takuma groaned as he took the sheet back and crossed out the name. He couldn't have someone like that on the team. Luckily, he wasn't one of his favourites.

"And are you sure about this one?" Itachi asked, pointing to another name on the list.

"I know," Takuma sighed.

"But, Lord Hokage recommended her, so I looked into her, and she has an impressive track record. She was equally impressive during our talk. I'm hesitant because of the obvious problem, but she, personally, hasn't given me a reason to knock her off, so what do you think?" he asked.

"It's a big risk."

"I don't mind the risk," said Takuma. He had gotten where he was without taking risks.

"... I'll look into her from my own side. If she gets a clean bill, it'd at least be safer."

"Thank you, I'll leave that to you." Takuma looked down at the name on the list. [Shimura Miyuri]