"Peaceful days… have they passed again?"
In the still morning at the Anbu headquarters, Shigen Hidezawa let out a wide yawn as he strolled into the corridor. The gentle morning breeze carried the faint scent of wet stone and metal through the ventilation shafts, but Hidezawa was too caught up in his thoughts to notice.
Their rest period this time had been surprisingly long. He hadn't expected it, but he welcomed it with open arms. It had allowed him to finally enjoy something he never thought he'd experience as a shinobi—slacking off.
He rubbed his neck lazily and mumbled to himself.
"Man… if Root had given me this much breathing room back then, maybe I wouldn't have been thinking of how to kill Danzo every single day."
He greeted a few passing Anbu operatives with a casual nod, receiving curt nods in return. His mind wandered again to the old man who had essentially ruined his childhood with endless training, cruel experiments, and emotional suppression.
That same man—Shimura Danzo—had the gall to order him to submit a mission report. While Hidezawa was still gleefully indulging in his revenge-by-slack-off plan, Danzo had forcefully dragged him back to reality with that one document.
And it wasn't even a standard report—it required detailed documentation of every step he took during the mission, especially interactions with Uchiha Shisui and… Uzumaki Naruto.
"They're not even trying to hide it." Hidezawa muttered with a chuckle. "They just want to know what happened between me, Shisui, and the kid."
He was well aware that Danzo had likely already launched a private investigation the moment Naruto's name entered the equation. Hidezawa suspected the old man had even gone to speak with the Third Hokage. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never tolerate Danzo involving himself with Naruto in any capacity.
A mischievous grin curled at Hidezawa's lips.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that old geezer even took the blame proactively just to protect his own position."
His background was clean, and there were no loose ends. He wasn't worried about any inquiries. On the contrary, he found the situation amusing.
More than that, he had already figured out how to manipulate Danzo—because he knew Danzo's dream.
Danzo wanted to become Hokage.
But to become Hokage, one needed something Danzo lacked: Prestige.
"Don't worry, Danzo-sama…" Hidezawa murmured with mock sincerity, his expression theatrical. "I'll make sure the whole shinobi world hears your name. Whether they praise it or curse it... that's another matter."
He chuckled to himself.
After all, his system's directive was clear—complete the mission. The how didn't matter. No morality bar, no karma meter. Just results.
'So I don't need to care either.'
His boots echoed faintly as he entered the inner hallway of the Anbu base. Moments later, he spotted Uzuki Yugao and Uchiha Shisui already waiting for him in the briefing area.
Clearly, both had arrived earlier than him—no surprise there.
"You're late." Yugao commented flatly, arms folded.
"Hidezawa-kun, good morning." Shisui greeted a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Their last encounter hadn't been smooth. Hidezawa's sarcastic line—'Are you questioning Hokage-sama's decision?'—had left Shisui shaken.
In retrospect, Shisui had realized that he had indeed done just that. By expressing concern over Naruto's situation without understanding the Hokage's stance, he had indirectly criticized Sarutobi Hiruzen. To someone like Shisui, who desperately sought the Third Hokage's trust to redeem the Uchiha clan's name, that was a serious misstep.
"I think my timing's perfect." Hidezawa said breezily. "Hokage-sama probably hasn't even finished his tea yet."
Then, turning to Shisui, he added, "Shisui-senpai, good morning."
He could see the awkwardness in the Uchiha's eyes, but Hidezawa's mood was unreasonably cheerful. Because, truth be told, Shisui had dropped gold for him.
Literally.
Thanks to Danzo's report request, his system had triggered a hidden mission.
[Mission Completed: Write Report]
[Mission Evaluation: A]
[Reward Obtained: Yin Style]
[Free Points Gained: 1]
Getting a free point for something as mundane as writing a report had already been satisfying, but acquiring Yin-style was beyond anything he expected.
Yin and Yang-style were spiritual and physical energy manifestations—innate in every shinobi but incredibly difficult to consciously control. The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans had secret techniques based on Yin or Yang-style, making them formidable despite lacking bloodline limits.
Hidezawa always suspected his body wasn't normal, given his system-enhanced stats, but even he hadn't unlocked those elements until now.
That the reward came specifically from writing about Shisui... Hidezawa found it hilarious.
'So if I take on a mission involving the Akimichi clan, or someone like Tsunade or Yamato, maybe I can get Yang-style too?' he thought, eyes gleaming.
The shinobi world was full of "leeks" waiting to be harvested.
'And this Yin-style… Why does it remind me of how Uchiha Madara used it?'
He wasn't sure if his version had genjutsu-enhancing properties like Madara's Yin-style ∙ Thunder Blast, but it certainly buffed his chakra control and perception stats. More importantly, it worked like a foundation—something he could build on.
Fortunately, his system didn't just raise numbers. When he put points into a category like Taijutsu, it gave him techniques, knowledge, and reflex integration.
It made him feel like he could eventually pursue the path others couldn't…
'Fusion.' he whispered mentally to himself.
That was the goal. In a world dominated by bloodlines and descendants of Ōtsutsuki, he, who had no such lineage, would walk the path of artificial evolution.
"Oi, don't zone out now." Yugao interrupted, gently tugging his sleeve.
Seeing Hidezawa still smiling at Shisui like a mischievous fox, she raised an eyebrow. "Shisui-senpai didn't mean anything. He just reacted late."
Hidezawa put on a show of offense.
"Yugao-senpai, do you think I'm that petty?"
He puffed up dramatically. Sure, he always remembered Danzo's "kindness" and fantasized about stabbing his boss in the back one day. But wasn't that just passionate loyalty in reverse?
"It's alright." Shisui said, bowing his head slightly. "I misunderstood earlier. Thank you for correcting me."
Then he glanced at Yugao and quickly added, "We should focus on the mission. I heard from Tenzo that this one isn't simple."
"Not simple?" Hidezawa's eyes lit up.
A difficult mission meant higher stakes.
Higher stakes meant better rewards.
Sure, he was cautious. After all, he only had one life. But with Uchiha Shisui—the 'Shunshin no Shisui'—at his side?
His safety rate had just skyrocketed.
And with that comforting thought, Shigen Hidezawa prepared to meet the Hokage. A new mission was about to begin—and with it, a new opportunity for growth.
*****
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