The steam rising from the teacup curled between them like a whisper in the quiet Anbu courtyard.
Yuhi Kurenai gently handed it over, her voice soft but filled with emotion.
"Tatsuya-kun… thanks to you, I got promoted too."
Tatsuya glanced at her sidelong, his expression calm and unreadable. The scar above his eyebrow twitched faintly. He accepted the tea in silence, eyes returning to the field before him.
"Hmm?"
"The new orders came this morning. You've been officially appointed as the captain of Anbu's Second Team." She smiled brightly. "And I've been assigned your old post—Captain of the Seventh Team."
Tatsuya took a quiet sip, the bitter tea grounding him more than it should. "Then keep walking forward, Kurenai. The real training starts now."
"I will!" Her eyes gleamed with quiet fire. "I joined Anbu because I wanted to catch up to you. To become a ninja who's not just useful—but excellent."
She looked so young. Still only eighteen, brimming with that rare mix of idealism and conviction.
"…And my father said so too," she added quietly, glancing down. "You saved his life, Tatsuya-kun. The Yuhi clan owes you. And I… I owe you."
Tatsuya closed his eyes for a moment. "What I did… was just the mission. That's all."
Kurenai looked at him seriously, then smiled faintly. "You always say that. But not everyone risks their life for someone else."
With a bow, she turned toward the training grounds.
"I'll train harder, Tatsuya-kun! I promise!"
"…Mm."
As her footsteps faded, Tatsuya stared into the rippling surface of the tea, a smirk playing on his lips.
『So even in the ninja world… good looks are still currency.』
If he looked like Danzō, she'd probably offer to repay the favor in her next life.
—
The rest of the morning passed quietly.
Tatsuya remained seated on a simple wooden chair near the training field. From the outside, it looked like he was resting—still recovering from injuries.
But in reality, his mind was hyper-focused.
Golden motes of light flickered into his vision, like fireflies invisible to everyone else.
> [You picked up 50 Battle EXP]
[You picked up 50 Chakra]
[You picked up 100 Body Flicker Technique EXP]
[You picked up 40 Chakra]
[You picked up 50 Physical Talent]
[You picked up 100 Body Replacement Technique EXP]
Dozens of glowing attribute fragments hovered around the field, silently drifting toward him and dissolving into his body.
『Auto-pickup range: 100 meters. Anything visible is mine.』
The numbers flowed like a gentle stream into his internal status window.
---
> 🌀 Status Update
▸ Chakra: +3,000
▸ Battle EXP: +2,100
▸ Physical Talent: +400
▸ Body Flicker Technique: +100 EXP
▸ Body Replacement Technique: +100 EXP
📈 Physical Talent: Lv5 → (500 / 1000)
---
He leaned back slightly, arms folded behind his head.
『Once my physical talent hits max, I'll be able to crush even Might Guy in close combat.』
Not the Guy of now—no, the one from the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Tatsuya's gaze sharpened.
『Eventually… even Kaguya will kneel.』
—
Training ended two hours later.
The field quieted as Anbu members filed out—some off to missions, others to rest.
Tatsuya sighed softly.
Good moments never last.
The only regret? Most of the ninjas used Taijutsu, not Ninjutsu. It made sense—using elemental jutsu indoors was risky.
Which meant fewer Ninjutsu-related drops.
Still… a solution was already forming in his mind.
『I'll arrange mock battles. Force elemental usage. That'll generate chakra nature drops, kekkei genkai—maybe even forbidden techniques.』
He was no ordinary squad captain anymore.
With four teams and sixteen shinobi under his command… every one of them was an EXP farm waiting to be tapped.
—
The next two days were suffocating.
Official Anbu leadership transfer required endless paperwork, intelligence handovers, squad performance reviews, and chain-of-command restructuring.
Even for someone like him, it was exhausting.
"...So this is what drove Naruto half-insane during his Hokage days," Tatsuya muttered under his breath, stamping another mission report.
Still, no matter how busy he became, he always carved out time to return to the training ground.
Because every golden drop had a 30-minute limit before vanishing.
He wouldn't waste a single one.
—
"Captain Tatsuya really pays attention to us…" Uzuki Yugao said quietly, wiping sweat from her brow as she watched him correct a genin's form.
Her voice carried a subtle warmth.
"He's so calm… but his presence is overwhelming."
"...Tch." Moonlight Hayate scowled silently beside her.
His eyes flicked to Yugao—his childhood friend—and saw the unmistakable glimmer in her gaze.
Admiration. Awe.
And it wasn't for him.
But what could he do?
Tatsuya wasn't just their commanding officer.
He was a living storm wrapped in stillness.
—