During the three days he waited for word from Minato, Hakusei Tōya focused on getting used to the powers of the Whitebeard Template.
To fully test the destructive strength of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he even ventured outside the village.
The only ability he still wasn't sure about was Conqueror's Haki.
Due to time constraints, he hadn't found any rogue ninja to test it on, just stumbled across a bandit camp. So for now, he still didn't know how Conqueror's Haki would affect trained shinobi.
Still, he did make a surprising discovery: perhaps because his body had grown stronger, he could now refine chakra much faster than before.
Tōya hadn't abandoned the chakra path, far from it. Chakra had an extremely high ceiling. After all, beings at the Six Paths level could easily overpower even prime Whitebeard.
Just as Tōya was refining his chakra, there came a knock at the door.
"Come in."
An ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask stepped inside.
"The Fourth Hokage requests your presence in his office."
Tōya nodded. Finally.
When Tōya entered the office, Minato had already prepared a folder and handed it to him.
"Because the Third Hokage stepped down voluntarily, this situation is different from when he succeeded the Second. I'm afraid I can't appoint you as a squad captain right away," Minato said apologetically.
Originally, he had planned to promote Tōya straight to captain. After some merit-based missions, Tōya would move on to vice-commander and then full commander.
But things were a bit more complicated than Minato had expected. His authority as Hokage wasn't quite as absolute as he thought.
Tōya flipped through the documents Minato gave him, frowning as he read.
It was a file titled "Third Hokage Assisting in the Formation of the New ANBU Division."
In other words, Hiruzen hadn't actually relinquished command of the ANBU. Instead, he was "helping" Minato build a new division.
Tōya had to admit, he was impressed by Sarutobi Hiruzen's political maneuvering.
On the surface, it looked overreaching. But technically, it followed Konoha's regulations to the letter.
The ANBU was a special unit that reported directly to the Hokage and no one else.
But since it had been founded by the Second Hokage, and Hiruzen inherited leadership after the Second died in battle, it made sense that he'd maintain control.
And now, the Third wasn't dead, so in theory, he still had some authority over the ANBU.
Once a Hokage, always a Hokage.
According to the file, Hiruzen would assign a vice-commander and two ANBU squads to "assist" in forming Minato's new ANBU division.
"Assist? More like he's tying your hands," Tōya scoffed, tossing the documents back on the desk.
Each ANBU squad had seventeen members. Two squads meant thirty-four. And since Minato couldn't recruit that many people right away, those "assistants" would occupy most of the new unit's positions.
"I'm still young. It's understandable that the Third and the others don't fully trust me yet," Minato said, staying optimistic.
After all, he was just in his early twenties, and not even promoted under normal circumstances. Becoming a Kage at his age was unprecedented in the shinobi world.
"In that case," Tōya said with a grin, "just let me start out as a regular ANBU. That way no one can accuse you of favoritism."
He was sure that if he took a captain's position right away, Danzō would pounce on the opportunity.
After all, Tōya was just a chūnin, with no record of notable military achievements.
There were still plenty of people in the village who disapproved of Minato becoming Hokage. Many thought he was too young and untested for such a critical role.
If word got out that a mere chūnin had been made ANBU captain, the backlash would be harsh.
Minato thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"In that case, I'll at least appoint you as a team leader. That much is within my authority."
Tōya didn't object. He simply nodded in agreement.
Each ANBU team consisted of four members, so he'd have three subordinates.
Minato pulled out a paper from the drawer, scribbled on it, and handed it over.
"This is your appointment letter. You can head to ANBU HQ later to collect your gear."
"But your squad members might take a bit longer to assemble. I've chosen new recruits for you."
Tōya gave a knowing nod. It was clear Minato was looking out for him.
If he'd been assigned three old ANBU veterans from Hiruzen's side, sure, the job would get done, but they wouldn't be loyal, and he might not even be able to order them around.
Now that everything was settled, Minato let out a breath of relief. He'd finally nudged this salted fish friend of his onto the right path.
Smiling, Minato said,
"I actually have a mission lined up for you, just a small one, if you're interested."
Tōya raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like I won't be getting any rest from now on. I'm not even officially on duty and the missions are already piling up."
Minato chuckled.
"This task was originally assigned to Kakashi."
"But he's one of the three members I picked for your squad. I figured it'd be a good chance for the two of you to work together and get to know each other."
Just as Minato finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.
A white-haired boy in a face mask stepped in.
"Fourth Hokage, you called for me?" Kakashi asked.
Minato gave a warm smile.
"No need for formality. Just call me the way you used to."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright… Minato-sensei."
"I need you and Tōya to retrieve some peace treaty documents. Iwagakure has already sent them to the Fire Country border. Just go pick them up," Minato said.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow but nodded.
It was a simple courier mission, nothing complicated.
Still, it puzzled him. A task like that was usually solo.
Why pair him with Hakusei-senpai?
If he remembered right, Tōya was still a chūnin. They'd even taken the same chūnin exam, but Kakashi passed, and Tōya didn't.
The two left the Hokage Tower together, walking in silence.
Kakashi kept rubbing his right hand, a flash of grief flickering across his masked face.
"Did you seal some cursed Black Flame Dragon into that hand or something? You look like you're in agony," Tōya teased casually.
Kakashi froze for a second.
Then he scolded himself inwardly:
Kakashi, you're on a mission. Pull yourself together.
Taking a deep breath, he said solemnly,
"Senpai, I'm sorry. I'll focus on the task from now on."
"And by the way..." Tōya pointed behind them.
"That kid in the green jumpsuit with the watermelon haircut, he your friend?"
They'd already left the village and walked a good distance by now.
Kakashi froze again. Then nodded slowly.
He felt a wave of frustration with himself. His state of mind was so out of sync that he hadn't even noticed Guy tailing them.
"Sorry. I'll go talk to that idiot," Kakashi muttered. He adjusted his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan beneath.
Following a ninja on a mission, that was spy behavior.
With the Sharingan's heightened perception, Kakashi quickly located Might Guy hiding in a tree.
He leapt up, landing beside him with a deadpan look.
"Guy, what are you doing? I'm on a mission."
Guy replied earnestly,
"I saw you spacing out on the way here. I got worried and followed you."
Kakashi went silent. Deep down, he was touched.
"It's just a simple document retrieval. No combat expected. You can head back now," Kakashi said gently.
"But…" Guy still looked reluctant.
"It's fine. Hakusei-senpai's with me," Kakashi said, feigning confidence.
Though he didn't believe Tōya could protect him, saying it was the only way to get Guy to turn back.
/////////////////////////
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter