Yaeko's eyes swept up and down Senju Haruto, her expression filled with shock.
Haruto looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, about the same age as Uchiha Itachi.
And yet, Itachi's résumé was the stuff of legend:
At four years old, he had participated in the Third Great Ninja War and returned completely unscathed.
At six, he entered the Ninja Academy and graduated in only a year.
At eight, he awakened the Sharingan.
At ten, he was promoted to Chūnin — becoming the first ninja in Konoha to enter and pass the Chūnin Exams alone, without a team.
At eleven, he already possessed the strength to join the Anbu.
But even a prodigy like Uchiha Itachi hadn't been made captain the moment he entered the Anbu.
Yet here was this seemingly ordinary boy in front of her — promoted to captain right away.
And the most important thing?
Their squad wasn't leaderless — they already had Kakashi, an exceptional captain in his own right.
This meant Haruto's arrival was effectively taking command away from Captain Kakashi.
"Kakashi-taichō, what on earth is going on here?" Yaeko turned sharply, her voice tinged with anger.
"It's exactly what it sounds like." Haruto, seeing her reaction, replied calmly, "From today onward, I will be leading this squad. Kakashi will be stepping down from captain to regular Anbu operative."
"What?!"
Not only Yaeko, but the Anbu members behind her all widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Captain Kakashi… stripped of command?"
"Why?"
"That's right — in both strength and leadership, no one can match Kakashi-taichō."
Haruto's sudden arrival and instant promotion sparked clear dissatisfaction among the Anbu.
Kakashi, however, didn't seem to care. In terms of raw ability, Haruto was stronger than he was.
"All right — enough chatter."
Kakashi sighed helplessly, putting a stop to their protests.
Once his measurements were taken, Haruto simply had to wait for Shiba to finish tailoring his captain's uniform and deliver it.
"Time to meet the rest of my subordinates."
Haruto's voice was casual as he strode away.
The Anbu members, however, couldn't accept it so easily. They crowded around Kakashi, eager for an explanation.
"Kakashi-taichō… are you leaving the Anbu?" Yaeko asked, unable to hide the hope in her tone. She deeply admired him, and the idea of him leaving left a heavy knot in her chest. Still, it wouldn't be the first time an Anbu left to serve as a Jōnin instructor.
"Not exactly." Kakashi shook his head, offering no further explanation before quickly following Haruto.
The remaining Anbu exchanged glances — this whole thing felt off.
"Even if Kakashi-taichō were leaving, we still have Tenzo in the squad."
"But Tenzo was originally from the Root division… could that have something to do with it?"
"And what about Itachi? His record is beyond impressive."
"Plus, it doesn't seem like Kakashi-taichō actually intends to leave the Anbu."
No matter how they looked at it, Haruto's sudden appointment had shaken them — and stirred no small amount of resentment.
Kakashi, Tenzo, Uchiha Itachi — any one of them was capable of leading a team.
Yet now, all three of them were expected to take orders from Haruto alone.
It simply didn't make sense.
Still, even with their discontent, they finished their tasks and headed to the assembly point.
The Anbu — officially the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad — was Konoha's equivalent of an elite special forces unit.
Normally, a squad consisted of four or five members, who would receive and execute orders passed down by a sub-captain.
But due to various circumstances, both Tenzo and Uchiha Itachi had joined partway through. Now, with Haruto, the squad's numbers had swelled to eight.
"Right now, Itachi should be in the evaluation phase…" Haruto noted as he spotted the boy arriving late. Itachi's eyes briefly flickered with surprise when they met his gaze.
If Haruto's memory served, Itachi had joined the Anbu at eleven, and not long after had witnessed Shisui's suicide.
Some time later, the Third Hokage had promoted him to Anbu sub-captain. In order to protect Sasuke and preserve Konoha's peace, Itachi had wiped out the Uchiha Clan with his own hands — and then, following the Hokage's orders, left the village to join the Akatsuki.
Haruto mused that it wouldn't be long before Itachi left this squad as well.
But that was for the future. Right now, he needed everyone here to understand exactly who he was.
"It's him…"
Tenzo frowned slightly, looking at the boy standing beside his senior, Kakashi. Recognition flickered in his eyes.
"So the Hokage himself assigned him to the Anbu," Tenzo thought silently.
They had only met once before, but Haruto had left a deep impression.
Other than himself, Haruto was the only person in Konoha capable of using Wood Release.
And unlike Tenzo, Haruto was the true heir to the First Hokage's legacy.
"Greetings, everyone