Before long, a despondent Might Guy returned.
"Damn it!~"
"The Hokage... Lord Hokage actually rejected my youthful request!"
"Big Brother Guy, perhaps Lord Hokage thinks your youthful radiance can better illuminate the village if you're not in the Anbu," Musashi stepped forward to comfort him.
"Really?"
"Of course! The Anbu must have way more rules than now. If you really joined, you wouldn't be used to it, Big Brother Guy. It's great right now; everyone in Konoha can see the surging youth of Big Brother Guy!"
"Alright, Musashi." Might Guy reluctantly accepted this explanation. "But Musashi, you might not adapt to life in the Anbu either. Kakashi has been in the Anbu for too long, that's why his youth isn't as dazzling as mine."
"Musashi, you have to remember, after entering the Anbu, use the light of youth to influence Kakashi and illuminate your Anbu comrades."
"Do you understand?"
"Understood! Big Brother Guy, don't worry. No matter the environment, the light of youth will always burn hot and intense!"
"Yosh! Do your best! Musashi."
"Let's do our best together! Big Brother Guy!"
Waves of youth echoed in his ears.
Kakashi looked speechlessly at the synchronized duo before him.
Suddenly, he felt that his career as an Anbu ninja might, perhaps, maybe... be about to undergo some new changes.
"Your equipment. Keep it safe."
In the Anbu, Musashi, having received his gear, found Kakashi.
"Senior Kakashi, I'm here. What's the plan?"
"Musashi, Lord Hokage has approved your promotion to Special Jonin. After entering the Anbu, you'll be in my squad. I'll introduce your teammates to you in a bit."
"Before that, I need to tell you a few important points."
"First, Anbu work is highly confidential. You cannot tell others about mission details."
"Second, learn to hide your identity. You can pick a suitable mask. And the spandex Guy gave you must be changed."
"Huh? I have to change that too?"
"Yes, you must. Unless necessary, Anbu on missions cannot reveal their identities."
"What if I give every Anbu comrade one? That way, our identities won't be exposed. Big Brother Guy also said to let the light of youth illuminate the Anbu."
"...No." Kakashi Hatake rubbed his forehead. "Absolutely no one will agree, and you might get beaten up."
"Oh, okay then."
"Third, it's the Hokage's intention that you shouldn't reveal the Eight Gates Released Technique. You're still young, and using this jutsu causes significant damage to your body. When facing enemies, try to use other methods."
"Is that so?" Musashi somewhat understood. Hiruzen Sarutobi brought him into the Anbu not primarily for his combat power, but for his potential, or his background.
He was still young and could be branded as someone's subordinate.
After a stint in the Anbu, no matter where he went later, he would be the Hokage's man.
"Senior Kakashi, how is the workload in the Anbu? Is it very busy?"
"It's okay. In peacetime, it's much better."
"Also, I said not to reveal your identity easily. From now on, when working, address each other by rank or code name."
"Understood, Captain."
"Choose a mask, and give yourself a code name. When out on missions, teammates usually call each other by code names."
A code name? Musashi thought for a moment.
Something fierce? Wolf, Tiger, Leopard, Zodiac signs...
"For the code name... let's go with 'Pigeon'."
He hated fighting and killing; he longed for peace.
Musashi made a simple choice and finally picked an inconspicuous rooster-head mask.
With somewhat complex feelings.
Musashi changed out of the green spandex he had worn for many years, putting on the uniform and Jonin vest.
Led by Kakashi Hatake, he went to meet his teammates.
"Everyone, this is the new member of Squad Six, code name 'Pigeon'."
Anbu Training Ground.
Musashi, wearing his mask, received a warm welcome from his new colleagues.
Kunai and shuriken tore through the air, whistling past him.
Some even grazed his clothes before nailing into the ground.
Musashi looked at Kakashi Hatake with a puzzled gaze, who spread his hands.
"This is an Anbu tradition. They need to understand the new member a bit better."
Hearing this, Musashi turned his gaze to the people in the field.
Sitting on rocks, sitting in trees, hanging from trees—the main theme was slouching and poor posture.
The gazes looking at him were all scrutinizing.
"Hey, new guy, how old are you?" An Anbu standing in a tree asked condescendingly.
Musashi looked at the distinctive Byakugan revealed by the other's mask and smiled politely.
"Very old." (Note: "How old are you" can imply "how big are you" in Chinese context, and Musashi answers "very big/old" cheekily)
He looked at Kakashi Hatake beside him and asked, "Captain, can I return this shuriken greeting?"
"Of course."
Hearing this, Musashi reached for his ninja tool pouch.
"Hello everyone, I will be your new teammate from now on."
With a wave of his hand, the Gutsy Shuriken tore through the air as he spat out the last few words.
"Musashi Ryomiya, please take care of me!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Since the opponents aimed their greeting shuriken at the ground, Musashi naturally wouldn't throw at their bodies either.
The long bar-shaped "Gutsy" weights aimed at the positions beneath their feet.
Heavy impact instantly acted upon the earth, rocks, and trees.
Rocks exploded, tree trunks shattered, and dust flew into the air.
Those with fast reactions flickered away instantly; the slower ones were inevitably a bit disheveled.
"Cough cough cough!~"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Several figures landed on the ground.
The first person took off his mask, revealing a pair of Byakugan, the condescending look in his eyes retracted.
"I am Yuichi Hyuga, code name Rabbit. Welcome to the team, Pigeon."
Musashi just sized him up briefly before turning his gaze to the others.
The crowd also took off their masks one by one.
Masks were only to prevent being seen by others during missions; there was no need to hide amongst teammates.
After all, they would be executing missions together. If they weren't familiar, they wouldn't even know if someone was being impersonated.
The one wearing a peculiar faceplate protector was Wood Style user Yamato.
The one with purple hair and a beautiful face was Yugao Uzuki.
Indeed very pretty.
"Hey hey, I was the first to say hello, why are you staring at someone else?" Yuichi Hyuga said dissatisfiedly.
"Oh oh, sorry." Musashi hurriedly apologized. He took off his mask, revealing a handsome yet still childish face, and said somewhat shyly.
"Um... beautiful things always attract people's eyes to appreciate them unconsciously."
"Not saying you're ugly, just that I have a pair of eyes good at discovering beauty."
"Hmph!" Yuichi Hyuga pouted. "So what if she's pretty? She has a boyfriend."
"I'm purely admiring her." Musashi said, "Besides, I have a girlfriend too."
Yuichi Hyuga: "..."