area51novel Chapter 477 Underwater
Chapter 477 Underwater
Chapter 477 Underwater
After confirming that the director's trainee assistant's younger brother was indeed spying on her, Green Sunflower had already prepared her response.
So far, everything he has done has been public. If there are any problems, he should be met with procedural restraint, not a sudden ruling.
The only problem was that he didn't know if Sasuke's actions were authorized by the director, and he was about to say something more to confirm the situation.
But the person who appeared next made it difficult for him to say what he was about to say.
Three pairs of scarlet eyes appeared behind Uchiha Sasuke, and Uchiha duty officers wearing high-collared robes and vests appeared.
The leader, Uchiha Yakumi, spoke up: "What's wrong, Sasuke?"
Although he was asking Sasuke, his Sharingan was looking at Green Aoi.
As a Chunin, being watched by three pairs of Sharingan, Midori Aoi first lowered her head and avoided their gaze.
Sasuke was not happy about this sudden support.
The arrival of his clansmen disrupted his rhythm.
He had originally planned to deal with Green Sunflower's words on his own, but now it seemed that he had become the one being protected.
On the contrary, Green Sunflower's "Young Master" seemed genuine.
"It's nothing," Sasuke said.
The two Uchiha clansmen behind Yaowei exchanged a glance. They were already in a bad mood these past few days because of the complaint.
Seeing Sasuke seemingly being stopped and spoken to at the door, all the pent-up emotions welled up up again.
"If there's any trouble—"
Before they could finish speaking, a fourth pair of Sharingan appeared in their field of vision.
Uchiha Itachi appeared in front of the three of them. His position was clever, blocking his younger brother and Midori Aoi, and also blocking the three of them from seeing.
Sasuke realized that the situation had changed when his brother stood in front of Green Aoi, protecting him behind him.
He then noticed that most of the people who hadn't left yet had stopped what they were doing and were looking in his direction.
At this moment, Green Aoi lowered her head and said, "Sasuke-kun might be a little curious about me, so I planned to answer his questions. It's really—"
Itachi faced three members of his clan.
One pair of Sharingan against three pairs of Sharingan, and in the end, Yakumi and the others closed their eyes first and withdrew their Sharingan.
The three Uchiha officers left the secret service building without saying another word.
Itachi then turned to Midori Aoi and said, "My younger brother, like other students, came to the Bureau of Affairs to study."
"Mr. Green is steady in his actions and is very popular among the trainees, which is why Sasuke took the liberty of choosing you as a subject of observation."
I'm very sorry for the inconvenience.
Green Sunflower raised her head, a polite smile playing on her lips: "No, it's actually my poor communication that made people feel unfriendly, which caused the misunderstanding."
"As a senior figure who receives a lot of attention, I seem to be immature."
Green Sunflower bowed to Touch One, preparing to leave.
"Mr. Midori," Itachi called out to him, "please wait a moment."
"There are still some arrangements to discuss regarding these interns in the village. If you don't mind, shall we talk about it as we walk?"
"Of course," Green Sunflower readily agreed.
"Sasuke-kun, do you want to come along?"
After asking that question, he seemed to remember something and gave Itachi a slightly apologetic look: "If it's about work, this invitation might not be appropriate. But I really want to take this opportunity to apologize for the trouble I caused Sasuke earlier."
Itachi didn't answer immediately. He looked at Sasuke, quietly waiting for his younger brother to make his own decision.
Sasuke stood still.
He sensed that the nature of the situation had changed. But he hadn't quite figured out exactly how it had changed.
Based on the work Itachi has been handling during this period, it can be roughly confirmed that this is related to the Uchiha clan.
What does it mean that Itachi let him make his own decision?
Is it because whether he chooses to participate or leave won't affect Itachi's subsequent actions? Or is it that, unsure if he has other missions to complete, his brother intends to prioritize assisting him?
Two possibilities flashed through my mind.
If it's the former, then your choice is irrelevant. If it's the latter—
"No need," Sasuke said. "I should go back now."
He refused.
Green Aoi showed no surprise, her smile remaining unchanged: "Then, I'll apologize to Sasuke-kun another time when I have the chance."
For the trainees in Irukaban, one of the most tangible benefits of obtaining this traineeship is perhaps the right that has never been available to students before—the right to freely enter and leave the village with proof of their status when not on missions.
In the past, this was a privilege reserved for officially recognized ninjas who had accepted missions. Even now, ordinary students still need to be accompanied by a regular ninja or to carry out specific tasks when leaving the village.
Therefore, as they walked out of the brand-new and impressive building after their first day of internship, some students couldn't contain their excitement and suggested, "Should we go explore the venue area before heading back?"
The suggestion was echoed by several people. On their first day of internship, although they received no income, many of them had encouragement money from their families or pocket money they had saved up, enough to buy some snacks or trinkets from the bustling stalls outside the venue area.
Sakura frowned. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Shouldn't we just go back to the village?"
"Anyway, the venue area is on the way back to the village! It's okay if we take a slight detour. Sakura, if you're not going, we'll go by ourselves!"
"But----"
Before the argument could continue, a group of ninjas wearing Konoha headbands appeared at the intersection. They were members of the police department responsible for patrolling the area around the stadium and the administrative office.
The leader, Tokuma Hyuga, glanced at the group of young people dressed in casual clothes, their faces still showing the freshness of entering the workplace: "After your apprenticeship, please return to the village headquarters immediately."
"—Why is it like this?"
"Can't I even browse for a little while?"
Hyuga Tokuma said, "Regarding your itinerary, we will submit routine reports to both the secretariat and the village."
This was more effective than any reprimand. The children immediately quieted down and reluctantly headed towards the main village.
After returning to the village, the children who were unable to visit the venue started having other ideas.
"Surely we can go to the commercial street? We're back in the village anyway!"
Sakura shook her head again: "I should go home."
Karin chimed in, "Me too."
The two broke away from the group and walked in another direction. The other children looked at them, but ultimately decided to stick together and noisily surged towards the shopping street.
Once they reached a quieter street, Sakura lowered her voice and asked, "Karin, is something wrong with Midorima-sensei?"
Karin's answer was straightforward: "I don't know."
"but----"
"I don't know," Karin repeated, her tone more serious than before.
Sakura bit her lip: "I don't want to interfere with your mission, but if—"
Although she had great confidence in Sasuke, Sakura Haruno, being someone with excellent theoretical knowledge, was aware of the abilities of a Chunin.
If she discovered Sasuke's purposeful observation, then Midori Aoi, as a Chunin, would probably have noticed it as well.
This might make Sasuke's mission more difficult.
What is Karin's mission?
She wondered if the two of them had the same assignments, or even if they didn't, if there was only a little overlap, she might be able to help them.
"No." Karin's voice changed. She stopped and looked at Sakura. "Sakura, if you want to help Sasuke, that's your business. I won't interfere or affect you."
With Kagura's keen insight, she discovered Sasuke's intentions earlier than Sakura.
"But I'm the same way." Karin's eyes were serious. "So, please don't interfere with my mission."
Sakura lowered her head, her voice becoming even softer: "I'm sorry, Karin. I didn't mean to—"
"I know." Karin's tone softened a bit. "Sakura, if you're just chasing after someone, it's hard for the person in front to see your figure clearly."
"Captain has many things he wants to do, and many things he needs to do. If I can help, I will be noticed."
"You are too—you and Ino are different."
After saying that, Karin left first.
She walked towards the Hokage Building. In the Joint Affairs Bureau, there were many people and a lot of eyes. As an intern, it would be too conspicuous to report directly to the director or the director's assistant on the first day.
Therefore, today's report can only be conducted within the village.
The Hokage Building wasn't unfamiliar to Karin. Her mother worked there, and even though she didn't come often, the guards at the entrance remembered her.
The only possible question is why she would come to the Hokage Building at this time, since Karin's mother should have already left work.
However, the appearance of the ANBU member dispelled any potential questions. She quietly followed the person into the building and into the Hokage's office.
Shuji wasn't in the office. Behind the desk sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a face most villagers were more familiar with, but for Karin, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was a more common sight.
Besides the third generation, there was another person in the room, a blond man whose face was covered by the upper half of a mask.
Judging from the hairstyle and the chakra he exudes, it is Naruto's father, Minato Uzumaki.
Karin was unsure whether she should recognize this person.
Minato smiled and responded to Karin, "Karin, right? I'm Naruto's father, you've recognized me, haven't you?"
Karin nodded, her gaze falling on the mask: "Uncle, didn't you—injure your chin?"
This was their private speculation. Since Minato had previously appeared with his lower face wrapped in bandages, the children naturally assumed it was to cover his wounds.
This is one of the reasons why ninjas covered their faces.
"For some reasons, I need to hide my face a little," Minato explained.
Karin was still a little confused: "Then why change to a mask?" And the parts being covered are different from before, wouldn't that attract more attention?
Minato raised a finger and pointed to the mask on his face: "This was Shuji's suggestion, it's pretty good, isn't it?"
Upon hearing that it was Shuji's suggestion, Karin immediately nodded without hesitation: "Yes, that's great."
Minato then turned to the Third Hokage with a smile: "I knew it, didn't I, Third Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, asking Karin, "Did you make any special discovery?"
Karin then began her report: "Today, as interns, we visited the departments on the third to fifth floors, led by Midori Aoi."
"There are no candidates who can be definitively identified as White Zetsu imposters, but there are some relatively suspicious individuals."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Suspicious individuals are concentrated in the Ninja Village office on the fifth floor."
Minato asked, "Do you have a clear range of judgment regarding the standards for questioning?"
Karin shook her head: "I sensed hostility, dissatisfaction, and some other—vague emotions. I can't pinpoint them."
She tried hard to recall those moments from the afternoon, when Green Sunflower talked to different people, those subtle emotional fluctuations like ripples on the water, easily dissipated.
"Because during Green Aoi's conversations with those people, there were many triggers for her emotions," Karin tried to explain more clearly. "It could be a particular sentence, or a shift in the topic—but they were all fragmented and couldn't be connected."
Minato nodded, indicating his understanding: "It is indeed difficult to make an accurate judgment based solely on these scattered emotional signals."
After all, the Joint Affairs Bureau itself is a place with a complex loyalty hierarchy.
Especially for the staff in the offices of each ninja village, their primary loyalty is to their own village, followed by factions or interests within the village, and perhaps lastly, the secretariat as a whole. It is not uncommon for dissenting sentiments to exist.
On the contrary, those departments that have a unified external communication structure are better off.
"Karin, please pay close attention to the keywords that trigger those emotions."
"Keywords?"
“Yes,” Minato said. “Write down those words and topics that suddenly bring hostility to the surface or exacerbate discontent, along with the context and the people you were talking to.”
Karin nodded earnestly: "I understand."
Minato then smiled and said, "Your sensory abilities are quite special. Even I am not as good as you in this aspect, Karin."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also said gently, "You have not disappointed Shuji. This time, we will probably need to rely on your abilities even more."
Upon hearing this, Karin felt a surge of joy. She wanted to laugh, but felt she should maintain the seriousness she displayed when reporting on her work, so she tried to suppress her excitement, though her eyes unconsciously brightened a little.
This change was clearly seen by both Hokage.
At that moment, Karin remembered something else and said hesitantly, "And—Sasuke seems to have received some kind of mission as well."
"But Green Aoi noticed—the other party seemed to have already reacted."
Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged a glance.
"It doesn't matter," Minato said. "That's more of a personal training exercise for Sasuke, and it won't affect the village's evaluation of him."
"The more Green Sunflower investigates this matter, the more it will understand."