Time passed like flowing water, and before he knew it, another week had gone by.
During this period, Shiranui Rei hadn’t actively accepted any missions.
Instead, he lived a simple routine between two places.
From home to the training grounds, and from the training grounds back home.
Over the course of the week, his mastery of the Yami Yami no Mi had improved considerably.
Both his control and the power he could exert had increased.
Unfortunately, the Flying Thunder God Technique was still somewhat unstable.
It would always send him to some random location deviating from the marked position on the first attempt, and only on the second attempt would he land successfully.
He also hadn’t figured out how to trigger the Flying Thunder God in a way that would allow him to cross into another world like he had last time.
Fortunately, after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi, he had also left a Flying Thunder God mark in a relatively concealed location.
So traveling back and forth to the world of pirates wasn’t a problem.
There simply wasn’t any need to go there again so soon.
Finally, on this particular day, just as he had finished warming up at the training grounds—
A white-haired ANBU shinobi wearing an animal mask appeared in front of him.
The man’s posture was straight, and his gaze was calm.
With his arrival, Shiranui Rei stopped what he was doing and silently met his gaze.
The standard uniform of Konoha’s ANBU was instantly recognizable: a gray-white vest paired with an animal mask featuring a unique design.
Compared with the green vests worn by ordinary shinobi, Rei actually preferred the more imposing gray-white vests from an aesthetic perspective.
Of course, the difference in color was also related to their different operating environments.
Ordinary shinobi were more frequently deployed in forests and fields, where green helped them blend into their surroundings.
ANBU shinobi, meanwhile, operated in the darkness, making gray-white clothing much less conspicuous.
But aside from his distinctive uniform, what attracted Shiranui Rei’s attention most about the ANBU shinobi standing before him was his aura.
Just meeting the man’s eyes was enough for Rei to feel an intensely sharp and terrifying presence, like a drawn blade.
Combined with that uncommon white hair, a name immediately surfaced in Rei’s mind.
“I am ‘Wolf.’ By order of the Hokage, I have come to invite you to join the ANBU.”
The white-haired ANBU spoke one word at a time.
…
Konoha’s ANBU headquarters was hidden deep beneath the Hokage Tower.
Under Wolf’s guidance, they entered the headquarters through a secret passage.
The first thing that came into view was the smooth, polished surface of the stone walls.
There was only one lamp every ten meters along the corridor, providing enough illumination while leaving most of the passage shrouded in shadows.
The lighting was a cold, stark white, faintly revealing an atmosphere of killing intent.
After bringing Shiranui Rei to the ANBU headquarters, Wolf immediately led him into a secluded and silent room.
Click—
The light was switched on, and the cold white illumination revealed everything inside.
Rei’s dark eyes swept across the room, taking in the entire scene.
Neatly arranged shelves lined both sides of the room, dividing the space into clearly organized sections.
On the first row of shelves against the wall, various animal masks were displayed one after another.
Their raised and recessed contours alternated between light and shadow beneath the dim illumination.
Right beside the masks, standard-issue gray-white ANBU vests were neatly folded according to size.
Farther inside was a row of samurai swords laid horizontally.
Their blades were dark and somber, all facing the same direction.
Wolf stood motionless and spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Choose a mask you like, a vest that fits, and a sword that feels comfortable in your hand.”
“Okay.”
Shiranui Rei nodded without saying anything else and stepped forward to begin choosing.
First came the mask.
All the masks on the shelves were animal-themed, mainly featuring cat faces, fox faces, monkey faces, bird beaks, and so on.
Even masks depicting the same animal had different patterns.
Rei’s eyes moved across the various masks.
In the end, he reached out and took one down.
The mask was shaped roughly like an eagle’s beak.
Like the others, it was predominantly white, but a dark-purple flame pattern decorated the center of its forehead.
The moment he saw it, the mask caught his attention.
With the mask chosen, the remaining vest and samurai sword were standard issue, so all he needed to do was select ones that fit him and felt comfortable to use.
As for the sword, Shiranui Rei was merely competent enough to use one.
He could hardly be called proficient.
The reason ANBU shinobi were equipped with standardized weapons was mainly to reduce traces of personal characteristics during missions.
“I’ve chosen. Let’s go.”
Seeing Shiranui Rei efficiently put on the mask, slip into the vest, and secure the sword across his back, Wolf gave a slight nod.
“Wait a moment.”
Shiranui Rei didn’t immediately move.
Instead, he stood where he was and tentatively reached his right hand behind his back.
He gripped the hilt and suddenly drew the sword.
A flash of cold steel appeared!
Then, following the same trajectory, he returned the blade to its sheath, instantly concealing its edge.
Wolf looked somewhat puzzled.
After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help asking, “…What are you doing?”
“I was worried that if I couldn’t draw this sword during a battle, I’d be screwed.”
Shiranui Rei’s voice came from behind the eagle-beaked mask.
Sometimes, when a sword was too long, it could be difficult to draw in time during an emergency.
The same problem had even been recorded in the story of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin.
Besides, Rei remembered that in his previous life, someone cosplaying Link from The Legend of Zelda had tried to draw a sword from behind their back and likewise failed miserably.
After several seconds of silence, Wolf replied,
“ANBU swords are specially designed. As long as the length doesn’t exceed the standard corresponding to the user’s height, this generally won’t happen.”
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room.
Behind him, Shiranui Rei asked in confusion, “By the way, don’t I need to choose an ANBU codename too?”
ANBU members did not operate under their real names.
Their identities and other personal information were kept confidential from outsiders.
Wolf didn’t turn around.
“Codename? Wait until you pass the ANBU assessment before you start thinking about that.”
Shiranui Rei froze.
What the hell?
He was a Konoha jonin, a battle-hardened veteran personally selected by the Hokage, yet he wasn’t even guaranteed a spot?
He secretly lamented how times had changed and how talent was so often overlooked, then hurried after Wolf.
After leaving the room, they returned to the dim, austere corridor.
The two walked silently through the long passage.
Wolf pushed open a door at the end.
The view suddenly opened up.
A large circular training ground stretched before them, dominated by dark gray and black tones.
Staying there for too long even gave Rei a faintly oppressive feeling.
Two tall figures were already standing side by side inside.
The moment the door opened, both turned their scrutinizing gazes toward them.
They were ANBU shinobi, both apparently adult men.
One had short, tousled purple hair and wore a cat-face mask.
Although his presence was slightly inferior to Wolf’s, it was still extremely sharp, like a drawn sword.
The other had short black hair and wore a bird-beak mask decorated with red markings.
His aura was somewhat gloomy.
“Moon, Vulture, this is the newcomer taking the ANBU assessment today. Which one of you wants to do it?”
After bringing Shiranui Rei before the two men, Wolf asked.
Just as the purple-haired ANBU codenamed “Moon” was about to speak, the black-haired ANBU codenamed “Vulture” stepped forward first.