Chapter 4

It was past nine in the evening when Naruto Uzumaki said goodbye to his sister Kushina and his nephew Naruto.

Kakashi Hatake personally saw Naruto Uzumaki off at the door: "Aratou, I will arrange your joining the Anbu as soon as possible."

Naruto Uzumaki nodded: "Thank you, Fourth Hokage!"

The night in Konoha was somewhat quiet, perhaps due to the Nine-Tails incident.

Soon, Naruto Uzumaki arrived at a house on the outskirts of Konoha.

This was his house, his home in Konoha.

The house was not large but had everything, with a small yard and a low, flat building, the main structure being wooden.

Naruto Uzumaki tidied up, as he hadn't been home for over three years.

Returning to Konoha, he was quite looking forward to it.

In the following days, Naruto Uzumaki mainly focused on redesigning the house, planning to make some changes.

A small pond was added to the yard, stocked with koi, and some flowers and plants were planted nearby.

The old house seemed to have been completely renewed.

During the renovation, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi came to help.

Of course, they also had an important purpose: to freeload on meals and drinks.

Kurenai Yuhi: "Master Aratou's ramen is the best!"

Might Guy: "Of course, it's the ramen that beat Uncle Ichiraku."

Kakashi Hatake: "Compared to ramen, I prefer Master Aratou's novels. Master Aratou, when will the second part of 'Battle Through the Heavens' come out?"

...

Life in Konoha was relaxed and pleasant.

One evening, Naruto Uzumaki brought homemade chicken soup to visit his sister Kushina and his nephew Naruto, and also met the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi Hatake: "Aratou, I have basically arranged everything for your joining the Anbu. There will be an Anbu meeting the day after tomorrow, and I will recommend you as the captain of the first Anbu squad."

Naruto Uzumaki was somewhat surprised: "Captain?"

Kakashi Hatake nodded: "I believe your abilities are up to the task."

Naruto Uzumaki originally thought he would start as a regular member, but he didn't expect Kakashi Hatake to directly recommend him as captain. This was better, more conducive to his plans and layout.

The next day, Naruto Uzumaki smoothly joined the Anbu under Kakashi Hatake's arrangement.

However, he did not join the Anbu as Naruto Uzumaki, but as a Konoha jōnin named "Wolf Fang," an identity he specifically asked Kakashi Hatake to arrange. The identity of Naruto Uzumaki was not suitable for joining the Anbu.

Creating an identity was not a difficult task for the Hokage.

Naruto Uzumaki specially disguised himself, only exposing his eyes.

Upon joining the Anbu, Naruto Uzumaki wore a custom Anbu mask, his mask being a "wolf."

The next morning, the Anbu meeting was held in the secret underground meeting hall of Konoha.

All Anbu members, except those injured or on missions, were present.

Additionally, there were several special attendees: Kakashi Hatake, Danzō Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had stepped back to a secondary role, he was still a high-ranking official in Konoha, and his influence was no less than that of the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, with many real powers still in his hands.

Naruto Uzumaki was also present, as he was now an Anbu member.

The Anbu meeting began shortly.

The main topic of this Anbu meeting was the reorganization of the Anbu. The Nine-Tails incident caused significant losses to the Anbu, with one captain, five squad leaders, and several dozen members sacrificed, leading to a large number of vacancies.

Anbu members were typically selected from the village's elite ninja. After the Third Great Shinobi War and the recent Nine-Tails incident, Konoha was severely short of talent.

Under the leadership of several high-ranking officials, the Anbu meeting proceeded in an orderly manner.

Naruto Uzumaki, as a newly joined regular Anbu member, played the role of an observer.

However, he was somewhat worried about the Fourth Hokage. Although Kakashi Hatake was the Fourth Hokage, he had little say in the meeting, which seemed to be dominated by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzō Shimura, with Kakashi Hatake appearing more like a bystander.

"Two old schemers!"

Naruto Uzumaki had some judgment; this Anbu meeting was essentially a struggle for control of the Anbu between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura.

Soon, the meeting turned to the issue of the captain of the first Anbu squad.

Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura wanted to recommend their own people for the position. Hiruzen Sarutobi recommended Ibiki Morino, while Danzō Shimura recommended his Root member, Hara.

As the Third and Danzō argued, Kakashi Hatake, sitting in the middle, cleared his throat and said: "Both of you, I already have a candidate for the captain of the first Anbu squad."

"You have a candidate?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura's expressions froze as they looked at the Hokage.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane showed curiosity.

Kakashi Hatake nodded: "I believe Wolf Fang can handle the position of captain of the first squad."

"Wolf Fang?"

Everyone looked puzzled, seemingly unfamiliar with the name.

Kakashi Hatake was not surprised, as Naruto Uzumaki had just joined the Anbu yesterday and was personally arranged by him. He looked at someone and said: "Wolf Fang, step forward!"

Naruto Uzumaki, wearing a wolf mask, slowly walked out from the crowd.

All eyes fell on Naruto Uzumaki.

Danzō Shimura frowned and said: "Hokage-sama, are you sure this Wolf Fang can handle the position of captain of the first squad?"

Kakashi Hatake replied: "Yes, I believe his abilities are sufficient for the role."

Danzō Shimura said with disdain: "Abilities?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sized up Naruto Uzumaki and quickly gave up on the competition for the position of the first squad captain. If he could gain the approval of Kakashi Hatake, his abilities should be decent. His main goal in competing for the position was to prevent Danzō's influence from expanding and infiltrating. Since the Fourth Hokage was still inexperienced, some matters were beyond his grasp, and he needed to keep an eye on things. Now it seemed that the Fourth Hokage wanted to cultivate his own Anbu force.

Danzō Shimura continued: "The Anbu is a crucial force in protecting the village, and the position of captain is not to be taken lightly. Since the Hokage-sama believes this person has the abilities to handle the position, I would like to see what kind of abilities he possesses."

Kakashi Hatake said: "In that case, let Wolf Fang and Hara have a sparring match."

At this moment, the Fourth Hokage had two reasons for having Wolf Fang and Hara compete. One was his confidence in Naruto Uzumaki's abilities; the other was to use this opportunity to reject Danzō Shimura's recommendation. If Hara, recommended by Danzō, was defeated by Wolf Fang, Danzō would have no reason to argue.

Additionally, Kakashi Hatake had another reason: to establish Wolf Fang's authority among the Anbu through his abilities.

Danzō Shimura hesitated for a few seconds and nodded: "Alright!"

...