Naruto: The Outsider's Resolve: CH_569: Guys, we are so back™️ (Patreon)

Real Title

CH_569: Return to the Capital

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“I haven’t been here for a minute,” Takuma commented as he walked through the large gates and entered the inner region of the Ember Imperial City, the seat of power for the Fire Daimyo. The last time, he had snuck in, but this time, he was entering legitimately, without a mask, through the front gates, albeit with false documentation.

“When was the last time?” Tern asked.

“During my recruitment test.”

Tern whistled. “They tested you here?”

“Ran into an enlightened samurai and came this close to losing my head and limbs all at the same time.” The memory made Takuma shiver. They had robbed the jōnin’s house as a task, and that should’ve been the end of it, but somehow the jōnin showed up at a different task and almost killed them. If not for Amami possessing the samurai’s son and using a parent’s love for their children, they would’ve died that day.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Never been here.”

“I meant, where did they test you?”

She heaved a sigh. “It was a mining settlement. A decently sized town, but not big enough for strangers to hide for long. Time was of the essence; we had to complete our tasks and get out without anyone noticing anything. It would’ve been fine if it were just my partner and me, but with eight of us running around, everyone’s presence affected everyone else.”

“Oh, did someone try to sabotage other teams?”

“Yes. I did.”

Takuma laughed. He would’ve joked that she acted like a stereotypical Shimura if it weren't such a touchy subject for her. It was too soon to make jokes like that.

It was noticeable the last time, but the wealth disparity between the sides of the inner wall was night and day. Starting inside the gates, the paved roads became level and even. No building construction crossed its allotted land with illegal extensions, giving the streets a very clean look that was only enhanced by the extra care put into public cleanliness and maintenance. Even the electrical wires on the poles were more organised than outside; there was also a lack of posters on the poles themselves. The building density fell, reducing congestion and allowing greenery to sprout throughout the urbanscape.

It wasn’t like that in the Hidden Leaf Village. While the innermost parts of the village were indeed well-maintained, there were just as many places outside the wall that could match them, and some were even better. Not to mention, the best parts of the village were under clan ‘control’, as they often poured their own money into beautifying and maintaining their own neighbourhoods to their higher standards.

Takuma would confidently claim that the Hidden Leaf Village was better maintained than the worst part of the Ember Imperial City. And he could say that because he had lived in one of the worst parts of the village for many years.

“The nobles like to live it up,” Takuma thought aloud. There was nothing wrong with any of it when considered on its own, but when you took into account that the majority of the capital wasn’t given appropriate resources and effort while a small portion got more than it needed, suddenly the beauty didn’t seem so attractive.

“They’ve built their own world inside the wall, untainted by the commoners,” Tern replied, her words laced with a hint of disdain. “It’s like they think they’re better than others just because they were born lucky. Do you know who that reminds me of?”

“Shinobi clans,” Takuma said, getting a look from her.

“…Yes, but more specifically?”

“The Hyūga.”

“Exactly.”

The ANBU duo made their way to the Hidden Leaf military base situated inside the capital. Though it was categorised as a military base, it was actually an embassy of sorts. Shinobi villages didn’t have embassies. Their host countries had embassies, which they operated out of. The Hidden Stone operated out of the Land of Earth embassy situated in the Ember Imperial City. Since the Land of Fire was the Hidden Leaf's home ground, they were allowed to establish a small ‘military base’ to operate out of for any of their needs. They couldn’t take jobs or participate in law enforcement as shinobi often did in most cities—the administration facilitated trade and other bureaucratic relationships, while the military force at the base drilled and trained in perpetuity. It was a popular destination for clan shinobi, who sent their members to build and maintain their presence in the capital.

They entered through the front gate like everyone else, submitted to security checks, and handed in their weapons. The false identities that made them chūnin earned them leniency from the guards, one of whom led them to the relevant area as a tour guide, giving them historical details about the base along the way.

They were led to a desk where they presented a scroll.

“We have an appointment with Tokujō Kurosawa,” Tern said.

The man behind the counter verified the legitimacy of the scroll before skimming through the text until he reached a point where he couldn’t further unfurl it, as the fūinjutsu seal held the rest of the scroll together. He asked them to wait before leaving his desk and disappearing into a corridor, only to return a few minutes later without the scroll.

“You may proceed to Tokubetsu Jōnin Kurosawa’s office,” he said, asking the guard to guide them there.

True to its name, a portion of the premises was maintained as a proper military base, but at the same time, the base had a grand banquet hall and meticulously maintained lush gardens, both fully capable of hosting lavish gatherings and events. The base also had private museums that exhibited various precious historical pieces, like a set of battle-worn armour worn by the First Hokage or some of the Fourth Hokage’s special kunai that he used against the Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki during the Third Shinobi World War.

Tokubetsu Jōnin Kurosawa’s office was at the end of a hallway on a floor with the offices of other high-ranking shinobi. The floor was beautifully appointed in case high-ranking officers wanted to host guests in their offices rather than the luxurious meeting parlours.

Like Takuma’s main office, Kurosawa’s office entrance opened into a middle space, with the Tokubetsu Jōnin’s secretary’s desk on one side and the other side reserved for a padded chair and a small table for guests to wait. Light filtered into the room from a window directly behind the secretary.

“Chūnin Tobi and Chūnin Azami,” the old secretary greeted them as they entered. “Tokujō Kurosawa will see you shortly.” They didn’t have to wait for long before a buzzing bell informed the secretary that Kurosawa was ready, and they asked the duo to proceed inside through the door directly opposite the entrance.

The office was large and felt spacious, with a large table and a larger rug as the centrepiece. Two large windows on one side served as the sole light source while the sun was still up, letting in just enough light that the room wasn’t too bright. Behind the desk were shelves of books, a bust of a famous philosopher, and a glass cutout in the shape of the continent, among other things curated to catch interest.

Kurosawa stood behind his desk. “I’ve confirmed that the scroll is legitimate,” he said, pointing to the fully unfurled scroll. He pushed it closer to them. “Now, confirm that you’re really who you say you are.”

Tern went first and wove a few hand seals before pressing her hand over a fūinjutsu inscribed on the paper. The pattern shifted until it settled into the shape of a red ANBU insignia, confirming her identity. Takuma repeated the same hand seals on another identical fūinjutsu and got the same result.

“Excellent, that takes care of it.” Kurosawa wove hand seals and pressed his hands to the scroll, causing the ink to move and gather into a solid rectangular block that erased all the text. He then opened the door and tossed the scroll to his secretary.

“Welcome to the Ashwood Annex, Lieutenant Ratel, Operative Tern,” Kurosawa said as he walked back to his desk. A noisy shredder outside invaded the office.

“We’d prefer if you addressed us by our cover identities at all times,” Takuma said as they sat down.

“Then please address me by my name,” Kurosawa replied.

Kurosawa was an undercover ANBU-nin, the leader of a squad that operated out of the base. All Land of Fire embassies had an ANBU presence—from full squads to a single operative—usually under the purview of the Foreign Branch. The Ashwood Annex was unique in that Kurosawa was from the Domestic Branch but worked closely with the Foreign Branch—three of his eight subordinates were Foreign Branch operatives. It was a challenging position because he had to deal with people from both sides who constantly suspected him of hiding information just because he worked with both branches. Though both branches of ANBU worked toward the same goal of keeping the Hidden Leaf safe, they were still spies who barely trusted their own, let alone their counterparts from another silo.

“I’m a great admirer of your work, Chūnin Tobi. Be it your previous accomplishments or the most recent projects, they’ve been very entertaining while I’ve been here,” Kurosawa said.

“The capital city not interesting enough for you, Tokujō Kurosawa?” Tern asked.

“This place, with all of its beauty, is among the dullest places in the world. If you want something interesting to do, you have to cross the wall and go outside. Inside the walls, it’s… sanitised. The prudes who run this city have a very different idea of how to have fun. Unless you know the right people, of course.”

“I don’t doubt a bit that you know all kinds of right people,” Tern said cheekily.

Kurosawa laughed. “My wallet, unfortunately, isn’t heavy enough.”

“Then allow me to show you an evening of jolly fun the next time you are home,” Takuma said.

“Oh-ho?” Kurosawa looked pleased. “I’ll hold you to that, Chūnin Tobi. Start preparing your voice, because the next time we meet, I’d love to hear all the stories you have.”

“I’ll strive not to disappoint you with my uninteresting life,” Takuma said.

Kurosawa was a very important operative because of his position. A Foreign Branch squad used to be at the Ashwood Annex to keep an eye on the different embassies. Kurosawa’s responsibilities were to serve as the Hidden Leaf’s spymaster in the Ember Imperial City and track everything happening in the Daimyo’s court. He was so good at it that when the Foreign Branch squad made a huge blunder and the Hokage ordered them removed from their post at the base, he also summoned Kurosawa home. After a two-hour meeting with the Hokage, Kurosawa left as the sole ANBU squad leader of an unconventional mixed squad of eight operatives at the Ashwood Annex.

It was imperative that they maintain a good relationship with the man while they were in his backyard.

“I heard you’re looking for a way into the party at the Hewn Stone Estate. A very happening event,” Kurosawa said, his eyes searching their expressions.

“We realise that it’s short notice, which is why we came to you. You’re the only one who can get us in there. I hope you can arrange something so we can have access to the estate during the party,” Takuma said.

“Given the location, this must have something to do with Kyohei Watari?”

The two operatives exchanged looks, telling Kurosawa that he had hit the mark.

Takuma nodded. “We’re after Kikyo Transit and Protection.”