Naruto: I became a super shadow in the Anbu.

Chapter 370 A Knife in the Dark
The Jonin team's meeting room was completely silent.

The Jonin in the back row didn't even move their heads, afraid of making a sound by rubbing their collars together; they only scanned the village's strongmen in the front row with their eyes.

Before the Jonin team meeting, they had already heard a lot of rumors.

At first, Orochimaru said he wanted to become an advisor, and later he said the head of the Anbu wanted to become an advisor.

The Jonin wouldn't question having these two as advisors.

But for some reason, neither of these two candidates succeeded; otherwise, the village wouldn't have brought this matter up in the Jonin team meeting.

Being a foreign affairs advisor is too dangerous; you often have to travel to various countries, and even to the other four great ninja villages.

If you're not strong enough, you could easily be assassinated on the way.

Even the experienced veteran Kage-level ninja advisor, Mitokado Homura, has died.

If it were an ordinary Jonin, facing a rogue ninja like Madara Uchiha, he would probably be instantly killed.

The clan leaders kept their eyes down, avoiding eye contact with the high-ranking officials on the platform.

Senju Hanagi, the head of the Senju clan, rarely expresses his opinion among the Jonin.

Tsunade is not interested in foreign affairs advisors.

Uchiha Zhong looked serious and had no interest in participating, glancing at the others in the first row out of the corner of his eye.

The heads of the Hyuga, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans have not expressed their opinions.

In the silence, Sakumo Hatake stood up.

It was both reasonable and expected.

Sakumo Hatake said, "I often carry out missions in countries like the Land of Grass and the Land of Rivers, so I am quite familiar with these two countries."

The village has recently been plagued by rogue ninja, and I am willing to serve as its foreign affairs advisor to alleviate the village's pressure.

Ye Guang thought to himself, he had finally killed so many Sarutobi Hiru that no one was left to use.

Have I had an easy time all these years?

Now that Sakumo Hatake has volunteered himself, it's unclear how the higher-ups will handle the situation.

Let's put it this way: it's either Yellow Dog or Hatake Sakumo; without Yoru's approval, no one can sit in the chair of foreign affairs advisor.

Nara Shikaku said, "Okay, Sakumo, the Jonin team will recommend you to the Hokage, who will consider it."

Are there any other people interested in becoming foreign affairs advisors?

Everyone else looked at Huang Quan, the head of the secret service, on the podium.

The yellow dog didn't say anything.

As for Orochimaru, he remained completely unmoved.

Seeing that no one else stepped forward, Nara Shikaku made a final gesture:

"Ninjas on missions to the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers must be careful, as they may encounter Madara Uchiha and his subordinates at any time."

Some of the Jonin thought to themselves, "What good will being careful do? It's like they think being careful will guarantee survival."

If escaping had been effective, then Mitokado Enoki wouldn't have died.

The Jonin team meeting has ended.

Ye Guang followed the yellow dog out of the Jonin team's meeting room.

Orochimaru, who had been observing the meeting from the sidelines, suddenly came to the side of Yellow Dog and Night Light.

Ye Guang was startled. Could Orochimaru be spouting nonsense?

Orochimaru said in a hoarse voice, "Yellow Dog, I had already given up on competing for the consultant position, why did you back down at the last minute?"

The yellow dog paused, then pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Everyone has different responsibilities. I have my own responsibilities and cannot act recklessly."

Orochimaru waited for a while, and seeing that the Yellow Dog had no intention of taking back the Five Elements Great Combo, he ignored the Yellow Dog and left the Hokage Building.

Ye Guang breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't think Orochimaru would be that bored.

Two days later, the Jonin team held an extra meeting.

The Jonin were not annoyed by the extra meeting; on the contrary, they were very much looking forward to it.

As expected, Sakumo Hatake, dressed in an advisor's robe, followed the other senior executives into the conference room.

The Third Hokage addressed the assembled Jonin in the conference room:

"The rogue ninja Uchiha Madara and his subordinates have thrown Konoha into turmoil, causing widespread panic."

Our Konoha suffered tremendous losses.

In order to resolve the trouble caused by the rogue ninja, I have decided to appoint Hatake Sakumo as the foreign affairs advisor for Konoha Village.

Sakumo Hatake will rotate his post among the four vassal states of the Land of Fire—the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and others—to deter rogue ninja and maintain Konoha's deterrent power.

Night Light understood the Third Generation's unspoken meaning.

The reason Hatake Sakumo was made an advisor was simply because they had no other options.

However, he disliked Sakumo Hatake, who avoided returning to the village unless absolutely necessary, and instead sent him on diplomatic missions and garrison duties in various countries.

Out of sight, out of mind. Just like Danzo's previous order to Yagami, he sent Yagami to the Land of Rain to investigate Uchiha Madara, who was impossible to find.

Jonin are all intelligent people, and they understood what the Hokage meant.

They looked at each other, whispering among themselves to the nearby Jonin who were on good terms with them.

As Sakumo Hatake was sent on missions to various countries and stationed in different countries, he was constantly facing the danger of rogue ninja.

Ye Guang thought to himself, as long as I don't do anything reckless, Hatake Sakumo can secure his position as advisor.

His dilemma was whether or not to put on an exhibition match.

When Sakumo Hatake was stationed in Kyoto of a certain country, he provoked Sakumo Hatake by driving a small version of Sarutobi Kanosuke or a tiny version of Tobi.

If you're going to provoke someone, how can you fight in a way that makes it look realistic?

If Uchiha Madara and his subordinates immediately quieted down as soon as Hatake Sakumo took office, wouldn't that seem a bit unrealistic?
It's hard to gauge the appropriate level of this exhibition match.

With Sakumo Hatake becoming a foreign affairs advisor, the gloom in Konoha, if not completely swept away, is at least no longer so oppressive.

Everyone has great confidence in White Fang's fighting ability.

That night, while Yagami was processing reports in the Anbu, he suddenly sensed the contracted chakra. After summoning it, he saw the ninja dog Pakkun.

Parker said, "Fox, Sakumo says he wants to see you."

Nightlight opened the scroll depicting the defense of Konoha Village and said:
"There are no Hyuga ninjas in the watchtower of wall number 21 tonight."

There's a park 1.2 kilometers away from the watchtower at No. 21. I'm waiting for Lord Sakumo in that park.

"It's so convenient being the vice-commander of the Anbu," said Pakkun, the ninja dog. "He has a crystal-clear understanding of Konoha's defenses."

"I worked hard for a long time to become the vice-captain of the Anbu, just as Lord Sakumo worked hard for a long time to become an advisor."

"He didn't really try that hard," said Ninja Dog Pakkun.

"I thought Sakumo's self-recommendation would be rejected like before. Sakumo himself was very surprised and hasn't reacted yet."

Ye Guang smiled. If Hatake Sakumo wasn't working so hard, then someone else was carrying the burden behind him, doing the same work as Hatake Sakumo.

Half an hour later, two figures appeared deep in the park in the dead of night: Sakumo Hatake and Yoru.

“Sorry, fox,” said Sakumo Hatake.

"Contacting you is dangerous, but I'm not ready to be a foreign affairs advisor, so I have no choice but to turn to you."

I've heard that the Anbu have been searching for the rogue ninja Uchiha Madara and his subordinates. I obtained some information from the Third Hokage, but it feels like something's missing.

Ye Guang was prepared; he took out a scroll and said:
"This is the intelligence I have compiled about Madara Uchiha and his subordinates."

Madara Uchiha is very dangerous. He possesses the Sharingan and Wood Release, and his weapons are the Uchiha fan and a long-handled scythe.

He had many subordinates, the largest of whom were White Zetsu, who possessed the silent reconnaissance technique, the Mayfly Technique.

Afei's form is the empty shell of the Wood Release: Whirlpool Armor.

Sometimes he would possess a White Zetsu, who had the Mangekyou Sharingan and the eye techniques Ame no Mihachi and Ooku no Shima.

Sometimes it is used on Sarutobi Kanosuke, who is skilled in Fire Release and the Five Elements Great Barrage.

Both Sarutobi Kanosuke and White Zetsu require Tobi's powerful Wood Release techniques, which is why the two rarely appear together.

Ye Guang thought to himself that they would never appear at the same time, because Ye Guang was too busy to be in two places at once.

After receiving the scroll, Hatake Sakumo felt a little more at ease.

"I will study this intelligence carefully," said Sakumo Hatake.

"Although I became an advisor, my power was not as great as I had imagined."

For example, I am not qualified to access the Book of Seals and cannot understand the powerful forbidden techniques of the rogue ninjas.

I cannot command Konoha's intelligence system; I need to notify the Anbu chief, Kian, first to obtain the latest information.

The Third Hokage wanted to use Sakumo Hatake, but didn't give him real power. Instead, he gave him an advisory role, allowing Sakumo Hatake to deal with those terrifying rogue ninja.

Hatake Sakumo held the scroll and said, "I am very fortunate to have met you in the war in the land of rivers, and I am very fortunate that you can give me some intelligence support."

I will be leaving the village tomorrow and heading to Kyoto in the land of rivers. The Third Hokage said the situation is very urgent.

You informed me a few days in advance that I could compete for the foreign affairs advisor position, giving me a few more days to prepare, instead of leaving me completely clueless like I am now.

You are no longer the ANBU captain I knew when I first met you in the Land of Rivers. I want to know what you're thinking.

"Fox, I don't mean to doubt you. I just want to ask, you're already the deputy head of the Dark Division, why are you still helping me?"

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the tree canopy, gazing at the distant Fire Shadow Rock, and slowly spoke:
"Lord Sakumo, I am a member of the Konoha Anbu. I carry out missions for the Hokage in the dark, and I am the Black Glove protecting the village."

I have carried out many missions that violated ninja ethics and many missions that went against human nature.

I am the sword of the Hokage in the darkness.

Without being immodest, I am the sharpest blade in the Dark Division.

I once killed my own teammates to protect intelligence.

I once coldly awaited the tragic deaths of my teammates for the sake of a mission in the Dark Division.

However, I wasn't born so extreme and cruel.

Some of the darkness was so intense that even I felt uncomfortable.

Lord Sakumo, I believe Konoha is sick, and if this continues, Konoha will become weaker and weaker.

Until one day, the enemy stormed the Hokage Rock, and the entire village was reduced to ruins except for the walls of Konoha.

I hope things will change in Konoha.

However, I am merely a blade in the shadows of Konoha and the Hokage; I do not know where Konoha should go from here.

I know I am too extreme. Among ninjas who kill without hesitation, I am one of those who have committed too many killings. I am neither suited nor capable of stepping into the limelight to change Konoha.

Lord Sakumo, I don't really know if what you're doing is right or wrong. I just hope to see some changes.

Perhaps in the future, under the influence of Sakumo-sama, Konoha will be less ill.

This is my thought, Lord Sakumo.

Konoha needs sharp blades in the darkness; this is determined by the unique nature of ninjas.

But Konoha also needs a less dark future, doesn't it?

Sakumo Hatake nodded repeatedly, understanding the fox's confusion and struggle.

Most people wouldn't dare trust a fox's identity.

As the fox said, the fox wasn't always a cruel and extreme member of the Dark Side.

Living in darkness, the fox has a deeper understanding of it and hopes that the village will not fall into darkness.

Sakumo Hatake said, "Fox, please believe me. I will definitely make Konoha a better place. I will become Hokage and change Konoha."

Just like in the original story, Sakumo Hatake is determined to become Hokage.

"Lord Sakumo, your trip to the Land of Rivers will surely deter the rogue ninja. They won't dare to attack you for a while."

"Thank you for your kind words, I hope so too. Goodbye, fox."

Looking in the direction where Hatake Sakumo disappeared, Yagami thought to himself, "If I said that the rogue ninjas wouldn't dare to attack you in the short term, then the rogue ninjas definitely wouldn't dare to attack you."

(End of this chapter)