allendalepharm Chapter 478 Amulet
Chapter 478 Amulet
Chapter 478 Amulet
Green Kui was actually quite proud of herself.
The assistant director, who was particularly busy during this period, had to temporarily put aside his work and offered to accompany him, a lowly Chunin employee within the Bureau of Affairs, back to the village while discussing work.
This would be an unimaginable scenario under normal circumstances.
However, this sense of pride only lasted for a short time.
He secretly guessed that Itachi Uchiha probably felt that there were too many people and too much attention at the entrance of the secret service, so he wanted to find a quieter environment to properly discuss how to end the commotion that had just occurred.
It might involve making some demands on him, or using the Uchiha style to teach him to be more mindful of his words and actions in the future.
Green Sunflower had already made up his mind. If the other party was tough, he would lower his stance further; if they proposed any action that required his cooperation, he would agree without hesitation.
Regardless of the approach, at least he can find out the village's attitude towards his current actions and what further steps he can take.
However, the anticipated conversation never began.
Aside from the initial two or three sentences confirming the internship arrangements, Itachi didn't speak again.
This unexpected silence, like a gradually rising stream of cold water, caused Green Sunflower's previously solid confidence to begin to crumble bit by bit.
Especially when the venue area was right in front of them and the main gate of the village was not far away, a thought suddenly popped into their head.
Uchiha Itachi, are you planning to get rid of me?
Considering Sasuke Uchiha's undisguised observation today, this possibility suddenly seems real.
That young master was clearly assessing the situation, and assessments are often followed by action. If the village considered his presence a problem, then the cleanest and most efficient solution would be—
The moment this thought crossed my mind, a chill ran through me.
Unlike his younger brother who was still at the ninja academy, his assistant possessed strength befitting his status. If a fight were to break out, he probably wouldn't even have time to react.
"Assistant, you've been busy until so late today, haven't you had dinner yet?" Green Sunflower's voice was a bit warmer than before, trying to break the suffocating silence.
"Regarding work, I do have a few questions I'd like to ask. The venue area is just ahead; how about we find a place to eat and chat?"
He started making conversation, rambling about the trainees' performance, the recent work atmosphere in the secretariat, and even the newly opened shops in the venue area.
Itachi replied, "No need."
Green Sunflower is going to try running it out.
"Mr. Midori," Itachi's voice rang out again, "you are very patient, know how to deal with students, and have enough ambition."
Green Sunflower gave up on the race.
"Would you be willing to be temporarily transferred to the Ninja Academy to do some publicity work for the Secretariat for a period of time? To let more students know about the work there and the future possibilities."
A job transfer?
As an employee of the secret service, and with the reputation I've built up over the past two days, going to the Ninja Academy to do promotions sounds like a temporary job with some compensation.
But that is on the condition that he can return to the Joint Affairs Bureau.
"Of course I'm willing," Green Sunflower replied quickly, almost without hesitation. "What time period would you like to schedule it? I'll coordinate the work arrangements with my other colleagues."
"Starting tomorrow, for a period of one week," Itachi said. "During this time, you do not need to report to the secret service."
Only one week? And this week he's completely out of the bureau's control?
Is the plan to first stabilize him with a short-term transfer, and then, citing work needs or good results, extend the short-term transfer to a long-term one?
Let him disappear from the secret service without a trace? If it's to suppress potential public opinion about the Uchiha bullying ordinary Chunin, doing so would have a different effect.
If not————
The two entered the village headquarters.
Itachi stopped a short distance inside the door.
"Since Mr. Green has no objections, then it's decided that way," he said. "The transfer notice will be issued tomorrow."
After saying this, Itachi turned to another path, clearly not intending to continue traveling together.
Watching Itachi's retreating figure as he entered the village and prepared to leave, the taut string in Green Aoi's mind was suddenly plucked by a certain thought, and began to buzz.
He realized the reason for traveling together and the rationale behind this arrangement.
—Am I going to die?
It wasn't Itachi Uchiha or the Uchiha clan who wanted to kill him; it was someone else—those people who might have previously invested resources in someone like him.
He recalled what had happened before the Bureau's largest expansion.
A group of nobles from the Land of Fire died mysteriously after coming into contact with a band that was at the height of its popularity and composed of Jinchūriki.
Today, he had a brief conflict at the entrance of the Bureau of Affairs with members of the Uchiha duty team, who were currently in the eye of the storm. The cause was Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother of the assistant director.
If he had died suddenly on his way back to the village that same day after the incident.
The problem will most likely be attributed to the Uchiha clan. Even the assistant himself will inevitably be implicated.
So Itachi Uchiha wasn't trying to kill him, but rather to protect him.
He personally escorted him back to the village to ensure he wouldn't encounter any accidents on the way. The week's ninja academy promotional mission was to temporarily remove him from the turbulent affairs bureau, allowing the public outcry to subside.
A week was roughly the time the assistant estimated the incident would naturally fade away. When he returned to the secret service a week later, in the eyes of most people, the matter was completely over.
Except for those who might still want to give it a try.
Green Sunflower stood on the street in the main village. The spring night breeze blew by, carrying the faint fragrance of cherry blossoms that were about to fade, but he could not feel any warmth.
A Chunin. In a place like the Joint Affairs Bureau, if people feel that killing this person could cause trouble for the Uchiha clan and even the director's office, what are his chances of survival?
Unless, of course, he chooses not to return to the Joint Affairs Bureau after a week.
That would mean that all his business and all his efforts during this period would be in vain.
His future will be confined to the village, where he will return to being an ordinary Chunin instructor, leading his students on mundane tasks that don't even involve clearing out bandits.
This is not wishful thinking, but a major trend. The member states of the coordinated plan are enjoying unprecedentedly cheap ninja force.
Those mountain bandits were utterly powerless against a special operations team comprised of at least elite Chunin, with their leader essentially a Jonin.
The fate of ordinary ninjas in the village is to wait for retirement, or to die an obscure death one day when a great war breaks out in the ninja world.
He wasn't lying to those students; that's just how he believed it. If he missed this opportunity, there wouldn't be another chance.
But if I want to return to the secret service but don't want to die—
Unless he survives and his value as a recruit far outweighs the value of his death.
"Assistant." He raised his voice, calling out to the figure that was about to disappear into the shadows of the night.
Itachi turned around.
"Since we're going to do promotions at the Ninja Academy," Midori Aoi said, making her voice sound energetic, "then please also give me the job of picking up and dropping off trainees to and from the secret service after school."
"After all, I'm more familiar with them and know how to communicate with them. And this way, the publicity can be more coherent; I can chat with them about the secret service on the way."
"We can also continue the guidance work we've been doing these past two days."
"Of course, this is also for the safety of the trainees. Although the distance from the village to the secretariat is not long, it is not appropriate for them to travel back and forth on their own."
Itachi looked at him, then nodded: "Okay."
After agreeing, the assistant director didn't look at Green Aoi again; the green-haired chunin's little scheme couldn't escape his notice.
He did not choose to go home or return to his workplace.
He made this arrangement on short notice that evening, and there were people he needed to explain things to.
So he went to the West Suburbs Experimental Building, where Yakushi Kabuto opened the door for him.
"Itachi-kun," the silver-haired researcher in a white lab coat greeted him, "Is this your first time here?"
"Yes," Itachi replied. "Is Senpai there?"
"Lord Shuji, and the Second and Fifth Hokage are all in the testing area on the second floor." Kabuto stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him. "Should I go up and announce their arrival first? But given the level of trust Itachi-kun has, it shouldn't be a problem for me to go up directly."
Itachi shook his head: "Thank you for your trouble."
"Itachi-kun is as cautious as ever." Kabuto smiled, turned and walked towards the stairs. "Please wait here for a moment, I'll go and inform him."
Kabuto only left for a short while before reappearing.
"The three gentlemen are about to come down, so we'll just wait here."
"Thank you for your help."
"No trouble at all." Kabuto leaned against the wall beside him, his hands in the pockets of his white coat. "Speaking of which, Itachi-kun has been dealing with a very tricky problem lately, hasn't he?"
"It's something that can't be rushed," Itachi replied.
Kabuto said, "I see. Compared to Itachi's patience, Sasuke seems a bit impatient."
Itachi looked at him: "Sasuke will be better than me."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses: "The children of the future will have a higher starting point. Itachi's words do have a chance of coming true."
"However, to be able to participate in this level of work at such a young age is already quite remarkable, just like Itachi back then."
Tsunade appeared first. Her long golden hair was not tied into her usual neat twin tails, but was casually draped over her shoulders. Her face showed a hint of fatigue from the experiment, but she also seemed more relaxed.
Next came Shuji and Tobirama Senju.
"Itachi," Shuji spoke first, "Kabuto said you have something to report?"
"Yes." Itachi stepped forward and succinctly explained the latest arrangements for Green Blue Aoi, from a week-long promotional mission for the Ninja Academy to her request to pick up and drop off trainees.
After hearing this, Tobirama Senju snorted coldly: "Using the high-level attention and protection that trainees inevitably receive to weave a safety net for yourself? You don't even have a trace of the Will of Fire left."
Shuji commented, "They want both."
Tsunade frowned slightly, expressing some reservations about the arrangement: "Sending someone like that to the Ninja Academy for publicity? Itachi, there should be more than one option besides the Ninja Academy to accommodate him."
The ninja academy's evaluation of its teachers is considered to be among the most rigorous of all Konoha's institutions.
Basically, all instructors must be vetted by the Hokage's office. This includes not only their abilities, but also their character, conduct, and beliefs.
Why send a Chunin like Midori Aoi to promote the program to the students?
"It's only a week. There won't be any problem publicizing the existence of the Joint Affairs Bureau," Shuji said calmly.
"It's always better to leave problems in the open than to let them fester in the shadows. Green Sunflower will carefully protect the children's goodwill towards him; it's a talisman he chose for himself."
"He will be very careful in maintaining it; at least on the surface, he will do an impeccable job."
After listening, Tsunade didn't say anything more. She simply gathered her loose blonde hair and casually tied it into a low ponytail at the back of her head.
Anyway, there are more than one person here who can make decisions, and since neither Shuji nor the second generation has explicitly objected, she doesn't need to insist.
Even if things don't go well, there are still two others in the Hokage's office. They can raise their concerns if they want. There's no need for someone like me, who is already filling in and now has to keep occupying the position, to fight for it.
Shuji stepped forward, patted Itachi on the shoulder, and then said to Tobirama, "It's getting late. It's time to rest and recuperate. We'll head back now, Second Hokage."
Tsunade stretched her arms as well: "I definitely need to rest well during the recovery period after the cell implantation. Grandpa Tobirama, then I—"
"For the next week or two, you won't need to come to the lab every day," Tobirama said.
Tsunade's smile froze for a moment.
"It's right that we don't need Shuji; he was just a figurehead here anyway—" she tried to struggle, "I'm different, my medical ninjutsu—"
"You don't need it either." The Second Hokage's words were firm. "Kabuto's medical ninjutsu is enough."
"When I need you to come, I will send my secret service to notify you. Coming here on your own is just a waste of time."
"Tsunade, if you don't want to stay in the Hokage's office, go to the hospital. That's where you should be putting your talents to good use."
"And then there's you, Shuji." Tobirama's gaze shifted to Shuji, who was standing to the side. "Regarding the question of what beliefs and bottom lines ninjas, especially those of Konoha, should uphold in the coming era."
"Since you've agreed to let someone like Green Aoi stand before the ninja academy students in an official capacity, even if only for a week, then the corresponding guidance and balancing work must follow."
"You need to go to the Ninja Academy in person."
Tobirama said, "The Fourth Hokage can handle many practical matters in the Hokage's office, but shaping beliefs is not something he should be in charge of. This must be the responsibility of the living, the responsibility of those who look to the future."
"Since you've made your choice, you must bear the consequences, Shuji."
Shuji met Tobirama Senju's gaze, his relaxed expression from the past few days vanishing, returning to the composure he had maintained for the past two years.
"good.
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