I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

The next day, Fugaku summoned Sakugo.

There were only the two of them in the patriarch's hall.

Fugaku sat in the main seat, a recruitment notice for the Anbu spread out in front of him. He pushed the notice towards Sakugo without saying a word. Sakugo glanced down at it—Anbu, codename self-chosen, directly under the Hokage.

"Minato wanted an Uchiha in the Anbu," Fugaku said calmly. "He approached me and asked who I would recommend. I said you."

Shuoge looked at him.

"You were his subordinate on the northern front, and he trusted you. You're from the Uchiha clan, and the clan approves of you. You're Kagami's nephew, and I trust Kaze, Kenji, and myself."

Fugaku paused. "No one is more suitable than you."

"Actually, I'm not suitable." Shuoge's voice was flat; what others saw was not the real "Shuoge".

Sakugo didn't feel much identification with or belonging to Konoha Village.

If Fugaku insists, he will not refuse.

Fugaku remained silent for a moment.

"The Uchiha need someone by the Hokage's side. Not for surveillance, but for communication. Minato isn't Danzo; he wouldn't target the Uchiha without reason. But he doesn't understand us, and we don't understand him. We need a bridge."

Shuoge didn't speak. He picked up the recruitment notice, looked at it, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"When do I report for duty?"

"tomorrow."

-

Shuoge is gone.

The next morning, Shuoge put on the uniform of the Dark Division.

A black cloak, a white mask with red patterns drawn on it—his choice, a knife scar. The knife was on his back, the mask on his face, revealing only his eyes.

The three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated behind the mask, obscuring its expression.

-

The Anbu's base is located underground in the Hokage Building, with the entrance behind an iron door at the end of the corridor.

Shuoge pushed open the door and walked down the stairs. The corridor was long, with luminous pearls embedded in the walls. The pale light shone on the stone path, making it look like a river leading underground.

A person stood at the end of the corridor, wearing the uniform of the Dark Guard, with a mask already on—a tanuki pattern and two round ears.

The man was leaning against the wall, twirling a kunai in his hand. He stopped when he saw Shuoge.

"New here?"

Shuoge did not answer.

The man didn't care, put the kunai back into his ninja tool pouch, turned around and pushed open the door to the operations room.

"Come in, the captain is waiting for you."

Shuoge followed him into the operations room.

Several people were sitting inside, all wearing masks so their faces were obscured. The captain sat in the main seat, his mask bearing an eagle pattern, his gaze piercing through the mask and landing on Shuoge.

Choose a code name for yourself.

"Blade".

It's just a code name; it doesn't matter what it's called.

The captain nodded without asking any further questions. He pointed to a spot in the corner. "Yours."

Shuoge walked over, sat down, and placed the knife beside him.

The face beneath the mask was expressionless.

He didn't know where this path would lead. But he knew he was getting closer to the heart of Konoha, closer to those who would decide the village's fate, closer to the things he needed to change.

-

The training grounds for the Dark Division are located three underground levels, deeper than the operations room.

Shuoge followed the eagle-masked captain through the long corridor and pushed open an iron door.

Behind the door was a huge circular space, with luminous pearls embedded in the walls. The pale light shone on the gray stone slabs, making it feel as cold as a morgue.

There was a bleacher box around the training ground, where many people were already standing—members of the Dark Guard, wearing various masks, some leaning against the wall, some squatting on the railing, and some with their arms crossed.

They heard that a newcomer was coming today: a ten-year-old Jonin and a ten-year-old Anbu.

The youngest Anbu in Konoha's history.

"Blade".

The captain's voice, muffled and as if muffled by water, came from behind the mask. "Assessment: One-on-two. No restrictions on methods or time. Your opponent is—"

He raised his hand, and two people jumped down from the stands.

A thin man wearing a cat mask, holding a short knife in his hand.

A burly man wearing a bear mask, with two meteor hammers hanging from his waist, landed in the center of the training field, one on the left and one on the right, blocking Shuoge's retreat.

"Cat and Bear. Six years of service in the Anbu, participated in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars." The hawk-masked figure retreated to the stands.

"start."

The people in the stands fell silent.

Someone muttered, "A ten-year-old brat, how many seconds can he last?"

Another said, "Cats are fast, and bears are strong; this kid probably won't even be able to draw his knife."

Some people say, "Don't underestimate him. He's the blade."

"Blade? That's what they call it on the battlefield. The Dark Division is different."

Shuoge stood in the center of the training ground, his sword behind his back, his hands hanging at his sides. He didn't draw his sword, he didn't even move. His three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated behind his mask, watching the cat and the bear.

The cat moved first. It was fast; the dagger stabbed from the side at a tricky angle, the blade coated with poison, gleaming purplish-black in the pale light.

Shuoge's Sharingan caught it—his shoulder moved first, his left foot pushed off the ground, and the short sword slashed upwards from below.

He dodged to the side, without drawing his knife.

The cat's second stab had arrived, faster, aimed straight at the throat.

Shuoge leaned back, the blade grazing past his mask and shaving off a few strands of hair.

"They dodged pretty fast," someone in the stands said.

"What's the use of just hiding? He doesn't even dare to draw his knife."

The bear charged at us from the front. It wasn't fast, but it was powerful, and each step it took made the ground tremble slightly.

The meteor hammer came crashing down from above, whistling through the air, with enough force to shatter a rock.

Shuoge did not dodge; his sword was finally drawn.

It's not blocking, it's guiding.

The blade rests diagonally on the meteor hammer, using its force to guide the hammerhead to the left.

The bear's meteor hammer struck the open ground, shattering the stone slabs and sending fragments flying.

Shuoge smoothly withdrew his knife, took a step back, and stood between the cat and the bear.

There was a moment of silence in the stands.

"He just... used his knife to change the direction of the meteor hammer?"

"It's not about changing direction, it's about leveraging external forces. It's about using minimal effort to achieve maximum results."

The cat and the bear exchanged a glance. They charged forward simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, their movements perfectly coordinated.

The cat's dagger stabbed from the left, while the bear's meteor hammer smashed from the right.

Sakugo's Sharingan caught the attack trajectories from two directions, and his sword drew an arc in front of him—not quickly, but waiting.

The cat's dagger was halfway through its thrust when it discovered that Shuoge's blade was already waiting at its wrist.

If he continues stabbing, his own wrist will hit the blade.

He sheathed his sword and stepped back. Xiong's meteor hammer also stopped—Shuoge's blade tip touched the point where the hammer head would fall. If Xiong continued to smash, the hammer head would be pierced by the blade tip, and Shuoge's blade would then pierce into his chest.

The two of them retreated at the same time.

No one in the stands spoke.

"Again," came the voice from above.

The cat and bear charged again. This time they held back.

The cat moved even faster, its short sword drawing a net in the air, blocking all of Shuoge's escape routes.

The bear's meteor hammer came crashing down from the side, not to hit anyone, but to smash the ground—he wanted to destroy Shuoge's foothold.

Sakugo's Sharingan saw it. He didn't retreat; he walked towards the cat.

It wasn't rushing, it was walking. The pace was neither fast nor slow, like going to the river to practice swordsmanship.

The cat's net of short knives unfolded before him, and Shuoge's knife passed through the mesh, the tip stopping three inches in front of the cat's throat.

The cat's knife stopped in mid-air. His pupils contracted. He didn't know how he had been breached; he only saw Shuoge's knife suddenly appear in front of his throat, as if it had always been there, waiting for him to crash into it.

Xiong's meteor hammer slammed into the ground, shattering the stone slabs, and Shuoge's feet lost their footing. He didn't panic; he used the tip of his blade to touch the ground, leaping up and flipping his body in mid-air.

As the bear swung its hammer a second time, Shuoge's knife rested on the hammerhead, using the force to change direction and land behind the bear. The tip of the knife touched the back of the bear's neck.

"Enough." The voice from the eagle mask came down from above.

Shuoge sheathed his sword. The blade was clean, devoid of blood. He stood there, his face beneath the mask expressionless.

The cat and the bear exchanged a glance. The cat sheathed its dagger, and the bear hung its flail on its waist.

The two nodded slightly to Shuoge, then turned and walked onto the stands. They didn't speak; there was no need to. If they couldn't win, they couldn't win; there was nothing more to say.

People in the stands began to whisper among themselves.

"I didn't see those few stabs he made just now."

"Me too. His knife isn't sharp, but it always hits the most dangerous spots."

"It wasn't the knife that was fast, it was his mind. He anticipated all the cat's and bear's movements."

"Ten years old... is ten years old really this terrifying?"

"So he is the blade."

The man in the eagle mask stepped down from the stands and stood in front of Shuoge. He looked at Shuoge, his eyes behind the mask revealing an unreadable expression.

"From today onwards, you are a member of the Anbu. You belong to Team 3 and report directly to the Hokage. Your codename is Blade." He paused.

Eagle Mask didn't say anything more. He turned and walked towards the exit of the training field. After a few steps, he stopped and didn't look back.

"We have a mission tomorrow. Assemble early in the morning."

He left. Shuoge stood in the center of the training field, his knife behind his back, his hands hanging at his sides. The people in the stands gradually dispersed; some glanced at him as they passed by, some nodded, and some did nothing.

Shuoge only walked out of the training ground after everyone had left.

The corridor was long, and the pale light of the luminous pearl shone on the stone path, making it look like a river leading to the ground. He walked slowly, his steps neither fast nor short, as if he were going to the riverbank to practice his swordsmanship.

He pushed open the iron gate, revealing the corridor of the Hokage Building. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, making him squint. He removed his mask, revealing his expressionless face.

Blade. Dark side. Ten years old.

He walked towards home.

……

……

……

On his third day in the Dark Division, Shogo received his first mission.

The eagle-masked captain pushed the scroll in front of him; it contained only one line of text: "Recover supply point number seven, coordinates attached. Three-person team, Blade in charge of combat."

Shuoge unrolled the scroll and glanced at the coordinates.

Northwest of the Land of Fire, near the border of the Land of Rain.

During the war, Konoha set up a secret supply depot there to store explosive tags, ration pills, and sealing scrolls.

The war is over, and these things need to be recycled. The scroll is marked with a risk level—low. But missions in the shadows are never truly "low-risk."

The two people traveling with me were already waiting in the corridor.

A thin man wearing a crow mask, codenamed "Crow".

A medium-sized man wearing a fox mask, codenamed "Fox".

Both men were veterans of the Dark Guard, having served for over five years. When they saw Shuoge come out, they didn't speak, but simply nodded.

Shuoge didn't say anything, put on his mask, hung his knife on his back, and followed behind them.

The three left the village through the underground passage of the Hokage Building, instead of using the main entrance.

Those working in the shadows don't need to use the main entrance.

On the road, the crow walked in front, the fox walked at the back, and the shoge was in the middle.

The three men didn't exchange a word; only the rustling of their footsteps on the fallen leaves filled the air. After walking for about two hours, the crow suddenly stopped and raised its fist. Shuoge and the fox stopped at the same time.

"There are people ahead." Crow's voice was low and muffled, coming from behind his mask.

Sakugo's three-tomoe Sharingan was already spinning behind the mask. He saw it—three hundred meters ahead, five people, their chakra fluctuations were not strong, they didn't seem like ninjas, but more like wandering samurai.

Their direction was exactly where the supply depot was located.

"A wandering ninja." The fox's voice was flat. "Nowhere to go after the war, so he roams the border. He loots supplies."

Raven turned and glanced at Shogo. "Blade, you're in charge of the fighting. We'll handle the looting."

Shuoge didn't speak. He walked from the middle of the group to the front, his knife behind his back, his hand on the hilt, and walked at a steady pace toward the supply point.

The supply depot was located inside a cave, with the entrance sealed with rocks, blending seamlessly into the mountainside from the outside.

But the rock sealing the entrance had been pried open, and rubble was scattered all over the ground. Two men stood guard outside the cave entrance, knives in their hands. When they saw Shuoge, they paused for a moment, then raised their knives.

"Hey kid, which village are you from?" someone shouted.

Shuoge did not answer. He continued walking.

A somber atmosphere permeated the air.

It felt as if the air itself had become heavy.

The two men exchanged a glance and charged forward simultaneously.

The knife was fast, but for Shuoge, it was too slow.

His sword was drawn, severing the first man's blade in one stroke. The back of the blade struck the back of his head, and the man fell unconscious. The second man froze, as Shuoge's sword was already at his neck.

"How many are left inside?"

The man's lips trembled. "Three...three."

Shuoge's blade struck him on the back of the head, and he fell to the ground. He stepped over the two bodies and entered the cave.

Several wooden crates were piled up inside the cave, and they had already been opened.

Explosive tags were scattered all over the ground, several bottles of ration pills were broken, and pills were rolled everywhere.

The three men were squatting on the ground filling a bag when they heard footsteps and turned around at the same time. When they saw Shuoge, they stood up, holding kunai and short swords in their hands.

"Who are you?" The leader had a scar on his face and a hoarse voice.

Shuoge did not answer. His sword was held horizontally in front of him, and the three-tomoe Sharingan behind his mask stared at the three people.

"What's there to be afraid of, a brat like him—" Scarface charged forward, brandishing his knife.

Shuoge's knife slashed upwards, sending Scarface's knife flying and embedding itself in the cave wall. A red line appeared on his wrist, blood seeping from the wound, and his hand trembled.

He didn't call out, but just looked at Shuoge, his pupils contracting.

"Retreat!" Scarface shouted.

The three of them turned and ran, rushing out of the back door of the cave and disappearing into the woods.

Shuoge didn't give chase. A bunch of small fry, unworthy of staining his blade with blood. He sheathed his sword and walked out of the cave. Crow and Fox were already standing at the cave entrance, watching the two figures on the ground.

"Three escaped?" Crow asked.

"Um."

"Should we pursue them?"

"The mission is more important," Shuoge said calmly.

The crow glanced at him but said nothing more.

The three people entered the cave and began to take stock of the supplies.

Two boxes of detonating tags are missing, one box of ration pills is missing, but all the sealing scrolls are still there.

Fox found an overturned wooden crate in the corner, its contents scattered all over the floor—not supplies, but intelligence scrolls. He picked them up, glanced at them, and his expression changed.

"What's wrong?" Crow asked.

The fox handed him the scroll.

After reading it, Ya remained silent for a while before handing it to Shuoge.

Sakugo took it and glanced at it. It was a confidential document from Iwagakure, detailing the village's post-war intelligence network along the Land of Fire's border. This document shouldn't be here.

"How could there be something like this in the supply depot?" Fox's voice was very low.

"It's not from the supply depot." Shuoge folded the scroll and stuffed it into his pocket. "Someone left it here. We're waiting for the handover."

The crow and the fox exchanged a glance. They both thought of it simultaneously—spies. Someone was using these abandoned supply depots for intelligence exchanges. If they had arrived any later, the intelligence would have been seized by Iwagakure's spies.

"Report back to the captain," Raven said calmly. "Mission accomplished, bonus reward."

The three repackaged the supplies, affixed sealing talismans, and placed them into a sealed scroll. Shuoge carried the largest scroll, Ya carried the two smaller ones, and Hu carried the rest.

The three people walked back along the way they came.

On the way, the fox suddenly spoke. "Blade, those few strikes you made just now were very fast."

Shuoge did not speak.

"Not fast," Crow's voice came from ahead. "It's accurate."

Fox glanced at Shuoge, his expression unreadable behind the mask. He remained silent.

-