Naruto: Sasuke's Resurgence

Morning arrived, and Sasuke stirred from his sleep. As he rose, he refreshed himself and sat down for breakfast, contemplating,

'Today's the day, huh.'

 After years in this world, the time had come to initiate his actual plans. Swiftly donning his headband, he prepared to set off for the academy, where he was informed that someone would wait for him there.

As he arrived at the academy he soon saw someone waiting at the academy gates. It seemed to be a man, he wore a strange white mask in the shape of a cat which had several intricate blue markings covering it.

He was clad in a grey flak jacket that was placed over his otherwise entirely black sleeveless shirt and black trousers.

Despite the man's unconventional attire, he stood in front of the academy and generated no strange reactions from the surrounding people. It was almost as if he didn't exist in the same dimension as the people who travelled inside and outside the academy. 

"You must be Sasuke? You can call me Rinkusu (Lynx). I'm impressed you can find my presence, especially considering you haven't been properly trained in Perception. Then again I should have expected nothing less from a prodigy like you," The man walked towards Sasuke and addressed him.

The deep, hoarse quality of his voice suggested an age of at least 30 years, but Sasuke knew better than to take that at face value.

"Follow me, I'll take you to HQ so you can get yourself ready for your induction and training," Rinkusu continued as he jumped onto a nearby roof, and seamlessly began utilising the Body Flicker Jutsu to traverse the roofs of buildings with remarkable speed. Witnessing this, Sasuke promptly followed him, matching his swift pace as they made their way to the intended location.

They soon arrived in front of the Hokage building, prompting Sasuke to raise a brow in confusion. Rinkusu guided Sasuke towards a woman acting as the receptionist and said to her,

"In the moonlight's tender glance,

where shadows sway in their rhythmic dance,

under the moon's radiant gleam,

ghosts shall waltz eternally unseen."

The receptionist by the desk smirked upon hearing this before promptly returning her face to a neutral expression. "Follow me," she said to the pair as she walked by them, leading them to a door in the corner of the Hokage building's ground floor.

'There is no way that is the code word for this...' Sasuke thought, a subtle expression of distaste stretched across his face as he thought about reciting a poem to enter Anbu HQ. Observing Sasuke's reaction beside him, Rinkusu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Kid, get used to it. Lord Hokage thought that such a code was fitting for us," Rinkusu remarked, shaking his head with mild amusement. It was evident that Sasuke wasn't the first to feel this way.

Even Rinkusu, despite his experience, found the unique code for entry into HQ rather peculiar. However, over time he had grown somewhat numb to it.

'Of course, it just had to be Hiruzen,' Sasuke slandered internally. Despite his inner critiquing, he maintained a calm expression this time, revealing none of his thoughts to those around him.

They followed behind the receptionist as she opened the door, revealing a utility room before them. The woman then tapped on the walls in a seemingly random pattern, causing it to open up and unveil a hidden staircase behind a wall, leading downwards.

"Come on, we need to get going now."

Rinkusu patted Sasuke's shoulder, as he started heading down. Sasuke trailed behind him until both of their figures disappeared into the abyssal darkness of the secret staircase.

The passage seemed endless, leaving Sasuke to ponder, 'How deep underground is this?'

His curiosity lingered until his surroundings suddenly lit up. Squinting his eyes, Sasuke looked around, attempting to analyse his environment. The surroundings revealed a vast network of tunnels, all appearing eerily identical in their labyrinth-like design.

Before he could continue looking around, Rinkusu glanced at him and instructed, "Follow me and make sure to remember this path. The other tunnels are rigged full of traps, you wouldn't want to find yourself trapped in them."

They navigated through a series of narrow tunnels until they reached a sizable wooden door. Rinkusu pushed it open, revealing a vast underground cavern.

The space was densely packed with numerous cloaked figures, each exuding a dark, bloody aura as they shuttled around the underground space.

Rinkusu soon explained that the underground facility was divided into five different sections: Missions, Armory, Hospital, Lounge/Accommodation, and Training Ground.

Sasuke found himself guided to the Armory section by Rinkusu, where he first collected his future uniform and a short sword.

"This short sword (Tanto) isn't commonly wielded among us, though most Anbu possess basic Kenjutsu skills, specialising in it is rare. The sword is a symbol that serves to represent our commitment and resolve to our Anbu duties.

Its compact design ensures it won't impede your movements, and it can prove useful in emergencies or when you are required to discreetly eliminate an enemy—an act not too uncommon in our line of work," Rinkusu explained, explaining the significance of the weapon Sasuke now held.

Afterwards, Sasuke was led to a wall adorned with a shelf containing dozens of animal-shaped masks.

"If you haven't noticed already, all Anbu wear animal-shaped masks to conceal their identity during missions. You can choose any one of them for yourself now," Rinkusu explained to Sasuke.

Sasuke approached the wall, his eyes scanning the array of masks displayed on the shelves. His gaze settled on one in particular—a wolf-shaped mask adorned with intricate red and black patterns, exuding a rather eerie air.

"I'll take this one," Sasuke stated decisively, he reached out to claim the mask in front of him and informed Rinkusu of his choice.

"Good choice of mask. Now, how about a code name for yourself?" Rinkusu approved of Sasuke's mask selection and prompted him to choose a code name.

"How about... Okami?"

(Okami= Wolf)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke soon found himself in the Lounge Section of the underground cavern as he followed Rinkusu, who led Sasuke to his new accommodation. As they were walking, Rinkusu explained to Sasuke the structure of Anbu.

Anbu Departments:

Assault team- Typically organized into squads, Anbu members specialize in handling high-risk combat situations

Intel- Tasked with obtaining intelligence, this department usually involves espionage

Counterintelligence Division- Dedicated to identifying enemy spies and other sources of information leaks

Assassination- This department focuses on eliminating specific targets that pose a threat to Konoha's stability

Anbu Ranks:

Anbu Commander- This is the direct subordinate of the Hokage and oversees the whole operation of Anbu

Squad Captain- They are responsible for overseeing an entire squad (Elite Jonin strength required)

Deputy Captain- Assists the captain in managing the squad (Jonin strength required)

Veteran- An experienced Anbu member (Tokubetsu Jonin strength required)

Operative- A normal member who has completed full training (Chunin strength required)

Recruit- Not yet a full member, requires further training and must complete an initiation mission. (No specific strength required)

Rinkusu introduced himself as a Veteran of the Intel Department, while Sasuke currently held the rank of Recruit.

"For the next month, you will undergo extensive training in a variety of techniques. This will include areas such as Perception, Stealth, and Assassination Techniques," Rinkusu explained, outlining the focus of Sasuke's upcoming training for the month.

"Considering your deceptively young age, your tutelage under Kurenai, and your great strength, you have been placed into the Intel Department. However, you will have a special role," Rinkusu explained.

Highlighting how some Anbu members, with their unique skill sets suitable for multiple departments, are placed into one department but are assigned a distinct and specialized role.

"Once you become an Anbu Operative, you will be given the role 'Himitsu no Mimamorisha' (Watcher of Secrets). Your job will involve a mix of collecting intelligence, infiltration, and assassination.

The specifics will be provided to you once you complete your training, along with your induction mission," Rinkusu continued. He also mentioned that due to Sasuke's unique role, he wouldn't need the Anbu mark placed on him, ensuring that his identity would remain concealed during missions.

He also went on to explain what induction missions entail. Unlike proper Anbu missions, these are much simpler tasks—typically involving activities such as exterminating bandits.

The primary goal of these missions is to ensure that the Anbu Recruit is capable of functioning as a ninja and, if necessary, taking the lives of others, given that it aligns with the mission objectives.

The more Sasuke learned about Anbu, the more he began to understand its nature.

Cool secret ninja organisation? No, not really

A place to raise emotionless, obedient weapons of war? Yes, absolutely!

Fortunately, Sasuke didn't harbour any illusions about Anbu being a cool secret ninja organization, so he wasn't particularly surprised by the true nature of the group.

On the bright side, Sasuke's designated role meant that he often operated solo during missions. Giving him free rein to begin some of his other plans, allowing him to gain more strength. As nowadays the rate at which his strength is growing has slowed down, reaching a bottleneck overall.

This was one of the reasons Sasuke didn't completely hide his strength, as the title of prodigy could help him achieve his goals much more easily.

The potential dangers associated with being labelled a prodigy had also been mitigated, given his status as the last Uchiha. Both Danzo and Hiruzen possessed a vested interest in keeping him alive to appease Itachi.

By the time Rinkusu finished his explanations, the pair had arrived in front of the Lounge/Accommodation Section, where they soon found themselves in front of a humble wooden door.