THREE HOURS PAST| UZUSHIOGAKURE TOWER| GENERALS' OFFICE
For the last three hours non-stop it seemed the scroll was deciphered without fail.
The very important scroll now had a webbing of plans around it that were but leaflets of a bigger picture.
Arata sighed at the mess of papers upon his desk surrounding the life or death scroll. He leaned back in his chair, lower back aching from the hunched over position he had been in for hours.
'Being the leader is so damn hard' he thought in his head a bit worried at what plans he would have to implement to counter the Kumo threat or what plans he'd even have to change when he went over his rough drafted plan with Uzu's strategists.
His tedious train of thought was interrupted as he felt a wind pick up in the office making him have to cover the papers on his desk so they wouldn't be blown away.
Though he kept his head as he saw in a small whirlwind Shuji-sensei arrive.
"Do you have to do that! It blows everything away! Can't you see I'm trying to find a way to counter, freaking legendary tool wielding pseudo-jinchuriki bastards and a freaking army of close to mid-range fighters!" he yelled at the man uncovering his papers.
Shuji shrugged uncaring as he took up a seat in front of his student/leader. "I came here not to annoy you but to get permission"
Arata narrowed his eyes "What do you want leech?" he stated not as an insult but nickname.
"Comments like that will get you no where, and you wonder why Ganko has promised to treat you to dinner" responded the sensei picking a paper off of Arata's desk and casually reading it.
Ignoring the intrusion in to village affairs, mostly meant for his eyes only Arata spat "That damn leech better not be seen anywhere inside of these village walls. You summon that creature and I will have dad seal it away forever! Hell I will make it a priority for the village to kill it!"
"Such a trivial thing to do, and a bit abusive of your powers. Besides you won't win in the end like now you are going-" the man reached in to his pocket then pulled out a small slip of paper no bigger then his hand "Read this"
Arata looked at his sensei then rolling his eyes at the request but took it serious as he grabbed the note with a tired expression "You really must just like messing with me. This paper, is empty. There is nothing written on it"
"I know that, it is my point. The ninja world is changing. Way darker than what it was. While being much brighter than what it was too. Did you know some ninja villages don't do any assassination missions at all or undertake anything. . . dark?"
The General shook his head completely surprised.
What ninja actually did not kill people? For whatever reason usually involving sometimes a large pay. Was shocking.
Whirlpool while not full on assassins still got the mission from time to time to help someone to the grave, usually it was ran by the General like all things as an okay or not thing to pursue then completed or rejected.
But to completely exclude such a thing that sometimes was very much-needed especially; to off a corrupted official or just an uprising of bad interests. It was truly shocking indeed.
"They must be real. . . peacekeepers then"
"Yeah, they undertake the job of protecting others and merchants from bandits. Stuff that isn't dark but doing it all with ninja abilities. That type of behavior even in this war-torn world has been on the rise, with it people are starting to see ninjas a bit differently. Only slightly, as many are still pissed about the unending battles that are destroying their towns as we speak"
"I fail to see how this has to do with a blank piece of paper?" asked the young man
"A teacher is never done, teaching his student" stated Shuji sighing "That paper is what is happening all around us, people see ninja but we are now slowly hiding our harm. Not us specifically as the world sees Whirlpool as more so the unknowns that took Hot Water Country and are powerful ninja which is giving us a strong reputation. But it pales to what could happen when it is soon known worldwide the Blood Ocean leads the so-called peaceful Whirlpool. Like that paper they need to only see us how we want, not known what is written in our minds"
"Politics Shuji-sensei, you came here to talk politics?. . . That is not like you" murmured the man concerned.
"Not just politics Arata but ninja politics. You and Haruo are elevating Uzu in to extreme images of a place boasting powerful warriors. Giving us fame, more income and enemies at the same time. That is fine with me and inevitable but just because you two are the most famous of Whirlpool you are not the rest of us who will have to upkeep the standards you guys have set"
"I killed many of our enemies, and Haruo has made a no man's zone of death on Frost and Hot water country's border that has completely made futile any of Cloud's would be incursions in to our new vassal. I did not think that was something of spectacular measure." he stated with apathy
"Oh it is, a battalion of a few thousand lead by a man named the Reaper, undefeated and stalemating what is a major village even if it is weakened has brought on a a lot of watching spectators. You however, well you did see that book right?"
"Yeah they found out about our little black ops-"
"That! That is what this is all about Arata, things that are done from the light and things that need be kept in the dark" stated the man suddenly with a frown extending a pointing finger to the slip of paper in his student's hand.
"You want me to sign this. . . not knowing what I signed as you add stuff to this paper as you see fit?" trailed off the man giving a sour look to Shuji.
"No, I want you to approve what I know Whirlpool needs. I must say that Tobirama was up to something when he created ANBU. I bet it was just not for the 'elite' but just for things that shouldn't be known, as well as things that are rather dark. With a division like that we could keep our reputation pure while also being able to survive doing some things others might find. . . questionable."
Arata remained unconcerned at how relaxed his teacher was when he spoke of the horrors of the shinobi world and how deceit was very necessary. He himself was a leader and had been taught to see that sometimes tactics that were not 'favored' were often very necessary.
There was no shyness in Arata at all when it came to reality. Reality he had to face everyday but lately, now with more stable resolve.
"Shuji-sensei you know we are all capable of doing what must be done. We integrated the byakugan knowing it belonged to those. . .Hyuga"
"Using the byakugan as our own was your father and the councils idea if I recall" retorted the older red-head
Annoyed at his teacher's lackluster view Arata huffed "What ever I'm not taking credit or anything. Besides Sensei you will be happy to know we have T-"
"T.I.D.E. . . I know of them, your father did well in creating them but they are information gathering or rather the scientific type of ninja. Not truly the battle ready warriors we need. This is even exhibited by how your dad made sure a squad ain't sufficient without its captain. So that no one gets any information leaking ideas or too strong."
"So Dad talked to you about this before me"
"That's beside the point." stated the man seeing Arata thinking about his father sharing secrets with someone else before him "What I have witnessed and surely you have too is that. . . some just don't come back from the battlefield. . . the same" spoke the man with a tinge of sorrow.
A thought of how many he had seen grieving on the battlefield with dead friends long gone in their hands as the battle was being waged, went threw Aratas' mind.
He tried to think of something else but the thought could not be suppressed as he remembered the days after the battles, of men waking up screaming and some who developed a fear of confrontation itself. Yet it was the ones who became bloodthirsty were the major issues that seemed to grip the attention of many as they were often thrust right back in to battle. . .
A cycle that turned them more deranged, yet at the same time was engineered for their death which would come eventually but with a benefit of knowing the ninja died fighting though hopefully took the enemy with them. Along with their dangerous post traumatic stress that was barely ever treatable.
It was sad but an actual thing that happened. . . more times than Arata would want in his own village's ninja population.
Arata needed no more convincing as he asked "They maybe scarred or damaged sensei. . . and they maybe aren't the once stable people they were but they are still our ninja. . . if you create this what ever it is. . . I want these people helped and taken care of. . . I don't want that cycle where we just use them till they are no more because it's what's best. To continue. That is one thing I want to know about this division's actions"
Shuji nodded "I will. As I have come across some that may become. . . our village's first missing ninja but with this they will have the outlet they need and we need. You got my word only good and great things. . . ninja-ly speaking. Will come from this" swore the man
"Tch signing off on the creation of two new divisions in one day" exhaled the man as he signed in ink his signature on the blank slip of paper. A thing that basically meant he approved of what ever Shuji would do and all Shuji had to do was present the signed slip to anyone who gave him trouble.
A pass/do what ever you want, was what Arata knew he was giving to his sensei. 'Thank goodness I trust him'