Chapter 20 - ANBU Squirrel, Part 1
That's right. This was the name given to me as the cherry on top of having a 9 year old(It's been 2 years) in ANBU. Apparently, I'm also called "nutty" and I'll be sure to bite whoever started that fucking rumor for believing in God. I've been reincarnated twice consciously, I'd like to think I'm not a fucking nutjob.
Regardless, in our quest for survival, our squad becomes the top saboteur squad in the ranks. One mission even had us running into endless Kumo-nim, about 20 FUCKING JOUNIN, who were on the hunt for ANBU SQUIRREL but I SURIVIVED thanks to my Instincts although not without a broken shoulder in the pursuit.
It was a cold winter evening bordering on the land of snow, and the relentless pursuit went on for DAYS. It was an iso mission that NO ONE SHOULD HAVE LEAkED, so naturally I did the mission as cautiously as possible, by sending shadow clones to watch other shadow clones to follow a shadow clone each at a certain distance away. Fuckin' Danzo and his prissy antics.
Luckily, after a face off with Lord 3rd, he also realized the blatant targeting, and short of giving Danzo a slap on the wrist, because he left no traces, I've been given missions that are private to lord 3rd himself and the squad I'm with. Hence, our reputation as the bomb squad for not only a near perfect mission record but also a comparison to team Ro. And then Team Ro decided to get a genjutsu specialist who joined ANBU a year earlier this timeline, Shisui motherfucking Uchiha. He was always in ANBU on different squads, but apparently going after team's Ro reputation after getting dropped from the squad was a no-no from the political scene, and I therefore got demoted(off some bullshit excuse of you've got so much to learn) onto a standard squad of ANBU for the next year.
Finally at age 10, When it's time for me to step up as an official ANBU Captain role, my brother Itachi decides to fuck everything up and join under my squad where I'M TEAM CAPTAIN. Do you know how awkward dinner times are even more so that I'm Itachi's captain now? Father and the elders were furious, but lord 3rd refused to back down, cited my "Experience", which was all just a way to have a say politically, if the subtle nod and smile from Mikoto giving Lord 3rd is what I quietly witnessed.
Quite literally, in the world of politics I might be enough just to make it on the chessboard, but pawns move forward and never know when they'll be sacrificed, so I'm fighting to be a Piece. And not someone who waddles through the water. When I tell Mom this, she smiles and gave me a small blessing. To See how far I've come. It's not about progress but the Destination, but I nonetheless got to learn about the moderate faction vs hardline faction me and Itachi face off against.
We both know that Itachi isn't hardline, but neither of say anything, for dad's yelling can only be taken so much at a time. At the same time, how could he have known that his tolerance for hardliner's but indecisiveness over action would have led to all our dooms when the Queen makes a move.
In all honestly, Itachi was the Petty Queen in that situation, refusing to settle and basically deciding everyone except his brother can get a choice about how they live. But he was also A QUEEN at the Chessboard. Here's how our conversation went:
Miho: M, Itachi: I
M: You are here.
I: *silence
M: What do you wish to say.
I: *silence
M: Do you not care about your sister?
I: *silence but after a while, "Need better bait"
M: *silence
And that was IT. NOTHING ELSE. JUST FORMATION TALK AND HOW We'll roll out with Mob A and Mob B in our squad. It was just Itachi and I duo-ing most offense and them picking up slack and support. And ironically it was a thing of beauty.
Seeing the smoothness of his actions as a 10 year old and his repertoire being even better than it was last time he was this stage at 10, made me realize that I quite literally lit a fire under Itachi's ass. And it shows.
M: Does anyone know you're Hokage material, for you have surpassed me.
I: *silence
M: Do you plan on deciding on switching to the moderate faction?
I: *silence
M: I know you're a peaceful faction member in disguise, but dad won't respect it, why not switch?
I: *silence but after a while, "Need better bait"
M: *silence
"Need better bait" is his trademark phrase. I guess baiting out my Mind doesn't work this Way. For there is no Way, that's just a prescription from a shitty condescending know-it-all doctor who's guessing terms as he goes.