Chapter 98: The ANBU Offer

Ren reached the Uchiha main house early enough to catch the family before breakfast.

Since moving into his own large residence in the commercial district, he rarely visited the main house before the sun had fully risen.

When Mikoto opened the front door, she looked pleasantly surprised.

"You came at the right time," she said, stepping aside to let him in before he could even explain why he was there. "Breakfast is nearly ready."

The main room already felt warm and lived-in. Fugaku was seated at his usual place at the low wooden table, a cup of tea resting in front of him. Across from him, Itachi was keeping a close eye on Sasuke while Mikoto moved back and forth from the kitchen. Sasuke was restless, his tiny hands reaching out to grab absolutely everything within his immediate radius.

Ren walked in and greeted his father properly. "Good morning, Father."

Fugaku gave him the usual restrained nod. "You are early."

Ren offered Itachi a warmer greeting. Seeing Sasuke actively trying to pull on Itachi’s collar, Ren reached down and took his youngest brother.

Sasuke immediately abandoned the collar and clamped his small hand tightly around the expensive silk ornament pinned to Ren’s shirt. Ren sighed, gently trying to pry the tiny fingers loose without damaging the fabric or upsetting the baby. Mikoto watched from the kitchen entrance, deeply amused that a man who regularly negotiated contracts worth millions of ryo was currently struggling to negotiate with an infant.

Ren finally settled onto a cushion, keeping Sasuke on his knee, and accepted the breakfast Mikoto placed in front of him.

Fugaku waited until the meal was quietly underway before addressing him again.

"What brings you here this early?"

Ren shifted Sasuke to keep him from successfully stealing a piece of egg off his plate.

"I had dinner at the Hokage’s house yesterday."

Fugaku became more attentive immediately. He set his teacup down, clearly assuming the meeting had involved Ren’s rapidly growing business influence.

"I told you the village would eventually want a hand in the Academy," Fugaku said. "They were never going to leave something that successful entirely under Uchiha control."

"It wasn’t about the Academy," Ren interrupted.

Fugaku stopped.

Ren shifted Sasuke onto his other knee, making sure he had the family’s full attention.

"It was about Itachi."

Itachi, who had been eating quietly, looked up. Mikoto stopped in her tracks near the kitchen doorway instead of returning for the remaining dishes.

Fugaku looked directly at Ren. "What did the Hokage want?"

"He wants Itachi in ANBU," Ren said plainly.

Fugaku’s posture straightened.

He immediately began asking questions. Was the offer official? Whose command would Itachi serve under? Did Hiruzen mention when he would begin?

His tone was flat but there was obvious excitement in that voice. An Uchiha serving directly under the Hokage was exactly the kind of concrete recognition he had wanted from the village for years.

"Hokage will visit this evening and make the offer personally," Ren explained. "Itachi will initially work under Shisui, but final authority will remain strictly with the Hokage. Shisui’s recent assessment convinced Hokage that Itachi is ready."

Fugaku nodded in approval. "Shisui would not have praised him lightly."

Mikoto set the serving tray down.

"What kind of missions?"

"Hiruzen only promised supervision at the beginning," Ren said. "ANBU work is still ANBU work."

Her attention shifted to Itachi.

"And what do you think?"

"I want to hear the offer first," Itachi said.

Fugaku immediately began speaking about what the appointment could mean for the clan’s standing in the village.

Ren cut into the political excitement before breakfast could devolve into a full clan council meeting.

"Hiruzen is offering him a job, Father," Ren pointed out calmly. "He hasn’t appointed him ambassador of the Uchiha."

Fugaku gave Ren a deeply irritated look.

Ren ignored the look and adjusted Sasuke against his chest.

"Do not argue while Sasuke is eating," Mikoto scolded both of them.

Sasuke chose that exact moment to spit a mouthful of food directly onto Ren’s expensive sleeve.

The tension at the table broke instantly.

Ren looked down at the stain. "He has clearly inherited Father’s opinion of my clothes."

Fugaku ignored the comment entirely. Across the table, Itachi almost smiled.

After breakfast concluded, Mikoto took Sasuke back into the kitchen. Fugaku left for his study to handle morning clan business, his mind already churning as he planned what questions he wanted to ask the Hokage that evening.

Itachi gathered his things, preparing to leave for his scheduled walk with Izumi.

Ren caught him near the entrance to the house.

"Father is already treating this like a victory for the clan," Ren said quietly.

"I noticed."

"Then don’t let him—or anyone in the administration—turn you into a messenger."

"I won’t."

Ren stepped away from the door. "Good. Go before Izumi gets tired of waiting."

Itachi slipped out the door, choosing to enjoy his walk rather than spending the entire day worrying about the ANBU. Ren watched him go, then headed toward the commercial district to handle his own work until the evening meeting.

Ren returned to the main house shortly before sunset. Hiruzen arrived alone a few minutes later.

They gathered in the family sitting room, with Hiruzen seated across from Fugaku, Mikoto, Ren, and Itachi.

The Hokage looked directly at Itachi and wasted no time.

"I am offering you a position in ANBU," Hiruzen said. "You will begin under Shisui’s supervision and receive your final orders through my office."

Fugaku leaned forward. "Could this appointment open the way for other qualified Uchiha?"

"If Itachi performs well, other qualified Uchiha may be considered," Hiruzen answered. "I will not promise appointments before they are earned."

Mikoto asked the question she had been holding onto all day. "Will he immediately be sent outside the village or placed on assassination missions?"

"No," Hiruzen assured her. "He will begin with supervised observation, internal security, and field-support assignments. He will not be sent alone while he is learning ANBU procedure."

Itachi looked at the Hokage and asked two questions.

"Can village elders give me orders without your approval?"

"No," Hiruzen stated firmly.

"Will I be expected to report ordinary conversations inside the clan?" Itachi asked.

"I expect you to report actual crimes or threats against Konoha, exactly as I would expect from any shinobi," Hiruzen answered. "I do not want reports about harmless clan arguments or private household matters."

Fugaku looked at his son. "You must also remember where your loyalties began."

Ren set his cup down. "Father."

Fugaku’s gaze shifted toward him.

Itachi answered before the disagreement could grow.

"I won’t bring classified mission information home," Itachi stated evenly.

Fugaku’s expression tightened.

Itachi continued before an argument could start. "If I do, the Hokage will stop trusting me. Then the appointment becomes useless to the clan anyway."

Fugaku’s mouth tightened, but he did not challenge the point.

Hiruzen looked at the boy, clearly satisfied. He asked for Itachi’s final answer.

Itachi looked briefly toward Mikoto. She was still deeply worried, but she did not tell him to refuse. He turned his attention back to Hiruzen.

"I accept."

Hiruzen nodded. "Report to the ANBU administrative building before sunrise on Monday. Shisui will meet you there and handle your induction."

After Hiruzen left, Fugaku turned immediately to Itachi.

"Your conduct will reflect on the clan. Your discipline, your punctuality, the quality of your missions—"

"He hasn’t even received his uniform yet," Mikoto interrupted.

Ren stepped toward the door, adding seamlessly, "He also promised Izumi another walk this weekend. ANBU can survive without him until Monday."

Itachi shot Ren a flat look, clearly realizing he did not need that specific detail announced in front of Father and Mikoto.

Mikoto’s attention shifted immediately. The worry over ANBU vanished, replaced by sudden, sharp interest. "Another walk?"

Itachi realized Ren had just created an entirely different problem for him.

Ren picked up his coat and prepared to leave before his younger brother could retaliate.

Behind him, Fugaku tried to drag the conversation back to ANBU while Mikoto began asking exactly how long Itachi had spent walking with Izumi.

Ren left smiling under Itachi’s flat stare.

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