Amaya Uzumaki POV
I walked down the dark corridor with a medium-sized cardboard box in my arms. The air in that underground part of the building was heavy and damp, a sure sign that sunlight never reached this place.
I stopped in front of one of the iron doors in the hallway and opened it without ceremony. A faint artificial light existed in the room, along with a single wooden bench and a full-length mirror.
I placed the box on the bench and stood in front of it, taking off my glasses. I undid the black sash I wore at my waist along with the village headband, as well as the support belt for my guard wakizashi which still had the sword sheathed and left everything next to the box.
I took off my leg pouch and the high-top boot I was wearing, leaving them near the bench. Then I removed the shorts I wore under my dress and the dress itself, folding the pieces and placing them on the bench for now.
Only then did I open the cardboard box I had brought and quickly analyzed everything inside, taking in my hands the first pieces of clothing I found there.
I put on the black insulated pants and the sleeveless base layer shirt of the same color. I also put on a pair of closed-toe sandals that reached my calves and made the hem of the pants sit at the same height.
A pair of black gloves that reached just above the elbows were part of the uniform, with two plates of an extremely malleable metal on the back of the hands.
Two arm guards made up the outfit, along with a vest in a light gray tone. I wrapped a strip of white bandage around my right thigh, and then the leg pouch that had come in the box – like the other pieces, black.
I closed the gray vest and stopped in front of the mirror, observing myself for a moment now that I was properly uniformed as an Anbu member.
I opened a small box I had brought near the mirror: A pair of contact lenses was there. I took each object in hand one by one and placed them over my eyeballs because of the mask, I would need to wear them.
My eyes then fell on the newly acquired red tattoo on my right arm – which, thanks to my medical ninjutsu, no longer bothered me from its recent application.
The symbol resembled a small flame and the loose stroke below joining it was like a portion of the fire itself, keeping it lit. It was the symbol of the Anbu, what the organization meant:
The Will of Fire.
Burning and existing from a part of the village itself, working for its well-being.
I packed away all my previously worn clothes, as well as accessories I wouldn't need while on duty.
However, I stopped when I saw the necklace Kakashi had given me as a gift and a faint smile appeared on my lips without me noticing. I brought the object to my neck, determined to keep wearing it even while on duty for the Anbu.
I then released the ribbon that kept my hair half-tied back, and only then did I notice its length: It was already past my waist.
I had chosen to let my hair grow without touching its length, except for my dark streak that one I always kept at neck length, tied, as Shisui had once arranged it.
I gathered my red strands as evenly as possible to the back and, with the same ribbon I had taken from my hair before, used it to tie the newly gathered locks into a ponytail.
I adjusted my dark streak and noticed its length was starting to go past what I usually kept. I took a kunai from the leg pouch and without delay, cut about two fingers' worth of my black strands.
And taking advantage of having adjusted the length of my streak, I released some parts of my red hair from the ponytail I had made, separating them into strands and quickly cutting them much shorter than the rest of the red parts.
A fringe with slightly long strands now framed my face along with the new hairstyle I had chosen to wear during my time serving as Anbu.
Finally, I attached the sheath of my wakizashi to my back, on the supports on the uniform vest itself, and took my mask in my hands.
It was a mask with features reminiscent of a feline, from its pointed ears, the outlined shape of the eyes, to the nose and mouth that were similar to those of cats.
It also had some ornaments with three symbols resembling petals in the middle of the forehead, two dots under both eyes, one smaller than the other and also paintings on the sides of the mask.
Its base was white and its details in red, green, and purple. It was a delicate and contrastingly sadistic mask to wear.
The reason?
Imagine being on an assassination mission and the last thing your opponent will see is this mask, a vision of something aesthetically beautiful for a horrible moment. It's like a bad joke.
However, on the other hand, it's perfect to be used as an example of "appearances can be deceiving" and "don't underestimate others by what you see of them and think you know."
I arranged the mask on my face and again turned my eyes to the mirror in front of me. A full-fledged Anbu..., I mused.
Then I headed to the room door and grabbed the doorknob, taking a single deep breath. There's no turning back now..., I finally warned myself, leaving that place.
One day before...
I spent a good part of that night talking with Shisui about what I had thought regarding the clash with the Ne Anbu members that day, as well as their resemblance to those who tried to ambush us when we went to investigate the lab where I was created.
It was all speculation and the only thing closest to being concrete to establish a relationship between my past and the Foundation were similarities that could well be mere coincidences with the way the Ne members behaved in combat.
Shisui agreed with me when I told him that, but still he seemed inclined to believe, like me, that it couldn't be just a big coincidence.
And it was only then that I found out more about what happened on our mission back from the lab to Konoha right after I lost consciousness. As I had been hospitalized and sidelined on Tsunade's orders, I couldn't know what had happened.
Only one of the enemies we fought had survived and Shisui managed to put him under his genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, so the man wouldn't resist what my brother told him.
But the enemy was more prepared than we had ever imagined:
From what Tsunade could deduce, the bodies of each person sent on that mission had something like a timer that destroyed their bodies from the inside out if their chakra flow was interrupted.
So, when our opponents died, their flows stopped completely, and the man Shisui put under his Mangekyou effect suffered the same, albeit minimally, which resulted in his death.
They all spontaneously combusted and not much was left that could identify them or even guide us about who they were or who they answered to be it a person or even a village.
As a result, there was nothing beyond what I, Shisui, and Kakashi went through in the lab and against those enemies, that could be verified. We were at a dead end again.
And at some point while we remained silent pondering that situation as a whole, my brother surrendered to tiredness and with good reason, after the day we had, we needed a good night's rest.
However, the same didn't happen to me.
My mind worked through the night, putting together everything I had learned about the lab, what Shisui told me about the Foundation, the fight we had with its members, the meeting and conversation I had with one of my creators...
With every thought and connection I made between everything I already knew, the more worried I became.
How could I solve this problem? How to get more concrete information and not mere speculations created from my experiences? How to find a way to reach the people responsible for all these situations?
And a single answer came to my mind that night: To find an enemy who lives in darkness, then perhaps I must enter it too.
__________________________________________________________________________
Since I hadn't slept a wink all night, I noticed when Minato returned in the middle of the night.
Just like early in the morning when my brother had to leave, because he received a call for a mission and since he was already a captain in the Anbu, he needed to be there as soon as possible.
And as usual, when everyone at home was already awake, we went to have breakfast together. Normally we would be talking about the missions we did or even discussing the preparations for my parents' wedding which was scheduled for October.
But this time it wouldn't be like that.
– How can I get the Sandaime to recommend me to the Anbu? – I asked and turned my eyes to Kushina and Minato.
The obvious surprise from both came from their expressions and their physical reactions: Kushina dropping the spoon she had in her hand to stir her tea and Minato practically freezing.
– What? – Their question came right after in unison.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Even feeling complete freedom to talk to my parents about everything, explaining that situation and my sudden decision was still complicated.
– I can't explain in detail why – I said calmly – But during training with Shisui and Itachi yesterday, something made me think about the lab where I was created and those responsible. And... – I closed my eyes for a moment – I have reason to believe that maybe one of them is related to our village.
At that moment, I expected any kind of reaction from my parents: surprise, shock, disbelief, doubt, skepticism, confusion, even a barrage of questions to explain it better.
But none of that came.
When I looked at them, both had their eyes on me too. Serious, but still gentle. It was almost as if... They understood.
– Do you really believe that? – Minato asked subtly, but in a serious tone he rarely used with me.
– It's just speculation – I said honestly – I know I could very well be wrong about most of it, but... – I looked at him – I strongly believe it could be true.
The blonde didn't say anything right after that, but his eyes were still on me, clearly reading me like I used to do in practically every situation.
Kushina placed her hand on Namikaze's and at the same moment he looked at her, as did I.
– Tell her, Minato... – The redhead suggested in a serene tone, as if encouraging him.
The blonde nodded weakly and again let his eyes fall on me, this time with the gentle manner he always conveyed to me.
– As you already know, yesterday the Sandaime summoned me for a meeting – I nodded – And the main topic was your mission with Kakashi and Shisui to the lab. Although the bodies of the enemies who attacked you on the way back couldn't be properly analyzed, their weapons gave us some direction – he explained calmly to set the whole situation – And the conclusion we reached is that some of the weapons were from here, although slightly altered to look like they were from other villages.
– In other words, everything indicates the enemies were, or should I say, are from our village – Kushina said next and Minato agreed.
My lips were slightly parted and my expression was possibly one of surprise. But a good surprise for one reason: Finally, there was something concrete to confirm that the speculations Shisui and I had formulated could be true.
– And there's one more point we discussed – Minato continued and I turned my attention to him again – Because of this, the Sandaime and his Councilors will meet today to discuss this problem and you – he looked at me – Since the target of this enemy will always be you, Amaya.
– They'll possibly look for a way to keep me always in someone's sight so the enemy, whoever they are, doesn't get a chance to approach again, at least not without being noticed – I deduced and the blonde agreed.
– And one of the solutions that came to my mind for that would be for you to join the Anbu – Minato elucidated – But by being inside... – I nodded weakly.
– I'll have to act like the organization's members and carry out the same types of missions they do – He agreed.
The first information I had about the Anbu was from what Kakashi told me and, although at the time it was something that left me with a clearer conscience, I never imagined myself being part of that organization.
Assassination missions, espionage, kidnapping, information theft...
All that was just the basics that an Anbu member might have to perform. I knew more about it because of Shisui, from the few things he could tell me about his missions.
But even with all this being something I would avoid, in a way it was the perfect job for someone like me, capable of suppressing emotions when needed to act.
And the big positive point of trying to join the Anbu was: I would, technically, be safe from the enemy hiding in the village, while at the same time I could act to look for them.
– Even knowing that, are you sure you want to join the Anbu? – Kushina asked in a worried tone and I looked at her.
Her worry was always amusing, in a way, because it counterbalanced her always so energetic and confident personality.
– It's my best chance – I admitted – But it's not just my choice – I quickly alternated my gaze between my parents – It's ours.
They were my family, my parents. And I would always listen to them, even heed any request from them that went against a choice of mine, because I entrusted my life to both of them.
The two looked at each other for a few moments, as if in a silent conversation. Worry was something abundant in their eyes, but there was more there.
And when they looked at me, I could understand better: Trust.
– If our little girl is sure, we have no reason to oppose her – the redhead said with a comforting smile.
Encouraging smiles from both made me smile too and feel a little calmer about everything that was just beginning for me.