Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

Konohagakure, Hokage Building conference room.

The Third Hokage, four senior advisors, the Hokage's strategist, and the Root Division's Danzō were all present as the meeting began.

Sitting at the head of the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat. Once the room quieted, he spoke in a calm tone.

"First order of business—recalling Team Eleven and Tsunade. Any thoughts?"

At his words, everyone shifted their eyes and glanced around uneasily.

Initially, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had opinions, but after shaving their heads to match Danzō's style, they'd wisely decided to keep their mouths shut.

As for Reiji Sakuhō... putting it nicely, he was a man of initiative. Putting it bluntly, he was a wild beast.

He'd vanish for years the moment he left the village!

What made it worse was his infuriatingly righteous excuse:

"Fulfilling missions is a shinobi's duty!"

"A shinobi either dies or dies trying to complete the mission!"

There was no arguing with that. They'd tried every method—soft and hard—but the guy was like a stone in a latrine: foul and immovable.

After a long silence and seeing no one was offering suggestions, Hiruzen sighed and said,

"Alright, send Sakumo. He knows that mutt well enough, and at least he won't get punched."

Everyone nodded like pecking chickens.

"Sakumo's a great choice!"

"Yeah, Sakumo should go."

"That kid's been promising since he was little!"

At Hiruzen's side, Sakumo Hatake—now Vice Commander of the ANBU—stared blankly at the ceiling, his face full of despair.

He had thought climbing the ANBU ranks would help him escape Reiji. Looking back now, how naïve he'd been.

Seeing the unanimous agreement, Hiruzen glanced at Sakumo and ordered,

"Then it's settled. Sakumo, go retrieve Team Eleven and Tsunade. Even if Reiji won't come back, bring Tsunade back!"

He then opened the roster laid out on the table and continued.

"Second topic—team assignments for Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya moving forward."

Everyone paused briefly, then their eyes lit up, locking on the list in Hiruzen's hands.

Ordinarily, regular jōnin wouldn't have their students discussed at such a high-level meeting.

But these three were different.

Beyond Tsunade's lineage, all three were direct disciples of the Third Hokage—core members of the Hokage's line.

Barring surprises, the Fourth Hokage was bound to come from among them.

The First and Second Hokage aside, Hiruzen himself was their disciple.

Which meant the students of Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya carried immense political weight.

This wasn't just about training teams—it was a power game.

At this point, the three were no longer a unit but individual pieces on the board.

In plain terms, the conference table had turned into a gambling table. Hiruzen was the dealer, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were the stakes.

They might get to choose one disciple each, but the other two slots would be handed out by the players around the table.

Now, it was a matter of who had the biggest chips.

And that would be the middle-aged man with a cigarette dangling from his lips at the top seat.

With everyone still silent, Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, paused, and spoke calmly.

"Nawaki will become Orochimaru's disciple when he's older. Any objections?"

The room nodded in agreement. Nawaki might not carry the Senju name, and he might only be four—but he was the village's little prince.

And of course, the little prince had to be trained by the best—Aunt Snake.

No one raised a single objection.

Then the real chaos began.

When it came to power, the room full of elders who acted humble on the surface were ruthless beneath.

Only Danzō stood with his arms crossed, watching coldly, a smirk hidden behind his stoic face.

Fight all you want. Just wait until I rise and become Hokage. Then I'll enjoy the look on your dumb faces!

Soon enough, the student assignments were decided.

Orochimaru, the clear favorite, got saddled with three "gift" students.

Jiraiya, who had moderate backing, got two assigned students and the freedom to pick one himself.

As for Tsunade, no one dared assign anyone to her.

Partly because of her own formidable status.

But mostly because of Reiji Sakuhō.

Everyone here was a seasoned veteran, sharp and calculating. They all knew something was going on between Tsunade and Reiji.

And anything involving Reiji Sakuhō was best left untouched. That was the unspoken rule.

After all, Danzō's shiny bald head from three years ago still served as a warning to them all.

Once the second topic was wrapped up, Hiruzen looked at the document in his hands, his brow slowly furrowing as his voice dropped.

"The third topic—whether to open up access to certain forbidden techniques for training the next generation."

As his heavy tone landed, the room fell into a strange silence.

If the second topic was about the distant future, this one hit much closer to home.

Kinjutsu—the foundation of any hidden village's strength.

Traditionally, only the Hokage and a few close allies could study, learn, and pass on forbidden techniques.

Was Hiruzen really proposing to make them accessible?

No.

What he meant was this:

Who would be allowed to study these techniques?

Who would be granted the right to teach them to their chosen successors?

And right now, the "who" carried deep implications.

As everyone pondered this, Danzō Shimura cleared his throat and stood up.

"Hiruzen, Root serves as the ANBU's training division. We're responsible for raising stronger, better ANBU shinobi.

I believe Root should be granted access to a portion of the forbidden techniques."

Everyone mentally cursed: Old fox.

Danzō might've made it sound modest, but this was clearly a grab for power.

Just then, Uchiha Kagami, who had long clashed with Danzō, slowly raised his hand and spoke firmly.

"Lord Hokage, though I've never worked with ANBU nor come from it,

I believe forbidden techniques should be used as rewards—reserved for those ANBU members who have shown exceptional loyalty and made special contributions.

They should not be included in the general training curriculum."

In other words: Danzō, you have no right to hand out rewards. That's the Hokage's job.

If you insist, it means you have something to hide.

Danzō's face darkened immediately. Inside, he was already swearing up a storm.

Meanwhile, the rest of the room looked at him like they were watching a show.

To be fair, Kagami, despite being one of Tobirama Senju's disciples, was brilliant when he wasn't acting like a fool. Even against the likes of the scheming Danzō, he held his ground without flinching.