"It's finally over."
Under the bright moon, standing in a secluded forest within Konoha, Natsuhiko stretched lazily.
This mission had taken them a full week.
But most of that time had been spent traveling.
The actual execution of the mission had lasted only a few minutes—
At most half an hour.
Most ninja missions were like that.
Unless it was a large-scale war operation—
Only then would battles last for hours, or even several days without ending.
Natsuhiko had never participated in a real war.
Although the brutality he faced was no less severe than wartime conditions,
He truly had never fought in that kind of massive battlefield.
ANBU missions were more often bloody and dark in nature.
He never had the chance to engage in prolonged, continuous frontline combat.
"And it's a good thing I haven't. With my level of chakra…"
He shook his head slightly.
Looking at Kakashi beside him, Natsuhiko smiled faintly.
A few days earlier, at the border of the Land of Grass, they had captured several Suna ninja, including Yashamaru.
They then had to figure out how to transport them back.
After careful consideration, they decided to bring back the most important target first.
There was no doubt that Yashamaru was the most valuable among them.
So Natsuhiko handed the other two Suna ninja over to the border garrison forces.
Their commander would arrange for someone to escort those two back to Konoha.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko and Kakashi departed immediately with Yashamaru—
Without making any stops.
They were extremely cautious along the way.
After all, they had shown themselves at the garrison.
If there were spies present, news of Yashamaru's capture would certainly be reported back.
That could easily lead to a rescue squad being dispatched.
No matter how strong they were, neither of them wanted to face a full Suna ANBU team.
ANBU didn't play fair.
They didn't fight honorably in open combat.
For ANBU, any method that eliminated the enemy was the best method.
That was their doctrine.
So they traveled quickly.
Yashamaru suffered greatly along the way.
He practically never had a moment of consciousness.
Whenever he showed even the slightest sign of waking—
Kakashi or Natsuhiko would knock him out again.
With a sensory ninja like Natsuhiko present,
There was no chance for Yashamaru to fake unconsciousness and attempt a self-destruction technique.
It was exhausting—
But it was the safest approach.
After two or three days, they finally delivered Yashamaru back to Konoha.
Only after handing him over to the ANBU stationed at the village's side gate did they both let out a sigh of relief.
Their achievement had already been reported in advance.
The Commander of Natsuhiko's unit, who had been waiting there, was visibly shocked.
Yashamaru was no ordinary opponent.
He was notoriously difficult to deal with.
As a long-time rival of Konoha's ANBU, the Commander was well aware of him.
And yet—
This troublesome figure had been captured by two young ninja.
It was, frankly, unbelievable.
"By the way, Kakashi," Natsuhiko said after relaxing a bit, turning to him.
"We've got two days off. Any plans?"
"Not really. A break doesn't mean much to me anyway," Kakashi replied calmly, clearly indifferent about the vacation.
Natsuhiko glanced at him, then didn't bother saying more.
Kakashi really wasn't someone who liked to sit idle.
Because once he had time to spare, he would inevitably start overthinking.
Only by constantly immersing himself in missions could he focus his mind and avoid wandering thoughts.
For example, not long ago, while pursuing a rogue ninja, Kakashi had used Chidori to finish him.
But at the moment he struck—
He heard a voice.
Rin's gentle call echoed in his ears.
That auditory hallucination made it impossible for him to drive Chidori forward.
If Guy hadn't arrived in time,
Kakashi might have ended up in serious trouble.
Thinking of Rin, Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow slightly.
He seemed to know what he should do now.
"A vacation is for adjusting yourself. Don't waste this hard-earned rest."
Natsuhiko spoke gently, then lifted his head to look at the bright moon above.
"Come to think of it, although it's a bit late… we should still have time."
"We?" Kakashi paused, puzzled. "Captain, is there another mission?"
"Yes. Let's head to the Memorial Stone."
Natsuhiko nodded lightly.
"I haven't seen some of my old friends and classmates in a long time.
It's late, and we probably can't find a flower shop.
But we're ANBU.
Perhaps the night is the best time for us to move."
"The Memorial Stone…" Kakashi lowered his gaze. "I understand. The night is when ANBU are most at ease, Captain."
Kakashi didn't object.
Without the mask, he was Kakashi of Konoha.
With the mask on, he was the ANBU operative known as "White Fang."
Though he didn't like that codename—
And it wasn't particularly useful.
The moment he acted, or someone saw his Sharingan—
His identity as Kakashi was already exposed.
After all, in the entire shinobi world, he was the only one who possessed a single Sharingan like that.
In the past, Kakashi had always visited Rin and Obito as Kakashi of Konoha.
This time—
He planned to go as an ANBU.
On the surface, the difference seemed small.
But in truth, the two identities represented different states of mind.
He wanted to try facing Obito and Rin with the mentality of an ANBU.
Natsuhiko's earlier words still echoed in his ears.
With a goal in mind, the two of them set off.
This time, however, they did not increase their speed.
They moved at a normal pace.
Within Konoha, there was little danger.
And after rushing back nonstop, they were tired.
But as they walked—
Both of them frowned almost simultaneously.
They could clearly sense several chakra signatures faintly locking onto them.
They were traveling through the forest.
And this particular forest was quite secluded.
Almost no one came here.
For so many chakra signatures to suddenly appear—
How could two ANBU not notice?
Without exchanging a word,
Natsuhiko and Kakashi both became alert.
Their hands slowly moved toward their weapons.
But unlike Kakashi, who was simply on guard,
Natsuhiko's expression turned slightly strange.
The moment he detected the chakra,
He had already activated his sensory ability.
Only then did he realize—
There were numerous sealing formulas surrounding them.
And these seals were specifically designed to block sensory detection!
In all of Konoha,
There were not many who could accomplish something like this.
Could it be…Did I just run into them?