Moved

Since the Eight-Tails had escaped, there was no need for Orochimaru and the others to remain. Several Anbu Jonin used Earth Release to conceal the traces of the battle, and the group then left the forest.

By the time Yemo and the others could see the outline of Konoha, the sky had begun to brighten. A ray of sunlight pierced through the layers of darkness, and a new day began.

He had left Konoha alone, but now he was returning with a large group. Yemo looked at the dozen or so Anbu around him, then at Orochimaru and Konoha's White Fang ahead, and thought to himself.

When he finally saw Konoha's gates, Yemo quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back, yesterday's events seemed like a dream. Who would have thought that a trip to gather herbs would lead him to a Kumo Ninja team lurking near Konoha Ninja Village, or that he would even exchange blows with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, though he had been taken out in an instant?

Fortunately, he had made it back safely with his life intact. Even so, Yemo wasn't very happy. He felt he had landed himself in even bigger trouble. Orochimaru's interested gaze resurfaced in his mind from time to time.

Orochimaru has set his sights on me. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Yemo wondered.

The appearance of such a large group near the village gates immediately put the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force guarding them on alert. But when they saw Orochimaru and Konoha's White Fang at the front, as well as the dozen or so Anbu Jonin behind them, the police quietly relaxed.

When they spotted Yemo in the middle of the group, however, they were puzzled. How had this kid from the Uzumaki Clan ended up with Lord Orochimaru and the others?

"Lord Orochimaru, Lord White Fang!" The police came forward respectfully. Proud as the Uchiha Clan was, they still had to address the two men before them as lords.

Orochimaru nodded and led the group into the village. At the sight of them, the villagers gathered at the gates, preparing to leave, pointed and began discussing them among themselves.

"Why are Lord Orochimaru and Lord White Fang together? Did they go on a mission?"

"A mission? What kind of mission would require both Lord Orochimaru and Lord White Fang, with over a dozen Anbu Jonin accompanying them?"

"Who knows? But if it took both of them, something big must have happened. It looks like the peaceful Shinobi World may be thrown into turmoil again."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd noticed Yemo. After all, he was the only child among a group of adults, and he stood out.

"Hey, isn't that the Uzumaki Clan kid, Yemo Uzumaki? How come he's with Lord Orochimaru and the others?"

"It really is him. Didn't that Uzumaki Clan kid go out to gather herbs yesterday? How did he end up with Lord Orochimaru and the others?"

A member of the Uchiha Clan at the registration desk spoke in confusion. He was the one who had registered Yemo's departure yesterday, so he remembered it clearly. And when Yemo returned yesterday evening, he had reported the matter to his superiors. He hadn't expected Yemo to return this morning, much less with Lord Orochimaru and the others.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Several sounds of rushing air rang out, and three Anbu from the Hokage Guard Platoon appeared. They had clearly been waiting at the village gates for some time, specifically for Orochimaru and the others to return.

The Anbu in the lead said quietly, "Lord Orochimaru, Lord White Fang, Lord Hokage instructed you to go to him as soon as you returned and report what happened."

"Very well." White Fang and Orochimaru nodded in unison.

Orochimaru turned to the Anbu Jonin beside him. "Your mission is complete. Go back and report."

"Yes!"

As soon as they spoke, the Anbu Jonin flickered and vanished, all returning to report. They, too, had to give their superiors a full account of the mission.

Once the Anbu had left, only Yemo remained. Before Orochimaru could speak, Yemo said, "Since the Anbu have all gone, I'll be going too. I didn't sleep at all last night, and I'm exhausted."

With that, Yemo turned and left, waving goodbye to Orochimaru and the others.

Seeing Yemo leave, the three Jonin moved to stop him, but Orochimaru held them back.

The Jonin in the lead asked in confusion, "Lord Orochimaru, according to Lord Hokage's orders, Yemo Uzumaki also has to..."

Before the Jonin could finish, Orochimaru interrupted him. "I know, but I'll explain it to my teacher. You don't need to concern yourselves with it."

With Orochimaru having said so, the three Anbu did not insist. It would be enough for Lord Orochimaru to explain.

Watching Yemo's retreating figure as he walked away, White Fang said calmly, "That little fellow's talent is frightening. I'm afraid another famous powerhouse will emerge from our Konoha in the future."

"That little fellow is the most astonishing genius I've ever seen. His future will shock us all." Orochimaru smiled faintly, a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes.

Hearing Orochimaru and White Fang's conversation, the three Anbu looked at one another in disbelief. That little fellow had actually earned such high praise from both men.

"I'm finally home!"

Looking at the house before him, Yemo felt much of his physical exhaustion fade. Home really was better. Without danger or fighting, home was the warmest harbor.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Kushina was sitting in the living room. Her face was filled with worry, and she kept glancing at the clock on the wall and at the door.

Kushina had returned the previous evening. She had originally expected to be away for several more days, but her team had completed their mission early, so she had hurried back ahead of schedule. She still had a younger brother at home to look after.

But when she had returned, weary from her journey, she found no sign of Yemo. At first, Kushina thought he had gone out to play, but when he still hadn't returned by evening, she finally sensed something was wrong. She went to the homes of several of Yemo's close friends, but couldn't find him.

She hurried to the Konoha Military Police Force in the middle of the night and searched the records of people who had left that day. She finally found the record of Yemo leaving to gather herbs, but a herb-gathering trip should have taken only one day. There was no reason for him to still be gone in the middle of the night.

By then, Kushina was certain something had happened. Without a second thought, she prepared to rush out of the village to find her brother. But leaving the village was forbidden at night, and Kushina was stopped at the gates. She even fought the police guarding them.

With no other choice, Kushina finally went to the Third. He wouldn't let her leave to search for Yemo either, but he agreed to send Minato out with a team of Anbu Ninja to look for him.

An ordinary person certainly wouldn't have received such treatment, but Kushina was different. She was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, and the Third had to consider the possibility that if something happened to her brother, her grief might cause the Nine-Tails to run wild.

Kushina only returned home in the early hours of the morning, but she was too worried about her brother to sleep. She had been sitting there all night without a minute's sleep, waiting for news. As time passed, her worry only grew, and she cried countless times. He was her only younger brother.

Click...

The faint sound of the door opening echoed through the quiet house. Kushina's eyes lit up, and without thinking, she hurried into the hallway. There she saw Yemo at the entrance, taking off his shoes.

Yemo had just opened the door and was about to take off his shoes. He had been thinking of taking a nice hot bath and then getting a comfortable night's sleep. Between staying up all night and last night's fight, he was exhausted.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps rang out. Yemo looked up and saw his sister running toward him, and he froze. Wasn't she supposed to be away for a few more days? Why was she back already?

The moment Kushina saw Yemo, all her worry turned to joy. The stone that had been hanging over her heart finally dropped.

She had thought a great deal the previous night about what to do when Yemo came back. The best thing would be to give him a good beating, so he wouldn't go wandering off again and make her worry so much.

But when she saw Yemo covered in dirt, the shreds and holes all over his clothes, the injuries on his cheeks, and the smear of blood that hadn't been wiped clean from his forehead...

In that instant, all her reproach gave way to the bond of family, blood thicker than water. Kushina rushed over, threw her arms around Yemo as he stood there stunned, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"Sis, what are you doing?"

The sudden turn of events caught Yemo off guard. He didn't know where to put his hands or what to say. He had thought his sister would give him a good beating.

Kushina held Yemo tightly and choked out, "Yemo, promise me that from now on, you'll tell me before you go out to do anything. Don't make me worry. You're my only little brother."

At that moment, Yemo was shaken. The feeling was impossible to describe in words. Perhaps this was family, a bond of blood thicker than water.

"I understand, Sis!"

The answer was only a few words, but every one came from the depths of Yemo's heart. At that moment, he finally understood: he was no longer on Earth. He was now in Naruto. He lived in this world, and his friends and family were here too. He was Yemo, not the Naruto fan he had once been.