Aftermath

Yu listened to Haku and didn't dwell on it. She had thought about the matter over the years, but had never found any answers, so she hadn't given it much more thought.

"So, now that you know about me, what are you going to do?"

Haku didn't answer Yu's question. Instead, she went straight to discussing how to handle what had happened the day before.

"What happened to those three ninjas? What did you tell Lady Tsunade and the others?"

"I used the Great Fireball Technique to burn those three to ashes. They shouldn't have left behind anything that could expose us. The only thing anyone could find out is that I'm fairly skilled with the Great Fireball and have a lot of Chakra. There might be some questions, but nothing too serious."

"As for Lady Tsunade and the others, they seemed a little worried when they saw you hurt. They didn't ask me many questions—just asked what had happened, treated you, and took you to the hospital."

As she spoke, Yu looked at Haku with a strange expression.

"So, you know Lady Tsunade and the others?"

"Lady Tsunade and the others brought me back from outside the village six years ago. I should be about the same age as her younger brother. They've come back to visit me from time to time over the years."

"You burned the bodies to ashes, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. After all, we rescued a member of the Hyuga clan's Main Family. They won't interrogate us as criminals."

"They'll probably just ask us a few questions. We can say the three of them were nearly Genin level, but not quite. They were still a bit beyond our abilities as we are now, but that's our best option. It makes us seem talented without drawing too much attention. Hopefully, that won't be enough to make anyone take an interest in us."

Yu nodded in agreement. What she didn't know was that the person Haku was worried about wasn't from the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuga clan. It would be a little troublesome if either clan learned about Yu's abilities, but neither clan head would mind having another powerful Dojutsu in their clan—even though both believed their own clan's Dojutsu was the greatest in the Shinobi World.

Haku was worried about Konoha's Pot Kage, Danzo. She didn't know whether the Root Organization had been established yet.

While the two discussed what had happened the day before, elsewhere...

"I heard you went back to the village yesterday and rescued some newly enrolled Ninja Academy students?"

The young Third Hokage sat behind the desk in the Hokage's Office, tapping his pipe against the desktop as he looked at the students standing before him.

"Alright, alright, old man! They were just a few petty thieves who weren't even Genin. By the time we arrived, the Uchiha girl had already dealt with them. I just happened to treat that kid we brought back a few years ago."

Tsunade didn't care about the Third Hokage's authority and showed him no respect.

"On this mission, we found that the other villages have recovered somewhat and are getting restless. Amegakure in particular..."

Jiraiya picked up the thread and began reporting the intelligence they had gathered on their mission.

The Third Hokage thought it over. The children's affairs weren't important—just a few kids who weren't even Genin. He could meet them when he had time and teach them the Will of Fire.

What mattered now was the Land of Rain. He had heard that a man named Hanzo had appeared there, and that he seemed quite powerful.

He gathered his thoughts and began listening carefully to the intelligence Tsunade and the others had brought back.

The Hyuga clan.

"How is she? Has Kori woken up?"

A middle-aged man questioned his subordinate below.

"Third Elder, the young lady has woken up. The physician has examined her, and there's nothing wrong with her health. She was probably a little frightened yesterday, so she needs some time to rest."

Hyuga Valley listened to the report from a member of the branch family and breathed a sigh of relief. As an elder of the Main Family, he was nearly forty and had only one precious daughter. He had become a father late in life and always doted on her.

"Prepare a gift for the ninja who brought Kori back yesterday. Once she's better, invite the girl over so we can thank her. As for Kori's guard yesterday, since Kori wasn't seriously hurt, punish him by withholding a year's worth of clan resources and assign him to guard the ancestral hall."

Hyuga Valley waved for the clan member to go and make the arrangements.

Without Haku and Yu knowing, Tsunade and the others had already resolved the issue they'd worried over most: their abilities being exposed and attracting the village's attention.

"That's about it. There shouldn't be any problems, but there is still an issue with where you live."

After exchanging information and opinions with Yu, Haku looked around the little wooden cabin where she lived.

"Hm? What's the problem? I've lived here for six years and never noticed anything wrong!"

"It's too remote here. Living alone isn't very safe. You exposed some of your abilities this time, and someone might take an interest in you and wonder whether your Sharingan has awakened."