Village and Identity!

Kusagakure!

"It must be that carriage!"

"Search! Find them for me! The village cannot afford to lose that brat!"

"Send everyone out! Spare no cost to bring them back!"

The leader of Kusagakure roared at the village high-ranking officials in his brightly lit office.

When someone went to deliver food that evening, they discovered that the Uzumaki woman was dead and the younger one had vanished. They immediately launched an investigation and quickly found the two guards who had been placed under a genjutsu, as well as the two others in the alleyway. That was how they realized the prime suspect was the carriage that had departed at dusk.

"Yes!"

One by one, the Kusagakure ninja left the village and began their pursuit.

Several hours later, in the dead of night, they found the carriage abandoned in a secluded spot.

"Damn it, we've been played!"

The lead Kusagakure ninja cursed under his breath.

It was obvious the other party had used the carriage to divert their attention before escaping in a different direction.

Now, they could only hope that the ninja searching in other directions would have some good news.

Unfortunately, not a single piece of good news arrived, even after several days. Little Karin and the three mysterious targets had vanished into thin air within the Land of Grass.

The Kusagakure ninja were furious, but they had no way to continue the investigation.

The Uzumaki clan still held significant influence, and it would be troublesome if their actions were exposed. They had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened and swallow their pride for the time being, though they did place a bounty on the disguised individuals at the Bounty Station.

On the other side!

After White Dove and his team retrieved the batch of basic sealing technique documents in the Land of Grass, they rendezvoused with Inabi and began their slow return to Konoha. This extended travel time was also used to allow White Dove to adapt to his newly transplanted Mangekyo Sharingan (Kamui).

At this moment, there was still one lingering issue to address.

"Lord White Dove, what exactly happened earlier? Why was I unconscious for so long?"

After Kakashi regained consciousness, he asked with a frown.

Nearly a week had passed since he lost consciousness at the mission site, so he naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Of course, he also felt a faint, lingering pain in his left eye, though inspections revealed nothing wrong. In fact, his body felt much lighter, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

Well, the physical strain had shifted from a Mangekyo to a Three-Tomoe, so it was only natural that he felt much lighter.

"We encountered Killer B's squad, and their ambush left you unconscious. You only just woke up today!"

White Dove provided the explanation.

Whether the other party believed it or not didn't matter, as long as he himself was convinced.

As for whether the F4 would suspect why he hadn't reclaimed the Three-Tomoe, or if there was some conspiracy involved?

Let them think whatever they wanted.

If they assumed Kakashi had been bought off because the Three-Tomoe wasn't reclaimed, that would be even better.

In any case, the "Mangekyo (Kamui)" he truly wanted was already in his possession. There was no need to continue targeting Kakashi; it wasn't impossible that he could even turn the man to his side.

This person was a direct descendant of the Hokage Faction. If he could truly be flipped, he would be a crucial chess piece.

In the original plot, this man eventually ascended to the position of Hokage, which showed his weight within the Hokage Faction. It was no wonder White Dove was eyeing him after retrieving the Mangekyo.

"So that's how it is...!"

Hearing this, Kakashi didn't ask any further questions.

Because White Dove was superior to him in both status and strength, he had no right to press for more.

As for Samui, she was currently sealed inside a crate, carried in turns by Inabi and Tekka. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what was inside.

Only little Karin was brought along openly, without any concealment.

After all, if he wanted her to grow up in Konoha, he couldn't keep her hidden; a public identity was essential.

For instance, he would claim she was found among refugees on the return journey, and White Dove would have Aunt Yezue adopt her as his younger sister.

Yes, this reason was truly impeccable.

With his current status, he was certainly qualified to play this game.

Of course, Karin's hair was now black.

Red hair... he might as well have just announced she was from the Uzumaki clan.

While his current status and position were enough to protect an Uzumaki orphan, it would be troublesome and would attract the covetous eyes of countless people.

That was why White Dove had her "dye her hair," allowing him to complete the adoption process with ease.

Furthermore, once she was adopted by him... or rather, by Aunt Yezue, her surname could be changed to Uchiha. In this way, she would be Uchiha Karin rather than Uzumaki Karin, so there would be no need to worry about anyone tracing her origins through her name.

A few years down the line, even if someone discovered the truth, it would be too late.

It was under these circumstances that the team returned to Konoha.

"Ah!"

"Finally back!"

"Karin, we'll be home soon. Mother will definitely like you, and after that, you can join the Ninja Academy to make friends!"

Izumi held little Karin's hand to soothe her.

Since this was the girl's first time in Konoha, a sense of alienation was natural, making this reassurance crucial.

It must be said that, aside from matters related to Uchiha White Dove, Izumi was perfect in every other aspect.

Gentle, attentive, calm, powerful, beautiful... it would be no exaggeration to describe her with every beautiful word in existence.

It's just a pity she's a pervert and a clingy woman!

Because of this, in the short few days on the road, Karin had already become extremely dependent on Izumi.

As for Inabi, he was currently handling the registration, while Tekka had already taken the box containing Samui back to the clan compound.

Logically, this should have been inspected, but given Uchiha White Dove's status and position, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki acted as if they hadn't seen a thing.

After all, this wasn't without precedent; the Hokage Faction, for instance, didn't need to be checked at all when entering or leaving.

Regardless, the Uchiha compound was always being watched, so even if they didn't report it, the village high-ups would find out anyway—why bother offending someone?

It must be said that these two "gatekeepers" truly had a handle on the ways of the world; it's no wonder they had been able to hold onto their positions for so many years—they had practically monopolized the post.

"Alright, Inabi, you and Izumi take little Karin back first. I'm going to the Hokage Building with Kakashi to submit the mission report!"

After Uchiha White Dove finished registering, he gave instructions to the group.

Naturally, they would have to split up from here.

Only he and Kakashi were needed to submit the mission.

"Yes, Dove-ge!" *2

"Yes, my lord!"

The group departed quickly.

Uchiha White Dove walked toward the Hokage Building alongside Kakashi.

While they were still on their way, the "F4" had already assembled inside the Hokage Building.

After listening to the Anbu report, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with some confusion:

"What is going on? Why is the Sharingan still on Kakashi?"

He didn't believe for a second that, with the strength Uchiha White Dove displayed in defeating Uchiha Fugaku, and having initiated the conflict ahead of time, he would be unable to retrieve the Sharingan.

"Hmph, perhaps Kakashi has defected to the Uchiha, which is why the other party didn't take back the Sharingan!"

Danzo offered his speculation with a sinister tone.

He had no fondness for Kakashi; after all, the fall of the White Fang was linked to him, and he had previously lost Yamato, the only Wood Release test subject, because of him—how could he possibly have any affection for him?

"Kakashi would never betray us!"

Mitokado Homura shook his head, refuting Danzo's claim.

After all, they had watched Kakashi grow up and understood his character; naturally, he couldn't allow Danzo to ruin him.

"That's right, Danzo, you cannot target him!"

Utatane Koharu also warned Danzo. She knew his style of conduct all too well; if they didn't protect him firmly, who knew when he might strike.

Seeing their reaction, combined with Sarutobi Hiruzen's unspoken attitude, Danzo extinguished his plan to take the opportunity to smear Kakashi and said directly:

"Regardless of the reason, we gave the opportunity. If he couldn't retrieve it, that's his business. As far as the treaty goes, we have already fulfilled our end!"

His words were a hint that the transaction was complete and that the Sharingan in his eyes could now see the light of day.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, living up to his reputation as a good friend, nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, we cannot let him take action again. Kakashi is one of our own!"

Yes, he had finally remembered that Kakashi was on his side.

Having received this confirmation, Danzo was naturally extremely satisfied and stopped targeting Kakashi. At the same time, he felt a bit depressed and curious about the failure of this arrangement.

One had to know that in his mind, whether it was Kumogakure or Orochimaru, both should have been able to easily deal with Uchiha White Dove. Yet, the fact that the other party managed to complete the mission and return couldn't help but pique his curiosity.

It was in this atmosphere that Uchiha White Dove and Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office.