After helping clean up the battlefield, Hoshishaku sealed the few relatively intact corpses inside a Sealing Scroll and handed it to the recovered Anbu Ninja.
The young male Anbu who was clearly the squad leader put his mask back on and thanked them sincerely:
"Hyuga Hoshishaku, Senju Yuto, Uchiha Rinne, thank you for coming to our aid. The rules of Anbu prevent us from revealing our names or identities, but we'll remember this kindness."
Yuto accepted their thanks with a goofy grin, while Uchiha Rinne asked curiously, "You know who we are?"
The male Anbu explained:
"You're the village's genius Jonin. Even though we weren't there to witness your incredible battle in person, we watched the recording afterward."
Hoshishaku felt a little guilty as he held the millions of ryo in banknotes he'd looted from the Sunagakure merchant caravan, so he took the initiative to create a Shadow Clone Technique and offered to escort them back:
"I'll use a Shadow Clone to take you back to the village. The three of you are nearly out of chakra. You'd be in trouble if you ran into a beast, let alone a Genin."
A female Anbu Ninja said, a little embarrassed, "You're out on a mission too, Lord Hoshishaku. Wouldn't it be unwise to spend chakra escorting us?"
Hoshishaku patted the pocket holding the stolen money and smiled with saintly innocence. "We're all from the same village. No need to be so formal. Come on, let's not waste time. I also have a flying technique, so we can get back to the village in ten minutes."
Without giving them a chance to object, he drew an Ink Wash Flying Bird, pulled the three of them onto its back, and flew toward Konoha.
Uchiha Rinne waved goodbye, then wiped at the corner of