Returning to the Village

Hui rubbed her head painfully and opened her eyes to look around. She had no idea how much time had passed. Had Orochimaru brought her back?

Hui slowly got to her feet, her mind still foggy and muddled. Just as she was about to leave the room, a voice came from behind her. "You can go back now."

She turned around in surprise and stared in shock at all the computers and instruments. Hui had no idea what they were for, but the place was huge, like some kind of medical factory. Behind them stood enormous glass cylinders, and a complicated control panel was set up behind Orochimaru.

Rows upon rows of computers were monitoring vital signs. Whose life they were tracking, she had no idea.

An indescribable unease welled up inside her. As Hui looked at the factory filled with glass containers, a vague suspicion began to take shape in her mind, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

Apart from the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she felt as though something else about her had changed, though there was no difference in her appearance.

Hui slowly raised her hands. They were still her small hands, only a little bigger than before. But something had definitely changed—and it had something to do with Orochimaru.

Hui looked up at Orochimaru's eerie, snake-like eyes, her brows tightly furrowed. After a moment, she slowly said, "I want to go back to Konoha."

She knew Orochimaru would be angry when he heard that, but she really wanted to go back. And she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Orochimaru's eyes grew even colder. His snake-like gaze fixed on her, and a bone-chilling cold seemed to spread through the air around them.

Hui hurriedly explained, "I won't interfere with your work, Sensei. It's just time for me to go back. Thank you for teaching me during this time."

She only suspected that Orochimaru had found what he was looking for and no longer needed her. And judging by what had happened last night, she had probably awakened the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

"Make your own decision, Hui... Don't forget your purpose," Orochimaru said coldly.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei. Of course I won't forget my purpose." Hui paused, then added, "But before I leave, I'll go back to Otogakure. Is there anything you need me to do?"

Orochimaru's hoarse voice was calm. "Heh... Go and call Qingsi here."

"Yes!"

After that, Hui said goodbye to Orochimaru as well. She suddenly stopped while leaving the passage, turned around, and said evenly, "You should put your experiments in Konoha on hold for a while, Sensei."

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh but said nothing. Hui let out a quiet laugh too and turned to leave the underground base. Behind her, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes remained fixed on her.

As she walked through the dim passage, the only sound was her footsteps, each one pounding in her heart. When she stepped back into the sunlight, Hui's brows furrowed. Remembering what had happened that day, she felt that lingering dread all over again.

She hadn't expected Zhan to emerge and even take control of her body. It was time to get her emotions under control. Going back to the village was the best choice.

Hui returned to Orochimaru's base and passed along Orochimaru's request to Qingsi.

"That's all. Lord Orochimaru is waiting for you in the Village of Morning. I'll be gone for a while too, so we shouldn't waste time. Teach me a little of your Medical Ninjutsu." Hui looked at Qingsi with utmost sincerity.

"No!" Qingsi rejected her without a second thought and turned to pack his things.

"Qingsi, I really need this. This trip made me realize how much I used to rely on your treatment. But you can't always be there to treat me, so I have to learn how to do it myself!" Hui said earnestly, staring right at him.

Qingsi turned and silently looked at her. He paused. "Are you sure? This isn't something you can master through sheer determination."

"Yes. I can't be as good as you, but I'll learn whatever I can." Hui made her promise solemnly.

Qingsi sighed helplessly, but finally gave in. "All right. Come with me."

At his answer, Hui nearly jumped for joy. At last, she'd taken care of one thing that had been weighing on her mind.

Even the long journey couldn't dampen Hui's excitement about returning to the village. Thinking of her bet with Sasuke made her feel secretly thrilled. She'd probably won for sure.

And Naruto—she wondered if he was doing well. Oh, right. This time, she'd make sure to meet the rest of the people in Konoha!

After she returned her pass, Izumo and Kotetsu stared at the person before them in shock. After a year and a half, the girl who had left at only five years old had returned. Her whole bearing had changed, and she somehow seemed dangerous, with a snake-like air just like that great man.

Izumo looked at Hui and remarked, "You were gone a long time. Were you training?"

Hui paused and looked up at Izumo in confusion. "Was I? It felt like I spent all that time training."

Kotetsu sighed. "It's been over a year. You didn't realize?"

Hui's expression stiffened. During that time, she had truly lost track of time. All she could think about was training. If she didn't get stronger, she'd die. The weak could only get beaten to a pulp.

After a moment of silence, Hui gave a slight smile. "I didn't notice. Should I go report to the Third Hokage first?"

Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged glances, their eyes full of surprise. At Hui's question, Kotetsu answered, "Yes."

Hui smiled and left the gate with her pass in hand. Watching her go, Izumo said, "She's changed a lot. Even her whole bearing seems different."

"Yeah... just like that great man..." Kotetsu agreed.

"But as that great man's student... she must have gotten a lot stronger, right?"

Kotetsu fell silent for a moment before answering, "She really does seem much stronger... After all, she's that great man's student..."

As usual, Hui went to report to the Third Hokage first. The Third Hokage kept asking the usual official questions: How had her training gone? Had she run into any problems? Hui gave him casual answers. Seeing that she was brushing him off, the Third Hokage suddenly asked, "Did Orochimaru take part in your training?"

Hui paused and turned to look at the Third Hokage. "Of course. Orochimaru-sensei takes his responsibilities seriously."

"Did he do anything else? Take you along for some strange experiments, for example?" the Third Hokage asked, trying to lead her into an answer.

Hui chuckled. The Third Hokage still treated her like a child, even though he knew perfectly well she wasn't one in her mind. She more or less understood what he was getting at, but she still needed to play dumb.

"No. It was just the usual training. It was really grueling!" Hui complained, then winked mischievously. "That's why I came back to slack off."

The Third Hokage sighed helplessly. "All right, you can go home now."

Hui nodded and went out. Not long afterward, Dusu appeared in the Third Hokage's office. In his usual flat voice, he asked, "Do you still want me to keep watch, Lord Hokage?"

The Third Hokage nodded. "Go ahead." His deep-set eyes seemed to be weighing many things.

"Yes!" Dusu replied, then vanished again.

After finishing her report to the Third Hokage, Hui finally left the Hokage Building. The streets of Konoha came into view, and she smiled softly as she made her way home. People around her unconsciously moved aside. There was still resentment and regret in their eyes, and now there was fear, too...

Naruto was lounging around at home, still wondering when Hui would return. Then he heard the door open. He turned his head in confusion, and when he saw the person at the entrance, he thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, but she was still there. Naruto excitedly leaped over to her. "Hui, you're back!"

Hui smiled helplessly and caught Naruto as he clung to her. It had been so long, and she was now half a head taller than him. Without thinking, she rubbed his head and said gently, "Yeah, Naruto."

Naruto stood up straight and looked at Hui, measuring their heights with his hand. He grumbled, "How come you're taller than me now?"

Hui covered her mouth and giggled. "All right, to celebrate my return, how about we go eat ramen at Ichiraku?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered happily.

That silly Naruto is so darn cute, Hui Youling thought. As Naruto excitedly told her about all the new changes in Konoha, the smile on her face never faded. It felt as if some of the gloom she'd kept bottled up inside had finally lifted.

So someone had been waiting for her to come back. Someone cared about her and missed her. Even though they had once been strangers, now they were like family, with no blood relation between them.

But Naruto, why are you always so optimistic? Do you know what I've been through all this time?

Still, she never wanted to make you worry. The Nine-Tails had already put you through so much. She didn't want you to carry her pain as well. Things with Kimimaro had ended in complete failure, but at least she could fulfill one wish now. Saving you could be one of them...