Return to Konoha

"Let's call it Hidden."

After a moment of silence, Yun Xi finally decided on a name for the organization he had founded.

"Shadow?"

Zabuza clearly misunderstood the meaning behind the name Yun Xi had chosen. He assumed Yun Xi wanted to become the supreme ruler of a village—a Shadow.

"Not the Shadow of the Hokage; I have no interest in power." Yun Xi realized Zabuza had misinterpreted him and continued, "It is the 'Hidden' of concealment. To live in seclusion from the world while plotting against it..."

"Understood. I will complete the mission." After hearing Yun Xi's explanation, Zabuza grasped the meaning behind the organization.

"To live in seclusion from the world, huh?" Zabuza was still ruminating on the meaning of the name, while Yun Xi was already preparing to leave the Land of Waves and return to the Hidden Leaf Village.

Before planning his departure from the village, Yun Xi had only allotted himself about two days. He had not expected to encounter so many unexpected events during these two days away. He could now clearly sense that the shadow clone he had left behind in the Hidden Leaf was about to dissipate. If he did not return now, he risked exposing the fact that he had left the village.

"Zabuza, our organization doesn't need to generate profit in the early stages. Keep our scope of operations limited to the Land of Waves. Once our strength grows, we will venture out to apprehend rogue ninjas."

"I will contact you when I have a plan." Before leaving, Yun Xi shared the initial development plan for Hidden with Zabuza.

"Understood. I will develop our forces according to your instructions." Zabuza also understood that since Hidden only consisted of himself and Haku for now, it was not suitable for high-profile actions.

"Good. See you next time!"

After confirming everything was in order, Yun Xi took Karin and headed back to the Hidden Leaf...

"Once we reach the Hidden Leaf Village, wait for me at the entrance." On the way back, Yun Xi began planning how to bring Karin into the village.

Although Karin was a member of the Uzumaki clan and a civilian from the Land of Whirlpools, and the Uzumaki clan had historically maintained a close relationship with the Hidden Leaf—with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, even marrying a princess of the Uzumaki clan—those days were in the past.

Now, the only member of the Uzumaki clan left in the Hidden Leaf was Naruto, and the village's top brass seemed to have their own reservations about him. If Yun Xi were to bring Karin directly into the Hidden Leaf now, it would inevitably cause trouble. Furthermore, Yun Xi was neither a genius youth nor a descendant of a prominent clan within the Hidden Leaf; he was merely a newly enrolled civilian. How would he know a descendant of the Uzumaki clan without having left the village?

Helpless, Yun Xi had no choice but to bring Karin to the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf first. He would have to wait for a suitable opportunity to bring her into the village properly.

"Okay, Brother Yun Xi." After hearing Yun Xi's plan, Karin did not object and agreed immediately.

"Good, that's a good girl..." Seeing how sensible Karin was, Yun Xi subconsciously patted her pink hair, feeling gratified. At his touch, Karin's fair, delicate face instantly flushed a deep crimson...

The Land of Waves was not actually far from the Hidden Leaf, and with Yun Xi traveling at full speed, he and Karin finally returned to the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf as the sun began to set.

Before entering the village, Yun Xi took Karin to the Back Mountain to settle her in temporarily. He would bring her into the Hidden Leaf only after he had gauged the Third Hokage's stance.

"Transformation Technique!"

After settling Karin, Yun Xi used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an ordinary Hidden Leaf Chunin. He then took advantage of the evening glow to return to the Hidden Leaf.

"It remains as bustling as ever."

Watching the busy scene of people coming and going on the street, Yun Xi, who had just returned from the Land of Waves, felt a sense of emotion.

Although Yun Xi had only spent a short half-hour in the Land of Waves.

He could see no hope in the eyes of the local residents, only expressions of numbness and emptiness.

Yet, upon returning to Konoha, Yun Xi found that most of the civilians in the Hidden Leaf Village wore expressions brimming with happiness.

This was the gap between a great nation and a small one.

It was also a microcosm of the Ninja World...

Only with absolute, formidable strength could one survive in this world that appeared calm on the surface but was actually surging with hidden undercurrents!

Yun Xi did not linger on the Konoha Main Street for long; after observing for a while, he returned to his home.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw his clone sitting in the living room.

"Original, you've finally returned?"

Upon seeing Yun Xi return, his clone looked excited.

"What happened?"

Seeing his clone so agitated, Yun Xi was somewhat puzzled.

Because although the distance between the Land of Waves and Konoha was not vast, it still exceeded the range within which the original and the clone could communicate via the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

Therefore, Yun Xi did not know what his clone had experienced over the past two days.

"Our plan to leave the village has been discovered..."

Seeing the original return, Yun Xi's clone began to recount what had happened over the last two days...

"At first, no one noticed when you left the village, but after I returned home, two Anbu suddenly came to summon me to see the Hokage."

"Then, it was discovered that I was merely a clone you had left behind in the village..."

"Now, the Third Hokage wants me to tell you to go see him once you return..."

After finishing, the clone's face was filled with bitterness...

"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work."

Knowing the general sequence of events, Yun Xi nodded.

At the same time, he dispelled the clone. With a puff of smoke, Yun Xi was once again left alone in the spacious house.

"Has the plan to leave the village already been exposed?"

After dispelling the clone, Yun Xi began to ponder in his mind how to respond to the Third Hokage's inquiries.

After all, Yun Xi did not want to become a rogue ninja yet; if his answers had any loopholes, he would find himself in a lot of trouble...

By the time Yun Xi reached home, the beautiful sunset had vanished, leaving only the silent night.

Accompanied by a gentle breeze, a faint glow of moonlight spilled onto Yun Xi's doorstep.

However, Yun Xi had no interest in admiring the scenery at this moment. After pacing back and forth in the room, he muttered to himself, "It seems the plan needs some adjustments. I'll go see the Third Hokage first!"

In the end, Yun Xi decided to take things one step at a time and altered the course of action he had previously planned.

Initially, before formulating his plan to leave the village, Yun Xi had already prepared countermeasures for his return.

But he hadn't expected to be discovered by the Third Hokage the moment he left.

"It seems it is time to show off my talent..."

Gazing into the pitch-black night, a look of helplessness appeared on Yun Xi's face.

Events outside of his plan had made it impossible for Yun Xi to remain low-key any longer; otherwise, only two outcomes awaited him.

One was being driven out of the village by Konoha, becoming a wanderer among the five great nations...

The other was being arrested by the Root Division and becoming a defector...

Neither of these were results that Yun Xi desired...