Goodbye Anko Mitarashi

"Sit wherever you like; I haven't really tidied up the place."

As Anko Mitarashi followed him inside, Yun Xi casually found a spot to sit down first, then asked, "Who sent you to find me?"

"The Third Hokage wants to see you."

After stating the purpose of her visit, Anko Mitarashi also found a place to sit. She looked at Yun Xi with curious eyes and muttered to herself, "You seem to have gotten stronger. When I came to see you last time, I couldn't even sense the chakra inside you, but now it's grown so much."

"Is that so?"

A flicker of caution crossed Yun Xi's face. He hadn't expected Anko Mitarashi to be able to sense the changes within his body, though he didn't dwell on it.

Because...

To Yun Xi, this was merely a trivial matter.

On the contrary, the Third Hokage's summons was something Yun Xi needed to pay attention to...

Aside from Uchiha Itachi and Hyuga Hiashi, Yun Xi was seen by most as nothing more than a dead-last student at the Ninja Academy.

Under normal circumstances, someone with Yun Xi's status would never be given a second thought.

Let alone being personally summoned by the Third Hokage...

After all, Yun Xi was not a descendant of the Hokage.

Nor did he have a Tailed Beast sealed within him...

Yet...

Such a thing had actually happened.

Is it about the fight with Hyuga Hiashi?

Or Danzo?

Or Itachi?

In an instant, a dozen possibilities flashed through Yun Xi's mind...

"Hey, Yun Xi, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Yun Xi lost in thought, Anko Mitarashi waved her hand in front of him and whispered, "It's very impolite to zone out in front of a lady, you know."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some things."

Prompted by Anko Mitarashi, Yun Xi immediately refocused his attention and said in a flattering tone, "Anko, do you know why the Third Hokage sent you to find me?"

"I do."

"Tell me!"

"No way. As a ninja, I must uphold a ninja's integrity. This is a classified mission, and I can't tell you."

"Not even to the person involved?"

"No!"

Anko Mitarashi shook her head, flatly rejecting Yun Xi's request.

"Hey, did you know? A new dumpling shop just opened in Konoha. They don't just have red bean dumplings, but all sorts of super, super delicious meat dumplings too!"

Since a direct inquiry yielded no answers, Yun Xi decided to try bribery.

As he described the dumplings, Yun Xi made an exaggerated expression, as if the delicacies were right in front of them.

"Dumplings..."

Hearing this, a glint appeared in Anko Mitarashi's eyes, and she asked, "Which dumpling shop is it?!"

"Tell me why the Third Hokage is looking for me, and I'll share it with you."

"No, this is my mission. I can't tell you!"

"What if I treat you to a meal there?"

"Still no. I would never betray my mission for a meal of dumplings!"

"Two meals?"

"The mission is important; two meals won't work either!"

"Four meals!"

Seeing the conflicted expression on Anko Mitarashi's face, Yun Xi felt he had a chance. To get her to take the bait quickly, he pressed on, "Hey, four meals of dumplings—they're super delicious. Besides, I've already agreed to go see the Third Hokage, so your mission is essentially complete. Can't you share a mission that's already finished?"

"But..."

Although she felt something was off, what Yun Xi said made a lot of sense to Anko Mitarashi.

In essence, the moment Yun Xi agreed to go see the Third Hokage, her mission was effectively complete.

"It shouldn't be too much to share a completed mission with a friend, right?"

Watching the conflicted Anko Mitarashi, Yun Xi continued his temptation.

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone else!"

In the end, under the weight of Yun Xi's words and the temptation of the dumplings, Anko Mitarashi finally gave in...

"Actually, I don't know why the Third Hokage wants to see you either, but when I accepted my mission, I vaguely heard the name Uchiha Itachi..."

Anko Mitarashi, her face full of conflict, felt much more relaxed after sharing what she knew with Yun Xi. She then looked at him and cautioned him carefully, "I've told you this, but you can't tell anyone else. Although I don't know the specifics, I have a feeling this matter is definitely not simple..."

"Not simple? That's an understatement..."

After hearing Anko Mitarashi's words, Yun Xi felt a sudden surge of tension.

Uchiha Itachi...

Himself...

What exactly is that old man, the Third Hokage, trying to do...

Yun Xi wasn't stupid. Once Anko Mitarashi brought up Uchiha Itachi's name, he had already guessed why the Third Hokage wanted to meet with him.

Although the place where he and Uchiha Itachi trained was in the mountains behind the Hidden Leaf Village, and no one else knew about it...

But...

The Third Hokage was a different story.

With his Telescope Technique, he could monitor almost anything that happened within the Hidden Leaf Village.

It wasn't strange at all that he knew about it.

What troubled Yun Xi now was...

The Third Hokage's stance on this matter...

Was he a friend or a foe?

Or perhaps neutral...

That was what made Yun Xi feel conflicted...

"You're spacing out again!"

Seeing Yun Xi ignore her once more, Anko Mitarashi immediately put her hands on her hips, glaring at him indignantly. She then began counting on her fingers, "You promised to treat me to dango once before, and adding these four times, that makes five in total! You better not forget!"

"Alright, alright, I definitely won't forget."

Yun Xi nodded, responding dismissively before taking the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else?"

"Nope."

Anko Mitarashi shook her head.

"Then I won't see you out. I was just about to take a nap, and as for the dango..."

"I'll treat you next time!"

Making up a random excuse, Yun Xi stood up and walked Anko Mitarashi to the door. Just as he was about to wave goodbye, a strange sense of threat suddenly flooded his heart...

Someone's here?!

In an instant, Yun Xi scanned his surroundings with extreme caution, but apart from a gentle breeze brushing past his sleeves, he saw no sign of anyone nearby...

"What's wrong with you?"

At that moment, Anko Mitarashi noticed the change in Yun Xi's demeanor and immediately asked, "Did something happen? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"It's nothing. You should go first; I definitely won't forget about the dango."

At this point, Yun Xi's attention was not on Anko Mitarashi at all.

Although he hadn't detected anything unusual...

The feeling of being watched could not be wrong!

"As long as you're okay..."

Seeing that Yun Xi didn't want to say more, Anko Mitarashi didn't linger and left first.

However, before departing, she said in a grave tone, "You still owe me five meals of dango. I don't want you to disappear before I get to eat them, so be careful..."