See You Again, Mitaraishi Anko

"Come on in and sit down. I haven't really tidied up."

After Mitaraishi Anko followed him inside, Yun Xi casually found a place to sit and asked, "Who sent you to find me?"

"Lord Hokage wants to see you."

After explaining why she'd come to find Yun Xi, Mitaraishi Anko also found a place to sit. She looked at him curiously and said, "You seem to have gotten stronger. When I came to see you last time, I couldn't sense the chakra inside you, but now it's much more noticeable."

"Is that so?"

A hint of caution crossed Yun Xi's face. He hadn't expected Mitaraishi Anko to be able to sense the changes in his body, but he didn't dwell on it.

Because...

To Yun Xi, this was only a trivial matter.

By contrast, the Third Hokage's summons was what he needed to pay attention to...

Aside from Uchiha Itachi and Hyuga Hiashi, most people saw Yun Xi as nothing more than the dead last at the Ninja Academy.

Under normal circumstances, no one would pay attention to someone with an identity like Yun Xi's.

Let alone have the Third Hokage summon him...

After all, Yun Xi wasn't the Hokage's son.

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

And yet...

This had really happened.

"Is it about my fight with Hyuga Hiashi?"

"Or Danzo?"

"Or Itachi?"

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

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

Seeing Yun Xi's attention drift, Mitaraishi Anko waved a hand in front of his face, then said quietly, "It's very rude to zone out in front of a girl, you know."

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something."

At Mitaraishi Anko's reminder, Yun Xi immediately focused again, then asked in a wheedling tone, "Anko, do you know why Grandpa Hokage sent you to find me?"

"I do."

"Tell me!"

"No. As a ninja, I have to uphold the code of conduct. This is mission-related information, so I can't tell you."

"You can't even tell the person involved?"

"No!"

Mitaraishi Anko shook her head and flatly refused Yun Xi.

"Hey, did you know Konoha just opened a new dumpling shop? They have red bean dumplings, plus all kinds of really, really delicious meatballs!"

Since asking directly hadn't worked, Yun Xi decided to tempt her with a bribe.

As he talked about the dumplings, Yun Xi made an exaggerated expression, as if the delicious food were right in front of them.

"Dumplings..."

At Yun Xi's words, Mitaraishi Anko's eyes instantly lit up. She asked, "Which dumpling shop is it?!"

"Tell me why Grandpa Hokage wants to see me, and I'll share it with you."

"No, that's my mission. I can't tell you!"

"What if I take you there?"

"Still no. I'd never betray my mission for a single meal of dumplings!"

"Two meals?"

"The mission is important. Two meals won't change anything!"

"Four meals!"

Seeing the conflicted look on Mitaraishi Anko's face, Yun Xi felt he was making progress. To get her to take the bait, he said, "Come on, four meals of dumplings! They're amazing. And I've already agreed to go see Grandpa Hokage, so your mission is complete. Can't you share a mission you've already completed?"

"But..."

Although something felt off, Yun Xi's reasoning sounded quite convincing to Mitaraishi Anko.

Technically, the moment Yun Xi agreed to go see the Third Hokage, her mission was already complete.

"It's not a big deal to share a mission you've already completed with a friend, is it?"

Seeing Mitaraishi Anko still torn, Yun Xi pressed on.

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

In the end, tempted by Yun Xi's words and the promise of dumplings, Mitaraishi Anko gave in...

"Actually, I don't know why Grandpa Hokage wants to see you either. But when I accepted the mission, I caught the name Uchiha Itachi..."

After telling Yun Xi what she knew, Mitaraishi Anko looked much more relaxed. Then she glanced at him and cautioned him, "I've told you, but you can't tell anyone else. I don't know exactly what it's about, but I don't think it's anything simple..."

"Simple? It's far from simple. This matter..."

After hearing Mitaraishi Anko's words, Yun Xi immediately tensed up.

Uchiha Itachi...

Me...

What exactly is that old Third Hokage up to...?

Yun Xi wasn't stupid. The moment Mitaraishi Anko mentioned Uchiha Itachi, he had already guessed why the Third Hokage wanted to see him.

Although Yun Xi and Uchiha Itachi had trained in the same place, in the mountains behind Konoha, no one knew about it.

But...

That old Third Hokage was different.

With the Telescope Technique, he could keep track of almost anything that happened in Konoha.

So Yun Xi wasn't surprised that he knew about it.

What troubled Yun Xi now was...

The Third Hokage's attitude toward the matter...

Was he an enemy or an ally?

Or was he neutral...

That left Yun Xi feeling conflicted...

"You're zoning out again!"

Seeing Yun Xi ignore her once more, Mitaraishi Anko put her hands on her hips and glared at him, puffing her cheeks. Then she counted on her fingers, "You promised to treat me to dumplings once before, and now you've promised four more times. That makes five! Don't you dare forget!"

"Relax, relax. I definitely won't forget."

Yun Xi nodded and placated her, then asked, "Anything else?"

"Nope."

Mitaraishi Anko shook her head.

"Then I won't see you out. I was just about to take a nap. As for the dumplings..."

"I'll treat you next time!"

Making up an excuse, Yun Xi stood and walked Mitaraishi Anko to the door. Just as he was about to wave goodbye,

A strange sense of danger suddenly washed over Yun Xi...

"Someone's here?!"

In an instant, Yun Xi warily scanned his surroundings, but aside from a breeze brushing past him, he couldn't see anyone nearby...

"What's with you?"

Mitaraishi Anko noticed something was off about Yun Xi and immediately asked, "Did something happen? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Nothing. You should go. I definitely won't forget the dumplings."

Yun Xi's attention wasn't on Mitaraishi Anko at all just then.

He hadn't noticed anything unusual...

But there was no mistaking the feeling of being watched!

"Good, as long as nothing's wrong..."

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

Before she went, though, she told Yun Xi in a serious tone, "You still owe me five meals of dumplings. I don't want you disappearing before I get to eat them, so be careful..."