Return to Konoha

"I'm going to rest. I'm exhausted." Yin Xiang waved a hand, then lay down on the ground to sleep. A bed really is much more comfortable, he thought.

"We should rest too. There's no need to take another day to recover tomorrow. We can go straight to capture Honey Flower Village," the Third Hokage said. Since only eight people remained in the village, they could finish things in one trip.

Everyone in the cave settled down to rest. Rock Lee took the first watch. It was quiet there, but Honey Flower Village was in an entirely different state. The whole village was in an uproar. Eight people sat in the Honey Shadow's office—the last eight shinobi in the Land of Filling—and they were all on edge.

The three Genin in particular were trembling uncontrollably. They were terrified thinking about how that man had stormed in and killed fifteen Genin. If Okita hadn't arrived in time, they'd be dead too.

"According to our intelligence, the enemy has brought five shinobi, including two Jonin. Our only option is to attack them tonight and try to take them out," Okita said to Xian Shadow.

"What if we can't beat them?" Hekai asked. Seeing that young shinobi use Space-Time Ninjutsu today had changed his understanding of the great nations. What did it mean for a child to be able to use Space-Time Ninjutsu? If even a child could use it, what about the other Jonin?

He could never have imagined that Guy was a shinobi capable of bending space itself.

"We have to go tonight. We still have a chance if we attack now. If we wait until tomorrow, it'll probably be the end for us," Xian Shadow said. They had never considered running away. As shinobi—and especially as the Xian Shadow of their country—they couldn't run.

"Then shall we set out now?" Okita was already prepared.

"Mm." Xian Shadow stood up.

"Then... what about us?" one of the Genin sitting nearby asked.

"You stay in the village. You won't be any help if you come along," Xian Shadow said, glancing at them. Then the five of them vanished from the office and ran toward the cave where Yin Xiang and the others were.

By the time they arrived, Neji was on watch. He kept his Byakugan active as he stood guard, watching the area with heightened vigilance. The moment the five approached, he spotted five powerful chakra signatures.

"Teacher Guy! Teacher Guy!" Neji immediately ran to wake Guy. "Enemy attack! Wake up!" he shouted to everyone in the cave. They had all been sleeping lightly, so Neji's shout woke them at once. Only Yin Xiang got up, took a look, and went back to sleep. The Third Hokage had told him he didn't need to take part in the next operation.

"So they've decided to make the first move," the Third Hokage said with a smile, then led everyone out of the cave. He still looked like Shikaku; the fact that the Third Hokage had left the village couldn't get out. Hopefully everything was going well back in Konoha.

When they came out, Xian Shadow and the others had reached the cave entrance. The two groups ran straight into each other.

"Even Xian Shadow has come in person," Yamaha said from behind Shikaku. There were seven of them on Shikaku's side: Shikaku, Guy, Yamaha, Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Yamashin.

"Yamaha, so you never truly intended to join us," Xian Shadow said, standing at the front.

"Of course not. And I'm not the only one." Yamaha smiled. Xian Shadow paused, then turned to look at Hekai. Hekai smiled too, then moved to Yamaha's side.

"We were planning to coordinate from within and take you out. But now there's no need for that," Hekai said with a shrug.

"Surround them." Shikaku waved, and the others moved to encircle the four shinobi.

The next morning, Yin Xiang walked out of the cave and stretched. The area was in disarray, and there was no one inside or outside the cave.

"Honestly, these people are something else, leaving me alone in the cave like this. What if someone had snuck up on me?" Yin Xiang muttered, pouting. Not only Shikaku and the others, but Miji was gone too. With the Third Hokage there, Yin Xiang had no reason to suspect anything had happened to them. They must have finished the job and gone to Honey Flower Village.

"But it looks like I got a good night's sleep." He hadn't even noticed them packing up and leaving. He must have fallen into a deep sleep; he'd slept soundly the night before.

Yin Xiang packed his things and headed straight for the coast, where he waited beside the ship for the others to return. He hadn't been waiting long before Shikaku and the others came back.

"Hey, you're finally back," Yin Xiang greeted them.

"You're awake. I was planning to leave you here and go back without you," the Third Hokage said as he walked over.

"..." Yin Xiang's smile froze on his face. What was the Third Hokage planning? Should he be grateful he'd gone to the ship instead of waiting for them in the cave?

"Is everything taken care of?" Yin Xiang asked Neji.

Neji nodded. "Xian Shadow has been captured. The three million ryo bounty has been paid, and we bought supplies for the trip back."

"Great. We can finally go home." Yin Xiang let out a sigh of relief. The mission was finally over. The return trip would take several more days, and the mission had taken almost a month to complete.

The Third Hokage dispelled the barrier, and everyone boarded the ship and headed back to Konoha. There was no way to shorten the two-day sea journey, but this time they didn't have Miji slowing them down on land. The shinobi ran quickly, and they reached Konoha in three days. They had been away from the village for twenty days in total.

When they returned, Konoha had hardly changed. Shikaku's secret hadn't been discovered. They all went to the Hokage's office to review the mission. When the Third Hokage entered, the Shikaku in the office returned to his real appearance and stood beside Yin Xiang.

"I swear I'll never impersonate the Hokage again. It was such a hassle." Shikaku had found it exhausting to serve as Hokage for those twenty days.

"You don't need to write a report for this mission." The Third Hokage sat back down.

"During this mission, Namikaze Yin Xiang discovered my true identity, showing outstanding perception. Though he had never killed anyone before, he was able to resolve to eliminate enemy shinobi, demonstrating outstanding decisiveness. He infiltrated enemy villages alone several times and killed their shinobi, demonstrating outstanding infiltration skills. He devised the mission plan as soon as we entered the Land of Honey, guiding the enemy step by step into our trap. The plan was meticulous, and he showed exceptional intelligence. He always completes the missions he's given, demonstrating outstanding decisiveness." The Third Hokage looked at Yin Xiang and praised him without pause.

"Yin Xiang performed the best of everyone on this mission."