"So it's finally over."
Under the bright moonlight, standing in a secluded forest within Konoha's boundaries, Senju Hikaru stretched lazily.
The mission had taken a full week from start to finish—but in truth, most of that time had been spent traveling. The actual combat and execution phase had lasted only a few minutes, at most half an hour.
That was the reality of most ninja missions.
Unless it was a full-scale war, battles rarely dragged on for hours, let alone days. Prolonged fighting usually only happened on major fronts, where armies clashed nonstop.
Hikaru had never truly experienced that kind of war.
The brutality he faced in ANBU missions was no less severe, but it was a different kind of cruelty—quiet, surgical, hidden in the dark. There was no endless back-to-back fighting, no battlefield chaos stretching from dawn till dusk.
"And it's a good thing it didn't turn into that," he muttered, shaking his head. "With my chakra reserves…"
He glanced at Kakashi, standing nearby, and smiled faintly.
A few days earlier, at the border of the Land of Grass, they had captured several Sand shinobi—including Yashamaru. The real challenge had been figuring out how to bring them back safely.
After careful consideration, they decided to prioritize the most valuable target.
Yashamaru, without question, was the key figure—far more important than the others.
So Hikaru handed the remaining two Sand ninja over to the border garrison, leaving their transport back to Konoha in the hands of the local commander. Meanwhile, he and Kakashi escorted Yashamaru personally, without delay.
They moved with extreme caution.
They had already exposed themselves to the garrison troops. If even one spy was present, news of Yashamaru's capture could be leaked—bringing Sand's ANBU straight down on them.
Facing an ANBU squad was something neither of them wanted.
ANBU didn't fight fairly. They didn't negotiate. They didn't hesitate. Any method that eliminated the target was the right one.
So they traveled fast—and relentlessly.
Yashamaru suffered for it.
He was never allowed to remain conscious for long. Any sign of waking was immediately met with a precise knockout from either Hikaru or Kakashi. With Hikaru's sensory abilities, feigning unconsciousness was impossible.
They weren't giving him a single opening to activate a self-destruction technique.
It was exhausting—but safe.
After two or three days, they finally reached Konoha and handed Yashamaru over to the ANBU guarding the village's side gate. Only then did both of them truly relax.
Their results shocked even their own ANBU division commander, who had been waiting after receiving advance notice.
Yashamaru was infamous—an extremely dangerous opponent and a long-standing thorn in Konoha's side. The commander knew that better than anyone.
Yet somehow, these two kids had brought him back alive.
Unbelievable.
"By the way, Kakashi," Hikaru said after loosening up a bit. "We've got two days off. Any plans?"
"Not really," Kakashi replied calmly, shaking his head. "Time off doesn't mean much to me."
Hikaru glanced at him, then decided not to push the issue.
Kakashi didn't like being idle.
When he stopped moving, his thoughts spiraled. Only constant missions kept his mind from wandering into darker places.
Not long ago, during a pursuit, Kakashi had hesitated at the critical moment—his Chidori freezing mid-thrust as he heard Rin's voice echoing in his ears. If Might Guy hadn't arrived in time, the consequences could have been disastrous.
Thinking of Rin, Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
I know what to do now.
"Time off is meant for adjustment," he said gently. "Don't waste it."
He looked up at the moon.
"It's late—but there's still time."
"We?" Kakashi blinked. "Captain… another mission?"
"No," Hikaru replied, nodding softly. "We're going to the Heroes' Memorial."
"I haven't seen some old friends—old classmates—in a long time. No flower shops open at this hour, but… we're ANBU. The night suits us."
"The Heroes' Memorial…" Kakashi repeated, then nodded.
"The night is ANBU's time. I understand."
Removing his mask, he was Hatake Kakashi—Leaf shinobi.
Wearing it, he was kakashi of the ANBU.
He didn't like the codename. It was meaningless. The moment someone saw his Sharingan, his identity was obvious anyway. There was only one person in the world with a transplanted Sharingan like his.
Before, he had always visited Rin and Obito as a Konoha ninja.
This time, he would go as ANBU.
The difference seemed small—but the mindset was not.
Hikaru's earlier words still echoed in his heart.
With a destination in mind, the two set off—this time at a normal pace. Inside Konoha, there was no danger, and after days of nonstop movement, both of them were exhausted.
Then—both frowned.
Several chakra signatures were watching them.
They were deep in a remote forest. Hardly anyone ever came here.
Multiple chakra presences in a place like this was impossible to ignore—especially for two ANBU.
Without a word, both men went on alert, hands drifting toward their weapons.
But unlike Kakashi, who simply raised his guard, Hikaru's expression turned strange.
The moment he activated his sensory perception fully, he realized something disturbing.
The area was layered with sealing formations—specifically designed to block sensory detection.
In all of Konoha, only a handful of people were capable of setting up something like this.
"Don't tell me…" Hikaru thought grimly.
"Did I just run into those people?"
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