The day after Anya returned, Kurenai Yuhi learned about it from her father. It had been a while since she last saw Anya, and she decided to surprise him by arriving early at his doorstep. However, she hesitated outside for a while, thinking about what she should say.
Finally, Kurenai gathered her thoughts and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and Konan, with her calm expression, looked at Kurenai standing outside and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Seeing a girl open the door, Kurenai's originally slightly blushing face instantly changed. She countered, "Who are you?"
"I'm Konan."
"Konan?" Kurenai repeated the name before continuing, "Why are you living in his house?"
Unsure of the relationship between this girl and Anya, Konan truthfully replied, "Do you mean Anya? I'm his disciple, so he arranged for me to stay here."
"A disciple?" Confusion filled Kurenai's eyes. In her opinion, Anya himself was still a teenager—how could he have taken in a disciple?
Coincidentally, Anya arrived just then carrying breakfast. Seeing Kurenai, he was also surprised but quickly smiled and said, "So, did Teacher Kurenai come specially to visit me because she heard I was back?"
"Teacher Kurenai?"
Obviously, the way Anya addressed Kurenai left Konan quite astonished. Could this girl, who looked close to her age, really be a master-level expert?
Kurenai was happy to see Anya at first, but soon her expression turned slightly upset as she spoke, "You came back without even coming to visit me. And why is there a girl living in your house who says she's your disciple?"
"That's right," Anya said, handing the breakfast over to Konan and introducing, "This is my Genjutsu instructor, Kurenai Yuhi. From now on, you two will be classmates. Hmm… How should you address her? Maybe call her 'senior student's big sister'?"
"You're annoying," Kurenai pouted. "I'm still a kid myself. Don't make me sound so old. You're Konan, right? Ignore him. Just call me Kurenai from now on."
"Alright, Kurenai," Konan responded. She found their relationship awkward and confusing at first.
Kurenai reached out her hand toward Konan in a friendly gesture. "If you need anything at school, feel free to ask me anytime."
Taken aback by Kurenai's warmth, Konan hurriedly extended her hand and shook hers. "Okay, thank you."
Seeing the two girls start getting along, Anya casually crouched down.
Kurenai asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Anya pointed to his back.
Kurenai immediately turned shy. Glancing at Konan beside her, and not sure exactly why, she still climbed onto his back. She breathed in his familiar scent and was suddenly filled with nostalgia.
Anya spun around in circles a few times with Kurenai on his back, making her laugh heartily.
Konan quickly realized there was a unique bond between them. Feeling awkward, she turned around and started eating her breakfast.
Kurenai, being sensitive and observant, realized this wasn't appropriate either. She tapped Anya lightly, signaling him to put her down.
Anya didn't fully understand the delicate feelings of a young girl, but he still let her off.
Then Kurenai asked, "Are you planning to send Konan to the Ninja Academy today?"
Anya nodded. "Yes. I finished her identification tag yesterday, so she can enroll today."
"Then let me take her," Kurenai volunteered.
"You?" Anya looked surprised.
Kurenai glared. "What? You think I might get lost?"
"Alright, fine." Anya hesitated for a second—after all, it wasn't like there'd be any real danger inside the village. He handed the identification badge to Kurenai.
As it turned out, Konan had just finished her breakfast. Kurenai cheerfully took Konan's hand and smiled. "Come on, let me send you to school. I'll introduce you to your new classmates. You're so adorable, I'm sure everyone will like you."
Konan was a bit shy and glanced cautiously at Anya. After receiving an encouraging nod, she couldn't help but smile slightly and let Kurenai lead her toward the school.
Kids make friends so easily; just a few words and they're already opening their hearts to each other. Adults, though, could spend years side by side and still not have a clue what the other person was really thinking.
After finishing his reflection, Anya put on his mask, deciding it was time to start his recruitment journey. The first person he wanted to recruit was Mikoto Uchiha, the first person he had ever met in this world.
There were still more than ten years before the destruction of the Uchiha Clan. He should act quickly to pull her out of this mess. She was, after all, the first person who had cared for him. If given the chance in the future, he would have her leave this chaotic place called Konoha altogether and live peacefully somewhere safe and quiet.
Anya made his way back to his old house first. Inside was covered in dust and cobwebs, and even had a hole in the roof. It had clearly been abandoned for ages, and everything useful had already been taken.
He gave the place a quick glance, feeling nothing but indifference, then moved on. The Uchiha compound was pretty far from Konoha's city center. Since the Second's time as leader, the Uchiha had gradually been pushed to the periphery. As the chosen successor of the Second, the Third naturally did not change these policies.
The position of Konoha Police Force had become distasteful, and furthermore, starting from the Second's era, Anbu members had always secretly monitored the outskirts of the Uchiha compound. What that meant was clear enough. Speaking of which, Madara Uchiha definitely deserved most of the blame—if it hadn't been for him, maybe the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have ended up in such a mess.
So it wasn't at all strange for Anya to be here as part of Anbu. In fact, he even noticed several other Anbu operatives nearby. Yet he made no move to disturb them since today his purpose was merely to find someone, and he wanted to avoid drawing attention.
Having survived the brutal Second Battle, his abilities were now vastly improved. Years spent behind enemy lines had elevated his stealth skills to an entirely new level. Combined with the advanced perception of his fully matured Sharingan, he slipped into the area undetected.
Being part of the Uchiha Clan himself, he knew this place intimately. Following familiar paths etched in memory, he soon arrived at the small house where Mikoto Uchiha once lived.
Hmm? No one was home—had she gone out so early?
Anya carefully observed the room. The minimal signs of habitation indicated that although Mikoto Uchiha lived here, she hadn't returned often. That was strange—had she moved somewhere else, or perhaps joined the military police force and needed to stay there long-term?
After going through the books and notes inside the house, Anya came across a name that kept showing up—Fugaku Uchiha.
Such a familiar-sounding name. She vaguely recalled having heard it before. Oh well, she decided. I'll pay him a visit first. If he's not home, I'll just have to head over to the Uchiha-run Military Police Force next.
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