More than half an hour later, Qingming arrived outside Konoha Village.
Deactivating Wind Release: Wings of Wind and Chakra Cloak, Qingming landed back on the ground.
Without stopping, he walked straight toward Konoha's main gate.
This time, he didn't disguise himself or change his appearance, choosing to maintain his original looks.
Unlike in the morning, when he returned to loot the spoils of war and needed a facade, he was now returning to the village under normal circumstances, so there was no need to hide.
Of course, he was also doing this to test the village's reaction.
From the actions of the ANBU earlier, it wasn't hard to deduce that Hiruzen Sarutobi likely had suspicions about Danzō's death being related to him and had gathered a significant amount of information.
Otherwise, they couldn't have found that forest so quickly.
Since that was the case, he naturally wanted to test the waters.
Although he was fairly confident that Hiruzen wouldn't act rashly without concrete evidence, there was no guarantee.
Who knew if Hiruzen might act impulsively and try to take him down as a final act of revenge for his old friend?
It was possible that Hiruzen thought, "If he dares to kill a village elder today, will he dare to kill the Hokage tomorrow?"
For someone like him, Qingming could be perceived as a potential threat to the future of the village.
In that case, Hiruzen might justify removing him as an act of protecting the village's future rather than feeling any guilt.
After all, in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' attack, Hiruzen sacrificed Hizashi Hyuga for "peace," even though it was clearly Kumogakure's delegation that was at fault.
Though Hizashi volunteered to die, anyone could see that he was forced into a corner and had no choice.
Given Hiruzen's intelligence, there was no way he hadn't considered the possibility that Hizashi would substitute himself for Hiashi Hyuga.
When Hiruzen informed the Hyuga Clan of Kumogakure's demands, he might have already made up his mind.
Clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't as noble as he appeared on the surface.
However, all of this was just Qingming's speculation. What actually happened would depend on the village's response after his return.
Thinking this, a faint, mischievous smile appeared on Qingming's face.
If the situation escalated to the worst-case scenario, then he wouldn't hesitate to flip the table.
After all, the Root's archives already had most of the ninjutsu, genjutsu, and forbidden techniques he needed.
Moreover, with his current strength, if he really wanted to leave, no one could stop him—not even Minato Namikaze.
So, if necessary, he could cause a ruckus before leaving Konoha for good, becoming a rogue ninja.
Still, he didn't want things to come to that.
It wasn't because he feared the village's pursuit. What kind of power could Konoha send after him? Even if they sent multiple Kage-level ninjas, if he couldn't win, he could still escape.
His reluctance to leave Konoha stemmed from two main reasons.
First, Konoha was relatively stable, allowing him to focus entirely on his training without worrying about mundane distractions.
Second, once he became a rogue ninja, he'd inevitably attract a swarm of flies: bounty hunters, rival villages coveting his bloodline, and criminal organizations. Hearing that he'd gone rogue, they'd surely come after him.
Dealing with such nuisances would be exhausting.
So, if possible, he genuinely didn't want to leave the stable environment Konoha provided.
But everything would depend on the village's reaction.
With this in mind, Qingming stepped forward toward the village gate.
Night had already fallen by now.
Though Konoha's gates were still open, there were hardly any people coming or going. With the gate situated far from the bustling streets, the surroundings were pitch black.
Only two gatekeepers stood guard under the dim glow of a single lantern, which barely illuminated the area.
As Qingming passed through the gate, he nodded at the two guards in greeting.
The two nodded stiffly in return, though Qingming noticed subtle signs of tension in their movements.
Pausing briefly, Qingming glanced ahead and muttered, "Could there really be an ambush?"
Suppressing the urge to activate his Byakugan by releasing the Seal of Protection on his forehead, Qingming resumed walking.
He had just offended Hiruzen's faction and didn't want to provoke the Hyuga Clan by exposing the Byakugan.
Otherwise, even if the Uchiha Clan wanted to support him, they might hesitate.
Shaking his head, Qingming dismissed his worries and continued forward.
Soon, he had walked about a hundred meters.
Suddenly, from the dark alleys on either side, two black-cloaked, mask-wearing ANBU ninjas appeared, blocking his path.
Qingming examined them closely but, unfamiliar with the ANBU, couldn't discern their identities.
And since there were only two of them, it didn't look like an ambush to kill him, which eased his mind.
"The worst-case scenario hasn't happened. Let's see how this plays out," Qingming thought.
Looking at the two ANBU, he feigned confusion. "ANBU? What do you need from me?"
The two, unmoved by his performance, stared at him with cold, unflinching eyes beneath their masks.
One of them spoke, "Qingming Jonin, the Third Hokage has summoned you. Please come with us."
Hearing this, Qingming neither agreed nor refused but instead asked, "Where's the official order?"
His question seemed to catch the two ANBU off guard, and despite their disciplined demeanor, their eyes betrayed a flicker of unease.
It was only then they realized that summons like this indeed required a written order directly from the Hokage.
After all, they couldn't expect someone to blindly follow their commands without verification.
What if enemy ninjas disguised themselves as ANBU to issue fake orders? That would be a disaster.
Hence, a written order served as an extra layer of security.
It also acted as a limitation on ANBU's authority.
In the village, their presence alone usually signified the Hokage's will, so no one had ever questioned this before.
Except in special cases—like when Kakashi sought Hiruzen's help to rescue Yamato—Hiruzen had written a specific order for Kakashi to deliver to Danzō.
A Hokage-signed order was equivalent to a direct command, binding even a high-ranking elder like Danzō to comply.
Challenging such an order was tantamount to defying the Hokage's authority, which would provoke backlash from anyone tied to the power structure.
Thus, what seemed like a trivial detail was, in fact, critically important.
Now that Qingming brought it up, the two ANBU found themselves at a loss.
Seeing their hesitation, Qingming realized he was right—they didn't have a written order.
In that case, he had no obligation to cooperate.
Even if they pursued the matter later, he was simply following protocol.
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