Hidan slowly opened his eyes and immediately noticed Kakuzu standing in front of him. His signature arrogant smile instantly appeared as he said, "Hey, Kakuzu..."
But as soon as those three words escaped his mouth, Hidan's eyes suddenly fell into confusion, remaining motionless on the spot.
Kakuzu instinctively turned to look at Anya.
Anya smiled slightly and said, "I've cast my strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, on him. From today onwards, he will completely obey both your and my commands without even realizing himself being controlled. Only this way can I feel assured leaving him with you as your partner. Oh right, let's also add a mask."
As he spoke, Anya prepared the special mask made by Sasori and casually placed it over Hidan's face.
Recalling their previous battle against Konoha, Kakuzu couldn't help but admire Anya's attention to detail. He voiced his agreement, "He really does talk way too much anyway. Come on, Hidan."
At Kakuzu's command, Hidan snapped out of the genjutsu and instinctively followed along.
Anya asked, "Uncle, where are you headed?"
Without turning back, Kakuzu countered, "What? Do I need to report everywhere I go to you now?"
"Er, not exactly," Anya replied somewhat sheepishly. "Anyway, I'll be staying around Konoha for a while. Feel free to come find me if anything happens."
Kakuzu walked away quickly, whether or not he heard the words, he gave no reply and disappeared into the woods together with Hidan.
"Never thought uncle would leave just like that without seeking revenge. Truly broad-minded," Anya muttered to himself, "Judging by the timing, that guy should be arriving soon enough."
In the small town closest to Konoha, a massive group of over a hundred people arrived. At the very front stood an adorable yet clueless-looking young man whose eyes filled with tears as he gazed toward Konoha nearby, saying emotionally, "After all these years, I'm finally back! Damn peace envoy mission—whoever wants it can have it. Not even under threat would I take that assignment again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar figure appeared in front of him. A closer look confirmed it was none other than his immediate superior—the Head of Anbu—Anya. The young man's expression changed instantly.
Amused by how quickly Yamato's face tensed up, Anya said with a faint smile, "Back already? That was fast."
Yamato carefully responded, "Yes... It's been many years, and I felt quite eager returning home to see things."
Anya glanced at the team behind him and asked, "Did you bring all the blueprints, personnel, and gold supplies Kazekage requested?"
"I did," Yamato answered with slight confusion. "But is Konoha planning some kind of transformation too? After all, isn't the village doing pretty well as it is now? Forcibly remodeling it according to Sunagakure Village's model might confuse the villagers, and besides…"
Yamato leaned in slightly and murmured, "Also, this time, the Kazekage sent an enormous amount of gold here with me. If we start calculating interest, once Konoha fails to repay it, our Treasury might end up completely drained—and we might fall into debt."
"That could be a problem," Anya said thoughtfully before replying, "Leave that to me; I'll talk to Kazekage about it. Let's make the first three years interest-free, then gradually increase it afterward. By the time the village renovations finish, commerce will flourish rapidly."
"Then may I ask, has the Hokage consulted the villagers? Are they willing...?"
Anya interrupted with a smirk: "Don't worry, they'll definitely agree. Just go ahead. This is an official mission—I've ranked it as the highest level, SSS-rank. If you, my commander, complete it successfully, you'll become the first ninja in Konoha village's history to accomplish a triple S-rank mission."
Yamato's eyes first sparkled with excitement, but soon he felt a heavy sense of mission and responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders like a mountain pressing down on him. His expression turned solemn as he replied earnestly, "Yes, I guarantee completion of the mission."
After saying that, Yamato addressed the team behind him, "Alright, let's move out."
Once everything was settled here, Anya flew ahead toward Konoha village.
Inside a critical care medical ward, Kakashi weakly opened his eyes after his severe injuries from battling Deva Path Pain. Right away, he saw a face that had been burned into his memory forever.
"Well then, Dad, we meet again. It seems I really died," Kakashi sighed calmly.
White Fang looked surprised at first, then smiled gently. "Yeah, never imagined you'd die so young just like me."
Kakashi spoke with a low voice, filled with emotion. "Dad, there's something I always wanted to ask you. Why did you—a hero honored as Konoha's White Fang—risk your reputation by breaking the Ninja Code to save your comrades' lives, choosing to abandon an important mission? If you hadn't done that, no one would've blamed you, and you wouldn't have pushed yourself to such extremes. I still feel bitter about it. Your student, Anya, never said anything directly to me about this matter, but I know deep down—he feels the same way I do."
"I see. Sounds like both of you had a hard time living with this," White Fang said softly, his eyes dimming slightly.
"But Dad," Kakashi responded with a relieved smile, "no matter the consequences, you did your best. Now I finally understand—you're a real hero who broke the ninja rules for the sake of everyone else. And I'm proud to call you my father."
Stunned, White Fang couldn't believe what he'd just heard from Kakashi. Closing his eyes briefly, he instinctively embraced his son warmly. "Thank you, Kakashi. And I'm sorry—sorry I won't be able to be there for you anymore."
Feeling his father's warmth, Kakashi suddenly realized what was happening, his expression turning to shock. "Dad...you're actually..."
"Oh wow, such deep family emotions indeed." A teasing voice chimed in playfully.
"You finally showed up, Anya." White Fang let go of Kakashi, clearly having expected her arrival.
Still couldn't quite believe it, Kakashi gently reached out to touch his father's body, confirming Dad had really come back to life.
White Fang asked seriously, "What happened to Konoha village? And tell me truthfully—what exactly did you do to bring me back?"
"I didn't do anything at all," Anya shrugged casually before replying with a mischievous grin, then added soothingly, "Relax, reconstruction of Konoha village has already begun. Within six months, I'll return you a completely renewed Konoha village—one even more beautiful than in your memories."
White Fang pressed further, "Seriously?"
Anya spoke with a serious expression, "Of course. This is my promise to my master, as her student."
White Fang smiled brightly and said, "Good. I believe you."
"Wait..." Kakashi tried his best to stay calm. He looked at the two of them and asked, "First tell me what exactly happened. Why... How can my father be alive again? Is that really true?"
Anya replied in a relaxed tone, "It's true. You weren't exactly fighting to save him, but I—I didn't take it easy as his student. As for how he was resurrected—it was through the [Rinnegan]. There are no side effects. So Kakashi, you've got your dad back."
Kakashi couldn't help but tear up. Can this really be true… that I've found my father again? Tears streamed down his face—tears he hadn't shed in years. And for the first time in ages, they tasted sweet.
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