Night had fallen.
Jin jumped down from the window of his room.
"Little White."
At his call, Little White, with its beady eyes, emerged from his collar.
He had left a tracking mark on White Fang.
To make an accusation, mere words wouldn't be enough.
He needed concrete evidence.
For this purpose, he had specifically developed a ninja technique to gather evidence.
"Little White, where did he go?"
Jin asked.
Little White extended its tail, first sniffing with its invisible nose, then using its tail to point the way for Jin.
Jin followed Little White's directions and began moving.
"Once I have leverage, let's see how you dare provoke me."
Jin gritted his teeth; the other's behavior felt like a provocation.
This was usually the kind of thing he would do.
However, such actions required one's own strength.
If lacking in strength, his current situation would be the result.
But once he had leverage, things might be different.
Following Little White's guidance, Jin began wandering through the city streets.
Looking at the closed shop doors and empty roads,
Jin's brows furrowed slightly.
Did this city really have places for drinking and entertainment?
After making a large circle,
Jin fell silent at what he saw before him.
"Little White."
Little White looked at him with its beady eyes, tilting its head in confusion.
"Why did you lead us back here?"
Little White looked up at the inn before them, scratching its head with its tail tip.
It didn't recognize this place.
To its eyes, all places looked similar.
Jin sighed, knowing he shouldn't have placed his hopes in this silly little snake.
Little White's intelligence was rather limited; it only tracked people by scent.
A "clang" sound rang out as a window opened above.
If Jin remembered correctly, that was White Fang's room!!
Sure enough.
White Fang stuck his head out and looked at Jin puzzled, as if knowing nothing, and asked,
"What are you doing out so late?"
"Hehe." Jin looked up at White Fang on the roof and laughed twice: "Weren't you going out drinking?"
"This small town doesn't have such places. If you wanted to go, you should have said so earlier. Next time when we're in a more prosperous place, I'll take you."
White Fang smiled at Jin, a smile that in Jin's eyes was extremely cunning.
He was absolutely a crafty villain. At this moment, White Fang waved a piece of clothing from upstairs.
It was the clothes Jin had marked.
So it had been discovered after all.
Jin bit his teeth and remained silent.
"Come on, get back up here and sleep."
White Fang withdrew his head and closed the window.
Jin looked up at the sky, where the bright moon hung, adorned with starlight.
He felt he could give up now.
The difference in strength was too great.
White Fang, you're truly despicable!
* * *
At Konoha.
They could already see the shadow of Konoha's great gates in the distance.
Soon they arrived at the gates.
Two figures wearing green vests were leaning against the gate, looking around idly.
Although Konoha had a barrier, they still needed ninja to guard the gates.
At minimum, they were Special Jonin, serving as Konoha's gatekeepers.
When White Fang appeared in their vision, the two guards couldn't believe their eyes and rubbed them.
After confirming again who was walking toward them,
Both screamed simultaneously.
"Lord White Fang has returned!"
Following behind, Uchiha Jin looked impassively at these two men, wondering how male voices could produce such sharp sounds.
As the news spread outward,
A "rumbling" sound suddenly arose.
White Fang looked at the gradually gathering crowd and the ninja moving on the rooftops, falling silent.
Finally, he spoke.
"Maybe you should head back first."
"Goodbye."
Jin's figure had already appeared behind the two guards.
He had wanted to distance himself from White Fang for a long time now.
The guards hadn't even noticed Jin's movement.
Jin only saw White Fang quickly being engulfed by the crowd, including the gate guards.
Soon White Fang was lifted up by the crowd, who surrounded him as they moved inside.
Jin silently made way.
"Lord White Fang!"
"Lord White Fang!"
"Konoha's White Fang!!"
The crowd's cheers gradually merged.
Deafening.
That was Konoha's welcome for White Fang's return, their passionate admiration for him.
However.
Jin looked up toward the Hokage's office in the distance, able to see that highest building from here.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't dead yet."
How popular White Fang was in Konoha was exactly how damaging it was to the Hokage.
Jin's gaze seemed to pierce through all obstacles.
For a moment, he glimpsed a figure standing at the window of the Hokage's office.
Expressionlessly watching the gathering crowd and the surrounded White Fang.
That was.
The Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Jin had no intention of getting involved in the village's political struggles.
After all, opposing the Uchiha was currently politically correct among the higher-ups.
For him, an Uchiha, to get involved would be seeking death.
As for his reputation as a genius.
Konoha never lacked geniuses.
Walking straight back to his home, when he stepped through his doorway, he saw the scene before him and black lines appeared on his forehead.
"Little Meow!!!"
Jin suddenly shouted.
His shout startled all the cats in the house.
Yes.
His home had become a cat's den, cats visible everywhere.
Then meowing sounds continuously rang out.
"The human is back, will he chase us away?"
"Foolish human, Lord Meow will drive him away, don't worry."
"But he called Lord Meow's name."
A group of cats chatted as if no one else was there.
"All of you shut up!"
Jin glared fiercely at the group of cats, his battlefield killing intent making all the cats close their mouths.
Soon a white kitten walked out from the room, and upon seeing Jin, Little Meow turned to run without thinking.
But Jin was faster, quickly grabbing Little Meow by the scruff of its neck.
"Solve this right now, or I'm eating cat meat today!!"
Little Meow quickly nodded.
"Cat meat is sour, not tasty at all, I'll solve it right away."
Then turning to the cats in the room, it started meowing.
"My boss is back, run quickly, he likes eating cat meat."
These words made Jin's eyebrows twitch.
The other cats were already frightened by the killing intent, and instantly disappeared in puffs of white smoke.
In a flash, all the cats vanished.
They were all ninja cats.
"And this room, I want to see it back to how it was before I left by tomorrow."
"You're being too hard on cats!" Little Meow protested, cleaning such a big room would work a cat to death.
"Hmph hmph."
Jin snorted coldly.
"Then tonight we'll have cat meat."
"Cat meat is sour!!"
"I won't be the one eating it."
From Jin's collar, Little White raised its head, its beady eyes looking at Little Meow before it and tilting its head.
"It will."
Little Meow struggled desperately.
"I'll do it right away!"
It didn't want to become dinner for a snake, especially one that looked so stupid!!
—
Note: Little Meow is Kitty from early chapters.