The way back was much faster than during the escort, because the carriage couldn't match a ninja's speed.
Mokgetsu and the others returned to Konoha in the afternoon.
"Everyone, take a break. No training or missions today. Rest for half a day, and gather at Training Ground 26 tomorrow morning," Mokgetsu said.
To return to Konoha sooner, Mokgetsu led them on a fast march, mostly traveling except for meal breaks.
The rush to return to Konoha wasn't for anything else but to surprise Might Guy with gold coins—oh no, wait, to help celebrate Might Guy's birthday.
Might Guy's birthday is on January 1st. If Mokgetsu didn't hurry, they might only get back on January 1st, and the preparations would be rushed.
"Ugh, finally back. Constantly traveling is so boring," Obito complained as he stretched.
For him, constant traveling was like continuous running exercise.
"Kakashi, want to race running backwards?" Might Guy, still full of energy, grinned and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up as an invite.
"I'll pass, I'm a bit tired," Kakashi declined bluntly, a hint of fatigue flashing in his eyes.
It wasn't that the journey was exhausting, but rather a mental fatigue. Ever since that intense battle, Kakashi had been thinking a lot.
Was Mokgetsu an excellent ninja? It seemed so. Powers aside, just from the Third Hokage's attitude, you could tell. Mokgetsu said he trusted the students' strength, and the Third had given them C-Class mission authority.
Mokgetsu had mentioned his idol was the White Fang, his father, Hatake Sakumo.
Judging from Mokgetsu's actions, their beliefs were similar, both valuing comrades highly.
But if a comrade's life truly outweighed the mission, why was his father so criticized for saving a comrade back then? Even those saved stood up to criticize him.
For a moment, Kakashi genuinely didn't understand who was wrong—his father, the village, or someone else...
If his father was wrong, why would an excellent ninja like Mokgetsu admire him? If his father was right, why did he end up with such results?
"Kakashi, you're just not up to it. You're tired already? I could still run a hundred laps around Konoha!" Obito said boastfully.
"No wonder back then you..."
Hearing Obito bring up that night's battle again, Kakashi couldn't hold it anymore. That night, he had only been controlled by Troy for about ten minutes, but he felt Obito could keep talking about it for weeks.
"A hundred laps, huh? Let's run. Whoever loses shuts up for a day!" Kakashi said with a dark face.
Obito didn't expect Kakashi to agree. He thought he'd just mouth off since Kakashi hadn't accepted Might Guy's invitation. The journey had been tiring, and Konoha wasn't small. Even just around the main city's edge was a long way.
"Fine, bring it on, who's afraid?" Obito replied bracingly, his heart trembling but his words firm against Kakashi.
"Could we run upside-down?" Might Guy scratched his head, feeling somewhat regretful.
Mokgetsu looked at his hardworking disciples, beamed with satisfaction, and then turned and walked towards the Hokage Building.
Upon reaching the Hokage Building, Mokgetsu didn't head to the mission hall but directly to the Hokage Office.
"Come in," Sarutobi Hiruzen said after hearing the knock.
As the door opened, Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced up and then, with a smile, asked:
"It's Mokgetsu, is there something you need?"
"Lord Third, our team took a mission a few days ago to escort someone to the Land of Rice Fields. After entering, we encountered several ninjas dressed like Hidden Rock Ninjas..."
Mokgetsu reported the unexpected incidents during this mission to the Third.
However, he withheld some battle details, like the Magnet Release ninja, and the ninjutsu he released.
In Mokgetsu's account, the enemy was a Jonin and seven Chunin, and Mokgetsu and his team struggled to protect the client and achieve victory.
"Before I killed those ninjas, they were still taunting about the Hidden Rock seeking revenge, yet most of them wielded Lightning Release, which is suspicious," Mokgetsu said.
"Hidden Rock Ninjas using Lightning Release..." Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered.
It indeed seemed like the Hidden Cloud trying to escalate a conflict between the Hidden Rock and Konoha, but Sarutobi Hiruzen considered another layer—perhaps it was the Hidden Rock disguised as Hidden Cloud, intending to provoke a war between Konoha and Hidden Cloud.
It's possible, though few in the Hidden Rock know Lightning Release—it's not zero.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly dismissed this thought; even if the enemy wanted to mislead with such tactics, they wouldn't send such a squad to fight Mokgetsu's team.
After all, an ordinary four-ninja team facing one Jonin and seven Chunin is mostly a losing battle.
"These are the bodies of those ninjas, but due to the critical nature of the battle, two bodies were burned beyond recognition by my Fire Release," Mokgetsu said.
For the living, Konoha could directly examine memories using the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique, and well-preserved dead bodies could be studied by professionals for information, such as training background or regular cultivation habits.
Knowing this, Mokgetsu deliberately made sure Troy's body was beyond study by further damage, preventing any information extraction.
"It's fine, as long as there are well-preserved bodies, we can determine which ninja village they belong to," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, understanding the situation—after all, life-and-death battles don't accommodate preserving enemy corpses intact.
"If this matter is as you speculate, Mokgetsu, you've indeed done greatly, uncovering the Hidden Cloud's plot," Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled satisfactorily.
His expectation was just for Mokgetsu to guide Kakashi onto a more normal path; unexpectedly, Mokgetsu handed him a pleasant surprise.
While this might not lead to peace talks or alliance between Konoha and The Hidden Rock Village to fight The Hidden Cloud Village, it could at least prevent alliances between The Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud.
"Given you encountered so many ninjas, it's inappropriate to remain a C-Class Mission," the Third said, pulling out a form to quickly write some words and then stamp it.
"I've changed this task to an A-Class Mission. Beyond the original seventy thousand ryō, the village will give an additional seven hundred and thirty thousand ryō as the mission reward," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, handing the completed form to Mokgetsu.
An A-Class Mission ranges from one hundred and fifty thousand to one million ryō. Eight hundred thousand ryō marks a top-tier mission.
"Thank you, Lord Third," Mokgetsu said with a smile of gratitude.
"As previously mentioned, the Fuinjutsu scroll was placed with Minato; when sent, you were on a mission and Minato happened to see it, so he kept it for you," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded.
Again, gratitude painted Mokgetsu's face.
"Indeed, the harder the mission, the greater the reward." Leaving the Hokage Building, Mokgetsu thought as he looked at the reward information on the system.