"Whew… those guys are finally gone."
After watching the Sunagakure troops leave Wildfire City, Obito let out a long breath.
"Now we can finally relax a little."
Yuu said nothing. He only glanced at the large chests of money Sunagakure had left behind.
Only after the last Suna ninja disappeared through Wildfire City's gate did the atmosphere in the square truly relax. Some Konoha ninja began whispering among themselves and exchanging their thoughts. Jiraiya glanced at Orochimaru beside him and said,
"Hey, Orochimaru, I'll leave the follow-up defenses and calming the civilians to you."
"…And what about you?" Orochimaru frowned.
"The old man sent word that the northeastern front has been getting intense lately. Kumogakure has not only sent the next-generation A to command, but also deployed a jinchūriki. With Minato alone, it may be difficult to handle. I need to take people over to support him as soon as possible and prevent anything unexpected."
Jiraiya said.
The speaker had no particular intention, but the listener took note.
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Yuu's heart stirred.
If he remembered correctly, Namikaze Minato and the A-B brothers seemed to have had a brief clash once, and the result was basically a draw. If they had continued fighting, there was a good chance both sides would have suffered heavy losses…
Could it be during this period?
Speaking of which, there was actually something very strange here.
The earliest jinchūriki in the ninja world was the old monk Bunpuku of Sunagakure.
The second jinchūriki was Konoha's Uzumaki Mito.
And yet Konoha and Sunagakure were the two villages with the slowest progress in developing jinchūriki.
The fastest in this area was Kumogakure. Not only had they long ago developed a stable method of producing "perfect jinchūriki," but the treatment of their jinchūriki was also considered the best among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Although Iwagakure and Kirigakure were not as fast, they had both weaponized their jinchūriki during the Third Ninja World War.
Konoha, on the other hand, still had not developed a method for creating a "perfect jinchūriki" even one or two decades later, when the Fourth Ninja World War began. In the end, they even had to ask Killer B for guidance, and Naruto only succeeded with Kushina's chakra helping him.
That was rather backward.
Yuu did not dare ask about this carelessly.
He could only make a reasonable guess that the key technology that pushed forward the emergence of "perfect jinchūriki" might have appeared among the Uzumaki clan after Kushina came to Konoha. Because of that, several major ninja villages led by Kumogakure coveted it, joined forces to destroy Uzushiogakure, and obtained the relevant information.
Although Konoha had two Uzumaki jinchūriki, because it failed to rescue Uzushiogakure in time, it missed the chance for a technological leap. On top of that, Minato and Kushina died early, causing Konoha's development of jinchūriki to completely stall.
If that was really the case, then Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, who watched the Uzumaki clan be destroyed, definitely had some blame to bear.
However…
this had little to do with Yuu.
After all, his surname was not Uzumaki. There was no need for him to avenge them. Even if he wanted to learn sealing techniques, Tsunade, Kushina, and Namikaze Minato were enough for now. If he had spare energy in the future, or triggered some special event, it would not be too late to search for the Uzumaki clan's legacy then.
"Lord Jiraiya, about the northeastern battlefield… are we going too?"
Yuu asked tentatively.
"Yes."
Jiraiya nodded.
"You're Minato's student. If your teacher runs into trouble, you should at least go take a look, right?"
"But…"
"No buts. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to go immediately. That would be too heartless."
Before Yuu could finish, Jiraiya smiled.
"You've all stayed on the southwestern battlefield for quite some time, living rough in the field. Go back to the village first, see your family and friends, rest, adjust your mindset, and then set out for the battlefield again."
"Perfect timing. Use this chance to escort the newly injured back, and prepare supplies in the village as well, especially medical supplies, ninja tools, explosive tags… Once everything is ready, head to the Kumogakure battlefield and meet up with us. The fighting there will probably be the real hard bone to chew."
"Alright."
Yuu nodded.
Obito, Asuma, and the others also brightened.
No matter what, they were still children in their early teens. For Asuma and the others, this was even their first time on a battlefield. After fighting Sunagakure for several months, they had to go back and recover. Otherwise, over time, they might develop all kinds of PTSD, affecting their future battles and growth.
In terms of humanitarian care, Konoha might not be the best, but it was definitely much better than the "Village of the Bloody Mist." Besides, in the ninja world's general environment where ninja were often not treated as people, one could not demand too much.
…
Several days after Sunagakure's troops fully withdrew,
the Konoha ninja around Wildfire City also began packing up.
Before the Battle of Mount Kikyo broke out, Konoha's peak deployment along the southwestern border had been around three thousand people, close to one-third of Konoha's standing forces.
Now that the war had ended, about half of these people would be withdrawn in batches. Some would return to Konoha to rest and recover, while others would follow Jiraiya to the Kumogakure battlefield and continue contributing to Konoha. The other half would remain behind to guard the border.
Yuu and the others belonged to the former group.
Nohara Hiroshi belonged to the latter.
"Rin, Yuu, I'll stay here."
"Although Konoha and Sunagakure have stopped fighting, the border still needs people to guard it. I'll return to the village to see you next New Year."
Nohara Hiroshi rubbed his daughter's hair, then patted Yuu on the shoulder and smiled.
"Uncle Hiroshi, please take care of yourself too."
Yuu nodded, not surprised by this arrangement.
In the original timeline, it was hard to say how long Nohara Hiroshi lived. After all, he was only a nameless minor character in the original story.
But now,
because of Yuu's intervention, Nohara Hiroshi's injuries had healed very quickly. Although this was a good thing, it also brought a risk: a healthy, fully capable veteran chūnin would definitely continue bearing wartime duties until the war ended or he completely lost the ability to fight.
Under these circumstances, Nohara Hiroshi choosing to stay in Wildfire City could not be called one hundred percent safe, but it was still better than heading to the Kumogakure battlefield, or later to the Iwagakure and Kirigakure fronts. As long as Sunagakure did not undergo some major upheaval, the intensity of conflict here would at most be daily minor friction.
Rin also knew this, but her eyes still reddened slightly. She hugged her father, reluctant to part.
"Dad, you have to eat on time here and stay safe."
"Don't worry, girl. I still want to live another thirty years and watch you get married and have children."
Nohara Hiroshi grinned, then looked at Yuu with a hint of entrusting something to him.
"Yuu, I'll leave Rin to you. After you return to the village, greet your parents for me. Tell them everything is fine here and not to worry."
"I'll definitely tell them."
Yuu solemnly agreed.
After saying goodbye to Nohara Hiroshi, Yuu's group officially set out.
Jiraiya traveled with them for a while. When they reached the interior of the Land of Fire, in a primeval forest still several hundred kilometers away from Konoha, they parted ways.
"Kids, this is where we split up."
Jiraiya patted Yuu's shoulder, then looked at Kakashi, Obito, and the others.
"Konoha isn't far from here. Little Yuu, you'll be responsible for leading everyone through the rest of the journey. I need to take some people ahead to support the Kumogakure front."
"Alright."
Yuu nodded.
"Lord Jiraiya, please be careful. Please greet Teacher Minato for us."
Jiraiya laughed loudly and waved confidently.
"Don't worry. I'm the mighty Toad Sage, after all! You're bringing wounded and civilians, so be careful on the road. Rest well after returning to the village. Maybe we'll meet again soon on the Kumogakure front."
After a simple farewell,
Jiraiya led around three hundred elite ninja, most of them experienced chūnin, and disappeared along the road heading north.
Yuu, meanwhile, continued toward Konoha with the remaining hundred or so elderly, weak, sick, and wounded, as well as the civilians rescued from around Mount Kikyo who hoped to seek protection in Konoha. Yakushi Kabuto was among them.
Although the marching speed slowed greatly to accommodate the wounded and civilians,
the journey was peaceful and uneventful.
When the familiar gates of Konoha appeared in their vision, many ninja showed relieved smiles. Their tense nerves finally relaxed, and they began chatting and laughing with their companions.
Yuu handed the task of settling the wounded to Jaji and Inuzuka Tsume, who had returned with them. Then he brought Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Asuma, and the others to the Hokage Building to report.
Fifteen minutes later,
inside the Hokage's office,
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind the broad desk with a pipe in his mouth, showing Yuu's group a gentle smile. Beside him sat the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. The former was expressionless and ignored everyone, while the latter nodded slightly in greeting.
"You have all worked hard."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was kindly.
"I have already seen what you accomplished during this period through Jiraiya and Orochimaru's battle reports. The war on the southwestern border was able to end so smoothly because every one of you contributed."
"Especially you, Yuu. Defeating Chiyo, capturing Rasa alive, and directly establishing Konoha's victory on the southwestern battlefield—your achievements are truly dazzling. As expected of Konoha's 'White Reaper.'"
"…Lord Hokage praises me too much. Repelling Sunagakure was the result of all our comrades fighting together on the southwestern border. I merely did what I was supposed to do."
Yuu bowed slightly, his tone modest.
This attitude greatly satisfied Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He smiled and said a few more words like "No need to be overly humble," then turned his gaze toward Kakashi, Obito, and the others, praising them one by one. The young ones had never experienced such a scene before, and each became excited, their cheeks flushed red.
Mm, there was one who remained relatively calm.
Kakashi.
After all, the achievements his father, Hatake Sakumo, had made back then far surpassed theirs now. Even Yuu could not compare. Yet in the end, Sakumo had still been driven to commit suicide. So Kakashi had long since become indifferent to these so-called honors and rewards, even finding them somewhat laughable.
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Hokage. We are truly unworthy and do not dare accept too much credit."
"…Heh."
Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Kakashi's expression, but did not say much. He only tapped his pipe.
"Merit must be rewarded. Kakashi, Obito, Rin… each of you may choose one C-rank to B-rank ninjutsu from the village's ninjutsu scroll archive, or a ninja tool of equivalent value, as your reward.
"As for the specific choice, decide for yourselves and report it to the ninja tools team or scroll administrator afterward."
"Yeah!"
Obito immediately showed an excited expression, raising both hands and dancing around in the office.
"Long live Lord Hokage! Loyal! Ty!"
"…"
The corner of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched. Then he looked at Yuu, his tone becoming solemn.
"As for Yuu, your contribution is the greatest. As a special reward, I permit you to read the Scroll of Seals once. You may decide the time yourself. Once you've thought it over, you can come find me at any time."
As soon as these words came out, Obito and the others did not show much reaction, but Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were slightly moved.
The Scroll of Seals recorded forbidden techniques collected or developed by Konoha throughout the generations. Most of them were extremely powerful, but also very dangerous, and were rarely opened to ordinary ninja.
Back then, Namikaze Minato had received one such opportunity and learned Flying Thunder God from the Scroll of Seals, allowing him to rapidly grow into a top-tier jōnin and one of the Hokage candidates. Now Yuu had received the same honor…
The weight of this reward was definitely high.
Yuu's eyes also lit up.
Good.
Now he could try to obtain Reanimation Jutsu or Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. He wondered whether, with the help of the galgame system, he could "copy" more than one technique from the Scroll of Seals.
After that,
Sarutobi Hiruzen briefly mentioned the settlement of civilians, as well as preparations of personnel and supplies for later support on the Kumogakure battlefield. This would mainly be led by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. Yuu and the others only needed to give suggestions and wait for the results.
"…Alright. You have all worked hard for so long. Go back and rest properly for now. Take this time to see your family and friends. Once the village finishes preparations and needs you, you will be notified again."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Everyone saluted, then left the Hokage's office one after another.
As they walked out of the Hokage Building and bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight, Kurenai smiled and suggested,
"Right, Yuu, everyone, since we finally came back safely and even received rewards from Lord Hokage, how about we go to Yakiniku Q tonight to celebrate? What do you think?"
Asuma was the first to nod.
"Good idea! I agree!"
Obito immediately followed.
"Yakiniku! Great, great! I'm eating ten plates!"
"Idiot, can you even eat that much?"
Kakashi poured cold water on him from the side.
"None of your business! Kakashi, are you afraid you can't out-eat me? Why don't we compete then and see who can eat more?"
Obito rolled up his sleeves and glared.
"Heh. Boring."
"Aaaah, smug Kakashi! You're pissing me off!"
Obito heated up again, this time from anger.
"…"
Yuu ignored the conversation between this ill-fated pair. After looking up at the sun and estimating the time, he turned his gaze toward Rin.
"Rin, I'm planning to visit Teacher Tsunade. Do you want to come?"
Rin hesitated for a moment.
"Yuu-kun, you go first. I want to settle the wounded and civilians first, then go find you afterward. Lady Tsunade shouldn't mind, right?"
"Mm, that's fine. I'll go first and greet her for you."
Yuu nodded.
And so, everyone temporarily split up.
Rin went to settle Yakushi Kabuto and the others.
Obito, Asuma, and Kurenai went home separately to visit their grandmother, older brother, and father. Sarutobi Hiruzen's eldest son, Shinnosuke, should still be alive at this time, and theoretically should live for at least another five or six years, because Konohamaru would be born around then.
Obito had originally wanted to invite Kakashi to sit at his house for a while. After all, Kakashi was the only one left on his family register. At a time when everyone else was reuniting with family, he looked somewhat pitiful.
But Kakashi only glanced coldly at Obito, then walked straight toward the training ground, apparently planning to stretch his body.
Yuu went alone toward the Senju clan district.
….
Knock, knock, knock—!
"Teacher Tsunade, are you home?"
Inside the Senju clan district,
Yuu familiarly arrived in front of Tsunade's residence and knocked on the courtyard gate. But as the crisp knocking sound echoed through the alley, there was no response from inside.
"…Don't tell me she ran off to the casino to lose money again?"
To be fair, Tsunade was good in every other aspect. Only her gambling addiction was hard to judge.
Fortunately, as the number one medical ninja in the ninja world, her income was high enough, and her family foundation was solid enough. If she were an ordinary person, she would probably have gone bankrupt dozens of times already.
Mm… he estimated that his family's Raw Cola dividends had also provided Tsunade with quite a bit of gambling money. He had not seen Mikami Tajima and his wife since returning this time either, so he did not know how Raw Cola's sales were doing now.
Yuu knocked on Tsunade's door a few more times and listened carefully. After confirming that there really was no one inside, he planned to go home first and see his parents, then come back after dinner to try his luck.
But…
just as he turned around and prepared to leave, he heard the door of another small courtyard nearby open.
That was Uzumaki Kana's residence.
A tall figure with blonde hair and green clothes walked out from inside. It was Tsunade.
She seemed to have just finished chatting with Uzumaki Kana, and there was still a relaxed smile on her face. When she raised her head and her gaze happened to meet Yuu's as he was about to leave, she clearly froze for a moment.
"…Yuu?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
The surprise lasted only a few seconds.
The next moment, Yuu saw a bright, radiant smile bloom on her fair and delicate face. Tsunade stepped forward with her long legs and reached him in just a few strides. Carrying a fragrant breeze, she opened her arms before he could speak and pulled him directly into a firm hug.
"Good kid! You were gone for so long, and now you're finally back!"
Tsunade patted Yuu's back hard several times, producing muffled thumps, and said loudly,
"You did beautifully on the southwestern border! I heard those Sunagakure guys tremble now when they hear your name. They even call you the 'White Reaper,' right? Haha, that nickname is pretty domineering!"
"…It's just a little empty fame. How could it compare to your title as one of the Sannin, Teacher Tsunade? Besides, isn't this all because you taught me well?"
As he spoke,
Yuu felt himself wrapped in a warm, rich scent, mixed with a faint smell of alcohol and a unique floral fragrance.
More importantly, Tsunade's hug was extremely strong and close, pressing him firmly against her. Even through clothing, he could clearly feel the warmth and softness of her embrace.
Yuu's breathing quickened slightly.
This position made him notice even more of the mature, intoxicating scent coming from Tsunade.
However,
whether intentionally or not, Tsunade did not seem to notice these details at all. She continued holding him tightly, her arms as strong as iron hoops, leaving Yuu unable to break free even if he wanted to.
Then Tsunade freed one hand, reached over, and very unceremoniously pinched one side of his cheek.
"Tsk. You're so young, why are you being so modest and steady? Young people should act like young people. Be more spirited! More arrogant! After making such a huge contribution, you can stick your tail straight up into the sky if you want! Come on, smile for me."
As she spoke, Tsunade began kneading Yuu's cheeks like dough, pulling the corners of his tightly pressed lips upward.
During this process, Yuu's face was inevitably pressed even closer into the embrace. The overwhelming softness and rich fragrance left him unable to think for a moment, so he could only passively endure this affectionate treatment.
Beside them,
Uzumaki Kana also came out. She had originally wanted to greet Yuu, but stopped early and smiled while watching this scene.
"Lady Tsunade, Mikami-kun, you master and student really have a good relationship."
"…Of course."
Hearing this, Tsunade loosened her "torment" of Yuu's cheeks slightly, but still kept an arm around his shoulders and pulled him a little closer to her side, lifting her chin slightly.
"This brat is the most talented and capable student I've ever accepted! Although he's secondhand… he still makes me look good, so of course I have to take good care of him!"
"…Wait, what do you mean secondhand?"
Yuu glanced at Tsunade and frowned slightly.
"Well, your first teacher was Minato, after all. From that side, Jiraiya is technically your grand-teacher… But it doesn't matter. We'll each count things our own way."
As Tsunade said this, she ruffled Yuu's hair hard again. Her pale golden eyes shone with undisguised appreciation.
Fine.
Since she had already said it like that, Yuu could not really argue.
So he went along with Tsunade's words, quietly praised her a few more times, and then, at her request, briefly explained the major events that had happened on the front line during this period, especially the parts related to himself.