After taking just a few glances to confirm the general situation, Minato's squad, Hagoromo, and Sara left the scene of the incident.
Although there was the excuse of the Hidden Sand ninjas appearing, leaving so hastily was undeniably lacking in rigor from any perspective.
Of course, the matter wouldn't just end there. Konoha would definitely continue subsequent investigations into Roran, but the ninjas executing those missions wouldn't be Minato, Hagoromo, or anyone from this group.
After the group flew back to the Land of Fire, Minato's squad and Hagoromo split up. The squad headed directly back to Konoha to deliver a detailed mission report, while Hagoromo had one final, crucial task—escorting Queen Sara... ahem, Mayor Sara, to her new home.
When comparing the land and resources of the Great Nations, the Land of Fire is the absolute best. This is one of the reasons why the other nations constantly gang up on it. In terms of sheer economic power, the Land of Fire is the undisputed Number One.
With fertile land and a sparse population relative to its size, resettling a few tens of thousands of people in it was no difficult task.
However, due to certain considerations or concerns, the former citizens of Roran were resettled in an area relatively close to the Land of Rivers. This wasn't the central or core region of the Land of Fire, and there were no other towns nearby.
Call it relatively independent or rather isolated; regardless, a sense of separation existed.
But in reality, the people were incredibly satisfied with this arrangement. They actually preferred that the people of the Land of Fire leave them alone.
Although their environment had changed, their actual situation hadn't shifted much. They were still living together as one. Moreover, their new surroundings were vastly superior to the endless desert of where they lived before; the land was far more fertile, making life much easier and more stable. What did they have to complain about?
"Well then, Sara, goodbye. I have a feeling we'll have the chance to meet again in the future, but by then, the world should hopefully be at peace."
Upon reaching their destination, Hagoromo set Sara down and smiled at her.
"For me, the peace of my people is world peace. Furthermore, I don't see any necessity in us meeting again."
Sara responded with a blank expression. Blank... mainly because she genuinely didn't know what kind of expression to use when facing him.
Besides, she had only known this guy for a few days, and they had definitely exchanged less than twenty sentences. Why was he saying goodbye with the tone of an old friend?
Her understanding of Hagoromo was limited to his name and the fact that he was a Konoha ninja. Beyond that, she knew practically nothing.
Whenever she faced Him, her emotions were highly complex. After all, this was the guy who suggested the idea of blowing up her hometown.
She certainly didn't hate him; she was perfectly capable of distinguishing right from wrong.
But feeling grateful? Logically, she should, but emotionally, she just couldn't accept it.
If it were the hero from her dreams, how would he treat this person?
Sara couldn't find an answer.
Seeing her expression, Hagoromo offered a faint smile. He completely understood how she felt. Her hometown had just been destroyed, and she had been thrust into a completely alien environment.
Sometimes, rather than interacting with ninjas, Hagoromo much preferred spending time with ordinary people.
But...
"Anyway, take good care of yourself and your people."
After dropping that line, He turned and walked away. For him, the Rouran incident was officially concluded. The objective of preventing certain people from exploiting the Dragon Vein had been achieved.
Even after walking quite a distance, he could still hear the joyful, overlapping shouts of The Queen has returned!
Roran was still Roran. Perhaps from now on, they would live a peaceful life... Although it was a life worth envying, it ultimately didn't belong to Hagoromo.
...
Minato took full responsibility for the mission report. After returning to Konoha, Hagoromo wasn't assigned any new missions immediately, so he got to enjoy the relaxing life of a ninja on leave.
But he also understood that this was just the calm before the storm. When the fighting broke out again, it would basically be the final battle of the Third Great Ninja War.
Any battle prefaced with the word final was guaranteed to be incredibly brutal.
Therefore, Hagoromo also needed to make preparations. Following Water Style, he was proceeding with his training for his next chakra nature. Although he was still a long way from success, having the experience of learning a new nature once already meant his progress was relatively on track.
Occasionally, he would go listen to Kushina's teachings. Because Minato had been able to stay in the village recently, his teacher had been in a consistently good mood.
Then, one day, Hagoromo bumped into his old buddy, Obito Uchiha, at one of the training grounds.
If Minato was in the village, Obito and the rest of the squad obviously were too. They weren't qualified to execute independent missions yet.
Although Hagoromo and Obito had been part of a trio back in the Academy, since graduation, he had actually spent less time with Obito than with Kakashi.
The reason was the disparity in their ninja ranks. Hagoromo was technically a Chunin but was frequently utilized as a Jonin, whereas Obito was just a regular genin.
Hagoromo still occasionally went on joint missions with Kakashi, but that never happened with Obito.
"If it isn't the elite ninja of the Uchiha clan, Obito Uchiha? Since when did you become so diligent?"
Hagoromo was clearly joking, especially when he emphasized the word elite.
Obito, who had been busy practicing Fire Style, clearly thought he was being mocked. He whipped his head around with an angry glare.
But his expression instantly shifted when he saw who it was. "What, it's just Hagoromo."
Ignoring his tone, Hagoromo began looking around.
"Hey, what are you looking for?"
"Rin, obviously. If she's not here, who are you showing off for?"
Hagoromo's logic was flawless and incredibly potent.
"It has nothing to do with Rin! I'm preparing for the upcoming Chunin Exams, okay?"
Obito grumbled in frustration. He clearly did wish Rin was there; if she were, he would definitely be training even harder.
"There's another Chunin Exam? How did I not notice?" Hagoromo genuinely had no idea.
"You can only act arrogant for now! Do you think passing the exam two years before me makes you amazing?" Obito retorted, clearly annoyed.
Hagoromo didn't say anything, silently expressing his apologies. I'm sorry, but I've never actually participated in an exam like that. I've always been directly promoted. ...Wait, no. I did participate in a Chunin Exam once. Just not as a candidate, but as a proctor.
"Once I pass this exam, I'll be the same rank as you and Kakashi," Obito emphasized, seeing no reaction from Hagoromo.
Hagoromo still didn't speak, once again expressing his silent apologies.Even if you become a Chunin, you still won't be the same rank as me.
"Well then... train hard for the Chunin Exams. I'm heading out."
Hagoromo felt a little guilty. Obito kept setting up these psychological victories for himself, and it was almost embarrassing to watch.
Obito waved his hand dismissively, motioning for Hagoromo to leave quickly, acting as if he really had been disturbed.
Hagoromo took a few steps, then, as if suddenly remembering something, stopped and turned back. "Obito, the war has reached its final stage. Be careful. Absolutely do not die out there."
His tone was completely serious... But regarding unknown future events, this was the absolute most Hagoromo could do. There were certain things he simply didn't know when or how they happened.
So he could only offer a warning. After all, everyone had their own experiences, their own fate. There were many things happening to others that Hagoromo was simply powerless to change.
Perhaps in the original plot, Obito was supposed to die right around this time?
"Huh? Are you stupid? I'm not going to die until I become Hokage and make Kakashi bow his head to me," Obito declared. Although he found Hagoromo's words a bit baffling, he clearly didn't take the warning to heart.
"Then work hard. I look forward to the day you become Hokage," Hagoromo said.
An Uchiha Hokage? Heh. Heh. Heh.
"Just watch me!"
Idiots are always brimming with confidence.
...
Afterwards, although the fighting hadn't resumed yet, Hagoromo's next assignment had already come down.
"Orochimaru-sama highly appreciates me? And because the pressure on the Cloud front has drastically decreased, I'm being reassigned to the Hidden Mist front?!"
Hagoromo pinched the order scroll, wanting to cry but lacking tears. He didn't care about the Cloud or the Mist fronts; he only knew that a publication titled Uncle Snake's Hagoromo Observation Diary was probably about to hit the presses.
Why are my eyes constantly filled with tears? Because my love for scientific research is just so profound.
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