The next day,
the armies of the two major ninja villages had yet to reach the Land of Earth border.
However, the squad escorting the Tailed Beast hosts had already arrived in Konoha.
Learning about the Cloud Village's combat strength,
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo arrived early at the village gates with a large contingent.
After all, the battlefield intelligence had already been transmitted back by their clan ninja.
Thinking of their grandson demonstrating his immense power and single-handedly ending the war,
Hiruzen's face was filled with smiles.
Beside him, Danzo looked immensely proud,
as if he himself had concluded the war.
Not only had the war been won,
but the two Tailed Beast hosts from the Cloud Village were captured as well.
This was the perfect opportunity to really squeeze the Cloud Village for a hefty ransom.
The thought of it made both Hiruzen and Danzo excited.
After the Fourth Raikage had sacrificed himself sealing the Nine-Tails years earlier,
Konoha had entered a period of vulnerability,
where anyone could take advantage.
The Cloud Village had frequently popped up causing trouble,
stealing Konoha's resources,
and then demanding compensation in return.
Finally, this was their chance.
As Itachi Uchiha led his squad to return the Tailed Beast hosts,
Hiruzen signaled, and the gates erupted with applause.
Villagers who had come to watch cheered as well:
"Welcome home, heroes!!!"
"Amazing!!!"
"Konoha is truly the strongest!"
"Thank you for your hard work!!!"
For a while,
cheers and applause echoed everywhere.
Some children even brought flower garlands,
placing them around Itachi and his team's necks one by one.
Seeing this,
Itachi, who had been lost in thought the whole way, suddenly felt clarity wash over him.
This was what he had always sought:
seeing the happy smiles of the villagers before him,
he understood what he must do next—
he had to maintain the bond between the village and the Uchiha clan.
Now that both sides were showing signs of reconciliation,
he could not allow anyone to destroy it.
Thinking this,
Itachi realized the most important thing right now was Sarutobi Hakuto Sarutobi.
He had to ensure Sarutobi Hakuto's safety.
This was the future of the Uchiha clan.
After passing through the crowd,
Itachi brought his squad before Hiruzen and Danzo,
handing over the two Tailed Beast hosts to the Anbu.
Seeing Chōrabi and the two Yugitos,
Hiruzen could not hide his satisfaction.
He patted Itachi on the shoulder with a smile:
"Itachi, you did very well!"
"You haven't disappointed us~"
"The Will of Fire continues to live on in you!"
Hearing this,
the usually cold Itachi was almost moved to tears.
What did this prove?
It proved that his efforts had earned the Hokage's recognition.
Facing the trust of the Hokage,
and thinking of the future of the Uchiha clan,
Itachi hurriedly said,
"Hokage-sama! The mission is complete. I will immediately lead my team to the Land of Earth border!"
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto has already led the main army there~"
"We must hurry to protect him!"
Hiruzen's satisfaction grew,
but he did not immediately agree.
After all, political strategy required both reward and restraint.
The team had painstakingly returned from the battlefield with the prisoners,
and sending them back immediately would be unreasonable.
"Hahaha, no need to rush~"
"You just returned. Shouldn't you first see your mother and younger brother?"
"A hero returns, yet you leave without seeing your family?"
Itachi had nothing to say to this.
After bidding farewell to the high-ranking officials,
he headed toward the Uchiha compound.
Soon, the crowd at the gates dispersed.
As for the two Tailed Beast hosts from the Cloud Village,
Hiruzen and Danzo's eyes fell on the two Yugitos.
They exchanged satisfied glances.
"Alright, take her to Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto's residence and take good care of her~"
With that, they prepared to leave.
One of the Anbu spoke up:
"And what about this Hokage-sama?"
Seeing him point at Chōrabi,
Danzo answered curtly before Hiruzen could speak:
"Do we really need to discuss this?"
"Take him to Konoha prison. As long as he survives, that's enough!"
Seeing Danzo's impatience,
the Anbu hurriedly carried Chōrabi off to Konoha prison.
The Yugitos, meanwhile, were carefully escorted to Sarutobi Hakuto Sarutobi's home.
This enraged Chōrabi,
but with her mouth gagged, she could only fume silently.
The Uchiha compound,
already notorious in reputation,
had now completely reversed its tone thanks to this expedition.
The compound was filled with laughter,
and it felt much warmer and more harmonious.
Walking home, Itachi felt much more relaxed.
However, upon arriving,
he immediately heard Sasuke training and cursing:
"Damn Sarutobi Hakuto! What's so great about a mere Hokage's grandson!"
"Running onto the battlefield, making me risk my life to protect you, you idiot!"
"Impossible!!! When I'm back, I'll teach you a few real jutsu!"
"I'll humiliate you properly then!"
Training furiously,
Sasuke hurled kunai into the target dummy's head one after another.
Even so, it wasn't enough to satisfy him.
He quickly formed hand seals for a fire jutsu:
"Fire Style…"
Snap!
Before he could release it,
Itachi appeared before him, his expression cold,
and a sharp slap marked Sasuke's cheek.
Seeing Itachi return,
Sasuke was completely bewildered.
His always-gentle brother had suddenly struck him.
Do you know the psychological trauma a slap like this can cause a child?
Feeling the burning pain on his face,
Sasuke froze, holding his cheek.
"Brother… why did you hit me?"
"Brother… why did you hit me?"
Seeing his once-gentle brother standing before him like a frozen statue,
Sasuke was terrified.
The slap made him stumble backward.
"What were you just saying?"
"Do you realize that the Uchiha clan's peaceful coexistence with Konoha is entirely thanks to Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto?"
"Who gave you the right to be disrespectful to him?!"
Itachi's stern scolding
made Sasuke fall to the ground in shock,
still retreating as he did so.
At that moment,
the gentle Itachi he knew seemed to have disappeared,
and this new Itachi before him felt completely unfamiliar.
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