Using Flying Thunder God to return home, Rorin naturally had no idea that Shimura Danzō was shouting furiously at the original location. Right now, he only hoped that after this incident, Shimura Danzō would realize he wasn't someone who could be easily manipulated, and that his life wouldn't be bothered by annoying pests anymore.
As expected, after witnessing Flying Thunder God firsthand, Shimura Danzō withdrew all the hidden watchers he had placed around Rorin.
Shimura Danzō understood that he might not be able to capture Rorin and recruit him into Root, but he would never forget the humiliation Rorin had caused him. One day, he would make Rorin pay the price.
On the other hand, after returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, Rorin's life became more regular. He occasionally went on missions, but since there weren't any particular ninjutsu he urgently wanted to train, he wasn't in a rush and instead began focusing on strengthening his body.
Due to the drastic changes his body had undergone over the past year, Rorin suspected it was because of absorbing natural energy, making him increasingly stronger. However, as his body grew more powerful, his previous training weights were no longer sufficient. So he went to Tenten's family again and asked them to forge a new set of weights.
This time, his goal was a total of 6,000 kg across his entire body. At first, it left Tenten completely stunned, and she struggled with finding suitable materials. After a full month of work, they finally produced the equipment.
A weighted vest weighing 3,000 kg, two red weighted bandages each weighing 750 kg, and two leg weights also weighing 750 kg each.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Tenten said,
"Rorin, this is already the limit of what our family can make for now. I hope you can use it for a while."
After putting on the weights, Rorin smiled.
"Don't worry, this set will definitely last me a long time. Thanks, Tenten."
Tenten waved her hand and took the money Rorin handed over, silently thinking: Looks like I need to speed up research on new materials. No matter what, the price Rorin offers is really tempting.
After saying goodbye to Tenten, Rorin headed home. On the way, he ran into a familiar face—Kakashi, who had just returned from a mission.
Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to see him, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"Long time no see, Rorin. Looks like you've changed quite a bit this past year. You're even taller than me now."
Rorin quickly stepped forward. "Long time no see, Kakashi-sensei."
Walking together, Rorin asked, "Kakashi-sensei, do you have any news about Guy-sensei? I haven't seen him since I got back."
Kakashi tilted his head and replied, "Him? A while ago, he took those kids he's training out on a mission."
"I see," Rorin nodded, a little disappointed.
Kakashi compared their heights and teased,
"Looks like you're even taller than Guy now. I bet he'll be surprised when he sees you. How did you grow so much? It's only been a year."
Rorin scratched his nose.
"I don't really know. I just kept training, and suddenly I grew."
Kakashi waved his hand, pulled out a small book from behind him, and said goodbye before leaving. Watching him go, Rorin sighed,
"Kakashi-sensei really loves studying."
A few days later, Might Guy and his Team Three returned to the village. Rorin went to visit him, and the two had a great conversation. During their talk, he learned that Rock Lee had performed exceptionally well on this mission because he had successfully improved the Leaf Dragon God taijutsu, which played a key role.
"Really? So Rock Lee improved the Leaf Dragon God too? I'd love to spar with him sometime and see whose version is stronger."
Rorin was full of fighting spirit.
Might Guy's eyes lit up. "Oh? You learned the Leaf Dragon God as well?"
Rorin nodded. "Yeah, I learned it together with Rock Lee."
Might Guy suddenly clapped his hands.
"Then what are we waiting for? I'll call him over right now so you two can spar. This is youth!"
He immediately fell into his usual state of self-exaltation.
Rorin didn't refuse and agreed to his suggestion.
Fifteen minutes later, Rock Lee appeared before them.
"Yo, Rorin! Long time no see!"
After exchanging greetings, Rorin explained Guy's proposal. Rock Lee was just as eager to fight. Since both had learned the Leaf Dragon God, he also wanted to see whose understanding was superior. The two hit it off immediately and headed to the training ground.
An hour later, their sparring ended.
On the training field, Rock Lee clutched his right shoulder with one hand. A clear wound was visible, and his eyes were filled with shock.
Meanwhile, Rorin stood completely unharmed. He stepped forward to check Rock Lee's injury and apologized,
"Sorry, Rock Lee. I already held back as much as I could, but I still ended up hurting you."
Rock Lee forced a bitter smile. He hadn't expected that Rorin had been holding back. After all, he himself had gone all out. Thinking back to that attack, he still felt lingering fear.
Might Guy, who had been watching, stepped forward. After observing Rorin for a moment, he smiled.
"I didn't expect that after just one year, you've become so much stronger. This is your youth. I can imagine how much hard training you must have gone through this past year."
Rorin scratched his head and said softly, "Not really. I still have a long way to go."
Might Guy nodded approvingly, not becoming arrogant in victory. Then he looked at Rock Lee, who had already gotten up excitedly, ignoring his injury, and walked up to Rorin to ask about his training methods.
Might Guy kept smiling, placing a hand on both their shoulders.
"Come on, today your sensei is treating you. Let's go eat."
"Tsk, be gentle, Guy-sensei. My shoulder still hurts," Rock Lee complained.
"Sorry, hahaha!" Might Guy laughed loudly.
After that, the three of them headed to the Hidden Leaf Village Hospital for treatment. As they walked, Rorin couldn't help but mutter inwardly: Why does this feel kind of familiar?
At the hospital, the one responsible for treating Rock Lee was Haruno Sakura. Now, she had already become a medical ninja capable of handling things on her own.
Seeing Rorin, Sakura paused for a moment, then tilted her head and asked,
"Are you… Rorin?"
Rorin nodded. "Yeah. Long time no see, Sakura."
Seeing Rorin after a year, Sakura couldn't help but think of someone who had left the Hidden Leaf Village nearly three years ago. She gazed at the sky for a moment and muttered,
"Yeah… come to think of it, that guy should be coming back soon too."
There wasn't much conversation. Rorin pushed the injured Rock Lee forward and let Sakura handle the treatment.
Rock Lee's injuries weren't serious—just a dislocated shoulder and some soft tissue damage. Rorin had been telling the truth; he had indeed held back, suppressing about seventy percent of his strength.
After the treatment, Might Guy cheerfully took the two of them out for a big meal.
Time flew by.
One day, at the entrance of the Hidden Leaf Village, a single leaf slowly drifted down, everything calm and peaceful. Then, the sound of footsteps approached—two figures arriving.