"Welco ho, our great heroes."
Outside the gates of Konohagakure, Tsunade stood at the forefront, smiling as she led the applause.
"Welco, welco."
Kawakaze, Orochimaru, and the others chid in, though their enthusiasm felt sowhat perfunctory.
"I don't deserve such praise, we were simply fulfilling our duty to the village."
Fugaku's words were smooth and diplomatic—years of serving as the Uchiha clan head had made such responses second nature.
Duy, however, had no interest in such formalities. Especially since their returning party was small.
Most Konoha shinobi were still stationed in the Land of Earth, leaving only five of them—including Fugaku—who had returned.
The three Konoha ninjas behind them stood at attention, their faces brimming with excitent.
After all, having the Hokage and the village elders personally welco them was a rare honor.
But Duy couldn't care less about any of that.
"Enough with the pleasantries—soone promised to buy a drink."
His gaze swept across the group, starting with Kawakaze, as he ntally tallied the number of free drinks awaiting him.
"Look at you, so eager."
"Co to my place tonight. Drink as much as you want."
Sakumo stepped forward and pulled Duy into a hug. Their friendship was as strong as ever.
"Sounds good, big brother Sakumo!"
Duy grinned from ear to ear, his excitent evident.
"You've all worked hard."
Tsunade barely spared Duy and Sakumo a glance.
Even though only a handful of them had returned, it was still necessary to exchange a few polite words.
She couldn't afford to be as informal as those two—not when she was the Hokage.
"...No—"
Fugaku had barely spoken when Orochimaru suddenly stepped forward impatiently.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
Kawakaze's attention imdiately shifted at the ntion of it.
anwhile, Tsunade, who had just been shoved aside, could only force a smile.
What was she supposed to do with these people?
It was only now that she realized why Orochimaru had taken the ti to co despite his busy schedule—he had an ulterior motive all along.
She had even felt a brief mont of satisfaction earlier, thinking he had shown up out of respect for her.
Now it was clear—her pride ant absolutely nothing.
The welcoming ceremony was officially derailed.
"Don't worry, I brought it back."
Fugaku shot Tsunade an apologetic smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to play along, but with soone constantly interrupting, he had no choice.
As he spoke, he gestured behind him, and a Uchiha shinobi stepped forward, pulling out a sealing scroll.
"An arm. Should be enough for your research."
Taking the scroll, Fugaku personally handed it to Orochimaru.
"More than enough."
"I'll head back first. I'll find you later for a drink."
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils glowed with excitent as he secured the scroll, then turned and disappeared into the village without another word.
Fugaku didn't even need to think twice—Orochimaru's promise of drinks was pure courtesy.
If he even rembered to go ho that night, it would be a miracle, let alone eting for a drink.
Orochimaru's tailed beast cell fusion experint had stalled due to a lack of viable materials, driving him to near madness.
Had he not been so bogged down with responsibilities, he might have gone to collect samples himself.
Right now, any piece of tailed beast flesh or blood was an invaluable treasure in his eyes.
As Orochimaru disappeared, Kawakaze was itching to follow.
Even though he knew he'd likely be dismissed as a nuisance, the curiosity was unbearable.
But out of respect for Tsunade, he remained still.
"That opportunist..."
"Forget it. Let's head inside."
With Orochimaru having disrupted the ceremony, Tsunade had no interest in continuing the formalities.
"After you."
Fugaku resisted the urge to laugh, making no effort to explain on Orochimaru's behalf.
He knew well enough—after all these years, Tsunade and Orochimaru's relationship didn't need his input.
"You don't have to be so formal."
"Let's walk together."
Tsunade always felt that Fugaku was overly reserved at tis.
But with the weight of an entire clan on his shoulders, she understood why.
"Regardless of rank, Lady Tsunade, you are my senior."
"It wouldn't be proper to walk side by side."
Fugaku's polite deflections were effortless—maintaining respect without offending.
"You really are sothing else."
Tsunade sighed, knowing that if she didn't move first, Fugaku wouldn't either. She stepped ahead, leading the way.
As Fugaku and Duy entered the village behind her, they were t with an unexpected sight.
The streets were adorned with lanterns and banners, and the air buzzed with excitent.
A deafening cheer erupted from the gathered villagers, celebrating their triumphant return.
This victory wasn't just a matter of pride—it was historic.
The long-standing grudge between Konoha and Iwagakure had been decisively settled.
The Land of Earth had been annexed, marking one of Konoha's greatest military achievents.
And as the reigning Hokage, Tsunade was now undoubtedly on her way to becoming one of the most legendary leaders in Konoha's history.
"Uchiha, Uchiha!"
"Might Duy, Might Duy!"
As the villagers chanted their nas, Fugaku and Duy could barely contain their emotions.
For the Uchiha, this kind of recognition had never existed since the village's founding.
After the war in the Land of Earth, their reputation had soared to unprecedented heights.
Fugaku had not only avenged his uncle but also elevated the Uchiha Clan to a position beyond what their ancestors could have imagined.
If his uncle could see this mont, he would surely feel at peace.
Tears rolled down Fugaku's face, unstoppable.
For Duy, the emotions ran even deeper. If he had never t Kawakaze, he would likely still be an eternal Genin.
And, as expected, his way of crying was far less restrained than Fugaku's.
His sobs were loud and unfiltered, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Even from a distance, Guy and Kai cringed and instinctively took three steps back.
But the proud glimr in their eyes could not be hidden.
This was their father.
"Well? Satisfied?"
Tsunade crossed her arms and smirked, clearly proud of the mont.
She hadn't personally arranged all this, but without her approval, it wouldn't have happened.
Simply elevating the Uchiha's reputation had already shattered expectations.
Tadashi Hyūga, watching from the sidelines, was visibly envious. His clenched fists and intense gaze were proof enough.
But he understood one thing—he didn't have the strength to defeat Ōnoki.
Even if such an opportunity had been given to the Hyūga, he knew they couldn't have achieved what Fugaku had.
The Uchiha had truly cented themselves as Konoha's strongest clan.
"More than satisfied."
Fugaku nodded rapidly, hurriedly wiping his tears away.
At this mont, if Tsunade asked him to die for her, he might not even hesitate.
That was the power of true leadership.
Off to the side, Kawakaze wore a sly, fox-like grin.
Of course, he had played a role in this.
To say he had no personal motives would be a lie, but in the end, it didn't matter.
The Uchiha would now beco Konoha's strongest supporters—the sharpest blade in Tsunade's arsenal.
Whether future generations could wield it properly was no longer his concern.
"I'm so excited!"
"I'm running 5,000 laps around Konoha!"
Duy's mind worked differently from most people. Without hesitation, he wiped his face and took off.
Tsunade and the others stood frozen, dumbfounded.
Even the villagers looked on in disbelief, wondering if he had lost his mind.
5,000 laps alone was already ridiculous—but Duy was running upside down.
With his hands planted firmly on the ground, he sprinted forward at a speed faster than most people could run normally.
Sakumo let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead.
How had he ended up knowing soone this bizarre?
As Duy disappeared into the distance, two more figures soon followed—two young boys, also running on their hands.
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