Konoha, I've Arrived

Living is a wonderful thing!

Being able to step on solid ground with one's own two legs is even more delightful, lessening some of the gloom from the destruction of my clan.

The port of the Land of Fire, a rather prosperous seaside town.

"Katsuki, don't push yourself. Don't leave any lingering issues." Kushina looked at Katsuki's legs with concern, contemplating whether to put her younger brother back in his wheelchair.

"Pah! Pah! Pah! May bad things not happen and good things come true." Katsuki spat twice, his face scrunched up. When would his sister's scatterbrained habit ever change? "Sis, what are you talking about? I feel perfectly fine right now. We're Uzumaki, after all."

Kushina chuckled dryly, also feeling that her previous words were inappropriate. Her eyes darted around, spotting novelties she'd never seen on the street before, and she immediately changed the subject.

Watching the siblings run around the street, Sakumo finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally back in the Land of Fire. The next step would be to deliver these two precious darlings back to the village, and the mission would be complete.

"Captain, are people from the Uzumaki Clan really this monstrous?" The voice of the team's only medical ninja, an Anbu wearing a fox mask, was filled with distress.

As a medical ninja, he had treated many injured ninjas, but he had never seen such terrifying regenerative abilities as Katsuki's. His legs were crushed, and yet, after only five days at sea, he was already jumping around as if nothing had happened.

He felt his worldview had been fatally impacted. He seriously doubted if this red-haired kid was even human. How could a normal person be so monstrous?

"Hmm! I'm not entirely sure, but it's likely true." Sakumo was also astonished by Katsuki's monstrous vitality. However, thinking that to be a Jinchuriki, capable of suppressing monsters like Tailed Beasts, perhaps only someone equally monstrous could do it. With that thought, he felt at ease.

Silence all the way.

Before sunset, the group arrived at Konohagakure. Sakumo, leading his subordinates, fully demonstrated what a human train was like. Their speed was incredible.

Shaking his dizzy head, Katsuki jumped off the back of an Anbu. Kushina was in a similar state. The siblings were "motion sick." The human train was fast enough, but its shock absorption was far too poor. It was a miracle they hadn't thrown up.

"Konoha is just ahead. Hold on a little longer. Once we're back in the village, you can rest properly." Sakumo encouraged the siblings in a gentle tone.

Katsuki frowned, enduring the nausea in his heart. He looked at the tall walls and gate ahead, which he had seen many times on screens. The guards in their green vests standing at attention at the entrance made his feelings incredibly complex. Living on the island of the Land of Whirlpools hadn't made it feel so real, but seeing this iconic sight now, a mix of emotions surged through him.

He had truly arrived in this world of blood and storms.

With Sakumo and his group of Hokage-direct subordinates clearing the way, the gate guards naturally wouldn't try to get in their way. They merely watched with curiosity as thirteen Anbu heroes escorted two children into the village, secretly wondering about their origins.

Passing through the bustling streets, the dense, surging crowd made Kushina very uncomfortable. She tightly held Katsuki's hand, afraid of getting separated.

Katsuki sighed helplessly. With a group of formidable individuals like Sakumo accompanying them, how could they possibly get lost? Didn't they see how the passersby on the road wisely made way for them? Ninjas mixed within the crowd watched this group with curiosity.

Perhaps feeling that being watched like this went against the core principles of Anbu secrecy, Sakumo scooped up Kushina and Katsuki, one in each arm, and with a tiger leap, landed directly on a rooftop. Then, he began playing rooftop hopscotch, picking up speed again and quickly reaching the bright red, circular building.

The Hokage Building.

This fiery red structure was the true landmark of Konohagakure, the administrative office of successive Hokage, and the central hub of this village of hundreds of thousands.

The Hokage's office was filled with thick smoke. Of course, it wasn't a fire; the Third Hokage was simply smoking.

The Hokage, one of the five great powers of the Ninja World, and arguably the leader, was the highest administrative and military commander of Konohagakure, a formidable figure who held both political and military power, capable of deciding the fate of thousands with a single word.

Yet, even such a great figure had troubles unknown to ordinary people.

This ninja village, founded by the Ninja God Hashirama Senju and the Konoha Asura Madara Uchiha with their unparalleled power, had also inherited their strength.

The Senju and Uchiha, the pinnacle clans of the Ninja World, were undeniable. Furthermore, with an open policy, Konoha attracted many powerful clans, possessing extremely strong and excellent Kekkei Genkai and secret jutsu families. Two of the three great Dojutsu were in Konoha, and the remaining ones were already the stuff of myth and legend.

However, despite its strength, Konoha occupied the most fertile and prosperous land on the continent, located in the center, controlling transportation hubs, making it quite proud. But this also made it a trigger for war. The great ninja wars always involved Konoha, or rather, the great ninja wars were fought around Konoha...

It made sense. Looking at the high mountains of the Land of Lightning, the vast lands of the Land of Earth, and the more unfortunate Land of Wind, covered in sand, and then looking at the incredibly fertile land of the Land of Fire, it was bound to attract envy. Who would be content eating sand their whole lives...

Therefore, besides the First Hokage, the remaining two Hokage were troubled by how to maintain balance among the five great nations, trying to avoid being besieged by the other four. Konoha was strong, no doubt, but they couldn't truly fight two or three nations alone.

One-on-one was easy, one-on-two was manageable, but one-on-three meant fighting for their lives. As for one-on-four... hehe, perhaps only the legendary ninjas Hashirama and Madara could do that!

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the "Ninja God," sat in his chair, looking very troubled. Lately, there had been too many vexing matters. The barbarians in the northeastern mountains were starting to stir again, and the turbaned men in the western desert were also restless, constantly causing trouble in the Land of Rivers.

Even if that were the case, there were small countries separating them from the north and west, so a major conflict shouldn't erupt anytime soon. What troubled him most was the Land of Rain. That Amegakure, which seemed to be molding in the constant rain, had produced a monster like Hanzō. Moreover, the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire directly, coupled with its overly sensitive geographical location...

The current Land of Rain was essentially a powder keg waiting to explode. To strategize against that Demigod, Hiruzen was almost overwhelmed. And at such a critical juncture, their little brother, the Land of Whirlpools, was being beaten by Mist Ninjas. Even an iron-clad Ninja God couldn't withstand such a beating!