Half a month later.
With the New Year approaching, Kumogakure was decorated with lights and banners. Every villager wore a joyful smile.
The battle between Kumogakure and Konoha had ultimately ended with Konoha's defeat and reparations.
This outcome had caught almost everyone by surprise.
No one had expected Konoha, which had fought every other ninja village single-handedly during the first two Ninja Wars and emerged victorious in the end, to lose to Kumogakure in a one-on-one war...
For a time, the Shinobi World was thrown into turmoil.
Some marveled at the strength of Kumogakure's ninja; even Konoha's deep foundations had been unable to withstand them.
Some mocked the Konoha Ninja for their shortsightedness, for handing a great ninja clan like the Uchiha Clan over on a silver platter.
Some regretted and lamented that they had not offered greater benefits to win over the Uchiha Clan in the first place.
Though everyone had different thoughts, they all arrived at the same conclusion—
The Uchiha Clan had proven through their actions why they were called the foremost great clan of the Shinobi World.
The era of Kumogakure... was about to begin!
Kumogakure.
Raikage Building.
The Third Raikage excitedly patted Uchiha Yuzuru on the shoulder and pulled him over to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.
"Yuzuru, look at the villagers outside. They're all cheering for your achievements!"
"You're the hero of Kumogakure!"
Uchiha Yuzuru said calmly, "I only did some supporting work. When it comes to fighting on the front lines, I killed nowhere near as many as you did."
The Third Raikage shook his head and said seriously, "You alone are worth an army of thousands. Without you, this war would never have gone so smoothly."
The Third Raikage was not deliberately flattering Uchiha Yuzuru. It was simply the truth.
With Uchiha Yuzuru's