The journey home needed no further explanation. With so many wounded and Medical Ninja in the group, they had been extremely cautious in choosing their route, and their pace was slow. Fortunately, the Shinobi World was in a strange period of calm, and they had not encountered a single enemy from beginning to end.
When Konoha's gates appeared before him once more, Duke finally breathed a sigh of relief, filled with the joy of returning home. It had been about half a year since he had left the village. Seeing the long-missed Konoha again stirred some emotions in him.
Half a year had brought no major changes to Konoha. The streets were still clean and orderly, and the villagers still lived their ordinary lives, rising at sunrise and resting at sunset. The war had not affected them. Other than families with ninja members, most people did not care who won or lost as long as the flames of war did not reach Konoha itself. They could not consider the meaning behind the war, nor would they try to...
After completing the registration procedures to enter the village, Hizashi announced that the squad was dismissed on the spot and that they would gather in front of the Hokage Building tomorrow afternoon. After saying that, Hizashi hurried away in the direction of the Hyuga Clan compound.
Back in the village, Duke's constantly taut nerves finally relaxed completely. He did not want to think about anything now; he only wanted to sleep until the world went dark.
"Asuma, Kurenai, see you tomorrow afternoon. I haven't had a proper rest in so long. I want to go back and sleep first."
"Mm! Mm! Then we won't see you off. Stop talking and get going. Remember not to oversleep tomorrow." Asuma patted Duke on the