The streets were packed with people. The older villagers loudly cheered for the returning young hero, calling him brilliant and spirited, saying he'd done Konoha proud. The girls, some shy and others bold, gazed at him with admiration.
Jiang Feng wore a flower crown given to him by some friend and received a welcome fit for a top celebrity in Litang.
A dashing young man in fine clothes, riding a fine horse!
Jiang Feng might not have been riding a horse, but years later, whenever people talked about this day, they would surely say he had.
Just like how it hadn't actually rained one night, but people still preferred to believe it had poured when they talked about that evening.
The young man smiled and nodded to the villagers lining the street. Whenever he spotted a familiar face, he waved and exchanged a few words.
Konan followed close behind Jiang Feng. Her delicate face remained calm; she was used to this by now. Yahiko was popular in the village, and so was Jiang Feng.
Wasn't it only natural for a famous young man to receive such a warm welcome from the villagers?
Tsunade was just as used to it.
Years ago, when she returned to Konoha with Jiraiya and Orochimaru at the head of their unit, the cheers and welcome had been even more enthusiastic than Jiang Feng's were now.
Granted, that hadn't been a particularly just war. Konoha had essentially been expanding its influence, but the Hokage Office told the villagers it was a righteous cause, so they cheered.
Nor had they achieved any particularly remarkable victories. The three of them hadn't defeated Hanzo the Salamander, but the Hokage Office told the villagers they'd won, so they cheered.
The basic principles of governing a village were often the same as those of making one's way in the world alone.
People were always mocking fish for having a memory that lasted only seven or eight seconds. But how much better were people, really?
When a formidable shinobi went a long time without accomplishing anything, those who had once admired him forgot about him and turned to the next rising star.
Even the enemies who had once regarded him as a thorn in their side began to wonder if he'd grown old and lost his edge after all that time without action.
That was why powerful shinobi had to make a splash every so often, reminding the world, I'm still formidable. I'm not planning to retire from this world just yet.
A village, too, had to make a spectacle now and then, promoting the glorious deeds of one of its shinobi—preferably a young one—to remind the world, and especially its own people, We're still formidable. We can protect you.
That was why Tsunade truly envied Jiang Feng.
At least this time, Konoha was unquestionably in the right, and Jiang Feng had unquestionably won. He deserved far more praise than they had all those years ago.
"You must be happy. You left as an unknown and returned famous throughout the world."
"You've got me wrong."
Jiang Feng corrected her. "I'd been famous throughout the world for a long time. I just had a good reputation back then, not a fearsome one."
Tsunade paused. That did seem to be true.
The little rascal was no unknown. Jiraiya had told her he was incredibly popular, and everyone knew his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Chunin.
Now, he'd simply received the recognition he deserved.
"But I really am happy to have so many beautiful girls admire me."
Jiang Feng smiled and waved to the girls and young women along the street. "Being praised and celebrated by young, beautiful girls is probably the most delightful thing in the world. And what's even better is that the girls in Konoha are all quite pretty."
It was certainly nice to be liked by girls, but if they were too ugly, the pleasure would inevitably be diminished.
Fortunately, the Naruto world was originally a 2D World, so the girls here were generally good-looking. Even if many weren't particularly striking, they could hardly be called ugly.
"I don't think you'll be happy for much longer."
"What do you mean?"
Tsunade nodded toward the crowd in a certain direction.
Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, Kakashi, and the others stood among the crowd. The boys all wore gleeful expressions, waiting for the show to begin.
The girl stared with wide, red eyes at Konan, who walked beside Jiang Feng like a solitary orchid in a hidden valley. She could smell a rival.
Jiang Feng suddenly froze.
Killing intent!
Tsunade was amused, but she couldn't help feeling relieved that Konan was there. Without her, Tsunade truly wouldn't have known how to face Kurenai Yuhi's daughter.
"Jiang Feng~"
Though the girl called his name, Jiang Feng heard her voice as a cloying "Big bro~" instead.
The girl pushed through the crowd. She didn't pick a fight with Tsunade or Konan; without saying a word, she threw herself into Jiang Feng's arms like a swallow darting into a nest, staking her claim in front of all of Konoha.
Who was this girl?
With eyes that red, she had to have the Three-Tomoe. Could she be Jiang Feng's sister?
Didn't the stories say that Heavenly Flying Immortal Jiang Feng's lover was Princess Tsunade?
Oh, so she was Jonin Kurenai Yuhi's daughter.
The onlookers began whispering among themselves. Once they'd figured it out, they nodded in understanding. Oh, so Uchiha Jiang Feng had more than one lover. The young man was quite the ladies' man.
People didn't want to believe that a dashing young man like him had only one lover. They stubbornly believed that a romantic young man like him ought to have several.
"Who's this pretty older sister?"
After staking her claim, Kurenai Yuhi hopped out of her big brother's arms, clung tightly to Jiang Feng's arm, and gazed at Konan with wide, innocent eyes.
"Konan, from the Land of Rain."
Konan maintained her serene, orchid-like composure, though seeing Kurenai Yuhi throw herself into Jiang Feng's arms hadn't sat well with her.
"Konan is Jiraiya's student and a friend of mine. She's here on behalf of the Akatsuki Organization to visit Konoha..." Jiang Feng gave a brief introduction to Konan and explained who she was.
"You came to see Lord Jiraiya?"
"At the very least, I need to see my teacher."
"But Lord Jiraiya isn't in Konoha. You may have come all this way for nothing, Sister Konan."
"That's all right. I can stay at Jiang Feng's house while I wait for my teacher. Yahiko said Jiang Feng would definitely take care of me."
Shameless woman!
Kurenai Yuhi seethed inwardly. You came to see Lord Jiraiya, my foot. You might as well be rolling out your scheming beads right in front of me. You're definitely after my big brother's good looks.
But Kurenai Yuhi was helpless.
She couldn't invite Konan to stay at her house, since her parents lived there too. Nor could she ask Jiang Feng to put Konan up at an inn. If he had room at home, Jiang Feng would never put a friend in an inn.
"If she's staying at your house, then I'm staying there too!"
Kurenai Yuhi clung to her big brother's arm and pouted, trying to get the same treatment as Konan.
"Sure." Jiang Feng nodded.
Kurenai Yuhi froze. "You're not even going to ask why I want to stay at your house?"
"No."
"Don't you think I'm being unreasonable and embarrassing you in front of your friends?"
"No."
"Why?"
"No reason."
Why didn't he think Kurenai Yuhi was annoying and unreasonable?
Of course it was because she was beautiful. When a pretty girl said anything to a man, he found her both amusing and beautiful.
But Jiang Feng would never tell Kurenai Yuhi that in front of Konan and Tsunade.
Let it be said once again: praising one woman's beauty in front of another was an incredibly foolish thing to do.
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