The Return to Shinobi Village!

"Let's abandon the idea of heading west for now and return to our village. I will continue my investigation in the west."

"When the Ninja Continent is free of all worries, then we should gather a large army and march westward for a decisive battle!" Kagura suggested.

"Is fighting absolutely necessary? There doesn't seem to be any real contact between the Eastern and Western continents, does there?" Shiyu asked.

"Killing women to gain power? Controlling people's minds and subjugating their subordinates—that's the way the Divine Palace operates. The Land of Gods isn't as friendly as you think." Kagura advised again, "In short, the Land of Gods is definitely an enemy, and going west alone is not a wise move. You should think it through."

Shiyu had actually been thinking about going back for a while, and had mentioned it to Reiko before. However, because he was concerned about his parents, Shiyu put the idea aside for the time being. Now that even Kagura Otsutsuki had said so, Shiyu finally understood.

"In that case, let's return to Shinobi Village for now." Shiyu finally made his decision, after all, there were still many things to take care of in Shinobi Village.

"I can use a long-distance teleportation technique to send you back directly. Of course, I can't send you that far, but it's still faster than your own speed," said Kagura Otsutsuki.

"Okay, but wait a moment." Shiyu then pulled Reiko back from the Protostar Space.

"Ha, get ready." Kagura noticed that Reiko and Shiyu's expressions were a bit strange, and then used a technique similar to a flying lightning rod to instantly teleport the two of them into a forest.

With two loud "whoosh!" sounds, Shiyu and Reiko's bodies vanished.

Everything before their eyes blurred instantly, and the two found themselves in a dense forest.

"Where are we?! Wow! These things! Are they trees? Are we in a forest?!" Reiko had never seen such a lush green forest before.

"Ha, Kagura is really amazing, she teleported us to the vicinity of Konoha Forest in an instant!" Shiyu was naturally very familiar with everything around him.

"Let's go, Reiko, I'll take you back to my own village."

Nothing particularly unusual happened along the way. Shiyu quickly led Reiko through the forest, and Shiyu they found the route back to the Shinobi Village.

Shiyu left the Shinobi Village about half a year before returning, only to find that it had undergone tremendous changes. From the village's defenses to its construction, economy, and the number of ninjas, everything gave Shiyu an unexpected surprise.

"Hey, who are you?" Shiyu and Reiko entered the village, they were stopped. Shiyu felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, so he turned around to look.

It's fine if I don't look, but when I do, I actually recognize a familiar face.

"Who are you!?" The man was also somewhat surprised and reflexively took a step back.

"Haha! I knew you'd choose this place!" Shiyu also smiled welcomingly.

"Zabuza! You're really something!" Shiyu patted Zabuza, who was carrying the Kubikiribōchō, in a warm welcome.

"You are Lord Shiyu!" Zabuza somewhat excited, after all, Shiyu had not meant to look down on him.

Zabuza's choice to join the Shinobi Village involved a lot of internal struggle, as almost no village was willing to accept rogue ninjas or wandering ninjas. However Zabuza never expected that the Shinobi Village valued strength and a specific skill.

Zabuza has only been in the Shinobi Village for three months, and he has already become a squad leader in the patrol brigade, with an incredibly high salary.

"Zabuza? Did you come alone? Or...?" Shiyu asked immediately.

"No, I met a child on the road. She had lost her parents and wanted to become my family, so I brought her back. Her name is Shiro," Zabuza said.

"Bai? You must take good care of her, or I won't forgive you. In my opinion, she will definitely become a backbone of the Shinobi Village in the future. Don't treat her as a tool, treat her as your own family." With Shiyu's words, Bai's future was worry-free.

"I'll do my best." Zabuza saying "I'll do my best" was already giving Shiyu a lot of face. After Zabuza was the one who killed all his classmates in the Bloody Mist Village. It was bound to be difficult for him to treat a child as family. However, Shiyu knew that the two of them would have an unbreakable bond sooner or later, so he was willing to respect the original story.

Shiyu was, after all, the First Shinobi Kage, a figure whose every move could shake the entire Shinobi World. Naturally, the news of his return to Shinobi Village spread like wildfire.

Countless villagers lined the streets to welcome Shiyu, after Shiyu, he founded the Shinobi Village and was a legendary figure in the Shinobi World, whose influence even surpassed that of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha.

Shiyu gave a perfunctory greeting to the villagers before Teleportation back to the council hall of Shinobi Village with Reiko.

The Shinobi Village is now very prosperous, with many officials and ministers in the council hall. Here, everyone can earn a place by using their best skills.

"You are!?" Uchiha Yoshiki was also taken aback Shiyu she saw Shigure.

"Lord Shiyu, you're back! It's been more than half a year, how have you been?" Yoshiki had initially found it hard to believe the news of Shiyu's return, but now that she saw him in person, she was certain.

"And who is this?" Yoshiki asked, looking at the very pretty Reiko with a puzzled expression.

"Friend," Reiko said immediately to avoid any misunderstanding.

"It's alright, we're all on the same side. Can we talk privately?" Shiyu asked very politely.

"Of course! Then let me entertain your friend." Yoshiki politely inquired about Reiko's attitude. Reiko nodded, and Yoshiki then instructed the minister to take Reiko to visit, rest, and have a meal.

Looking at Yoshiki before him, Shiyu couldn't help but feel a little moved.

"That's wonderful. You're becoming more and more like a leader, with elegant and proper manners and thoughtful arrangements. It's such a blessing to have you helping to manage the village," Shiyu praised.

"Ha! Lord Shiyu, please don't flatter me. You are the Shinobi Kage, how can you leave everything to your subordinates?" Although Yoshiki said this, she didn't harbor any resentment.

"Ha, don't call me 'sir' here, little sister Yoshiki. You're a genius! How could I let someone as outstanding as you slip through my fingers?"

"Alright, Brother Shiyu, let's get down to business. Here's a record of all the changes in the village while you were away." Yoshiki compiled the statistics and handed a document to Shiyu.

Shiyu was increasingly shocked and incredulous as she looked at the document.

"The village's economy is experiencing unprecedented growth again, buildings are being expanded on a large scale at an extremely rapid pace, and the population is steadily increasing. Everything is maintaining both rapid growth and balance and stability."

"Great! Absolutely no problems!"

"Compared to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the overall strength of the ninja village has surpassed that of the Kumogakure, reaching second place."