There stood Chen Yiban, who looked exactly like Uchiha Madara—even the red armor he wore was the very same set that had appeared in the anime.
At that moment, he was walking slowly through the bustling streets of Konoha amid the crowds...
Many Konoha civilians were drawn to Chen Yiban's old-fashioned Warring States Period armor.
Besides, Uchiha Madara's appearance was eye-catching enough on its own!
As a result, Chen Yiban received countless curious looks from passersby along the way.
He certainly attracted plenty of attention!
As for this,
Chen Yiban's long, luxuriant hair, which reached his waist and swayed constantly in the Qingfeng, completely ignored the gazes of all the passersby.
He merely:
"Thank goodness. Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, has now become the Fifth Hokage of our Konoha."
"I heard Lady Tsunade is also the granddaughter of the First, who is known as the God of Shinobi."
"Amazing!!"
"Although the Third's death is heartbreaking, the new Hokage succeeded him in time. It really is a blessing in disguise!"
"But I heard that the Fifth Hokage was able to return thanks to that demon fox."
"I heard Naruto Uzumaki and Lord Jiraiya brought Tsunade back to the village together so she could succeed to the position of Fifth Hokage."
Amid the flowing crowds, the civilians and some ordinary shinobi all looked happy yet somewhat sentimental.
Listening to them, Chen Yiban also understood:
So this was the period in the original story when Old Man Hiruzen was assassinated by Orochimaru, and Tsunade Senju was brought back to the village by the protagonists, "Naruto" and "Jiraiya," to become the Fifth Hokage.
"Hashirama...!"
At that moment, after hearing the name of a certain person mentioned by the passing civilians and ordinary shinobi,
Chen Yiban unconsciously blurted out the name of that man!
Hashirama Senju!!
The [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan] in Chen Yiban's eyes nearly emerged on its own, erupting with terrifying Chakra.
It seemed that while he had taken on Uchiha Madara's appearance and obtained his full combat power, Uchiha Madara's memories...
had also indirectly influenced Chen Yiban to some extent!
Upon hearing that man's name, a frenzied battle intent nearly spiraled out of control!!
However,
Chen Yiban quickly realized that he was Chen Yiban, not Uchiha Madara.
So his mood gradually calmed down!
"I am Ban, not Madara."
Just then:
"Hmm..."
Chen Yiban's deep black eyes caught sight of a scene that interested him.
Several familiar figures from the original story had appeared within Chen Yiban's field of vision.
Based on the appearances he had once seen in the anime,
and after making a rough deduction and judgment...
the people currently appearing in Chen Yiban's line of sight should be:
Choji Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Mitaraishi Anko, Asuma Sarutobi, and several other Konoha Jonin.
Especially Kakashi Hatake...
The most iconic Elite Jonin in the original story!!
The instant he saw them,
Chen Yiban had nearly recognized them.
They really did look almost exactly like their counterparts in the original story!
They had merely changed from anime characters into real people standing before Chen Yiban.
They seemed not to have noticed Chen Yiban on the road here,
but had entered a barbecue restaurant up ahead together.
Hmm, the new Hokage of Konoha had just taken office, so perhaps these several Jonin, who knew one another and had a good relationship, had decided to get together?
He just hadn't expected Kakashi to be there too!
"Interesting!"
Seeing the group of male and female Jonin enter the barbecue restaurant ahead, Chen Yiban gave a faint smile.
Then,
he turned and walked toward that barbecue restaurant as well!
Meanwhile:
"Hey, hey, don't you think that person looks kind of familiar?"
"He does give off a strangely familiar feeling, especially the style of the armor he's wearing. It seems like I've seen it somewhere before."
"That man is really handsome. His hair is just too long, though, and it gives him a gloomy air. He seems like someone who'd be hard to approach, right?"
"He doesn't look like he's from Konoha. Is he a shinobi?"
The civilians by the roadside and some ordinary shinobi passing by watched Chen Yiban, dressed in red armor with his long hair fluttering behind him as he gradually walked away. Unable to help themselves, they began discussing him with one another.
Meanwhile:
"Well, we can finally relax for a bit."
"Because of that bastard Orochimaru, we Jonin have been busy enough lately."
"Now that Lady Tsunade has returned and succeeded to the position of Fifth Hokage, the village has finally started operating normally again."
In a corner of the barbecue restaurant, Choji Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi, and the others were already seated together.
After sitting down, Mitaraishi Anko spoke first.
When he heard Orochimaru's name, Asuma Sarutobi couldn't help but clench his fist slightly.
After all, if not for Cold Lord Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, Old Man Hiruzen—Hiruzen Sarutobi—would not have died so suddenly.
And Old Man Hiruzen had naturally been Asuma Sarutobi's father!
Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, Shikaku Nara, and the others nearby could also understand Asuma's feelings.
They, too, regretted the Third's death. However, the series of troubles caused by Orochimaru's invasion had left them no time to grieve.
Today, it was only because Tsunade Hime had finally succeeded to the position of Fifth Hokage that the village's formerly tense atmosphere had relaxed somewhat.
Only then had the group of Jonin found a little free time to gather and enjoy a good meal together.
Soon afterward, the barbecue restaurant's servers brought over the large amount of meat Kakashi and the others had ordered to grill.
"Well, let's not talk about anything else for now. Let's barbecue!!"
Seeing that the meat had arrived, Mitaraishi Anko couldn't help raising her chopsticks with a grin.
On the other side, Choji Akimichi had already started grilling even faster.
"You're even faster than me!" Mitaraishi Anko glanced at Choji Akimichi before hurriedly picking up some meat and placing it over the brazier as well.
With the lively Mitaraishi Anko around,
the atmosphere became much more relaxed and animated.
Nearby, the mature and extraordinarily alluring Kurenai Yuhi watched her carefree best friend Anko and couldn't help shaking her head with an amused smile.
"The meat looks pretty good. Would you mind... one more person?"
Suddenly, an abrupt voice rang out among the Konoha Jonin gathered in the corner.
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