Return to Konoha

September 10th, Year 51 of the Konoha Era.

Exactly one month remained until the bloody night that would irrevocably alter the landscape of the Ninja World.

Deep within the lowest laboratory beneath Rōran, Yue Uchiha was conducting his final inventory of supplies.

Aside from standard explosive tags, military rations, and common ninja tools prepared as a cover, his desk held three highly specialized scrolls, along with one containing the power of the Dragon Vein.

The three special scrolls were the "Tailed Beast Chakra Capture Containers," created by combining his self-developed Ming Seal technology with Rōran's Dragon Vein containment techniques, specifically prepared for that night.

The Dragon Vein scroll functioned as a spatial displacement instrument, a result of his research into the theory of the Spring of Returning Light. By sealing a portion of the Dragon Vein's power within the scroll, he could resonate with the main vein upon activation, thereby opening a space-time channel.

"While I can't drain a Tailed Beast dry like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, these three scrolls are more than enough to tear off a few chunks of high-purity chakra flesh while the seal is shattered and the Nine-Tails is rampaging in the chaos."

Yue carefully tucked the scrolls into a hidden pocket inside his coat, then looked to the side.

Uchiha Hikari sat on a high stool, swinging her legs, holding a cup of iced pomegranate juice that Sara had just brought her, waiting obediently.

Today, she wore a red-and-white casual outfit designed by Yue according to modern aesthetics; the sleeves were tapered for ease of movement, yet the small fan crest of their clan remained embroidered on the back.

"Is the Ming Seal on your brow full?" Yue walked over and brushed the stray hair from her forehead.

The purple diamond-shaped mark was currently emitting a faint, eerie glow, like a plump gemstone.

"It's full."

Hikari set down her cup and looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"I listened to you all month. I did nothing but eat and sleep, didn't even kill a single desert scorpion. Now, combined with my original ocular power... I feel like I could burn the very sky outside to ash."

"Very good. Maintain this state; that is the trump card that will allow us to walk through Konoha as we please."

Yue nodded in satisfaction, then took her hand.

"Let's go. It's time to see this so-called 'Number One Hidden Village' for ourselves."

The process of leaving Rōran went smoothly.

Though Sara felt a tinge of reluctance, as a political machine, Rōran remained her highest priority.

The two disguised themselves as a wealthy merchant brother and sister from the Land of Wind, blending into a large caravan headed for the Land of Fire.

After several days of trekking, the iconic green gates of Konoha Hidden Village finally came into view.

Compared to the cyberpunk aesthetic of Rōran—built upon desert ruins and filled with metal pipes, roaring steam, and purple neon—Konoha's first impression was one of primitive, vibrant vitality.

There were no towering steel giants here, only well-arranged wooden structures; no automated assembly lines, only bustling markets and the rising chorus of hawkers.

When passing through the gate inspection, Yue relied on his superb acting skills and a forged travel permit to easily deceive the two yawning Chunin guards.

"Is this... Konoha?"

Walking down the bustling main street of Konoha, Hikari frowned slightly, her eyes—accustomed to surveying battlefields—scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

"What's wrong? Don't like it?" Yue held two skewers of three-colored dango he had just bought and handed one to Hikari.

Hikari took the dango, bit into it, and looked at the dusty street beneath her feet with a hint of disdain, then pointed to the lanterns on the roadside that still required a fire starter to ignite.

"Too backward."

The young girl gave an extremely blunt evaluation.

"The road surface isn't paved with metal plates, it's all dirt; there's no electric lighting, so it must be pitch black at night. And the people around... they're too lax. If these were Rōran's guards, they would have already identified three blind spots on these streets suitable for an ambush."

Having witnessed the modernized Rōran that Yue had built with his own hands, Hikari truly felt the jarring contrast of moving from luxury to austerity in this ninja village, which remained stuck in the age of agriculture and handicrafts.

"Besides, there's no iced fruit juice made by Sara's royal chef here... these dango are missing something."

As she chewed, Hikari summarized earnestly, "Yue, I don't think this place is good at all. It's not as good as Rōran. Let's finish our business and head back quickly."

Watching the little girl's "unsophisticated" yet inexplicably haughty demeanor, Yue couldn't help but laugh.

He suddenly stopped, turned to the side, and leaned down slightly, his deep black eyes fixed on hers with a playful glint.

"What if I lived in Konoha? Would Konoha be as good as Rōran then?"

Hikari's chewing froze instantly.

She widened her eyes, as if she had heard something inconceivable.

"Yue... you want to live here? Not go back to Rōran?"

"No, I'm just hypothesizing!"

"Then... then Rōran isn't as good as Konoha."

The girl's voice was very soft, so soft it would be inaudible without listening closely.

"Pfft..."

Yue could no longer keep up the act; he reached out to ruffle her black hair, his chest vibrating with laughter.

"Silly girl, I was just teasing you."

"You...!"

Hikari raised her head in a huff, looking like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and made a move to bite Yue's finger, only for Yue to counter by shoving a freshly bought red bean cake into her mouth.

"Mmph! So sweet..."

As the cloying sweetness melted in her mouth, half of Hikari's anger instantly vanished; she could only glare at Yue indignantly before silently swallowing the red bean cake.

Hmm... although this place is a bit run-down, the snacks in Konoha do seem to be just a tiny bit tastier than the ones in Rōran.

Just as the two were bickering, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd ahead.

"Move aside, move aside! Youth waits for no one! Kakashi, let's settle this once and for all right here!!"

Accompanied by a roar full of vigor, a green whirlwind swept in from the end of the street.

"That is..."

Yue narrowed his eyes and pulled Hikari back under the eaves of a building by the roadside.

He saw a man with a bowl cut, wearing a tight green bodysuit, and sporting eyebrows as thick as two caterpillars, sprinting down the street in an extremely bizarre posture—walking on his hands while gripping a massive rock between his feet.

Might Guy.

Konoha's Proud Blue Beast.

Beside him, a young man with messy silver-white hair, a mask, and a forehead protector covering his left eye was walking slowly with his hands in his pockets, wearing a decadent expression that screamed, "I want to die."

Kakashi Hatake.

At this moment, Kakashi was in the darkest trough of his life.

Years ago, his father, the White Fang, had committed suicide; a year ago, Obito had died in battle; and a few months ago, Rin had died by his own hand.

His eyes were now as hollow as a dried-up well, and he radiated a cold, forbidding aura; even while walking in the sunlight, he seemed to carry an unshakable gloom upon his back.

"Kakashi! What kind of expression is that?! When faced with a rival's challenge, shouldn't your blood be burning with passion?!"

Guy flipped and landed, striking an incredibly flamboyant offensive pose, his thumb shining brightly as he pointed at himself. "The content of this match is—whoever can run fifty laps around Konoha first wins! The loser has to crawl around the village on their hands!"

"Guy... I'm busy. I don't have time to play with you."

Kakashi's voice was lifeless; he couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids as he bypassed Guy to keep walking. "I still have to go to the Memorial Stone."

"No way! This is a trial of youth! Take this!"

Guy clearly had no intention of letting his best friend off the hook; he knew that if he let Kakashi continue to sink into such depression, this man would truly be finished.

"Leaf Whirlwind!!"

Guy unleashed a sharp, spinning kick, sweeping directly toward Kakashi's face.