The Nineteenth Chapter: Senju Lineage? Hokage's Grand-disciple?

"Finally, I've returned..."

Looking at the gates of Konoha Village, which still didn't feel entirely familiar, Kagetsu Qi felt a wave of emotion.

After the battle ended, the group had rested at the camp for a while before setting off for the village. However, the people returning this time were not just Orochimaru and him; Uchiha Xiu, Hyuga Tong, and the others were also among them.

After all, ninjas were a classic short-term combat profession. Even the so-called Great Ninja War was merely a mission to a ninja. Once the mission was completed, it was natural to return to the village to rest, while the garrison duties would be taken over by new ninjas.

Konoha had suffered heavy losses in this battle, with hundreds of ninjas killed, a casualty rate exceeding two-thirds of the total force. Although Kagetsu Qi didn't know how many Rock Ninja had died, he imagined it must have been even worse.

Just looking at the situation around Kagetsu Qi, of the twenty-plus elite chunin Orochimaru had originally brought, only three remained. Among his own teammates, only Uchiha Xiu and Hyuga Tong had survived.

Bloodline limits were indeed a good thing. That Kagetsu Qi had survived was thanks to his Ice Release. Although most powerhouses were not bloodline limit holders, it was a fact that those who did possess them were often the top-tier figures among the strong.

Hadn't he seen someone as fierce as Orochimaru get restrained to death by the Mangekyo Sharingan? Without the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi Uchiha would have been a piece of cake for Orochimaru. Orochimaru feared nothing, yet he had no way to deal with the genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

With these thoughts in mind, Kagetsu Qi followed the crowd, completed the entry procedures, and entered Konoha Village.

"Orochimaru, you've worked hard this time. You did a beautiful job."

As soon as they entered the village, Kagetsu Qi saw a large crowd gathered ahead. On both sides of the street, Konoha villagers were staring incessantly at their group. Kagetsu Qi knew these were the families of the ninjas.

The group at the front was clearly composed of the village's heavyweights. Walking at the very front was the supreme leader of Konoha Village—the Third Hokage.

Don't ask Kagetsu Qi how he knew it was the Third; the attire of the Five Kage was easy to recognize. Aside from the Five Kage, no leader of any ninja village dared to wear this outfit or call themselves a Kage, as it would be viewed as a provocation by the five great villages.

If the daimyo of the five great nations were the five poles of the world, then the Five Kage were the five poles of the ninja world. This status was something no sixth nation or sixth village could possess, aside from the five great nations and their villages.

"Lord Hokage."

At this moment, Orochimaru was still a "good student." He set aside the hypocritical facade he wore in front of outsiders and offered a sincere, respectful bow to the Third.

Perhaps few people in this world could truly understand Orochimaru's thoughts, but Kagetsu Qi could guarantee that the Third, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—the three who had accompanied Orochimaru through his childhood—definitely held a special place in his heart.

There were no truly good or bad people in the world. Orochimaru would at most become a mad scientist-like character later on. He wasn't necessarily all that evil; otherwise, he wouldn't have waited such a long time before the idea of pursuing immortality sprouted in his mind.

As for being cold-blooded, in the original story, he clearly had opportunities to kill Tsunade and Jiraiya, yet he didn't strike. Even with Anko, he could have easily finished off his former student, but he didn't. If it were Kagetsu Qi, he certainly would have killed Anko, as the effect of doing so would have been better.

Kagetsu Qi guessed that perhaps for Orochimaru, these few people were like Ogata was to him. In this world, as far as he was concerned, aside from Ogata, there was no one else he truly cared about.

"Hehe..."

Watching Orochimaru, the Third laughed. Kagetsu Qi, standing behind Orochimaru, took the opportunity to carefully observe the man known as the strongest Hokage in history.

The current Third was far from the senile old man in Kagetsu Qi's memories; at most, he had a few wrinkles. He was clearly still a long way from the word "old."

"Orochimaru, this child is the one from the Yuki clan, right?"

The Third noticed Kagetsu Qi. After all, the people standing around Orochimaru were all heavyweights, with two or three jonin among them. Only Kagetsu Qi, a mere child, was standing there, and his attire was so similar to Orochimaru's that it was hard not to notice him.

"Yes, he is Kagetsu Qi."

Orochimaru turned slightly and pulled Kagetsu Qi forward.

"This is my teacher, Lord Hokage. You should call him Grandmaster."

"Grandmaster!"

Kagetsu Qi dared not act out in front of such big shots... no, a group of big shots. He bowed and addressed him properly.

Didn't he see who was in the group behind them? Especially the one next to him, wearing black clothes with a scar on his face—this guy was likely Konoha's number one iron-blooded fanatic, Danzo!

Not only that, Kagetsu Qi clearly saw members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans in the crowd. He didn't even need to think about what level this group was at.

"Hehe, what a polite child. You don't need to be so restrained."

The Third's eyes crinkled into a smile. He couldn't do anything about Tsunade, but Orochimaru finally had a suitable disciple. As a teacher, he felt a sense of pride.

It wasn't that he looked down on that child named Anko Mitarashi; that child's future achievements would surely be limited. He trusted his own judgment on that, as his ability to judge people had been fully demonstrated by the Sannin.

Among the disciples Jiraiya had taken in the past, the one he favored most was Minato, and the results had confirmed his judgment. Minato had now become a top-tier expert of Konoha's younger generation, famous throughout the ninja world.

Now, he was equally optimistic about Kagetsu Qi, especially after reviewing his performance on the battlefield this time.

A ninja's performance on the battlefield was recorded in detail for everyone; this was not difficult for a ninja village. After all, it was just those same people fighting. Besides, was there any organization in this world better at gathering intelligence than a ninja village?

It could be said that Kagetsu Qi was very much like the Sannin when they were young, which suited the Third's tastes perfectly. He was now very glad that he had handed Kagetsu Qi to Orochimaru rather than Minato. Given Kagetsu Qi's characteristics, Orochimaru was clearly better suited to teach him.

"Cough, cough... Sarutobi, now is not the time for you and your disciple to reminisce. Let's get down to business."

Seeing that Sarutobi seemed to have forgotten the main point, the man in black with the scar stepped forward and nudged his arm.

"The representatives of the various clans are all waiting."

What a bold guy, actually daring to interrupt the Hokage, and doing it so naturally...

Kagetsu Qi became more and more certain that this was Danzo. Aside from Danzo, he really couldn't think of anyone else in the entire Konoha Village who would dare to speak to the Third like that.

"My apologies."

The Third nodded, adjusted the large hat on his head, and began to offer condolences to the other Konoha ninjas one by one, followed by an impromptu speech. Of course, the content was nothing more than encouragement and representing the village in awarding them.

Naturally, the rewards were the main point. The awards from a ninja village weren't just some empty praise; they were tangible benefits.

The Great Ninja War easily created powerhouses, and this system was an important factor. Many things that were impossible to obtain in times of peace could be exchanged for the village's rewards during wartime, provided you survived and accumulated enough merit.

And these so-called rewards were often scrolls containing ninjutsu, with the rank depending on the merit you had earned.

Moreover, merit could be accumulated. If one time wasn't enough, you just kept accumulating until you met the standard.

This was, honestly, very similar to the point-based system from Qi's past life...

Soon, the Third Hokage finished his speech and announced the dismissal. At this moment, aside from the higher-ranking ninjas who remained in place, the vast majority of ninjas rushed toward the villagers to reunite with their waiting families.

Those villagers who did not see their families kept asking other ninjas for news. Cheers erupted from the crowd from time to time, followed by sounds of weeping, and the latter ratio was far greater than the former. After all, this time, Konoha had lost more than two-thirds of its manpower.

Qi, however, could not leave either. Although he was neither a Jonin nor an elite Chunin, he was Orochimaru's disciple. As long as the Third Hokage hadn't left, he absolutely could not leave this place. After all, he was currently the Third Hokage's grand-disciple.

"Orochimaru, I heard that the Tsuchikage's son also participated in the battle this time?"

The Third Hokage, Danzo, and the others remained in place as well. It was Danzo who spoke.

"He was injured, so it is impossible for him to return to the battlefield for the time being."

Orochimaru nodded, then looked at the Third Hokage. Although he was the Third Hokage's student, he leaned slightly more toward Danzo when it came to war strategy.

"The Rock Ninja's recent attacks have become increasingly fierce... but since we still have to guard against Kumogakure, we cannot go all out against the Rock Ninja. It is indeed very troublesome..."

The Third Hokage understood what Orochimaru meant, but he was also distressed. After all, as the Hokage, he had to consider many more things, both internal and external...

"Indeed. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning has been vigorously supporting Kumogakure in recent years, and Kumogakure has become increasingly aggressive! We must force Sunagakure to increase the intensity of their attacks on the Rock Ninja. We in Konoha only went to war with the Rock Ninja to support Sunagakure!"

It was Danzo who spoke again.

"Otherwise, what do they think we are? Suckers!?"

"But due to the Daimyo's weakening, Sunagakure's strength is currently insufficient. Besides, they did indeed provide us with considerable compensation. If we use this tone, it will inevitably affect our alliance."

The one who spoke was another village leader. He frowned.

"It would be better to change the phrasing."

"Compensation? We in Konoha are not short of that money!"

Danzo had never known the meaning of courtesy in his life, and in his heart, everyone outside of Konoha was an enemy anyway, so anything went.

"Accepting their money is giving them face, so others don't think we are giving charity to Sunagakure. Can that pittance compensate for the losses we suffered while fighting the Rock Ninja!? Sunagakure should be even more aware of this!"

The big shots were arguing incessantly, and Qi, who was watching the show from the side, was dumbfounded.

Look at that... how high-level this rhetoric was... It was clearly Konoha that had no choice but to fight, yet after passing through Danzo's mouth, it became Sunagakure owing Konoha a favor...

He really wondered what the Sunagakure ninjas would think if they heard these words...

However, Qi thought about it again; the ninja world never really cared about logic. If someone like Danzo were the boss, it wouldn't be all bad. Sacrifices happened under any system anyway, as long as it didn't fall on him.

He wasn't an idiot without emotional intelligence. He knew that Orochimaru letting him call the Third Hokage "Grandmaster" must have been the Third Hokage's instruction; otherwise, could those two words just be called out casually? Clearly, both the Third Hokage and Orochimaru recognized his value and decided to make him one of their own.

But from the moment he called the Third Hokage "Grandmaster," he had already been drawn into the vortex of Konoha's upper echelons, becoming a member of the Senju faction. As for the big shots around him, they were undoubtedly the witnesses.

The struggle between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan had never ceased since the founding of Konoha, but he didn't care about that. In any case, he knew that the Uchiha Clan, that "tea table" family, wouldn't be able to jump around for many more years.

What he cared more about was the internal struggle within the Senju faction—the conflict between the moderate faction represented by the Third Hokage and the hardline faction represented by Danzo... that was the truly lethal part...

"Alright, everyone, stop arguing."

In the end, after being nagged by a group of big shots for half a day, the Third Hokage, as the supreme leader, had to say a few words to express his opinion. After all, there was no point in arguing like this forever.

"We will do as Danzo says and demand that Sunagakure increase their troop deployment. However, we must be careful with the wording. Regardless of what happens in the future, Sunagakure is currently our ally. Konoha cannot embarrass its own allies, otherwise, who would be willing to form an alliance with us in the future?"

"We understand. We will do as the Hokage says."

Seeing that the Third Hokage had spoken, the various big shots were sensible enough to stop arguing. In any case, their respective goals had been achieved.

Even Danzo, though still dissatisfied and feeling that the Third Hokage was too cautious, accepted the Third Hokage's opinion and did not speak again.

"Then it is settled. Everyone, disperse."

The Third Hokage nodded at the group, then turned to Orochimaru and Qi.

"Orochimaru, come with me to the office... Qi, you must be tired too, go get some rest first."

"Yes."

Qi was eager to leave as soon as possible, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice. Seeing that the Third Hokage and Orochimaru had finally started to walk away, he turned around, intending to go find Ogata.

However, a hand grabbed him.

"Where are you going?"

Feeling a bit depressed, Qi turned back and looked. Oh, look, isn't this Uchiha Xiu...

Come to think of it, he had been following Orochimaru the whole way and hadn't even had a chance to talk to him.

"I'm going home..."

Qi replied. He looked behind Xiu, not far away, where a middle-aged man who looked somewhat like Xiu was watching this side.

"Is that your father?"

"Ah... no! Don't change the subject. Did you forget that I said if you could come back alive, I would give you two katanas?"

Qi realized... he really had forgotten... After all, who would remember words spoken casually while hacking people to death...

"That thing... are you really giving them? I heard chakra weapons are very expensive."

Qi emphasized the word "chakra" heavily. For one, ordinary swords were useless to him; for another, there was a subtle implication of keeping his distance from the Uchiha Clan.

He was no longer a naive kid. Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. Those people above loved nothing more than turning non-issues into issues and small issues into big ones. He didn't want to get into any trouble for no reason.

Furthermore, weapons were not truly important to him; for the Yuki Clan, their best weapon was Ice Release itself, as the ice crystals created by it were practically the finest chakra-infused armaments.

"You certainly know a lot about the village's affairs. My father just told me you only joined Konoha recently, but I can't tell at all."

Uchiha Xiu wore a half-smile.

"Rest assured, the gift I'm giving you won't cause you any trouble. If it were one of my elders giving you something, that would be the real trouble."

"Heh..."

Qi laughed, feeling somewhat awkward.

"By the way, where is Tong?"

"I was just praising you, but are you playing dumb or are you genuinely dense? Outside, I can call Tong brother, but back in the village, with both our elders present, do you really think we can still act like that?"

A flash of helplessness and mockery crossed Uchiha Xiu's eyes.

"Forget about Tong; even for the two of us, who can guarantee how long this friendship will last? As for that 'Grandmaster' title you used... heh, don't tell me you don't understand the implications of that."

Having said this, he patted Qi on the shoulder.

"I, Uchiha Xiu, keep my word. I'll have the items sent to your home later, so just give me your address."

"I'll be staying at my former master's place for a while, so just send it there."

Since things had reached this point, Qi felt he was being too pretentious. It was just two blades, after all; what was the big deal? It was far too indecisive.

After giving Ogata's address to Uchiha Xiu and exchanging a few more casual words, Qi bid him farewell, left the area, and headed toward Ogata's residence.