The Village's Response

One month later.

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally led his expeditionary force back to Konoha.

When they went there, there was a large group of 2,000 people, but when they came back, there were only 1,628 people, including Taiichi Squad.

Although the entire Ninja World achieved victory in their joint battle against the Moryo, the price paid by each village was incredibly high.

This is still Konoha; other ninja villages would only suffer even greater casualties.

The Konoha Gate.

The triumphant team had barely appeared when colorful fireworks soared into the sky.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, led the Konoha High Command out the gate to welcome the triumphant heroes.

This festive welcome and courteous treatment is the highest praise for the ninjas going on their expedition.

Taiichi walked at the front of the group, only one step behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

From his perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were narrowed to slits, and his face was full of wrinkles from smiling.

For so many years, he had been the one to welcome the triumphant heroes at the village gate. Today, he finally had the chance to experience being treated as a hero again.

Taiichi, the three little ones also mingled up to Taiyi.

Jiangtai, with his sharp eyes, spotted Nonō and her friends from the Orphanage in the crowd and excitedly waved to them.

Not satisfied with that, he grabbed Yami, who was also smiling broadly, and pointed in the direction of Nonō, shouting, "Over there, over there! That's the Dean, and Chine and the others, they're all over there!"

Yami turned her head with delight, her eyes following the direction Jiangtai was pointing, and immediately found the dean and others in the crowd.

"Ah, Dean, Dean, I'm here!"

Yami waved excitedly at the crowd, which earned her cheers from her friends and a thumbs-up from the dean.

This was just a common scene in the triumphant procession; similar things were happening everywhere in the long line.

When the group arrived at the village entrance, Minato stepped forward first and helped Hiruzen Sarutobi with both hands, his face beaming with a bright smile.

"Welcome back in triumph, Third Kazekage Hokage. Your First Shinobi World War has brought peace and development to the Ninja World."

"Hahaha!" The Third Kazekage revealed a reserved smile, took Minato's hand as he helped him up, and said modestly, "It's not my doing at all. It's all thanks to Taiichi and all the ninjas who risked their lives that we were able to win this First Shinobi World War."

As he spoke, he turned around, his gaze sweeping over Taiichi and the group of ninjas, and the smile on his face turned into sorrow.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't bring everyone back; many children perished in this First Shinobi World War."

Minato's expression dimmed slightly, but he quickly composed himself. After all, this was a ceremony to welcome a triumphant return, and being happy was the main thing.

"Lord Third Kazekage, you have done a great job. Let's go into the village; everyone is waiting for you."

"Yes, yes, look at this old man, always talking about these unpleasant things."

Hiruzen Sarutobi also realized what was happening, and a smile immediately returned to his face. Together with Minato, he led the triumphant team through the Konoha Gate.

Along both sides of the street, villagers spontaneously gathered by the roadside, waving colorful ribbons and small flags in the air to express their welcome to the heroes.

On the rooftops of houses lining both sides of the street stood numerous ninjas, all there to welcome the team that was said to have saved the Ninja World.

The entire procession, a long and impressive sight, marched from the village entrance all the way to the Hokage Building, before dispersing to their respective homes at the Fourth Hokage's command.

Taiichi, of course, couldn't just disband and go home like ordinary ninjas.

He looked down at his three disciples, whose three bright, sparkling eyes were also fixed on Taiichi.

After this experience, the three of them were completely transformed.

Jiangtai has made a basic grasp of how to use the Sage Mode.

Yami can use her Chakra Enhanced Strength in actual combat.

Itachi activated his Sharingan without any side effects.

Moreover, the energy and spirit emanating from the three little ones are like the rising Sun Barrier, full of power and firepower.

Taiichi raised his hand and placed it on Itachi's head, giving it a firm rub before saying to them, "Alright, you should all go home now, don't worry your families."

Then he looked at the weasel who was fixing its hair.

"Itachi, go back and tell your father that I'll visit him later to discuss your Sharingan."

Itachi paused in tidying his hair, but immediately nodded in agreement.

"Okay, teacher, I will definitely bring it."

He knew that his Sharingan awakening method was unique, and the clan would definitely pay close attention to it. This wouldn't change because of his status as the clan leader's son. Whether it was good or bad, he was obligated to cooperate.

However, if there is Taiichi supporting them, the outcome will often be in the best possible direction.

Watching the three little figures disappear into the crowd, Taiichi turned around and went to the two Hokage who had been waiting for him.

"Haha, seeing that scene just now reminded me of Tsunade when they were kids. In the blink of an eye, even you Taiichi, have started taking on disciples."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, his eyes narrowed, and after speaking, he took out his pipe and took a puff, looking as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.

"That's right. It feels like just yesterday when I led Kakashi and the others."

Minato also wore a nostalgic expression, reminiscing about the past with the Third Hokage.

Taiichi couldn't help but purse his lips. He didn't know how the Third Kazekage trained his disciples, but Minato, well...

"Senior Disciple Brother Minato, back then Kakashi and the others seemed to spend most of their time with my team, right? Someone didn't fulfill their duties as a teacher at all!"

"Ah, this—that—" Minato scratched his head awkwardly, "Let's hurry up and go, the two Advisor are still waiting for us upstairs."

After saying that, Minato didn't turn around and strode straight towards the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Taiichi exchanged a glance, both revealing knowing smiles, and simultaneously began to follow.

The Hokage's Office.

Minato sat upright behind his desk, his fingers interlaced under his chin, listening intently to Taiichi's report.

Not far to his side, there was another chair, the seat reserved for the Third Kazekage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was puffing on his pipe, his eyes occasionally sweeping over Taiichi before turning away.

To the right and slightly in front of Minato, Advisor Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood quietly, listening attentively to Taiichi's report.

Throughout the entire office, only Taiichi's voice could be heard.

From Scout missing persons to quelling the rebellion in the Hoshigakure, to supporting the Land of Demons, and finally sealing away the Moryo.

Although they had read written reports before, nothing beats the vividness of the person involved explaining it personally.

"So, you've brought back the physical body of the Moryo."

Utatane Koharu was still somewhat incredulous. This was no good thing; from Taiichi's explanation, one could tell that it contained a potential threat.

"To be precise, it was only one-fifth of the Moryo's body. To prevent the Moryo from being fully resurrected in the future, and to confirm that the Land of Demons was unable to safeguard this seal, we later divided the Moryo's body into five parts, with each of the Five Great Ninja Villages keeping one part."

Upon hearing this, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this thankless task wasn't solely undertaken by Konoha; if Five Great Ninja Villages kept a copy, the danger would be immense.

That means the cost is shared equally, and everyone has to contribute.

"Where is that seal that belongs to Konoha now?"

Utatane Koharu her head towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting down. Logically speaking, something so important should be kept by Hiruzen.

Unexpectedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi his hands, indicating that he wasn't around, and then pointed at Taiichi.

At this moment, Taiichi also took out a scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

"It's with me, but I hope I can keep it for a while. The body of the Moryo is of great research value and has given me a lot of inspiration."

Taiichi's words made Mitokado Homura frown. How could such an important thing be entrusted to an individual for safekeeping, even if that person was Taichi Matsushita?

Just as he opened his mouth to retort----

"No problem. Since it's helpful to you, you can take it first. That way, the village won't have to hire someone to guard it."

The Fourth Hokage readily agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Minato, how could you agree to this so easily? This is a vital asset for the village."

Mitokado Homura couldn't hold back any longer and questioned the Hokage's decision.

"Elder Mitokado, you must understand!" Minato's smile vanished as he pointed at the scroll in Taiichi's hand, saying, "This was something Taiichi personally defeated the seal on. Doesn't he have the right to study it?"

Mitokado Homura's expression froze, and he was immediately quite embarrassed, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Utatane Koharu then stepped in to smooth things over, "En was just impatient for a Taiichi. Taiichi is certainly qualified to study this for a while; no one in Konoha is more qualified than him."

"Heh—" Taiichi tossed the scroll in his hand, glancing sideways at Mitokado Homura, "Then I'll keep this. I'll give it to the village after I've studied it."

"Alright, Taiichi, you should tone it down a bit too." Minato and tapped Taiichi, signaling him not to press the matter further.

Once the office was quiet again, Minato tapped his fingers on the desk, making a "thump-thump" sound.

"Next, let's talk about the Akatsuki. All signs indicate that the mastermind behind this incident Moryo is the Akatsuki."

However, during the most frenzied phase of the Moryo, there was absolutely no trace of the Akatsuki appearing.

Ironically, just as Moryo was about to be sealed away, the Akatsuki used various means to help Moryo's soul escape.

Can anyone guess why the Akatsuki did this?

This was not only Minato's question, but also the question of everyone present.

It all seems like a futile effort, but everyone knows that the Akatsuki this.

After a long silence, it was the Third Kazekage who finally broke the silence.

"From a motivational standpoint, terrorist organizations like Akatsuki are essentially enemies of the Ninja World's order. Releasing the Moryo must be partly motivated by a desire to weaken the Ninja World's strength."

Everyone nodded in agreement; this made a lot of sense. There were other ways to defeat an opponent besides improving oneself, but weakening the opponent was also a viable strategy.

The Third Kazekage's words seemed to have given everyone a clue, and everyone immediately started talking.

"They saved the Moryo because they wanted to obtain Moryo power."

"But that doesn't make sense either. If you need the power of Moryo, why not just save them from the start? How much power can you unleash by simply saving a soul?"

"Perhaps it was because the complete Moryo was too powerful that they only managed to save a soul."

With everyone contributing their thoughts, they actually managed to guess roughly what the Akatsuki were thinking.

"Does everyone remember—" Taiichi's opening remarks drew everyone's attention. "Back in Hoshigakure, the Akatsuki was also preparing to recruit that Rogue Ninja Akahoshi. This shows that the Akatsuki is short of manpower, and they are recruiting Rogue Ninja throughout the entire Ninja World."

Therefore, Moryo are their targets, and the reason they only target souls is perhaps, as everyone says, because they only target souls.

"Moryo with distinct forms are easier to control."

"Whoosh!"

Minato's breathing became heavier, a clear sign of emotional instability; Minato was obviously very angry.

To achieve their own goals, they disregarded the safety of the entire Ninja World; such an organization should not exist.

As if he had made up his mind, Minato suddenly stood up, his eyes revealing a resolute look.

"The Akatsuki should be destroyed." Minato said decisively, "I will inform the other four great ninja villages and jointly issue a statement: the Akatsuki is a terrorist organization, and everyone in the Ninja World has the right to kill it. For every Akatsuki member killed, the Five Great Nations will jointly provide a huge reward."

Minato is no longer planning to pretend; he intends to expose everything about the Akatsuki.

This incident with the Moryo served as a lesson for him. It's truly best to eliminate such terrorist organizations as soon as possible, otherwise, who knows when they might pull a serious stunt on you?

Everyone looked at each other, and ultimately no one raised any objections, so the decision was passed so easily.

When Taiichi came out of the Hokage's Office, it was already around 3 p. m.

Remembering that he had asked Itachi to inform his family about the visit, Taiichi decided not to go home at all and headed towards the Uchiha clan's Earth Flow.

On the way, the joy of welcoming the triumphant procession had not completely dissipated, but the sorrow that had been masked by the celebration resurfaced.

They appeared on the street.

Along the way, Taiichi had already seen several houses with white lanterns hanging in front of them.

That's a sign that someone in the family has died.

Judging from its brand-new appearance, it was only recently hung up, and it was most likely the home of a ninja who died in this punitive expedition.

As he passed by these houses, he heard sorrowful weeping coming from inside, and Taiichi dared not stop.

At this moment, he also felt the deep sorrow that Minato had just experienced.

A terrorist organization like Akatsuki should truly not exist in this world.

With a heavy heart, Taiichi also arrived at the Uchiha Compound.

As soon as they stepped into the Uchiha Clan's territory, an Uchiha clansman came up to greet them, seemingly there specifically to wait for Taiichi.

Sure enough, the man came up to Taiichi and immediately began to introduce himself.

"Taiichi, I am Uchiha Shin. I am here to await you on the orders of Clan Chief Fugaku."

"Oh, thank you for your hard work." Taiichi looked at the Uchiha clansman in front of him. He couldn't see any Uchiha pride in the other person. Instead, the other person had a personality more like Yohei's. Taiichi's mood immediately improved.

"Please lead the way, Xin. I'm a bit late today."

"Please, Master Taiichi."

Along the way, Taiichi also observed the Uchiha Compound.

He was surprised to find that the place had changed a lot in the time he had been away.

The most obvious thing is that quite a few non- Uchiha clan members have appeared in the Uchiha Compound.

"Your clan territory has changed quite a bit. Who are these non- Uchiha clan members?"

Shin followed Taiichi's gaze and immediately knew who Taiichi was talking about, a happy smile appearing on his face.

"Those are all friends of their respective tribes. The tribe now values friendship and unity, and encourages everyone to bring their friends to visit the tribe."

"I see----"

It seems the Uchiha reforms are progressing at an increasingly rapid pace, which makes Taiichi feel gratified.