The Hero Returns!

Time passed quickly, especially when a schedule was packed. It was even harder to notice its passage. In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by, and Li had been studying Ninjutsu under the Third Hokage for a month. Today, instead of going to the Third Hokage's home, Li followed Uchiha Hao and the others to the entrance of Konoha to welcome the heroes who were about to return.

That's right. Today marked the end of the Second Shinobi World War. The war had lasted a full two years, and at last it had ended in Konoha's victory. The heroes who had gone to the battlefield would return today.

"White Fang! White Fang! White Fang..."

As soon as they reached the main street, villagers and shinobi who hadn't gone to the battlefield lined both sides of the road, shouting White Fang's name. Everyone was overcome with excitement. On the battlefield of the Second Shinobi World War, White Fang's reputation had spread throughout the Shinobi World. He was known as Konoha's Fang, and since he wielded a short white blade, he had earned the name White Fang of the Leaf. His fame was so great that it surpassed even the Konoha Sannin.

Li stood with Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, squeezed into the middle of the crowd. From a distance, he watched a group of shinobi enter Konoha. At their head was a silver-haired shinobi in his twenties. A short blade was strapped to his back, and he carried himself with an imposing air, a faintly proud look on his face. Hundreds of shinobi followed him as the group swept into Konoha, basking in the crowd's cheers. Each of them wore a faintly proud expression.

"Brother Li, is that the White Fang of the Leaf?" Uchiha Mikoto tugged on Li's sleeve, her little face flushed as she asked. Clearly, even she couldn't contain her excitement at seeing a renowned hero in person.

In truth, children who hadn't yet become shinobi blindly idolized heroes. They had no idea that every hero had a tragic history of blood and tears they would rather not talk about.

"Mm." Li nodded faintly, feeling little stir inside. The White Fang of the Leaf was indeed powerful, but Li looked down on the way he died. He had actually killed himself because of rumors and gossip. It was utterly foolish.

Still, Konoha was in its glory now. White Fang marched at the head of hundreds of shinobi, basking in countless cheers. It was an honor that belonged to him, and to the Hatake Clan.

The Third Hokage personally welcomed White Fang and the others back. Orochimaru and Tsunade accompanied him, while Jiraiya was still wandering outside, teaching the three orphans he had met.

The welcome celebration lasted until late afternoon, just before nightfall. The lively streets gradually fell quiet. Li had gone home alone long before then. Rather than spend all that time idolizing heroes, he would be better off using it to train.

After a month of instruction from the Third Hokage, Li's strength had grown rapidly. He was already at the level of an elite Genin, and he was sure he would soon break through to Chunin. Once that happened, Li would apply to become a Genin. Applying on his own was very different from being promoted automatically upon graduation: applicants had to earn approval in several ways, such as fighting other shinobi.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Kushina in a long time. I wonder how she's doing. I should go check on her."

After finishing his training, Li took a bath. Thinking of Kushina, he realized he hadn't seen her since he began training under the Third Hokage. He wondered how she was doing at school. What concerned him most was Minato Namikaze. Li really worried Minato might win Kushina over while he wasn't paying attention.

Once he'd made up his mind, Li changed clothes and headed out alone. It was already night, and there weren't many people on the road. Kushina lived near the Hokage Office Building. Given her special status, it was the only place where she could be kept safe. When Li entered the courtyard, he saw Kushina practicing Kunai throwing. She was panting, clearly having practiced for a long time.

"Keep your eyes on the bullseye, then judge how high or low it is compared to your arm. When you throw, try to put the force into your wrist!"

Whoosh, whoosh!

Several whistles cut through the air as Kushina's three Kunai shot out, all hitting the bullseye. She paid no attention to the Kunai that had struck dead center. Instead, she turned toward Li at the courtyard gate and smiled.

"Li, what brings you here so late?" Kushina looked delighted. Li was her first friend, and the first person in all of Konoha who had been willing to be her friend.

"Nothing. I just came to see how you're doing." Li waved and smiled, then stepped into the courtyard. Looking at the tree ahead, its trunk studded with Kunai, he asked, "Are you practicing your Kunai throwing?"

"Mm. I'm always bad at it in class, and a lot of my classmates make fun of me!" Just thinking about it made Kushina grit her teeth in anger, as if she wanted to bite them all.

Li couldn't help laughing. He pulled four Kunai from his tool pouch and casually threw them toward the bullseye on the tree. Kushina saw this and was just about to say it wouldn't work, when Li pulled out another four Kunai. His eyes suddenly locked onto the first four he had thrown, and he sent the new Kunai flying.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With several sharp clinks, the second set of four Kunai caught up with the first and struck them. The Kunai, which had initially seemed to have no aim at all, all sank into the bullseye. Eight Kunai in total, and not one had missed.

Aside from their Kekkei Genkai, the Uchiha Clan's greatest strengths were Fire Release and Kunai throwing. With Wenxuan's chakra still limited, he naturally needed to master Kunai throwing. It might one day serve as a trump card to save his life.

"That was amazing! I never knew you could throw Kunai like that. Teach me, Li!" Kushina stared at him with sparkling eyes, her face alight with excitement. She was already imagining herself using that cool technique in class, leaving the whole class so astonished their jaws would hit the floor.

Seeing how excited Kushina was, Li could only smile helplessly. He nodded slightly and said, "Sure. How about I come teach you at this time every night?"

"Really? It won't keep you from getting enough rest, will it?" Kushina asked, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's fine. Aren't we friends?" Li couldn't resist flicking her forehead with his finger. But he quickly realized the gesture had been too intimate and worried Kushina would get mad. He was just about to explain when Kushina covered her forehead with an unhappy look, baring her teeth at him.

"Ow, that hurt! You jerk, I'm going to flick you back!"

"..."