Reunion Two Years Later

Even though they had been somewhat prepared for it beforehand.

But when they saw the scale of Snow Ninja Village with their own eyes,

the people of Konoha still couldn't help feeling varying degrees of astonishment deep down. Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, Choji, Hinata, Sakura, and the others, who had never visited any of the other four great ninja villages, aside. Even Kakashi and Shikaku, who had been to other villages, felt shaken deep down when they saw the magnificent scale of Snow Ninja Village's buildings, though their expressions remained unchanged on the surface. If this had been any of the other four great ninja villages, Kakashi and Shikaku wouldn't have reacted this way. But Snow Ninja Village was different. The oppressive feeling was palpable, especially when they looked through the main gate and saw the Snow Shadow Office Building towering at the very heart of the village!

The character "Snow," marked at the center of its highest point, was crystal clear.

The Snow Shadow?

At that moment, Kakashi couldn't help picturing Naruto in his mind. The image of him bearing the title of Kage made Kakashi think even more readily of his teacher, the Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato.

Shikaku wore nearly the same expression as Kakashi. As he looked at the dozen or so Snow Ninja approaching from the main gate, his gaze fixed in particular on the tall, straight figure at their head, and his eyes narrowed.

"Neji!?"

"Neji-kun!"

"Big brother Neji..."

Lee, Tenten, Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, and the others were the first to react, their eyes widening as the names slipped from their lips. Yet as they looked at the figure before them, someone who should have been familiar but now seemed so strange,

their faces filled with complicated emotions.

Those familiar, pale eyes. That same calm air