I Won't Keep This Glory to Myself

The rising sun cast its light over the entrance to Konoha.

Cold winds blew in gusts, but they could not dampen the villagers' enthusiasm.

A sea of people filled the area before Konoha Gate. Villagers lined both sides of the main road leading to the Hokage Building, craning their necks as excited chatter filled the air.

Earlier, the Hokage Building had declared the highest level of alert. Everyone had been confined to their homes, gripped by unease and uncertainty.

No one knew what tomorrow would bring. They feared Hidden Sand ninja might break into the village and poison people on a massive scale.

The oppressive mood had hung over the village ever since.

Then Toji brought them hope.

Less than a week had passed between his departure and his report back.

Toji had found a way to counter the dreaded Ganmaru Poison Ninjutsu and sent back a medical scroll capable of treating the Gangmaru Virus. As the highest medical authority, he had recommended lifting the alert.

Yet on the night before Elder Toji left the front, Hidden Sand had gone so far as to deploy a Jinchuriki. The Three-Tails appeared in its true form, ready to unleash a Tailed Beast Ball at the Konoha Ninja.

At that critical moment, Elder Toji had stepped forward again. He shielded the ninja on the front line with his own body, then frightened the Three-Tails into swallowing its Tailed Beast Ball with a single roar. It fled straight back to its village.

When news of that harrowing turn reached Konoha, the whole village erupted. The villagers loved their heroes; it was an old tradition dating back to the First Hokage.

Beyond his tremendous achievement on the battlefield, his Village-Exit Form had moved countless people.

Toji Zenin carried on the spirit of the First Hokage!