Return to the Hidden Leaf Village

In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the intelligence Anbu had compiled for him, his feelings a mix of joy and worry.

He was glad that he hadn't been wrong about Senju Genma. Genma was a staggering genius, and if he could one day succeed Hiruzen as Hokage, the Hidden Leaf Village would surely continue to prosper under his leadership.

But Genma was still so young, and yet he had defeated Hanzo. Even if it had been a series of one-on-one battles, it was still hard to believe. If he continued to grow, his strength would become even more terrifying, and he might prove difficult to control in the future.

Hiruzen was also reluctant to give up the power he held. Even if Genma was to take charge, Hiruzen hoped it would be after his own death.

Unable to make up his mind, Hiruzen didn't know what to do. In the end, he decided to set the matter aside for now and continue observing Genma.

Genma was still young. It would take at least another decade or two before he could become Hokage.

Hiruzen was already in his forties. In an era when the average lifespan was only thirty or forty years, he didn't even know if he would live to see Genma become Hokage!

Strength alone wasn't enough to become Hokage. He would also need the support of the shinobi, and that wouldn't be easy to obtain.

"Hiruzen, you didn't call us here just to let us admire you sleeping, did you?"

Shimura Danzō asked sharply. He had been standing there for nearly ten minutes, while Hiruzen had done nothing but sit with his eyes closed.

Hiruzen's disregard for him infuriated him.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, standing to the side, were also livid.

They had been summoned and hurried over, only to be left waiting. It was as if Hiruzen were making fools of them.

How could two people as powerful and accustomed to throwing their weight around as they were put up with that?

Hiruzen put his concerns aside. Instead of answering Danzō, he slid a document in front of the three of them.

"Take a look."

The three read through the document. Shimura Danzō frowned, while Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura beamed.

"Tell me what you think," Hiruzen said slowly when they had finished reading.

"Since Amegakure has surrendered to us and is willing to become our vassal state, this is wonderful news!" Utatane Koharu said with a smile.

Mitokado Homura agreed. "They're willing to pay us half of their future taxes. Of course we should accept."

Hiruzen turned to Shimura Danzō, as if asking for his opinion.

Hiruzen didn't even want to look at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura anymore. They were short-sighted fools who cared only for petty gains.

Shimura Danzō thought for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "We can accept Amegakure's surrender, but we can't let the Land of Rain become our vassal state."

"The Land of Rain lies between the three great nations and serves as a strategic buffer. What's more, it's currently at war with the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. If we become its suzerain, we'll have to send troops to defend it."

"The Land of Rain isn't worth much, and it doesn't pay much in taxes. If we help them fight Sunagakure and Iwagakure, we'll be the ones to suffer. Fighting two great ninja villages at once would also put Konoha at considerable risk."

Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction. Shimura Danzō's thinking was almost exactly the same as his own.

"Then we'll accept Hanzo's surrender, but the Land of Rain won't become our vassal state. Still, Konoha lost many of its young shinobi in this war, so Amegakure must compensate us!"

The so-called compensation was just for show, meant to help Konoha save face in front of the other ninja villages. Amegakure was dirt-poor and had nothing to offer.

The real goal of the war had been to curb Hanzo's ambitions to expand into the Land of Fire, and that goal had now been achieved.

Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura all nodded in agreement.

A month later, at the Konoha Ninja forces' base in the Land of Rain.

Senju Genma and Tsunade were packing their things in a tent, preparing to leave the Land of Rain.

The Hidden Leaf Village had accepted Amegakure's unconditional surrender, and the two countries had signed a peace treaty pledging never to invade each other.

Under the treaty, Amegakure would compensate the Hidden Leaf Village for the war, while Konoha's forces would withdraw from the Land of Rain.

Outside the tent, Konan and Namikaze Minato were sparring.

Originally, Minato should have stayed by Jiraiya's side.

But while out wandering, Jiraiya, an unreliable teacher, had come across two children from the Land of Rain.

Feeling sorry for them, Jiraiya had taken pity on them and decided to accept them as his students. He stayed behind to teach them ninjutsu until they could defend themselves.

Jiraiya had entrusted Minato to Tsunade, asking her to bring him back to the village.

Konan and Minato faced each other in the open space in front of the tent.

Konan reached into her pouch and pulled out two pieces of paper shaped like shuriken.

"Paper Shuriken!"

As chakra flowed into the paper, it hardened and grew sharper. Konan threw the pieces like shuriken.

This wasn't a clan secret technique or a Kekkei Genkai. It was a ninjutsu Konan had devised herself, using paper as a weapon.

Minato raised a kunai to block. The Paper Shuriken were sturdy and sharp, and they remained intact even after clashing with the metal kunai.

Konan then pulled out a paper kunai, and the two stepped forward to test their Taijutsu.

With Tsunade and Genma both training her, Konan had grown remarkably fast. She still couldn't match Minato, but she had reached Genin level.

Though Minato was a Genin, his strength was at least that of a Special Jonin.

Since Minato was deliberately holding back, their Taijutsu match was fairly evenly balanced.

After several fierce clashes, the two were about to engage again when Genma used the Body Flicker Technique to appear between them and grabbed their wrists.

"That's enough. You can continue once we get back. It's almost time. Let's get ready to go."

"Yes!"

Konoha's forces didn't waste any time. Once the time came, they set out immediately.

Driven by their longing for home and love for their friends and family, the shinobi marched even faster than they had on their way to the battlefield.

In less than a month, every Konoha shinobi had returned to the village.

Their victory in the war filled the village with laughter and celebration.

The streets were packed, with crowds lining the roads to welcome them home.

Genma was treated like a hero. His defeat of Hanzo had earned him tremendous prestige among Konoha's lower-ranking shinobi.

"Why does everyone know what I did? This doesn't feel right. Shouldn't we be keeping a low profile at a time like this?"

"Maybe your teacher wants you to feel more attached to the village." As Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, Tsunade had immediately seen through her teacher's intentions.