Returning to Konoha

Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the intelligence reports organized by the Anbu, his heart a mix of joy and apprehension.

He was happy because he had truly not misjudged his man; Senju Genma was a shocking genius. If Genma could succeed him as Hokage in the future, the Hidden Leaf Village would undoubtedly continue to flourish under his leadership.

He was apprehensive because, despite his young age, Senju Genma had managed to defeat Hanzo. Although it had been a war of attrition, it was still hard to believe. If he were allowed to continue growing, his strength would surely become even more terrifying, and he might become impossible to control later on.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still reluctant to relinquish the power in his hands. Even if he were to let Senju Genma take the reins, he hoped it would only happen after he himself had passed away.

Unable to reach a decision, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt at a loss. He decided to set the matter aside for the time being and continue observing Senju Genma.

Senju Genma was still young; it would take at least another ten to twenty years before he could become Hokage.

He himself was already over forty. In an era where the average life expectancy was thirty or forty, he didn't even know if he would live long enough to see Senju Genma become Hokage!

Becoming Hokage required more than just sufficient strength; it also required the support of the ninja, which was no simple feat.

"Hiruzen, you didn't call us here just to watch you sleep, did you?"

Danzo Shimura spoke sharply. He had been standing there for nearly ten minutes, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had only been sitting with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

Hiruzen's disregard made him exceptionally angry.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, standing to the side, were also wearing expressions of fury.

They had been summoned by his men and had rushed over, only to be left waiting on the sidelines as if they were being toyed with.

How could two people of such high status, accustomed to arrogance and power, tolerate this?

Hiruzen Sarutobi set his worries aside for the moment. Ignoring Danzo, he pushed a document toward the three of them.

"Take a look."

As the three scanned the document, Danzo Shimura frowned, while Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado beamed with joy.

"Tell me your thoughts," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly once they had finished reading.

Koharu Utatane smiled and said, "Since the Hidden Rain Village has surrendered to us and is willing to become our vassal state, this is a tremendous piece of news!"

Homura Mitokado chimed in, "They are willing to offer half of their future tax revenue as tribute; we should certainly choose to accept."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head to look at Danzo Shimura, as if asking for his opinion.

As for Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, those two short-sighted fools who only cared about petty gains, Hiruzen didn't even want to glance at them.

Danzo Shimura pondered for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "We can accept the surrender of the Hidden Rain Village, but we cannot allow the Land of Rain to become our vassal state."

"The Land of Rain is situated between the three great nations and serves as a strategic buffer. Furthermore, it is currently at war with the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. If we become the suzerain of the Land of Rain, we will be obligated to send troops on their behalf."

"The value of the Land of Rain is not high, and the tax revenue is negligible. Helping them fight against the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Stone Village would leave us at a disadvantage in the end. Opposing two major ninja villages simultaneously poses a significant risk to our Hidden Leaf."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction; Danzo Shimura's thoughts were exactly the same as his own.

"In that case, we accept Hanzo's surrender, but we will forgo the vassal status. However, our Hidden Leaf has sacrificed many brave souls in this war; we must make the Hidden Rain Village provide compensation!"

The so-called compensation was merely for show, intended to save face for the Hidden Leaf in front of the other major villages. The Hidden Rain Village was dirt poor and had nothing of value to offer.

The actual purpose of this war had been to curb Hanzo's ambition to expand into the Land of Fire, and that goal had now been achieved.

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

A month later, at the Hidden Leaf ninja encampment in the Land of Rain.

Senju Genma and Tsunade were in their tent, packing their belongings in preparation to withdraw from the Land of Rain.

The Hidden Leaf Village had accepted the unconditional surrender of the Hidden Rain Village, and the two nations had signed a permanent non-aggression peace treaty.

The treaty stipulated that the Hidden Rain Village would provide war reparations to the Hidden Leaf, while the Hidden Leaf's forces would withdraw from the territory of the Land of Rain.

Outside the tent, Konan and Namikaze Minato were sparring.

Originally, Namikaze Minato should have been kept by Jiraiya's side.

However, that unreliable teacher Jiraiya had discovered two children from the Land of Rain while out wandering.

Feeling pity for them, Jiraiya had taken compassion on them and decided to take them as his disciples, staying behind to teach them ninjutsu until they had the strength to protect themselves.

Namikaze Minato had been entrusted to Tsunade, with a request for her to bring him back to the village.

Konan and Namikaze Minato stood facing each other in the clearing in front of the tent.

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

"Paper Shuriken!"

As chakra was infused into the paper, the sheets hardened and became razor-sharp, which Konan then threw like shuriken.

This was neither a clan secret technique nor a bloodline limit, but a technique Konan had developed herself for the application of paper ninja tools.

Namikaze Minato raised a kunai to block. The paper shuriken were sturdy and sharp, remaining undamaged even after colliding with the iron kunai.

Immediately after, Konan pulled out a paper kunai, and the two moved forward to engage in taijutsu.

Under the joint tutelage of Tsunade and Senju Genma, Konan had grown rapidly. While her strength naturally couldn't compare to Namikaze Minato's, she was already at the level of a genin.

And although Namikaze Minato was a genin, his strength was at least that of a Special Jonin.

With Namikaze Minato intentionally holding back, their taijutsu spar was evenly matched.

After several intense clashes, just as the two were about to engage once more, Senju Genma used the Body Flicker Technique to appear between them, catching them by the wrists.

"That's enough. You can continue when we get back. Time is running out; let's prepare to depart."

"Yes!"

The Konoha forces did not delay; once the time arrived, they moved out immediately.

Driven by the longing for home and the love of family and friends, the ninjas traveled even faster than they had when rushing to the battlefield.

In less than a month, all the ninjas of Konoha had returned to the village.

The victory in the foreign war left the village immersed in laughter and cheers.

The streets were completely deserted as everyone gathered to line the roads in welcome; it was exactly as the saying described.

Senju Genma received a hero's welcome, and the feat of defeating Hanzo earned him immense prestige among the middle and lower-ranking ninjas of Konoha.

Why do so many people know about my business? This is too strange. Shouldn't we be keeping a low profile at a time like this?

"Perhaps the teacher wants you to feel a greater sense of belonging to the village." Tsunade lived up to her reputation as Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, instantly pinpointing exactly what was on Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.