A Hero's Welcome

"Short-range movement speed comparable to teleportation, terrifying strength that could rival Tsunade's monstrous power, plus indestructible defense and extremely strong regeneration?"

Jiraiya drew a deep breath.

Could all of that really exist in a single person at once?

Even with the help of the two sages, even if he entered that mode, he probably could not reach that level.

Had the old man lost his mind? He actually wanted to provoke a monster like that.

Better to let Minato face him alone!

So what if Minato had the Flying Thunder God Technique? In their very first clash, while the opponent still knew nothing about the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato had already lost an arm.

What about next time?

"You should focus on recovering. I'll discuss this with Sensei."

"Jiraiya-sensei, besides Kitsuchi, whom he captured, there were also two women by that man's side." Minato Namikaze spoke quickly. "One was Samui from Hidden Cloud, mentioned in the intelligence reports. The other... seemed to be Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja from Hidden Sand!"

"Pakura?"

The grimness on Jiraiya's face deepened.

Pakura held an extremely high position in Hidden Sand, practically equivalent to Jiraiya's own standing in Konoha.

Yet such a major general of Hidden Sand was following Yotsuki Sora?

Hadn't the Wind-Lightning War only just ended? Could Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud have joined forces after the war?!

That was highly possible.

As the saying went, the enemy of one's enemy was a friend. Although Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud had fought each other to the death not long ago, the war had now ended, and both sides had a new target—Konoha!

Under such circumstances, it was entirely possible for the two sides to turn from enemies into allies.

"No, this must be reported to Sensei immediately!"

Without any hesitation, Jiraiya summoned a messenger at once and reported the situation here. At the same time, he requested that Minato's mission be suspended and asked for a transfer order for himself.

Minato's failure this time was very likely to anger Yotsuki Sora.

The situation in Hidden Stone was becoming increasingly chaotic. He had to stabilize the situation.

Minato Namikaze's little interruption did not have much of an impact. It was like a mosquito buzzing by one's ear during a summer nap—once swatted dead, one could continue sleeping soundly.

After making a few minor arrangements, Sora did not pause at all. He took Samui, Pakura, and Kitsuchi with him and left the Land of Earth.

Unlike the forced march on the way there, Sora was in no hurry at all on the return trip.

Not only did he leisurely take in the beautiful scenery and local customs of the various countries along the way, he even visited Red Hot Water City, the largest city in the Land of Hot Water, to experience the famous Red Hot Spring.

And, incidentally, he took Pakura as well.

What should have been a three-day journey was dragged out into seven days.

By the time Sora entered the Land of Lightning, crossed Cloud-Lightning Gorge, and saw the village rising into the clouds, more than a dozen figures instantly appeared before him.

The one leading them was Dodai!

"Well, long time no see, Dodai-sensei. How does it feel to see that I came back alive?"

"Something huge happened, Sora! Something huge happened!" Dodai paid no attention to Sora's mockery. His face was filled with urgency. "What have you been doing these past few days? Something huge happened!"

"Careful with your words, Dodai-sensei. I completed the mission you gave me beyond expectations."

As he spoke, Sora lifted Kitsuchi, who was nearly out of breath.

"Onoki's son. Alive. You understand his value, right?"

"Not that! Of course I know you completed the mission perfectly. It's the front lines—the front lines are in trouble!"

There was no need to mention Sora's gains in the Land of Earth. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki and the Tsuchikage's son—those two alone were enough to be called the greatest gains of this war.

Yotsuki Sora's military merit should rank first among all three armies!

But this was obviously not the time to discuss rewards.

"Forget it, hurry and come with me! The elders have been waiting anxiously."

"The elders?"

Looking at the grand welcoming formation of elderly athletes arranged at the village entrance in the distance, Sora sneered.

"What's the rush? I'm not in a hurry. Back then, weren't they desperate for me to get the hell out of the village? Acting this warmly now just feels fake."

"By the way, Dodai-sensei, have you finished sorting out my assets at the arena? There should be several million, maybe even tens of millions of ryo there. Don't swallow it all."

"I haven't been to that house of mine in over ten years. You should've cleaned it up for me, right? Remember to put the money inside."

"Don't rush. If those old geezers get too excited when they see me and one of them can't hold on, don't blame me for it afterward."

Amid all the pulling and bickering, Sora arrived at the village entrance under Dodai's lead.

Six elderly elders stood in a neat row at the entrance.

Behind them, on both sides, stood more than a dozen Hidden Cloud ninja with solemn expressions. Among them was a beautiful young girl with a ponytail, especially eye-catching.

Such a lineup made Sora raise an eyebrow.

"I thought I counted as a hero."

"You captured the Tsuchikage's son, sealed the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, killed hundreds of Hidden Stone shinobi, and drew the attention of thousands more. Of course you deserve to be called a hero of this war!" The elderly athletic man at the head of the group looked at Sora with a complicated expression.

"If I'm a hero, shouldn't there be a few pretty ladies for the welcome ceremony? What are you old geezers doing here?"

"Precisely because you are a hero, with the Raikage absent, we old men naturally had to welcome you in person to show our respect."

"What an honor for Sora."

Sora answered casually, but his gaze wandered through the crowd before finally stopping on the pretty, adorable girl.

Her long, straight beige-brown hair had been braided into a thick plait that reached all the way to her waist.

Her fair skin was smooth as congealed cream. Though she was not as wickedly voluptuous as Samui, her exquisite, peerlessly beautiful face surpassed Samui's.

Most importantly, Sora could clearly sense the surging, scorching, malevolent chakra within her body!

"A Jinchuriki."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sora strode forward.

"Your name is... Yugito Nii, right?"

"You know my name!"

Sora's sturdy build stood in stark contrast to Yugito Nii's slender girlish frame, yet she showed neither fear nor panic. Instead, she curiously studied him.

Hidden Cloud revered strength.

As a Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii was even more so.

She had long admired this senior who was reputed to be Hidden Cloud's greatest genius of the past century. When she heard that this powerful senior from more than a decade ago had suddenly returned and earned such tremendous military merit at the front lines, her curiosity only grew stronger.

What exactly was this genius, even more outstanding than the [AB] Brothers, like?

Seeing that the girl was completely unafraid of strangers, Sora grew even more interested.

But before he could speak, an old man behind him gave a light cough.

"Sora, I understand that you have not returned to the village for more than a decade and are eager to see home, but I have another mission for you to carry out..."

"Are you serious, old man Moloi?"

Sora turned with an amused half-smile to look at the old man who had spoken. "I haven't even entered the village gates yet, and you're already sending me on another mission."

"So this is how heroes are treated?"