Return to Konoha

After receiving his son's little report and learning about Uchiha Yunyan's situation, how should Hiruzen Sarutobi have reacted?

Killed Yunyan outright?

Not likely. As said before, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage, after all. Yunyan probably had not reached the point where he absolutely had to be eliminated from Sarutobi's perspective.

So Hiruzen Sarutobi took a simple measure: with a single transfer order, he recalled Yunyan from the Twelve Guardian Ninja to Konoha.

So what if you were deeply favored by the daimyo? At the end of the day, you were still a Konoha ninja and had to follow my command.

Though the daimyo held an exalted position, he could not command you. As a ninja, you could only obey my orders and serve under my command.

Yes, that was the method Hiruzen Sarutobi employed—simple, yet effective.

As for what happened afterward, Yunyan could more or less piece it together.

Recalling Yunyan was not exactly a major matter, so Hiruzen Sarutobi's side might not have kept it completely secret. As a result, Danzo's Root learned of it.

When Danzo saw the intelligence, he was surprised. There was actually an annoying Uchiha among the Fire Country daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninja?

What? This Uchiha was only average in strength, yet he was deeply favored by the daimyo? How could that be allowed?

Sarutobi must have sensed a threat, which was why he recalled this Uchiha to Konoha.

Hmph, Sarutobi was truly weak and incompetent. When faced with such a threat, how could he merely recall the man? He should have acted directly and killed him!

With thoughts even more radical than Hiruzen Sarutobi's, it was hardly strange that Danzo had dispatched Root ninja to intercept and assassinate Yunyan along the way.

That was the chain of events behind this matter that Yunyan could infer.

Thinking of this, Yunyan could not help raising his head to look at the crescent moon in the sky.

He was not entirely certain whether the truth was truly as he had guessed, but he estimated he was not far off. Even if there were mistakes, they would only be in the details; the overall picture should be correct.

There was another matter Yunyan found particularly troubling.

That was whether his recall to Konoha by Hiruzen Sarutobi had truly been discovered by Danzo by chance.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had leaked it unintentionally and Danzo had learned of it by accident, then the situation would naturally be much better.

But if Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately leaked it to Danzo, then this would be rather vexing.

That would mean Hiruzen Sarutobi already wanted Yunyan dead, but in order to preserve his righteous and glorious Hokage image, he could not act personally. So he had hinted for Danzo to handle it.

How many dirty jobs that Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to do had Danzo taken on?

The title Pot Kage was not just empty talk.

Of course, there was another possibility: Hiruzen Sarutobi had neither deliberately leaked the information nor made much effort to keep it secret. As for recalling Yunyan to Konoha, he simply left it to chance.

If Danzo failed to learn of it and took no action, that was fine. If Danzo learned of it and made a move afterward, that had nothing to do with Hiruzen Sarutobi either.

In other words, no matter what happened, Hiruzen Sarutobi could wash his hands clean. From beginning to end, there would not be the slightest stain or suspicion on him as Hokage. In a sense, he had placed himself in an invincible position.

Thinking of this, Yunyan frowned slightly, feeling thoroughly irritated.

Heh, politicians all had filthy hearts!

No matter which possibility it was, none of them boded well.

No matter which possibility it was, it meant that he, a mere jōnin of the Uchiha Clan, had already caught the attention of Konoha's upper ranks. It would not be so easy for him to stay out of things from now on.

But was Yunyan afraid?

Thinking of this, Yunyan smiled faintly. His furrowed brow relaxed, and his expression became utterly unconcerned.

If he had encountered such a situation just after transmigrating here a few years ago, he definitely would have been full of worry.

But he had spent so long lying low in the Fire Country capital, using the vast resources around the daimyo to grow to his current level. He no longer had anything to be timid about.

Now that he was returning to Konoha, it was the perfect time to stretch his legs.

A person could not keep lying low forever. When it was time to act, one had to act. Otherwise, people would really think you were easy to bully.

Having completely sorted out his thoughts, Yunyan stopped dwelling on it and stopped making guesses.

Who cared what Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were really up to? I was heading back to Konoha anyway.

Once I get to Konoha, I'll deal with it after seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With such powerful strength in his hands, he could go anywhere under heaven.

Besides, Konoha's upper ranks did not know the full extent of his abilities, while he knew them quite well. The advantage was on his side.

With his mood brightened once more, Yunyan turned his gaze back to the two corpses and two heads on the ground.

What should he do with these two Root ninja? Just leave them here to rot in the wilderness? Before long, they would become food for wild beasts?

That was unnecessary. Corpses could still be put to good use.

Once a casual idea formed in his mind, Yunyan revealed a cold smile again.

He briskly pulled out a sealing scroll he carried with him, then unfurled it and placed the two headless corpses and two heads on top. With a hand seal and a slap, the two corpses and two heads were sealed into the scroll.

Rolling up the scroll again, Yunyan smiled faintly and put it away.

These two Root ninja were solid evidence of guilt, the kind that could not be denied no matter what. Naturally, they had to be properly stored and preserved.

He hoped Hiruzen Sarutobi would like the gift he had prepared for him.

Everything had been cleaned up, with nothing left behind.

Just like that, Yunyan returned to the campfire he had lit, added some firewood to make the flames burn brightly again, then lay down and went back to sleep as if nothing had happened.

Not long after lying down, Yunyan's soft snores began to rise.

He was truly carefree. He had just killed two people, yet he could still go right back to sleep.

Time gradually passed. Nothing else happened that night, and Yunyan slept straight through until the following morning.

After waking in the morning, Yunyan lazily ate something and even lingered in bed for a while. It was not until noon was approaching that he reluctantly set off again.

Even after setting out, Yunyan traveled far more slowly than he had at jōnin speed before. He actually slowed down to the pace of a chūnin.

That delayed his arrival once again. He should have reached Konoha during the day, but at this pace, it would likely take another day. He probably would not arrive until tomorrow.

That was fine. A little later was a little later; Yunyan did not care.

Nothing unexpected happened afterward either. The rest of the journey was very peaceful.

Thus, on the morning of the third day after setting out from the Fire Country capital, Yunyan finally returned to Konoha.

From afar, he saw the enormous Konoha village. He passed normally through Konoha's barrier, arrived before its two great gates, presented his identification for inspection by the two ninja stationed there, and entered Konoha without issue.

There was no melodramatic scene where the gate guards made things difficult for him just because he had not returned in years.

Nor was he targeted by anyone merely because he belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

Everything was normal. Everything was peaceful.

Konoha itself was the same. It was normal, calm, and harmonious. The villagers lived and worked in peace, the ninja performed their respective duties, and this tranquil land far from war was orderly in every way.

Walking through Konoha and looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar streets, the lively and bustling shops, and the passersby coming and going, Yunyan walked at an unhurried pace while deep in thought.

So this was Konoha.

Yunyan had to admit that no matter how much filth existed within Konoha and among its upper ranks, the ordinary people and lower levels of Konoha still lived happy, peaceful lives here.

Especially since the war had ended some time ago and the Nine-Tails Rebellion had happened years earlier. Time could heal any wound, and after a period of recovery, Konoha as a whole gave off a thriving vitality.

That was good. For ordinary people, being able to live their own quiet, stable lives was more than enough.

Konoha had clearly done quite well in that regard.

With such a strong popular foundation, exceptional geographical conditions, and abundant natural resources—especially with the Fire Country's substantial wealth—it was no wonder that despite Konoha's upper ranks being less than admirable, Konoha remained the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

As he walked, lost in all sorts of thoughts, Yunyan unknowingly arrived at the destination of this trip: the Hokage Building.

That was how it worked. Having returned to Konoha from the Fire Country capital, as an ordinary Konoha jōnin, the first thing Yunyan needed to do was not go home but report to his so-called superior, the Hokage.

Although Yunyan had little interest in such matters and held neither the Hokage nor a ninja's duties in much reverence, the man was still the Hokage and his superior. He would give him some face and follow the procedure.

Besides, Yunyan also wanted to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi and have a proper talk with him.