When they returned to the familiar gates of Konoha Ninja Village, a joyful smile appeared on every Konoha ninja's face. For their generation, Konoha Ninja Village was their hometown, the place where their parents lived. Their old, wandering lives were over. No matter where they went, they always had a home waiting for them.
Hatake Sakumo and his companions stood in the middle of the line, watching the people ahead pass through inspection and enter the village one by one. Unlike the Konoha ninja who had left for the front after the war broke out, they had been away for several years. Given how quickly the village had changed in the past, they had no idea what it looked like now.
While they waited, Asuna and Maki chatted with Yamanaka Risa. Risa had gone to the front later, so she knew what Konoha Ninja Village was like now. Asuna and Maki asked her about the places they remembered. The tense atmosphere on the battlefield had made them reluctant to ask about such things, but now they could finally ask to their hearts' content—and soon, they would see those places themselves.
"Oh, his ramen shop has grown that much?" Asuna was a little surprised. She was talking about the shop she had once visited with her mother during the Joint Chunin Exams. Its owner had always pursued his goal of making the best ramen in the shinobi world. Because of that childhood experience, Asuna sometimes went there with her older sister and Maki.
According to Yamanaka Risa, the owner was quite famous now. After expanding, his shop had become one of the renowned establishments on Konoha Ninja Village's Commercial Street, packed with customers every day. Business had already been good before Asuna left, but now it had truly taken off.
"It's