The next day.
Early morning.
Yechen slept until noon before getting up. After a quick wash, he headed to Food Street.
The place had not changed much. With no major fighting going on, everything was flourishing.
The villagers now treated Yechen with even greater respect whenever they saw him. The scene from a month ago had left a deep impression on them.
During past conflicts, they had only heard stories of Yechen's deeds-how many people he had killed, which strongholds he had captured, which jinchūriki he had slain, and how many conflicts he had quelled.
Those stories had spread by word of mouth. Impressive as they were, the villagers had never witnessed them firsthand.
But a month ago, they had witnessed an astonishing sight. The figure standing atop the Wood Dragon had seemed like the First Hokage reborn, quelling the chaos in Konoha, driving back its enemies, and keeping its people safe.
Ordinary villagers were different from shinobi. Their thinking was simple: they knew who had protected them and who had defended Konoha.
And so, at that moment, their respect for Yechen came from the bottom of their hearts.
Amid that warm reception, Yechen grabbed something to eat and left Food Street. The villagers were so enthusiastic that he felt a little unworthy of it.
Over the next few days, he went to see Naruto once. The little fellow was still adorable, and the tailed beasts liked him too. Seeing him grow up healthy put Yechen's mind at ease.
After all, in this life, Naruto would no longer be a child everyone despised. With Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki protecting him, he should grow up in a happy family.
During that time, Yechen also visited the other protagonist, Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke was still a baby then, though a few months