"Hashirama!"
The moment he saw Hashirama Senju standing on the shore, waving like an idiot, Madara Uchiha jumped off the boat and grabbed him. Everything about his bearing said he was looking for a fight.
Madara had been bottling up his frustration. The great battle had never happened, and fighting Byakuren had been unsatisfying. In the end, he still needed a spar with Hashirama.
After all, Hashirama was both his best opponent and his favorite outlet for frustration.
Shingetsu held an adorably ugly Mustache doll in her arms. The friends who had come to welcome her immediately found their attention stolen by it. Pointing at the silly, fluffy doll, they asked with a mixture of distaste and curiosity:
"What is that thing? Why is it so ugly?"
"It's a doll of the Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki."
Smiling brightly, Shingetsu pressed the doll against her cheek. She simply couldn't put it down.
"Isn't it so ugly it's cute?"
The children gathered around, laughing at the doll's ridiculous short legs and fat body. Shingetsu wasn't offended. Instead, she pulled a Sealing Scroll from her pocket and announced happily:
"I brought you presents!"
Similar heartwarming scenes played out all along the shore.
Holding their gifts, the villagers listened as their families excitedly described the scenery of the Land of Water and how much fun they had had on the trip. They couldn't help smiling in relief.
Perhaps this was the first war where marching off to battle had actually meant taking a long vacation.
If only every future war could be as relaxed and peaceful as this one.
Gradually, everyone on the shore dispersed, leaving to return to Konoha after their long absence.
There, the celebrations continued.
After the Five Kage Summit, the situation gradually settled down.
After Byakuren's downfall, no one