"Ooooooh..."
"Ah! It's Lord Naraku!"
"Lord Naraku is so handsome. I like him so much."
"Tch, stop swooning. Lord Naraku already has a girlfriend."
"Really? That's fine. I don't mind."
Shihōin Naraku led the ninja contingent down the avenue and through the Konoha Gate, arriving before Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, amid the enthusiastic cheers of countless people welcoming them home.
Tsunade stood at the end of the road with Konoha's senior officials.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"I accomplished the mission without letting you down!"
Naraku smiled, his handsome face drawing another wave of cheers from the crowds lining the road.
Standing among the welcoming party, Uzuki Yugao discreetly gave her boyfriend a thumbs-up.
After the welcoming ceremony, Naraku headed to the Hokage Building to give Tsunade a more detailed report on the war, while Konoha became a sea of joy.
In particular, news that Jiraiya had led his troops to victory over Iwagakure lifted Konoha's festive mood even higher.
"Lord Jiraiya really lived up to his name as one of the Sannin. Didn't I say there wouldn't be a problem?"
"Actually, Lord Naraku is still a little stronger, isn't he? His war ended first. If Kumogakure hadn't dragged its feet about signing the ceasefire agreement, the war would have been completely over long ago."
"Tch, Lord Jiraiya taught Lord Naraku too. Surely the teacher is stronger."
"Huh? Isn't Lord Hokage Lord Naraku's teacher?"
"Idiot, you don't know anything!"
"What did you say?!"
"I heard Lord Naraku also helped Lord Jiraiya win the war against Iwagakure. You didn't know that, did you?"
"Really?"
Victory in both wars allowed Konoha's civilians to breathe a huge sigh of relief. At last, they could turn their minds to celebrating and gossiping.
The evergreen topic of who was stronger than whom naturally arose,