Finally Arriving in Konoha

The person leading Yue's group of three to Konoha this time was not Shishiro.

It was one of the village's veteran jonin, a highly capable man.

Although the Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire, reaching Konoha still required a long journey... The ninja world was unstable these days as well. Without a strong escort to protect them, no one could rest easy.

Along the way, the jonin reminded the three of them about several things. Even after arriving in Konoha, they were not to wander around or casually form overly close connections with others, and so on. Meanwhile, Ryuga and Yoshitaka discussed what delicious food they would eat in Konoha and whether there was anything fun to do there... As for the actual purpose of this study trip, neither of them gave it any thought.

After all, outside the Land of Grass, the only place they had ever visited was Amegakure.

Once they entered the Land of Fire, the group quickly encountered Konoha ninja guards. After presenting the village documents, they were allowed through.

Yue had spent time at the border as well. After going deeper into the Land of Fire, he could tell that Konoha had stationed quite a few outposts along its borders, and its ninja patrols were exceptionally tight. He often sensed gazes cast from the shadows, but they vanished just as quickly... This level of preparedness, including the ninja's own ability to carry it out, was simply not on the same level as Kusagakure's.

Only after they had fully entered the Land of Fire's interior did that strange feeling of constantly being watched disappear.

The jonin leading them raced ahead, while the three of them followed behind.

Yue watched the jonin's back. This study trip was also one of the few opportunities he had to observe and understand Konoha's current circumstances up close.

Knowing Kusagakure's nature, Yue did not believe this jonin was merely escorting them there and back.

For all he knew, the man had some secret mission as well.

For example, gathering intelligence on Konoha... then selling it to other hostile villages.

Of course, now that they were on someone else's turf, he definitely would not dare go too far. How far he went would depend entirely on the jonin's own judgment.

He needed to know where to draw the line. Otherwise...

The Land of Fire was far larger than the Land of Grass. Though the four of them were not traveling at full speed, it still took several days before they finally approached Konoha. The closer they got, the more villages appeared throughout the Land of Fire. Along the way, they passed other large settlements and cities of varying sizes.

It also made Yue fully understand why the Land of Fire could maintain such abundant national strength and vitality despite its frequent wars.

Two words: rich and fertile.

Farmland stretched everywhere, and the population was dense.

The Land of Fire occupied the very center of the ninja world, as well as its most fertile and resource-rich land.

Look at the deserts of the Land of Wind, the towering mountains and sheer cliffs all over the Land of Lightning, and the islands of the Land of Water, isolated in one corner... The gap became obvious by comparison.

In the Land of Grass, vast stretches of farmland could only be seen around Kusagakure.

Farther away, there were fields cultivated by farmers too, but without any guarantee of safety, there was naturally no way to ensure production.

Konoha's military strength, however, could clearly cover its entire territory with ease.

They were about to reach Konoha. Even Yue found it hard to keep his emotions steady.

This was Naruto. Konoha was the only true "stage" depicted in the original story.

The entire story had gradually unfolded around this village and the Will of Fire.

What was more, when he had first transmigrated into Naruto and learned about Kusagakure, he had often compared it with Konoha. He had frequently "missed" Konoha.

Now... the Konoha he had longed to see was finally before him.

To say he did not care would have been complete bullshit.

"We're here."

The jonin walking along the broad road ahead called out.

Even without his announcement, the three members of Yue's team had already seen the towering gate arch and the massive wall rising high from the ground.

It really was imposing!

It looked utterly magnificent.

Large, lush trees had been planted outside the "city wall." A striking red character for "ninja" was written above the gate, along with the symbol representing Konoha, identical to the mark on its forehead protectors.

The leaf-derived pattern also represented the Will of Fire.

"Wow!"

Ryuga could not help exclaiming.

They had not even entered the village yet, but the sight before him already made him excited.

Judging from its architecture, Konoha was clearly an extraordinary "big city."

Even Amegakure was nowhere close.

"So rich."

Compared to Ryuga's cry of amazement, Yoshitaka's instinctive comment was far more honest.

At the very least, an ordinary village could never afford to build a gate like this, much less walls that stretched beyond sight.

"Watch your expressions."

Yue reminded the two of them.

They might have come from a "small place," but they could not embarrass themselves too badly.

"Ahem..."

Ryuga coughed, came back to his senses, and gave an awkward grin.

Konoha guards stood on either side of the village's open gates, but a familiar figure had already been waiting outside for quite some time.

Clearly, he had received word that they were about to arrive.

It was Minato Namikaze.

But Minato Namikaze was not alone. A group of students surrounded him, all of them seemingly around the same age as Yue and the other two.

Seeing this, Ryuga and Yoshitaka finally seemed to realize what they had come here for. They swallowed nervously.

"So many people?"

Even Yue's eyelid twitched slightly, though he gave no outward sign.

He was not surprised that Minato Namikaze had come to receive him. It was even normal for him to bring along a few familiar characters from the story.

But why did it feel like... all of Konoha's younger generation had come along?

They were only here for a study trip, not some important figures. Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, would not come personally.

"Hey, Yue!"

Before Yue and the others had even reached them, Minato Namikaze was already waving enthusiastically.

Anyone who did not know better would think the two were relatives, even though they had only met briefly.

"He's the guy you mentioned... the Konoha ninja who helped us resolve that battle at the border?" Ryuga leaned closer and asked quietly.

"Yeah."

Yue nodded.

"He looks really young..." Ryuga said in surprise.

He had thought that the expert Konoha sent would be an older, more experienced elder. In Ryuga's mind, possessing such powerful abilities was directly tied to having lived a long time.

"No wonder it's Konoha."

He muttered again.

After a while, the two groups met at the gates.

"Welcome to Konoha." Minato Namikaze shook hands with the jonin leading the group, genuinely pleased.

Then he lowered his head to look at Yue standing behind him. "We meet again."

"...Yeah."

Yue answered blandly.

His gaze was not on Minato Namikaze, but on the group of boys and girls around his own age standing before him.

As his eyes swept across them, every one of them focused on him, examining him closely.

"Could it be that all the students of this year's Konoha Ninja Academy... are here?"

Being stared at by a group of characters from the story, Yue was putting on a calm front, but he could not stop his heart from racing.

Those faces... he knew them all too well.

Even if he could not recognize some of them, he could roughly tell which clans they belonged to from their appearances.

"Just how much did Minato Namikaze make of this study trip?"

Yue's gaze met those of Konoha's "Rookie Nine."

For a moment, the atmosphere became inexplicably tense.

"Ha, you're that Yue or whatever, right? The kid from Kusagakure!"

Suddenly, before Yue could carefully sense the Rookie Nine's chakra, a voice burst out from the crowd.

A kid wearing a checkered undershirt beneath a dark blue jacket leaped forward, goggles hanging from his head.

He spun a kunai in his hand, showing off with fancy tricks.

His entrance was incredibly flashy.

First, he lowered his head, putting on the airs of an expert.

Then he stopped near Yue, met his eyes, proudly raised his chin, rubbed his nose, and pointed a thumb at himself. "My name is Obito Uchiha. Remember it! From today onward... I'm your rival."

"But sorry, during this study trip to Konoha, you'll probably be heading home crying... because I'm really strong!"

After saying that, Obito smiled confidently and froze in his pose.

He probably thought his entrance and speech had been incredibly cool.

But... no one reacted.

For several long seconds, the area was completely silent.

Even Obito's classmates behind him could barely watch. Some of them even sighed.

"..."

Yue expressionlessly watched as Obito's confident expression gradually turned awkward, on the verge of falling apart.

Then he suddenly extended a hand. "Obito Uchiha. I'll remember that."

"My name is Fuma Yue. Please take care of me."

Obito froze for a moment, then awkwardly shook Yue's hand. "Fuma Yue... Yeah, you seem like a decent guy. In that case, let's put our business aside for now. Once we get into the village, I'll show you around properly."

"No need."

Yue coolly released his hand.

"..."

Obito.