Sightseeing

Kakashi Hatake, Genma Shiranui, Rin Nohara, Gekko Hayate, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Ebisu, Might Guy, Izumo Kamizuki, Ibiki Morino, Namiashi Raidō, including Obito.

All of them were plot characters Yue could recognize at a glance or vaguely remembered.

As for others, such as Aoba Yamashiro and Mizuki, Yue only vaguely recalled them after hearing their names introduced.

Every village's ninja had their own identification numbers. Though this group belonged to the same generation, their ages varied. Some, like Asuma, who looked noticeably older and was about Yue's age, stood out. Others were as small as little kids; one glance was enough to tell they had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet.

Besides those people, Yue also saw the younger generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans and members of the Hyuga Clan.

The welcoming spectacle Minato Namikaze had prepared for Yue was anything but small. Yue even felt it carried a hint of an attempt to intimidate him.

"Hahaha... Obito, well done!"

A booming voice rang out. Everyone else found Obito's embarrassing display hard to watch, but one person alone clenched his fists with burning enthusiasm.

Cheering Obito on.

That was right—it was Might Guy.

"Yue, don't mind them... They're just welcoming your arrival. After all, the village rarely sees new faces," Minato Namikaze explained with a smile from beside him.

Indeed, although Konoha was not currently in a state of war readiness, it was probably still under considerable tension.

Under such circumstances, it was difficult to see outsiders from other villages.

It was unlike ordinary times, when people from elsewhere could come to Konoha for sightseeing and inspections were more relaxed.

Naturally, they were full of curiosity toward exchange students of the same generation visiting from another village.

"You must have said quite a lot about me, huh?"

Yue raised an eyelid.

"Hahaha..."

Minato defused the awkwardness with laughter.

Among these Konoha Rookies, aside from the few girls whose looks were more restrained, nearly all the boys openly displayed either provocation or fighting spirit.

Who knew what Minato Namikaze had exaggerated before they arrived.

Rin Nohara stepped forward and dragged Obito away. Then she bowed to Yue in apology, hoping he would not take it to heart.

Yue showed no reaction as he looked at Rin's gentle smiling face, but Ryuga and Yoshitaka beside him both brightened.

Not only was Rin beautiful, her quiet, warm temperament was equally outstanding.

"Let's go. You'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later," Minato called out.

Then the large group poured into Konoha.

The Kusagakure jonin walked at the front with Minato, chatting casually, while the group of kids behind them whispered among themselves.

Ryuga and Yoshitaka also quickly became familiar with the Konoha Rookies.

Yet what drew the three boys' attention even more were Konoha's broad streets, the dazzling array of shops around them, and the densely packed buildings.

Konoha's village planning was clearly meticulous. Its streets, commercial centers, residential districts, leisure areas, and more were all distinctly laid out. Though it lacked the gigantic towers that rose into the sky like those in Amegakure, it felt even more prosperous. Even amid the current turmoil of the ninja world and Konoha's own situation, the streets were still teeming with people.

There was no other reason... there were simply a lot of people.

The lively atmosphere, brimming with the warmth of everyday life, naturally displayed the village's prosperity.

It was called a village, but it was actually more like a city.

Yue also took in the sights of Konoha.

Besides its buildings, streets, and cultural atmosphere, the village had abundant greenery. The entire place seemed to have been built around a mountain—the Hokage Rock Mountain. The vast mountains and forests extending out from it also formed a unique natural barrier.

Yue naturally spotted the Hokage Building and the iconic Hokage Rock.

"That over there is Tea Street. It's a place girls especially love to visit. It mainly sells sweets and tea leaves..."

"Oh, right... See that river? That's the Naka River. It flows through the entire village and is our Konoha's..."

Yue stopped walking. Ever since entering the village, the chattering in his ears had not stopped.

Like flies buzzing around him.

Whenever they reached a new spot, Obito, acting as their guide, would spray saliva everywhere as he enthusiastically began explaining.

Seeing Yue suddenly stop, Obito immediately slung an arm around his shoulders. Completely unaware that Yue was already getting annoyed with him, he pointed at the riverway in the distance and said, "What do you think? Isn't it beautiful? You probably don't get to see scenery like this in Kusagakure, right?"

"That's enough, Obito. Be quiet."

Kakashi suddenly spoke from the side.

"Huh? I'm just demonstrating Konoha's warm hospitality." Obito glared at Kakashi, his tone displeased.

Yue did not join in. He merely removed Obito's arm from around him and continued onward.

Seeing that, Kakashi gave Obito a mocking look, as if to say, Got your warm face slapped by a cold shoulder, huh?

"Tch, what an ungrateful guy."

Obito made a face at Yue's retreating back and stuck out his tongue.

After entering the village, some of the accompanying Konoha Rookies had already dispersed and stopped following them.

Most had only come to see the three people from Kusagakure, especially Yue.

Once they knew what he looked like, there was naturally no need to stay. After greeting them, they left.

Only a few people remained, including Kakashi and Obito.

These people were still far from all the students of Konoha's generation. Some were still away on missions and had not returned.

Minato Namikaze was quite understanding of children's feelings. He believed that Yue and the others had traveled all the way from Kusagakure and would not be able to sit still even if he directly took them to rest and arranged lodging for them. It was better to simply show them around first.

It would also give the youths of Konoha and Kusagakure a chance to interact.

Yue was admiring Konoha's scenery, but at the same time, he was discreetly observing Kakashi and the others.

From beginning to end, Kakashi had barely spoken.

He wore a mask, revealing a pair of "normal" eyes. His entire presence was somewhat gloomy, unlike Obito and Might Guy, who were so cheerful.

That made sense... his father, White Fang, had passed away not long ago.

At this time, Kakashi was most likely still immersed in his "grief."

"He's already at chunin level..." From the corner of his eye, Yue glanced at Kakashi. Among the group today, Kakashi was instinctively the one who posed the greatest threat to him.

The other boy was like a sharp sword sheathed in its scabbard. He looked ordinary, yet concealed a certain keen edge.

As for Guy, he was entirely like an exposed axe blade. As that small body moved along... the level of strength Yue perceived was already somewhat astonishing.

But the sense of threat was still not as great as Kakashi's.

For Kakashi to give him that feeling, it at least meant that his actual combat experience was quite rich as well.

As for Obito... Yue could not sense even the slightest threat from him.

Of course, that was only his direct judgment. It did not represent the true strength of the people he had met today. Konoha had too many clans. Aside from Kekkei Genkai, the inheritors of those clans all possessed secret techniques... If they truly fought, it was still hard to say who would be stronger.

Furthermore, what affected a person's performance in actual combat, aside from skills and the attributes they "revealed," was combat experience... as well as individual will.

A place like Kusagakure basically could not speak of cultivating any sort of will.

But Konoha was different... It was not that Konoha's Ninja Academy brainwashed these children from a young age.

Rather, it was the inherited cohesion and culture of the village, along with their subtle influence, that made these children proud of Konoha... As for the so-called Will of Fire, Yue could not judge whether it was good or bad, but it was indeed useful.

It allowed the village's ninja to display astonishing willpower during battle, often raising their combat strength as well.

Therefore, his insight was only a vague analysis of their strength, not each person's true combat power.

To know who posed the greater threat, he would have to fight them.

Yue walked at the very back of the group. Up ahead, Ryuga and Yoshitaka were already chatting and laughing with Rin, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others. The girls were amazed by Ryuga's white hair, and the two boys also appeared quite talkative, unlike Yue's icy, keep-out appearance.

They also wanted to know more about Kusagakure.

Kakashi was in a somewhat unusual state of mind and did not want to speak. Obito was somewhat disliked... Might Guy acted as though he had been injected with chicken blood, occasionally blurting out one or two things no one else could understand, so his companions deliberately kept their distance from him as well.

Thus, their group ended up clustered together, following at the very back of the procession.

In short, these plot characters all had quite distinct personalities.

They had not changed much from when they grew up.

It truly matched that saying: you could see the old from the young.