A month later.
The weather was beautiful that day, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze brushing against people's faces.
A sea of people had already gathered before Konoha's gates, colorful flags fluttering overhead.
"He's back! The Fifth Hokage is back!"
With that cry, so excited that the speaker's voice cracked, all of Konoha erupted.
Gengetsu led the way, heading slowly toward Konoha at the head of its vast army.
"Long live the Fifth Hokage!"
"Long live Lord Uchiha Gengetsu!"
"Konoha's hero!"
"..."
Deafening cheers surged like a tsunami, wave after wave reaching into the skies.
Countless Konoha villagers lined the streets to welcome them, waving their hands excitedly. Many elderly people and women even had tears of excitement in their eyes.
It could be said that, in the hearts of all Konoha's villagers and ninja, Gengetsu was now like a god.
Not only had Gengetsu single-handedly crushed thousands of Kumogakure's elite, but he had also fought his way through the Land of Lightning, forced it to cede territory and pay reparations, and captured a tailed beast's jinchūriki alive!
With this unparalleled feat of territorial expansion, he had completely surpassed every previous Hokage and become the greatest hero in Konoha's history!
Behind Gengetsu, the heads of the various ninja clans and the thousands upon thousands of Konoha ninja all held their heads high and chests out, their faces flushed with boundless pride.
Although their role in this war against the Kumogakure ninja had been extremely limited, and they had spent almost the entire time watching Gengetsu put on a one-man show.
Still, they had, after all, taken part in the war that had brought Konoha its greatest victory in history!
That glory alone was enough for them to boast about for the rest of their lives.
Yet just as the