On the broad road leading to Konoha.
Today, an enormous convoy arrived, drawing the gaze of every passerby.
"Rumble..."
The wheels rolled over the ground with a sound like muffled thunder.
This was no ordinary merchant caravan.
A full twenty enormous carriages made of black iron wood were drawn by heavily armored beasts from overseas, each as large as a rhinoceros.
Every carriage was carved with intricate golden patterns, displaying staggering wealth.
And around the carriages.
Over a hundred guards in matching black uniforms marched alongside them in perfectly synchronized steps.
Every guard had bulging temples and was as strong as an ox.
Although they wore no ninja village's forehead protector, the fierce, iron-blooded aura they exuded.
Felt even more oppressive than that of a regular ninja unit.
This was the elite guard the Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce had cultivated through lavish spending and brutal special training.
Even more eye-catching were the enormous banners flying high above the carriages.
The banners fluttered in the wind, one bearing an imposing black iron fist.
And the other.
Bore the Senju of the Forest emblem representing the Senju Clan, which many Konoha villagers had gradually begun to forget!
"Look! What caravan is that? What a grand procession!"
"Senju? Could it be that the Senju Clan has returned?"
"No way. Didn't the Senju Clan decline long ago? How could they have such a huge convoy?"
Konoha villagers along the road and ninjas on patrol all stopped.
They whispered among themselves, discussions rising one after another.
With the Chunin Ninja Exams about to begin, any large group of unknown origin would attract enormous attention.
At the center of the convoy.
On the most luxurious, spacious open-top carriage.
Kenya wore a gaudy beach outfit and lounged comfortably against a soft leather seat.
"Crunch... crunch..."
He held a specially made doughnut larger than his face, chewing it in huge mouthfuls.
Beside him, Haku, dressed in a neat chef's uniform, held a plate, ready to offer him fresh snacks at any moment.
"Uncle, isn't that doughnut a little too sweet?" Haku looked at Kenya with some concern.
"Sweets are good. They replenish your sugar."
Kenya answered indistinctly, casually grabbing another rice cracker from the plate.
Sitting opposite him were Tsunade, who had changed into a magnificent traditional kimono, and Shizune, who held Tonton.
Watching Kenya eat without the slightest concern for appearances.
Tsunade helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Listen, brat, you're coming home in glory, after all."
"Couldn't you put on something more respectable and carry yourself like an expert?"
Although Tsunade complained, she could not hide the gleam of excitement in her eyes.
Returning to Konoha openly, with such an enormous force behind them, felt absolutely fantastic.
Even more satisfying than winning big at a casino!
"Carry myself like an expert?"
Kenya swallowed his food and looked at Tsunade with some amusement.
"Auntie, real strength doesn't need clothes to keep up appearances."
"Besides, we're super sponsors here to throw money around."
"The more we act like nouveau riche, the more we'll sicken those old geezers hiding in their offices."
As he spoke, Kenya suddenly stood.
He walked to the edge of the carriage and looked down at the dumbfounded Konoha villagers lining the road.
"Hey! Folks! Good morning, everyone!"
Waving his half-eaten doughnut, Kenya greeted the crowd enthusiastically.
His brilliant smile was almost more dazzling than the morning sunlight.
In the crowd, several elderly villagers found Kenya's face vaguely familiar.
"That... that man..."
An old vegetable seller rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling.
"Isn't that the Senju Clan's orphan? Kenya, the one who defected two years ago?!"
At those words, the surrounding crowd instantly erupted.
"What?! Senju Kenya, the defector?!"
"How dare he come back?! And with so many people!"
"Heavens, didn't he shatter Hokage Rock with one punch? Has he come back for revenge?!"
Hearing the cries of shock and panic from the crowd.
Kenya not only remained unoffended, but smiled even more broadly.
"That's right! It's me! Senju Kenya!"
He cupped his hands around his mouth as a megaphone, his voice ringing like a great bell along the entire road.
"Don't be afraid, folks!"
"I'm not here to wreck the place today. I'm representing the Land of Waves' Iron Fist Chamber of Commerce to sponsor our village's Chunin Ninja Exams!"
"A full two hundred million ryo in cash! And free black iron wood building materials!"
"Today, the Senju Clan officially returns to Konoha!"
Boom!
Those words.
Were like a ladle of cold water poured into a pan of boiling oil.
They instantly brought the atmosphere along the entire street to a boiling point.
Two hundred million ryo in cash sponsorship?!
The Senju Clan was returning?!
Those two bombshells left everyone's heads buzzing.
The gazes once filled with fear and hostility toward Kenya had now all turned to utter shock and disbelief.
In this world where money made you king.
His status as a "missing-nin" seemed to matter rather less before the halo of a "two-hundred-million-ryo sponsor."
Sitting in the carriage, Tsunade listened to Kenya's outrageously brazen announcement.
She could not help covering her mouth and laughing.
"That brat really has the Konoha High Command's psychology pinned down."
Two hundred million ryo in passage money silenced everyone.
It left the Konoha High Command without an excuse even if they wanted to act.
This move of "reverse invasion through the power of money" was truly brilliant!
As the convoy continued forward, more and more Konoha patrol ninjas noticed the commotion.
They gripped their weapons nervously and followed at a distance on either side of the convoy, not daring to step forward and stop it.
After all.
Aboard that carriage sat not only a monster capable of shattering Hokage Rock with a single punch.
But also the legendary hot-tempered Senju princess, Lady Tsunade!
Amid this strange yet sensational atmosphere.
The enormous caravan slowly passed through the final stretch of tree-lined road.
Ahead, Konoha's enormous green gates were already within reach.