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Chapter 192: Chapter 192

Konoha.

It was a rest day.

While a massive battle erupted at the distant Naka Shrine, drawing a large number of Konoha shinobi there, the unaware villagers continued to enjoy their rare day off, strolling through the streets and alleyways, filled with laughter and joy.

Until a certain group appeared.

Although it was somewhat surprising that Gensou had made the decision, the Uchiha members didn't object. Following his instructions, they no longer concealed themselves and openly walked through Konoha's streets, retracing their childhood memories with each step.

"Huh? Who are these people? I've never seen them before," a nearby vendor noticed the unfamiliar faces of the Uchiha group and voiced his curiosity.

Next to him, another person glanced over, pondering, "Judging by their demeanor, they must be shinobi. But they're not wearing Konoha headbands, so they're probably outsiders."

"Why would so many outsider shinobi show up here?"

"Look! There are Konoha shinobi following behind them!"

"Are they being watched? Or is it something else? But there are too many of them for that."

More and more people began to notice the Uchiha group, along with the strange sight of Konoha shinobi trailing behind them. The villagers couldn't understand what was going on.

The streets were already crowded with people.

As the Uchiha group made their way through, the villagers instinctively moved to the sides of the road, and the bustling street suddenly quieted down.

Many curious eyes fell on the unfamiliar Uchiha.

At that moment, an elderly man, out for a walk with his grandson, looked at the Uchiha clan emblems on their clothing and, with shock, pointed and exclaimed:

"Isn't that... the Uchiha clan's emblem?"

These words set off a wave of reactions.

"The Uchiha clan? That sounds familiar."

"I remember now! They were the clan that was wiped out, right?"

"Ah, that's why they look so familiar! The emblem on their clothes is the Uchiha clan's symbol!"

"But... wasn't the Uchiha clan completely wiped out? Who are these people?"

"No need to guess. They're probably just wearing the Uchiha emblem for show. It's not like any real Uchiha would come back to cause trouble."

"Is it possible that they really are Uchiha?"

The night of the Uchiha massacre had been seven or eight years ago, and unlike the shinobi, the average Konoha villagers had mostly forgotten about the Uchiha.

Until now, when someone reminded them, and with people chiming in, the villagers gradually realized what was happening. They strained to get a better look at the Uchiha group, standing on their toes, craning their necks, and the street was abuzz with speculation.

One person claimed they were imposters, not real Uchiha; another said their appearance resembled the Uchiha, so they must be real.

Yet another person argued that the Uchiha were extinct, so it was impossible for this many to be alive; while someone else insisted that a few of them looked familiar, as if they had been seen before.

As the crowd continued to argue...

Among the Uchiha, a satisfied Zanki, having avenged his clan, passed by a toy stall. Glancing at it, he was suddenly reminded of his time in the Konoha Police Force and casually said:

"You're blocking the walkway with your stall. If you don't want to be fined, move it back a bit."

"Yes, of course." The stall owner immediately bent over, instinctively obeying Zanki's command and began to move his stall.

But just as he put his hands on the stall, he froze and realized, "Wait... Why am I listening to him? He's not with the police force anymore."

Hearing someone laughing nearby, the stall owner quickly lifted his head, ready to argue with Zanki for messing with him.

Then he saw Zanki's face.

"You... you..." The stall owner suddenly felt that the person in front of him looked familiar.

After a moment's thought, his good memory kicked in. He recalled the days when the Uchiha ran the police force and how, whenever he tried to spread his stall further onto the walkway, a grumpy young Uchiha with a police armband would always show up to give him a hard time, no matter what excuse he made. He had even been fined several times.

Since the night of the Uchiha massacre, no one had cared about his stall blocking the walkway.

Until now.

Hearing that familiar voice and looking at the familiar face before him, the stall owner's pupils contracted in shock. He stared at Uchiha Zeng as if seeing a ghost.

"You... you... you're that Uchiha!!"

"So you do remember me."

Zanki immediately recognized the stall owner, who had caused him quite a bit of extra work back in the day.

"Don't worry, I'm no longer with the Konoha Police Force."

Zanki patted the stall owner on the shoulder and continued walking.

This scene was witnessed by the other Konoha villagers.

"They're real Uchiha! They're really Uchiha!"

"Someone just recognized them!"

"I knew it! See that young Uchiha? He doesn't look much different from when he was a kid. He used to come to my shop to eat all the time!"

"How is this possible? Wasn't the Uchiha clan wiped out? How did so many of them suddenly reappear?"

"Who cares about the reason! The Uchiha were always part of Konoha."

"One, two, three, four... There are fifteen of them! If they're all Uchiha, then the Uchiha clan can rebuild in Konoha."

"That's great! With the Uchiha back, Konoha's military strength will get a significant boost."

"Isn't it a bit too soon to be celebrating? I feel like there's some tension between the Uchiha shinobi and the village's shinobi."

Upon realizing that the newcomers were indeed Uchiha, the street quickly grew lively again. Large numbers of villagers who heard the news rushed over, filling the area with excitement, as if it were a festival.

As for the Uchiha themselves...

At first, they hadn't given much thought to the change in their route.

But soon, they noticed that the villagers who once lived alongside them now looked at them with surprise, curiosity, and confusion. When the villagers recognized their identities, their expressions shifted to shock, disbelief, and finally, joy, excitement, and even cheers.

Being the center of attention, especially in front of the villagers who once shared their home, felt quite satisfying to the naturally proud Uchiha.

However...

They couldn't help but wonder when the Uchiha clan had become so popular in Konoha.

Cheering and welcoming them with such enthusiasm?

Did they really think we'd return to Konoha and continue to burn for the Will of Fire?

How laughable.

Once they looked down on us with cold eyes, and only now, after losing us, do they realize our importance.

Now that we've reappeared, they want things to return to how they were?

Too late!

At this moment...

The expressions of the Konoha villagers were filled with joy, curiosity, excitement, anticipation, and, for a select few, unease and concern as they remembered the past.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, Izumi, Zanki, and the others remained calm, their faces showing no sign of emotion.

(End of Chapter)

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Chapter 193: Chapter 193

Amid the cheers of the oblivious Konoha villagers, welcoming the Uchiha group as if they were returning heroes, the Uchiha continued their journey.

Behind them, the Konoha shinobi exchanged bewildered glances.

"Since when were the Uchiha Clan so warmly received by the villagers?" Asuma lit a cigarette, clearly confused.

He was well aware of the Uchiha's reputation in Konoha in the past.

Kakashi, watching Sasuke and the others from behind, spoke calmly, "People tend to view the deceased with great sympathy. After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, even villagers who didn't think highly of them began to pay their respects and shed tears. After all, regardless of how strained relations were, we were all still part of the same village. It's this sense of belonging that leads the villagers to greet the Uchiha so enthusiastically now."

"And also..."

At this point, Kakashi's gaze flickered, but he didn't continue.

He knew there was another reason.

The Uchiha had never had a harmonious relationship with the villagers.

Some of it was due to the Uchiha's own personality traits, but most of it was due to Konoha's leadership fueling the division.

How much real conflict could there have been between ordinary villagers and the Uchiha?

With the Uchiha's pride, they rarely interacted with the average villager.

The only point of contact was when the Uchiha Police Force was enforcing the law.

You could say they were strict and unfeeling in their duties.

But their enforcement wasn't personal—they treated every villager, shinobi, and even noble clans equally.

So what if you were a member of the Sarutobi Clan, or your uncle was the Third Hokage?

To the Uchiha, you were all subject to the same treatment!

In that sense, the villagers only found the Uchiha difficult to deal with and emotionally distant.

It never reached the point of hatred or fear.

The true source of animosity was Konoha's leadership, who, through various manipulations, isolated the Uchiha and distorted their image in the eyes of the village.

As for who those leaders were...

Well, the dead deserve some respect, so it's better not to mention it.

It wasn't until after the Uchiha clan was massacred that the villagers realized they hadn't been as terrible as they were made out to be.

Their law enforcement had been strict but fair, treating everyone equally. For the common people, fairness was paramount.

Now, with the current members of the Konoha Police Force being much more lenient, their efficiency had dropped compared to when the Uchiha were in charge. Tasks that once ran smoothly were now handled poorly.

In light of this comparison, many villagers began to remember the Uchiha fondly.

Moreover, upon reflection, they realized the Uchiha had never truly wronged them.

The Uchiha hadn't taken advantage of them or threatened them with violence, so why had they been so fearful and hostile back then?

In addition, the destruction of the Uchiha weakened Konoha both in terms of military power and overall influence, leading to a decrease in commissioned missions and a downturn in the village's economy.

So, with the Uchiha's return, the villagers felt a mix of expectation and guilt.

This combination of emotions was what led to the current scene of overwhelming enthusiasm.

"But... they've forgotten one thing: the Uchiha of today are not the Uchiha of the past."

Watching the excited villagers, Kakashi sighed deeply.

At the same time, Jiraiya had figured out Gensou's intentions.

"He's really put us in a tight spot, huh?" Jiraiya said with a bitter smile.

The Uchiha would soon leave.

And when the villagers saw the Uchiha depart without looking back, showing no attachment to Konoha, how would they react?

They might not understand the full situation, but their basic instincts would lead them to blame the Konoha leadership.

And the truth was...

Konoha's higher-ups had indeed played a less-than-honorable role in the Uchiha's downfall.

After all, it was they who gave Itachi the order to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan, from the elderly to the children, regardless of their involvement in any disputes.

If Itachi had refused, they would have carried out the task themselves.

"Gensou's methods are truly impressive. Not only has he sown discord within Konoha, but he's also strengthened the Uchiha's unity," Jiraiya observed, shaking his head as he watched the Uchiha walk through the village without hesitation, their resolve only growing stronger in the face of the villagers' cheers.

Next to him, Tsunade, feeling increasingly trapped in her role, quipped, "Great, I'll resign out of shame. You can take over as Hokage."

Tsunade was genuinely speaking from the heart. The longer she stayed in the position, the more stifled she felt by the mess left behind by the Third Hokage.

Jiraiya was startled by her words and quickly waved his hands, saying, "No way! Especially not now, Tsunade. You can't just step down in the middle of all this..."

For the next while, Jiraiya did his best to dissuade her.

Meanwhile, at the front of the Uchiha group...

Faced with the enthusiastic cheers of the villagers and their barrage of questions, Uchiha Izumi smiled but maintained a distant demeanor.

It wasn't until she spotted a dango shop she hadn't visited in a long time that her eyes lit up.

"It's been so long since I've had dango from this place. I'll go grab some."

Seeing this, Zanki, feeling a bit nostalgic himself, headed towards a dango stand he used to frequent.

Their actions didn't stem from any lingering attachment to Konoha.

On the contrary, it was precisely because they had no attachments left that they wanted to savor these last moments.

Seeing their clanmates scattering to different places, Sasuke thought for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the Ichiraku Ramen shop not far away.

"Welcome!"

"One bowl of tonkotsu chashu ramen."

Sasuke entered the empty Ichiraku Ramen shop, taking in the unchanged surroundings, though the familiar yellow-haired figure who used to sit here wasn't present.

As he had done in the past, Sasuke ordered a bowl of ramen.

"Got it!!" came the energetic reply from Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, who never lost his passion for his work. Before long, a steaming bowl of ramen, rich in flavor, was placed in front of Sasuke.

It was only then that Teuchi finally looked at the customer.

At first glance, the man seemed familiar, but Teuchi couldn't quite place him.

Then, a lightbulb went off, and Teuchi's eyes lit up.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded calmly.

"It really is you! It's been so long! I remember you always used to come here with Naruto."

"That's right." Sasuke picked up his chopsticks and began eating quickly.

Curious, Teuchi asked, "Will you be coming around more often? It's been a while since I last saw you."

"I won't be coming back. I'm a rogue ninja now," Sasuke stated plainly.

"Won't be coming back? That's too bad. Even if you're a rogue nin—wait, what? A rogue ninja?"

Teuchi's face froze as the realization hit him.

He had almost forgotten that Sasuke's surname was Uchiha, and that two years ago, the last remaining Uchiha had defected from the village—a story that had caused quite a stir.

But age had dulled his memory, and it wasn't until Sasuke himself reminded him that it all came flooding back.

So... should I report him now?

(End of Chapter)

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