章 151: Chapter 151
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The village entrance was packed with people, banners and flags waving in the wind, filled with praises for Kyomu and well wishes for the returning ninja of Konoha.
Rasa, following behind Kyomu and the others, looked around at the bustling Hidden Leaf Village with a heavy heart.
"Our hero, the Thunder of the Leaf, has returned!"
Hiruzen's face was all smiles as he stepped forward, clapping and laughing as if his joy was genuine.
"Lord Hokage, I have returned successful in my mission," Kyomu responded with a bright smile, stepping forward and bowing slightly.
"You've done very well, extremely well!" Hiruzen grabbed Kyomu's hand and raised it high. "Let's hear it for our hero, Aragami Kyomu!"
The entire village erupted in cheers, a cacophony of voices that was anything but harmonious. Hiruzen led the way with Kyomu behind him, the two walking into the village.
With Hiruzen's 'endorsement,' Kyomu's popularity among the villagers reached new heights. Although Kyomu was smiling, he kept glancing at Hiruzen, knowing that the brighter his smile, the more discomfort it hid.
You like to pretend? Then keep it up, I enjoy watching!
The procession continued forward, the villagers naturally lining the streets, cheering as they allowed the returning troops to pass through.
Kyomu and others received spontaneous gifts from the villagers. In a short while, Kyomu, Tsunade, Kakashi, Obito, and Might Guy found themselves adorned with garlands, a sign of the villagers' gratitude.
When they reached near the Hokage building where fewer villagers were present, Kyomu finally had a moment to speak quietly with Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage, I'm really overwhelmed by the reception. I thought there wouldn't be any ceremony."
"As a war hero, this is the treatment you and your companions deserve," Hiruzen responded with a forced smile. "Moreover, from now on, your reputation will almost match that of your mentor, Sakumo."
"I still fall short of my teacher," Kyomu shook his head. "I'm not as great as he was."
"You indeed are not like your teacher," Hiruzen subtly warned. "Sometimes you are too extreme, your actions excessive, not steady and too impulsive."
"Lord Hokage, isn't it youthful to be impulsive?" Kyomu retorted. "The vigor of youth can't be matched by middle age; it's hard to change."
"Haha, true." Hiruzen didn't explode in anger. Leading Kyomu and others to the front of the Hokage building, he suggested, "I'm about to make a speech, what do you think, Kyomu?"
"Lord Hokage, we are all shinobi of Konoha, under your leadership; you need not ask me."
Kyomu was not worried about Hiruzen trying to undermine him. The more than two thousand Leaf ninja behind him were loyal; it was too late for Hiruzen to change that.
Standing on the steps, Hiruzen began a long but rousing speech, obviously well-prepared and skilled at public speaking, eliciting continuous applause.
But after the speech, Hiruzen felt it was all for naught, a waste of effort.
He then instructed the ninja who had returned from the front lines to go home and rest, their families quickly surrounding them.
Parents, spouses, children were there—and of course, some were alone, like Kakashi.
Afterwards, there was no more business involving Kyomu. Hiruzen had planned everything well. The process of accepting the Sand's surrender went smoothly and was quickly handled. By the third day, Rasa left the Leaf Village dejectedly.
On his departure, Rasa's words struck deep. "Third Hokage, you have an excellent successor. I think my Sand Village should consider forming an alliance with your village. We will rely on you in the future."
"Alliance matters can be discussed later, but you should refrain from meddling in our internal affairs," Hiruzen replied.
"What else could it be, besides Kyomu being eligible to succeed as the Fourth Hokage?" Rasa remarked, then turned and left.
Standing in his office, Hiruzen watched Rasa and his party leave, anger simmering within him.
'Kyomu, what I choose to give you is yours to accept, not yours to demand! What I choose not to give, you shouldn't even think about!'
We'll see about that.
Kyomu wasn't flustered. After returning to the village, he did nothing but relax in his courtyard for two days.
After that, aside from training, he spent his time with Rin, following Tsunade around in the Leaf Hospital to accumulate medical ninja skills.
The festive atmosphere in the village lasted over a week, but Hiruzen remained silent; the promised rewards and recognition were delayed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to give them, but there was a disagreement between him and Tsunade.
Hiruzen had talked with Tsunade a few days ago. "Tsunade, Kyomu's achievements are undeniable; he almost single-handedly crushed the Sand Village. If it weren't for the village being at war on four fronts, the Sand might have been annihilated by now."
Hiruzen started with a caveat, to which Tsunade frowned. "Old man, what exactly do you want?"
"Tsunade, you must have seen it. Kyomu is still upset about Sakumo's issue, and I'm concerned about his intentions... so I'd like you to persuade him."
Tsunade laughed angrily, "Old man, you know Kyomu is upset about Sakumo. Since you know, why don't you apologize?
And do you think it's only Kyomu who's upset about Sakumo? I'm upset too! So are Jiraiya and Orochimaru!
They just haven't spoken up, but just wait and see. Once the village is out of crisis, Jiraiya and I won't stay long, and Orochimaru will shut himself away in his lab.
Why do you think that is? It's time for you to think, old man. Isn't it easier to just bend a little, clear Sakumo's disgrace, and punish a few people? Is that so hard?"
Hiruzen was speechless. As the leader of the village, why should he admit fault? Who should he deal with—Danzo, Homura, or Koharu?
He didn't want to touch anyone.
The situation stalemated, and Tsunade refused to persuade Kyomu for Hiruzen. In her eyes, Kyomu might be selfish, but his heart was clear, and he wouldn't harm the village.
Some cancers, Tsunade wanted to remove too!
Her former mentor, Hiruzen, seemed different now, especially regarding the issue with Sakumo.
Though Hiruzen's actions were to protect the 'ninja creed of completing missions at all costs,' could the implications behind those actions be ignored?
And there were better ways to handle Sakumo's situation than letting him die, but they were either not chosen or decided too hastily.
"Let's hold a grand appointment ceremony tomorrow."
Hiruzen delayed for nearly two weeks but finally couldn't stall any longer. With the warfronts becoming increasingly tense, he couldn't bear the consequences of further delays.
The next day, the ceremony was magnificent, and Kyomu's achievements shone brightly. He became the youngest commander in Leaf's history and gained a prominent position among the Leaf's high ranks.
Kakashi, Obito, and Might Guy were also promoted by Hiruzen, gaining significant wartime powers as head officers.
Others like Genma, Ebisu, and others also received positions and ninja ranks far beyond their age group.
However, Hiruzen didn't stop there; he tried another approach when the official commendations weren't enough.
After all the Leaf ninja who had distinguished themselves on the Sand battlefield were promoted, how to fill the resulting vacancies? Water them down significantly.
After a round of commendations and promotions, Kyomu's direct command swelled from over two thousand to a massive force of six thousand.
Restarting the mentorship model signaled the beginning of efforts to dismantle Kyomu's power base.
Ideally, Kyomu should have remained on the Sand battlefield, as many warlords and generals do. After all, with no battles to fight, a commander is typically sidelined.
But Kyomu wasn't worried.
His followers were sparks of fire, and he was their soul. Hiruzen might not realize it, but this was surely another of his missteps.
"Kyomu, you're not upset with me, are you?"
"Lord Hokage, everything is for the village."
Seeing that Kyomu didn't lead any protests and that he had arranged for Kyomu's subordinates satisfactorily, they wouldn't cause trouble either.
Indeed, no one caused trouble, and everything smoothly transitioned forward.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, under the command of their teacher Minato, reestablished their bonds and were set to depart for the Rock battlefield at the beginning of next month.
Might Guy, Genma, and Ebisu were assigned to the Mist battlefield, led by Tsunade, and would also depart at the start of next month.
The rest were sent to the Cloud battlefield, but not under Kyomu's command.
Hiruzen learned his lesson this time and found a perfect excuse.
Kyomu was promoted again, this time to a position that kept him in the village—Hokage's strategic secretary, a sufficient reason not to send him to the battlefield.
Not worried at all?
Downgrading in disguise works well, but you have to be able to suppress the subject; if not, it's like shooting oneself in the foot.
Clearly, given the current deteriorating war situation, Hiruzen couldn't keep it under control. With the Sand's quick defeat, it was unlikely that the Rock and Cloud would continue their infighting as in the original narrative.
That was just pre-victory squabbling, but now, without the Sand, such behavior would indicate that the great general of the Rock doesn't deserve his position.
Chain reactions are sometimes mysterious yet within reason.
Kyomu had long prepared, not merely for immediate satisfaction but unwilling to hand over his carefully laid plans.
A greater stage awaited him, and all Kyomu had to do now was bid farewell to his brothers and sister, then return home to focus on training for a while.
"Kakashi, I hope the next time we meet, you'll have earned a title for yourself," Kyomu clapped Kakashi on the shoulder. "How's the newly upgraded Yukihime working for you?"
After meticulous reforging by the Neko clan, Kakashi's Yukihime was only a step away from becoming a divine weapon.
The handle was embedded with a large Raiton Chakra Crystal, making it akin to the Thunder God's Sword and perfectly suited to Kakashi's current fighting style.
Cutting thunder with a casual swing had become the norm.
"I'll earn my title without you," Kakashi declared proudly. "I'm not much weaker than you."
"Haha, worthy of being called 'Kakashi-sama.'" Kyomu turned to Obito and Rin. "The same goes for you. When I'm not around, follow Kakashi's commands and don't be willful."
"I'm not weaker than Kakashi," Obito muttered, but he nodded in agreement. "Since you've instructed, I'll follow."
After bidding farewell, Kyomu joined Tsunade for a brief embrace.
Thump.
As they parted, Tsunade flicked his forehead. "Now you remember your sister?"
"Tsunade, you're so strong, I'm not worried about you," Kyomu rubbed his forehead. "But call me first if there's any trouble; I'll be there whenever you need."
Tsunade nodded, patting Kyomu's shoulder as he gave a few last instructions to Guy and others. Then, she led her team away.
"Will you forget me when you make a name for yourselves on the front lines?" Kyomu asked, smiling at the last of the two thousand troops before him.
"Swear to..."
"Stop," Kyomu interrupted. "I know. Go with peace of mind. I'm always behind you, don't worry."
After seeing off the last group, Kyomu casually walked back into the village.
"Lord Kyomu, would you like to try my newly made ramen?"
Teuchi...no, the owner of The Divine Ichiraku Ramen called out.
"Sure, it's been a while since I've tasted your ramen."
"Then come on in," Teuchi beckoned Kyomu. "Ayame, the hero you've been thinking about is here."
Ayame, about Kyomu's age, ran out, her face flush with admiration as she enthusiastically invited Kyomu into the ramen shop.
In the Hokage office, Hiruzen put away the crystal ball with a sigh of relief.
"Kyomu has finally settled down. Let's hope the front lines smooth out..."
But Hiruzen had miscalculated. The front lines were far from smooth, reaching a critical point.
With both Jinchūriki of the Rock active and the great general Ōnoki personally leading, Dust Release was shining on the battlefield.
The Cloud was also pressing hard with Killer B and the Third Raikage among others, causing great difficulty for Jiraiya's forces.
The Mist hadn't deployed its Jinchūriki but the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen were in full force, and the rarely seen Terumī Mei was also making her mark.
Even a plot against the Hyūga clan's main family was brewing.
Kyomu's new challenge was fast approaching.
Unless Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura personally went to the front lines, or sent the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Kushina, into battle, no one but Kyomu could turn the tide for Konoha.
"Will you choose to enter the battlefield?"
Kyomu scoffed, paid his bill, and left, heading home to prepare for more training.
(End of Chapter)
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