章節 191: Chapter 191
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Gensou led a group of Uchiha, walking leisurely past the Konoha shinobi, heading toward the village outskirts right under their noses.
"This group of people!!"
"Too arrogant!! Do they think Konoha is just any place?"
"Should we make a move?"
The Konoha shinobi, who had initially been intimidated by Gensou's presence, gradually came to their senses. Feeling both ashamed and angry, they glared at the departing Uchiha, itching to strike and erase the cowardice they had just shown.
However, one person had yet to speak.
"Hokage-sama?"
The Konoha shinobi, who had been instilled with the Will of Fire and the courage to fight, turned to Tsunade, waiting for her command.
Tsunade clenched her fist.
Jiraiya approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder, and with an unprecedentedly serious expression, shook his head.
Gensou, with three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan, was not someone they could defeat.
Even if they summoned all of Konoha's strength and managed to achieve a hard-fought victory, the village would fall from its position as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Not to mention, if a fight broke out, the destruction and casualties in the village would far exceed the damage caused during the Nine-Tails Night or the Chuunin Exams.
In such a case, Konoha would be left in ruins, existing in name only.
How could they afford to fight?
The current Gensou and his faction were no longer something any single shinobi village could handle.
Konoha must not be the first to strike.
Tsunade understood Jiraiya's meaning.
Though it went against her usual temper, as Hokage, she had to consider the bigger picture. Sometimes, she had no choice but to retreat.
Tsunade took a deep breath, about to speak.
But Jiraiya stepped forward first and ordered, "The Uchiha clan has been part of Konoha for decades. Though they leave today, the bond remains. Today, the Uchiha clan has avenged themselves, which also brings peace to the souls of those Konoha Uchiha who died that night. We are not enemies at this moment. Let them go."
Compared to Tsunade, Jiraiya, who had traveled widely across the shinobi world, was much more adept at handling such situations.
He deftly invoked the events of the Uchiha clan massacre, where Itachi, an S-rank Konoha rogue ninja, was killed by the current Uchiha, indirectly contributing to Konoha's well-being. By playing on the emotional ties between Konoha and the Uchiha, he gave both sides, particularly Konoha, a way out.
After all, if word got out that Konoha, the greatest of the shinobi villages, had allowed Gensou and his group to roam freely within the village, the negative impact would be significant.
But if Konoha showed remorse for the Uchiha and gratitude for their actions, allowing them to return to pay respects to their ancestors and leave without resistance, even implying that the Uchiha were always welcome back in Konoha, the situation would be seen in a completely different light.
Of course, cover-up or not, the facts remained.
Internally, if anyone needed to take responsibility later, Jiraiya would bear the brunt of it.
This was precisely why Jiraiya stepped forward before Tsunade could speak, issuing the command himself.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya held great authority in Konoha.
Many Konoha shinobi instinctively followed his orders.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded.
Gensou and his group walked ahead, while the Konoha shinobi followed behind, creating an oddly harmonious atmosphere.
Gensou glanced back at Jiraiya and smiled faintly, "That guy's pretty capable."
Not only were his written works captivating, leaving a lasting impression on people, but his ability to turn bad situations into good ones was impressive.
Gensou had heard every word Jiraiya said to save face for Konoha.
He wasn't interested in correcting him.
However, since the guy had spoken about the bond between the Uchiha and Konoha...
It wouldn't hurt to greet the villagers and rekindle those ties, right?
With this in mind, Gensou led the Uchiha on a new path. Instead of the secluded route they had taken upon entering, they now chose to walk straight through the center of Konoha.
"Huh? Why did the route change?"
"They're heading toward the village center!"
"Damn! What are they planning? Is the village their real target?"
"Are they going to use the villagers to threaten us?"
"What should we do now?"
Seeing this, the Konoha shinobi following behind grew increasingly anxious.
In the crowd, Ino, who had been keeping a low profile, muttered quietly, "You're worrying over nothing! He's not that kind of person."
With her understanding of Gensou, she knew that even if he turned around and killed all the shinobi, he wouldn't harm the defenseless villagers.
"I have to admit, compared to Doctor Sosuke last time, the real Gensou is much more handsome."
Unaware that she and Gensou had met previously in the Land of Waves, Ino remained calm, even having the time to doodle in her notebook.
Long ago, she had made up her mind to follow in the footsteps of her Yamanaka clan predecessor from the Warring States period, documenting the deeds of Gensou and eventually merging her writings into a complete biography: The Chronicles of Gensou.
"Ino, keep it down," Shikamaru whispered a reminder.
As part of the new Ino-Shika-Chō trio, he was well aware of Ino's personality and interests.
Though her fangirl tendencies were strong, they weren't too serious. He usually didn't bother trying to correct her.
However, given the current situation, he felt the need to calm her down a bit. Scribbling in a notebook now was far too conspicuous.
As for Gensou's sudden change of direction toward the village center, Shikamaru wasn't too concerned.
If he had intended to make a move, he would've done so already.
As for the reason for the change in direction...
Shikamaru glanced at the Uchiha clan emblems on the clothing of Gensou's group. He had a feeling he knew what was going on.
But even knowing, he had no power to change it.
Jiraiya, who also had some understanding of Gensou, was puzzled but not worried that they would harm the villagers.
Suppressing the anxiety of the Konoha shinobi, he continued to follow behind them, like a bodyguard escorting them.
Before long...
The bustling and lively scenes of the village center came into view.
Gensou turned back and smiled at the Uchiha behind him, "Since we're back, we've visited the Uchiha district. It's only right we take a stroll through Konoha as well. Only then is it complete."
"Let's take one last look. See the streets that live in our memories, see the villagers. And tell them..."
"The Uchiha Clan... still exists!"
(End of Chapter)
章節 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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