After leaving the office, Torifū went to the guesthouse to check on Oyashirō clan, asking if they were adapting to life there.
Tsuki and his clansmen were quite satisfied; it was infinitely better than their life in Hell Valley. Moreover, En seemed to have made friends, and everything was moving in a better direction. The Oyashirō clan's compound would likely take a few more months to be truly ready for use, as the construction team had only just begun work. However, Tsuki wasn't in a hurry; life at the guesthouse was quite good. His clansmen were also gradually recovering their strength and had started looking for work in the village. Otherwise, it would probably take until their next life to pay off the village's loan.
However, Tsuki happened to meet a forging master in the village. The master discovered that many of the stones Tsuki had collected were relatively rare ores. These were typically added in small amounts when forging high-grade ninja tools and were extremely scarce. So, upon seeing the variety of ores in Tsuki's possession, the master was naturally overjoyed and bought them from him at a high price. Tsuki was, of course, a hundred percent willing.
These "broken stones" were useless to him, and being able to sell them for a high price now was a natural choice; he didn't even think about raising the price. If he angered the master, he would have suffered a huge loss and it would have damaged his reputation, so it wasn't necessary.
With this, Tsuki's assets were enough to repay half of the village's loan. The burden on each clan member was significantly reduced, and he planned to return to Hell Valley after his body recovered to see if he could find more of this type of ore. That way, he could completely repay the debt.
After leaving the Oyashirō clan, Torifū returned home. According to Snowflake, Aokumo and Ryūfū had gone to the backyard to train early that morning. Torifū naturally couldn't fall behind. After a simple meal, he also went to the backyard forest to train. However, there was no comparison without contrast; if the natural energy at the lake was a river, then Torifū's backyard could only be considered a small stream. There was simply no comparison. But fortunately, the Tsuchigumo clan would be brought back soon, and then Torifū could go to their clan grounds to absorb energy for his training. For today, he would just make do.
The next morning, Torifū woke up from his bed. Today was the day he would go and bring the Tsuchigumo clan back to the village. So, Torifū woke up quite early. Although it would only take about an hour to reach them with Aokumo and Ryūfū's speed, the Tsuchigumo clan members couldn't fly and could only travel on foot. It would take them at least half a day to reach Konoha. After washing up and getting dressed, Torifū rode Aokumo and left Konoha Village.
Sleepy-eyed, Torifū couldn't help but grumble: "It's supposed to be a day off, but things just keep coming one after another. I really don't know what to say." But grumbling aside, business had to be done.
Previously, Torifū had considered recruiting Arashi in his Lotus organization, but now that he was leading his clan to join the village, Torifū gave up that idea. Strengthening his own organization was still a long and arduous task, and there weren't that many gifted wandering ninja in the ninja world. He could only take things one step at a time.
About an hour later, Torifū arrived at the location where the Tsuchigumo clan members were yesterday. From the sky, Torifū saw Arashi's figure. He had been pacing back and forth on the ground, and it was Aokumo's cry that startled him. Arashi looked up at the sky, a smile on his face, but also a hint of nervousness. All the clansmen were the same, full of uncertainty about the future. If Konoha Village didn't accept them, they would have to resume their wandering.
Torifū didn't let Aokumo land; instead, he hovered in mid-air: "Arashi, have your clansmen pack their belongings and return to Konoha Village with me." He announced, "Hokage-sama has agreed to help you and allow you to join Konoha Village."
Upon hearing Torifū's words, the Tsuchigumo clan members all cheered with excitement! The faces that had just been filled with confusion instantly broke into smiles.
"Really! Has Hokage-sama really allowed us to join Konoha Village?!"
Torifū nodded: "Yes, I have no reason to lie to you. Hurry up and pack, then come with me."
After confirming the truth of Torifū's words multiple times, Arashi immediately instructed his clansmen to begin packing and prepare to depart. The clansmen were all in high spirits, moving incredibly quickly, partly because they didn't have much to pack.
However, the Tsuchigumo clan's financial situation was relatively solid, unlike the Oyashirō clan, who were utterly destitute. This would make it easier for them to thrive in Konoha Village, as interacting with other clans often required sending gifts and such. It wasn't about currying favor; it was simply basic etiquette between clans.
At this moment, Torifū smelled what seemed to be blood in the air and frowned: "Did you encounter pursuers?"
Arashi nodded: "Two or three ninja from Kirigakure. We've already dealt with them. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find us, so we didn't leave this spot."
Upon hearing this, Torifū couldn't help but wonder if the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden jutsu was truly that enticing. Was it really worth them crossing oceans to pursue it in the Land of Fire? Kirigakure shouldn't be lacking in a forbidden jutsu, should it? Was it really necessary to push them so hard? Torifū couldn't understand Kirigakure's decision, nor could he interfere. All he could do was ensure the Tsuchigumo clan's safety during their journey back to the village.
It didn't take long for all the Tsuchigumo clan members to finish packing. Torifū jumped down from Aokumo and led the group, sprinting towards Konoha Village. Their speed was neither too fast nor too slow, just enough for them to keep up without falling behind. Meanwhile, Aokumo maintained vigilance in the sky, watching for any pursuing forces and constantly reminding Torifū of the terrain ahead. With this coordinated effort, no incidents occurred. They didn't encounter any more ninja from Kirigakure, which was certainly for the best; otherwise, it would have just led to more unnecessary slaughter.
After a few hours, they finally left the forest and entered the plains, which meant they were not far from Konoha Village. Once in the plains, they could relax a bit; with Aokumo on alert in the sky, it was practically impossible for any ninja to escape Aokumo's sight. Finally, just after noon, Torifū led the Tsuchigumo clan back to Konoha Village. Unlike last time, there were no villagers lining the streets to welcome them; Tobirama had presumably not announced their arrival. However, that didn't matter. The main priority was to quickly take them to see the Hokage.
The guards saw Torifū return with a large group of people and came out to meet him. Since the Hokage had already informed them about this matter beforehand, the process didn't take long, and they were allowed to pass. The guards, seeing this entire family, couldn't help but wonder, 'How does Torifū-sama always manage to 'pick up' a clan and bring them back?'