With the final announcement concluded,
Uchiha Yato also began returning to the Hidden Leaf with the main forces.
As he traveled, he pondered whether he should gather some of the characters who hadn't yet met tragic fates.
The simplest example was the descendant of the Uzumaki clan in the Grass Village—Karin's mother.
After brief consideration, Uchiha Yato decided it was best to let things unfold naturally.
Once the Third Great Ninja War was confirmed to be over, he would make a trip there. If he happened to encounter her, he'd take her away.
Whether she returned to the Hidden Leaf or not, someone who was only treated as a medical supply shouldn't be the fate of an Uzumaki.
During the journey, Uchiha Yato could also attend to other matters.
For instance, examining the two White Zetsu corpses given to him by Lord Madara.
Though Uchiha Yato was neither a scientist nor a researcher,
That didn't stop him from having unique insights into certain areas—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to provide Orochimaru with some degree of inspiration.
These two mindless White Zetsu, judging by their appearances, were just ordinary individuals.But through Chakra sensing, one could detect their immense Chakra reserves.
After a brief examination, Uchiha Yato understood why ninjas reanimated through White Zetsu's bodies in the original story could nearly regain their full living strength.
Simply put, their energy was abundant enough to fully accommodate their souls.
This allowed the reanimated bodies to utilize more of their original power, thus achieving near-lifetime combat capabilities.
During the journey, aside from admiring the scenery,
Yato took the opportunity to deal with some rogue ninjas or bandits.
He had already accepted several bandit-hunting missions on the return trip—for him, even mosquitoes counted as meat.
This behavior puzzled the noble clan members in the Hidden Leaf exchange group.
After all, as clan ninjas, they never lacked cultivation resources.
This was especially true for someone from the prestigious Uchiha Clan like Yato.
His response was characteristically lighthearted:
"Cultivation is like rowing upstream—you either advance or fall behind."
"When you see someone more talented working harder than you, how can you afford not to push yourself?"
Such motivational platitudes came effortlessly to Yato, having grown up in a society saturated with such inspirational rhetoric.
Of course, he wouldn't share the more cynical counter-quotes—those were just for his own amusement.
Ironically, this attitude made Yato surprisingly relatable to civilian ninjas.
Those without resources deeply understood the struggle of meticulous resource management while relentlessly training to keep up.
Though the group had already warmed up to Yato during their time together, witnessing such virtues in someone of his status became an unexpected bonus.
Meanwhile, Yato continued accumulating Emotion Coins and exchanging for necessary items along the journey.
With the Third Great Ninja War approaching, preparations were crucial.
No one could predict whether this war would follow its original course or take unexpected turns.
Yato muttered to himself:
"System, what's my current Emotion Coin balance?"
A digital chime responded:
"Ding~"
"Congratulations host! Combined value from Emotion Coins earned through previous achievements, including partial BGM and screenshot functions, totals 150,000 coins."
Hearing this, Yato decided to splurge 100,000 coins on the gacha system—ostensibly because he needed various items, not because his inner gambling addiction was acting up.
As the massive sum vanished, Yato's hands trembled with excitement.
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan fragment collection had reached nine pieces.
Just one more, and he could obtain the Eternal Mangekyo.
Now came the dilemma: go all-in for the final piece, or wait and save?
Suddenly, someone's words echoed irresistibly in Yato's mind:
"Going all-in is wisdom!"
"No hesitation—just bet everything!"Under the bewitching whispers in his mind, Uchiha Yato decided to go all out in a frenzy.
Aside from reserving ten thousand Emotion Coins for emergencies, he gambled the remaining forty thousand in one final reckless bet.
The end result was...
The members of the Hidden Leaf exchange group watched as Uchiha Yato lay motionless on the cart the entire journey, devoid of any mischievous energy, appearing utterly dejected.
Had someone not checked to confirm he was still breathing, they might have assumed he'd been struck down by a hidden arrow and perished.
Seeing Yato in such a state, no one could fathom what he had gone through.
Yato bitterly regretted not stopping himself from making that all-or-nothing bet three days ago.
If heaven granted him another chance, he would undoubtedly go back and give his past self a beating.
The gamble hadn't yielded the final fragment for the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, but it did provide a new one instead.
Jerry Mouse Fragment: A mouse forever maintaining a good relationship with Tom, whose name is Jerry.
Collect ten fragments to exchange for Jerry's summoning scroll.
Unlock the "Tom and Jerry" title to achieve unique accomplishments with both characters.
Over these three days, aside from organizing his gains in his mind, Yato had done nothing but curse the system.
He had every reason to believe this system was deliberately messing with him—and doing so on purpose!
Yato resolved to indulge himself one last night.
After all, barring any surprises, they would reach the Hidden Leaf tomorrow. The journey had been relatively peaceful overall, with no troublemakers daring to cross their path.
So, he retrieved one of the items he'd drawn from the system.
Quilt from Somewhere: A cotton quilt from another world, rumored to be related to marriage.
When using this quilt, no one can hear the sound of crying beneath it.
When Yato first drew this item, he had scoffed and sneered at it.
Now, he directed that same mockery and disdain at himself, because tonight, Uchiha Yato found himself using it once more.
After one final night of rest, the group finally caught sight of the Hidden Leaf Village's gates.
Yato steeled himself, determined to face the days ahead with the brightest smile.
After all, he had every reason to believe Sarutobi Hiruzen must be missing him terribly right now—and he intended to ensure the Hokage would forever remember his brilliance!
(The smile won't transfer, but the pain will!)
Just as Yato greeted the two gate guards with his usual easygoing charm...
He noticed the guards wore equally sorrowful expressions, seemingly at a loss for words upon seeing him.
This reaction left the exchange group puzzled.
At that moment, an Anbu operative rushed over and said,
"Lord Uchiha Yato!"
"Welcome back to the Hidden Leaf."
As Yato prepared to respond with his signature smile and greeting, the Anbu ninja continued,
"Please proceed immediately to the Senju Clan Grounds. You'll understand once you arrive!"
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Seems like a lot of ppl doesnt like this fic, should i abandoned it ?