Time flies, years pass like a shuttle.
Konoha Year 32.
Just the beginning of summer, the climate is relatively warm, but not too hot.
This day is a special day—
The day the heroes return!
Of course, the war is far from over.
The returning heroes are only the heavily injured personnel from the front line, who can no longer survive as ninja in the future.
On the battlefield, they have become burdens to their comrades and must be escorted back to Konoha from the front line to spend the rest of their lives in the village.
With the large number of injured returning, there are also the bodies of the ninja who have sacrificed, forever resting beneath the earth.
Thus, on this pleasant day, some are silent, some are weeping, maybe even moved to tears, but not the kind of tears from joy.
Despite no orders, Konoha's civilians, as well as the ninja race, have organized a solemn ceremony to welcome the returning heroes.
However, the adults waiting for the heroes remain in mourning and silence, while the usually lively children do not know what happened, afraid to speak out, standing quietly in the heavy atmosphere.
War is never a beautiful thing.
——Hakushi's home.
Hakushi is not very interested in welcoming those so-called heroes.
He has no relatives participating in this war, so welcoming heroes is of little importance to him.
However, Hakushi knows that Ruri would go to welcome them. As a member of the Uchiha Race, she is obliged to welcome the clansmen returning from battles.
If it were just Ruri, Hakushi thought he might meet up with her at the village entrance to welcome them.
But there must be a lot of Uchiha clansmen around Ruri, Hakushi feels it might be inappropriate to go along.
Considering this, Hakushi decided to stay at his home, as he still has many experiments to conduct.
In the past two years, Hakushi has not only self-taught and mastered various medical ninjutsu from the scrolls given by Ruri but also thoroughly understood them.
To say the least, Hakushi is very confident in his medical ninjutsu skills.
Apart from that, his growth in other areas hasn't fallen behind either.
According to Ruri's evaluation, he now possesses the strength equivalent to Chunin Level.
A year ago, Ruri, after a rigorous selection by the Uchiha Jonin, demonstrated Chunin Level strength, and Hakushi could either compete evenly with her, naturally reaching the Chunin Level as well.
However, he has never revealed his true strength. In others' eyes, he is just an ordinary student of the Ninja School.
Belonging to the kind of presence that blends unnoticed into a crowd.
He has mastered many ninja techniques; the Three-Body Jutsu aside, he has also grasped the Hand Sage Art, Healing Jutsu, Hemostasis Jutsu, and the Chakra Scalpel, which are essential for an excellent medical ninja.
Once the essence is understood, learning them is not difficult for Hakushi.
Furthermore, with a mature soul, his self-discipline far exceeds that of ordinary people, investing several times more time into training than the average person.
Except for normal rest and classes, the remaining time is mostly spent in training.
Only through countless hardships has he achieved what he has today.
In the house's compartment, it is a micro laboratory Hakushi specifically set apart.
On the table are many distillation flasks, test tubes, vessels, and Bunsen burners flickering with red and blue flames.
There are also some glass bottles containing transparent solutions, in which rare plant specimens are soaked, along with some animal torso specimens, such as important organs like eyes and livers.
Hakushi skillfully manipulates these instruments in hopes of achieving the desired results.
Then he records data on the computer.
Speaking of which, Hakushi found it quite surprising that the Ninja Realm, not industrially advanced, already has computers.
Even though, in Hakushi's view, the computer processing systems of the Ninja Realm are not very advanced yet, having them is better than none.
He is only proficient in fields like chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. Although he understands mechanical electronics somewhat, he is not an expert.
Producing a computer by himself is impossible; professional matters must be handled by professionals.
This computer, despite its low-level processing system in Hakushi's eyes, cost him a substantial amount of money.
Scientific research is like a bottomless pit, continuously consuming his already limited assets over the past two years.
Now, Hakushi's funds have nearly run out, naturally slowing down his research progress.
He can collect raw materials himself, but for some precise equipment and valuable materials, money is essential to acquire them.
While Hakushi was troubled by these things, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Hakushi put down his work to open the door.
As expected, it was Ruri.
Eight-year-old Ruri is slightly taller than two years ago. Although still a bit immature, her eyes have grown sharper and colder, giving off an unapproachable aura.
Though it sounds a bit harsh, Ruri indeed is not someone who easily fits in with others.
She does not know how to compromise with others or understand interpersonal relationships well, but she is very passionate about getting stronger.
Deep down, she is a hot-blooded and battle-loving individual.
This might relate to the traditional personality of the Uchiha Race, who are typically hot-blooded and combative.
Hakushi believes that if it weren't for his real strength making her look at him differently, even talking to her might have been difficult.
Because both have some understanding of each other's secrets, Hakushi considers Ruri to be a compatible partner with him.
"Has the welcoming ceremony ended so soon?"
Hakushi led Ruri into the house and asked out of curiosity.
According to his estimate, Ruri should have spent an entire day welcoming the heroes of the Uchiha Race returning from the battlefield.
"No, I just left early. Quite a few people in the clan have sacrificed, and some can no longer live as ninja."
Ruri seemed a bit downcast.
"After all, it is war."
Hakushi sighed with a remark.
In war, death or injury is undoubtedly commonplace.
"Why didn't you go?"
Ruri asked Hakushi this question.
"I have no relatives returning from this war."
Only then did Ruri recall that Hakushi's parents had sacrificed early on during a mission.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I don't mind such things. Being alone grants a little more freedom."
Hakushi smiled at Ruri, showing he didn't care, and walked towards the compartment within the house.
Ruri also followed Hakushi into the compartment—Hakushi's private laboratory.
Hakushi had never intended to hide his research activities from Ruri.
After all, what he is doing is not some prohibited experiment that cannot see the light of day; even if Ruri knows about it, she wouldn't talk recklessly.
This tacit understanding between them has been cultivated over the past two years.
Though not yet reaching the state of 'you don't need to say it for me to understand,' Ruri is not someone who likes to get to the bottom of things.
Just like how she knows Hakushi's real strength but never intended to expose him.
Hakushi won't ask why Ruri doesn't reveal him, and Ruri won't ask Hakushi why he hides his strength.
Even so, this does not affect the purity of their friendship.
This is the best kind of tacit understanding.