Chapter 25: Hmph! You're Not Even Afraid of Me!
On the way to the Hokage Building—
"Wow, he's incredible!"
"I heard he ended the war himself!"
"So amazing!"
There was no helping it. Walking among a crowd of lean, ordinary people, Aoyama Ryūun's tall, muscular build made him stand out immediately. His special dragon-scale tattoos and the confident smile curling at the corners of his lips only made him more eye-catching.
The crowd's chatter wasn't quiet at all. Not only Ryūun, but even those walking beside him could clearly hear their words.
"I'd totally marry him if I could!"
"He's so handsome!"
Those sudden whispers made Tsunade, who was walking right next to him, arch a brow.
"Hm?"
At the same time, Aoyama Ryūun deliberately pulled a fierce expression, glaring at the girls who were gossiping.
Too bad—if they were any other kind of people, they might have screamed and stepped back in fear. But these ones? Some even giggled and shouted louder.
Pulling his gaze back, Ryūun scratched the back of his head helplessly.
"Man… I feel like my dignity's dropped lately."
What was going on? Even the little girls weren't scared of him anymore. That just made him look dumb!
"Tch. Shouldn't you be happy about that?" Tsunade rolled her eyes in annoyance, her tone carrying that familiar irritation.
Ryūun turned to her in surprise, genuinely amused. He hadn't expected Tsunade of all people to sound… jealous.
"Jealous? Me? Not a chance!" Tsunade quickly turned her head away.
"Ahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Their laughter echoed through the streets.
In the crowd, some people were praising Aoyama Ryūun, while others admired Hatake Sakumo.
"Come on! He was the one who defeated the Third Kazekage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, walking among them, only smiled faintly at the flattery—until he overheard a few people saying that Hatake Sakumo completely deserved to be the next Hokage.
The smile on Hiruzen's face stiffened slightly.
"Danzo—"
"Shut up."
The war had ended. Those who returned from the battlefield were being reunited with their families—an unspoken blessing, given how few could truly return alive.
…
"Haha! Tsunade! Ryūun! And everyone—you're all heroes of Konoha!"
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried deep emotion.
"What about the post-war negotiations?"
"The Sand Village will send representatives in the next few days to discuss peace terms."
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied with the clear answer.
After all, Konoha had suffered losses during this war too. Negotiations were the best way to recover some of those costs.
No one could argue—the victor always had the advantage.
Still, when Aoyama Ryūun rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, everyone turned toward him.
"Ryūun again?"
Koharu Utatane glared sharply at him. She'd been embarrassed by his words once before—being looked down on again now made her blood boil.
If she backed down this time, she might as well throw away her pride as a council elder.
"Am I wrong, though?" Ryūun shot back.
Others might hold their tongues out of respect for authority, but Ryūun was never the type to care.
"You people are only bold when it comes to dealing with your own! The moment it's outsiders, you act like cowards! And you're the ones going to negotiate? What the hell are you going to negotiate?"
His words were blunt—but not wrong.
Whenever it came to negotiations, they always ended without resolution. Konoha wouldn't lose anything… but it never gained anything either.
To be honest, it was a miracle Konoha hadn't rotted away completely, with the likes of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado running things behind the scenes.
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