As time passed, the pleasant autumn season gradually approached its end.
Even in the fertile Land of Fire—warmest across the entire continent—the air had begun to grow colder.
Yet despite the chill wind, the gates of Konoha were packed with people.
Crowds lined both sides of the main road leading from the village gates to the Hokage Building, forming a dense mass of silent anticipation.
Warm sunlight poured down from a clear sky, illuminating countless faces full of excitement and joy—shinobi who had stayed behind in the village, children who had yet to graduate from the academy, but mostly ordinary Konoha civilians…
Today was the day the Konoha forces returned in triumph.
After the peace treaty was signed, half a month passed, and Kumogakure finally managed to gather the first installment of reparations.
According to the agreement, under Senju Mori's orders, the Konoha forces began withdrawing.
In the end, only about three hundred regular defensive troops were left stationed at the Fire Country border, replacing the original units that had taken part in the war.
All other shinobi returned to Konohagakure.
When the leading figure finally appeared at the far end of sight, the long-held cheer exploded like thunder, rolling through all of Konoha like a tidal wave.
"It's the Hokage!"
"The Third Hokage has returned!"
At the front of the procession walked the Third Hokage, Senju Mori.
He wore the iconic Hokage hat, his steps steady.
Beneath the fluttering ceremonial robes was the same crimson armor he had worn into battle.
Senju Mori's expression was calm. He wasn't deliberately projecting an aura of power—he simply looked gently toward the villagers on both sides of the road.
Yet everyone who saw him felt that the Hokage seemed more imposing than they remembered—
and somehow, more trustworthy too.
Behind Senju Mori walked the upper echelons of the village:
Advisor Nara Shikajō,
Advisor Sarutobi Hiruzen,
Uchiha Clan Leader Uchiha Isshin,
Senju elite jōnin Senju Sōji,
and others…
Like Senju Mori, all of them wore solemn expressions.
Because behind them was a line of stretchers carried steadily by Konoha shinobi—
each stretcher bearing a silent body covered with a white cloth.
The cheers faded at once, replaced by heavy silence and the occasional stifled cry.
The joy of victory mixed painfully with the weight of sacrifice in everyone's hearts.
Though Konoha had won the war, war remained war—
injuries and death were unavoidable.
But after a brief moment of sorrow, a different sight froze everyone's breath—
and then sparked an even louder wave of cheers.
Heavy wagons rolled in, loaded with all manner of scrolls.
The large scrolls were storage seals filled with supplies;
the smaller ones were Kumogakure's treasured ninjutsu scrolls.
At the end of the procession marched more than a thousand Konoha shinobi, spirits high and eyes sharp.
Senju Mori continued forward until he reached the Hokage Building at the road's end.
When his figure appeared atop the rooftop platform, it was as if a switch had been flipped—
the once-roaring crowd suddenly fell silent.
Senju Mori gazed down upon Konoha below. With the help of chakra, his voice spread clearly across the entire plaza.
"People of Konoha—
we have won!"
After a brief silence, a tidal wave of cheers erupted.
Senju Mori raised a hand and gently pressed downward, signaling for the crowd to quiet.
Then he continued:
"This victory did not come easily."
"In this war, many among us lost family… lost friends."
"We defeated the greedy Kumogakure, protected Konoha's peace and safety—but the price was the lives of one hundred and seventy-nine Konoha shinobi!"
"This pain, I share with all of you.
Their names will be eternally engraved on the Memorial Stone.
Their souls will guard Konoha's future."
"Konoha is a village that loves peace—but it is not a weak one.
Anyone who attempts to threaten Konoha with war will pay for their disgraceful ambitions…"
Senju Mori's speech was not long.
He knew exactly how to seize the emotions of a crowd.
Suddenly, his voice rose sharply, carrying unshakable authority:
"Now—I, Senju Mori, Third Hokage of Konoha, hereby declare—"
"First—compensation for the fallen!"
"For every fallen genin: 400,000 ryō.
For every fallen chūnin: 550,000 ryō.
For every fallen jōnin: 1,000,000 ryō."
"Since they sacrificed their lives for Konoha—Konoha will never abandon their families."
"Second—rewards for the heroes!"
"Each of the 1,300 shinobi who first took part in the war shall receive 60,000 ryō!"
"Each of the 1,000 shinobi who joined later as reinforcements shall receive 20,000 ryō!"
"Your contributions—this village will remember forever!"
A massive wave of astonished shouts tore across the plaza.
After all, participating in war and protecting the village was a shinobi's duty.
Konoha had never before rewarded shinobi simply for fighting in a war.
And the amount—60,000 ryō—was extraordinarily generous.
Normally, B-rank missions involved combat.
A single B-rank mission paid 100,000 to 200,000 ryō.
After Konoha took half, and the remaining amount was split among a four-man squad,
each person usually received just a little over 10,000 ryō.
A-rank missions were even harder and typically restricted to jōnin.
Though the reward appeared to be several hundred thousand ryō, after divisions and risks,
a jōnin usually took home only 50,000–60,000 ryō.
Now, Senju Mori had essentially given every genin and chūnin who fought in the war
the equivalent of a full A-rank mission's pay.
The condolence payments were even more shocking—far exceeding what was offered in the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's era.
550,000 ryō was nearly two years of income for an ordinary chūnin.
Senju Mori intended to use this gesture to win the hearts of the entire village,
to build prestige and authority—
and subtly reshape how shinobi viewed war.
Of course, the cost was massive.
Between compensation and rewards, Senju Mori had just dispensed over 180 million ryō.
But the result was clear:
from this day forward, shinobi would no longer view war simply as a sudden disaster.