When Hyuga Arin returned to Konoha, he was greeted by the thunderous cheers of the village residents.
"The heroes are back!!"
"They're our heroes!"
People crowded shoulder to shoulder around the returning convoy, many of them cheering excitedly.
Amid the noise and celebration, Hyuga Arin felt a moment of daze.
"Big brother, you made quite a contribution this time. You're a real hero," Rope Tree said with a teasing grin, nudging him with his elbow.
"A hero…?" For the first time, Hyuga Arin felt a strange sense of reality.
In the past, he had always lived with the mindset that this was just a game world.
But now, standing in the middle of the cheers, he felt slightly absent-minded.
Still—
He smiled in relief. What difference was there between a game and reality? Either way, it was just a bunch of NPCs and monsters.
Though, weren't they celebrating a little too early? The war wasn't completely over yet.
…
Hyuga Arin had to squeeze his way out of the crowd.
The Konoha villagers were simply too enthusiastic. News of victory from the front had reached them, and they seemed even happier than the people who had actually fought.
Of course, they weren't very clear on how that victory had been achieved.
As for Hyuga Arin, they only regarded him as an ordinary genin and didn't block his way.
Those who looked older and more mature, however, were surrounded tightly, unable to escape.
Even if some were clearly growing irritated, they could only keep smiling.
Especially Rope Tree. Although he didn't look particularly mature, most of Konoha recognized his face.
The influence of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, hadn't completely faded. Rope Tree still carried considerable "celebrity effect."
Not to mention that Tsunade, now one of the Three Ninja, was his older sister.
Hashirama's legacy would probably be brought up again—who knew what Sarutobi Hiruzen thought about that.
Hiruzen had always tried to diminish the influence of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Otherwise, the various ninja clans would constantly compare him to those two.
Could he even compare?
If he really could compare, would you clans have gotten so many benefits?
The only solution was to let the villagers gradually forget. By Naruto's era, almost no one mentioned Hashirama anymore.
They only knew from textbooks that Konoha had been founded by him.
When Hyuga Arin returned home and opened the door, the sight inside made him pause in confusion. He stepped back outside.
"Did I transmigrate again?"
He had just seen Hyuga Natsuna sitting in Machi's arms watching television!!
Televisions already existed in this era, though they were still black-and-white. The two of them were watching with great interest.
He opened the door again and stepped inside, looking at the two of them getting along harmoniously.
"…Since when did you two become so close?"
Hyuga Natsuna jumped down from Machi's lap, hands on her hips as she scolded him, "Why were you gone for so long? I haven't been able to go out for ages!!"
Before leaving, Hyuga Arin had infused chakra into her body. But it only lasted a few days after he left before it was used up.
She had reverted to her true seven-year-old appearance.
Machi lay lazily on the sofa, yawning, and glanced past him. "So… who's she?"
"Who's who?" Hyuga Arin turned around in confusion.
He saw Aburame Mushime standing there with teary eyes, looking like an abandoned young wife.
"You already have me—why are there two more at home? Then what am I supposed to be!?"
…A teammate?
Hyuga Arin: "???"
He rubbed his temples. He hadn't even noticed Mushime following him back.
And what was with this "caught red-handed by the current girlfriend" scenario?!
"So who are you?!" Hyuga Natsuna puffed up her cheeks and glared at Mushime.
Like a territorial tigress—an underage one at that. Fierce, but still cute.
Mushime lowered her head, looking sorrowful. "I'm actually a very traditional woman."
"I wouldn't mind being the second wife."
That traditional?!
That joke is outdated, you know!!!
Machi slid right off the sofa onto the floor. She stared at Mushime in shock, then looked at Hyuga Arin with an expression that clearly said: Wow, you're really playing wild.
"I said…" Veins throbbed faintly on Hyuga Arin's forehead. "That's enough, all of you!!"
…
In the living room, the three girls sat on the sofa while Hyuga Arin massaged his temples and looked at Mushime.
"How did you follow me back?"
The Aburame clan's bloodline ability was seriously powerful. She had followed him so openly, and he hadn't even noticed.
Did this even count as a bloodline limit?
"I saw that you didn't tell me to leave, Big Brother Arin. I thought you wanted me to come back with you," Mushime said pitifully. "How was I supposed to know there were two others here?"
Hyuga Arin shook his head firmly. He had simply ignored her existence. There had been no such intention at all.
"This is my territory!" Hyuga Natsuna bared her teeth at Mushime in warning.
You two aren't even having the same conversation!
And since when did this house become your territory, Hyuga Natsuna?!
Mushime lifted her chin. "I saw there are three rooms in this house. I can live here too."
Natsuna started counting on her fingers. "One for me, one for Sister Machi, one for Hyuga Arin."
Then she glared fiercely at Mushime. "There's no room for you!!"
Mushime replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I'll share a room with Big Brother Arin."
"Go back to your own house!!" Hyuga Arin roared.
Natsuna suddenly seemed to understand something and looked at him with disgust.
"Oh? Then why don't you go back to your own house?" Hyuga Arin said with a fake smile.
Now that Hyuga Hizashi was dead, she didn't really have a reason to stay here anymore, did she?
"I don't want to!!" Natsuna refused immediately.
"Hyuga Hizashi is already dead. What you were worried about won't happen anymore," Hyuga Arin said lightly.
Natsuna froze completely.
"He's dead?!"
Joy flashed across her face—then she quickly realized that looked bad and immediately switched to a devastated expression.
"He actually died…"
"You might want to lower the corners of your mouth a bit," Hyuga Arin said dryly. "It'd look more convincing."
What kind of grieving person has their lips curling upward?
Which just went to show—
Hyuga Hizashi hadn't died unjustly. Quite a few people really did want him dead.
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