Sunagakure - Main Gate, Half a Month Later
The three of them passed through the main gate looking like exactly what they were: shinobi who had spent six months living rough in enemy territory.
But what waited inside the gate stopped all three of them cold.
Even Arai looked surprised.
No wonder the gate guards had been smiling like that.
"Yuji, well done!"
"I didn't expect our little doctor to become such an outstanding ninja too!"
"Keep it up, Yuji!"
Villagers lined both sides of the main road. Dozens of them. Neighbors, shopkeepers, patients he'd treated at the hospital. Familiar faces everywhere, all of them beaming, all of them calling his name.
They'd heard the news in advance. Someone had made sure of that.
"You really are popular."
Sasori stood off to the side, arms crossed, voice flat. No jealousy. He simply had no frame of reference for this kind of warmth.
Arai turned, patted Yuji on the shoulder, and quietly stepped aside to give him the road.
"Hahaha..."
Even Yuji, thick-skinned as he was, felt his ears go warm. He rubbed the back of his head with a goofy grin and waved at the crowd.
"I'm leaving first."
Sasori turned and walked away without looking back. A few voices in the crowd called out praise for him too.
He pretended not to hear any of it.
But before he disappeared, he glanced back just once.
"Don't be fooled."
"I understand."
Yuji met his eyes with a steady look that said everything.
Because he did understand. The affection from the crowd was real, but the stage was set. Yuji hadn't done anything to warrant this level of welcome. There were shinobi in this village with decades of service who had never received a reception like this. Arai, walking right in front of him, deserved this scene more than he did.
This was arranged. The higher-ups wanted to plant roots in him. Build loyalty. Make the village feel like home so deeply that the thought of leaving would feel like betrayal.
A preventative measure against future defection.
Political maneuvering. Clean and simple.
Yuji smiled to himself and let it happen. The warmth was real even if the stage wasn't. And he had no reason to reject either.
After half an hour of mingling, duty called. The three of them made their way to the administrative building where the Third Kazekage and the senior leadership were already waiting.
They'd read the mission records. Arai delivered his report. The usual praise followed for both Yuji and Sasori.
Chiyo sat off to the side, saying little, but the quiet relief on her face was unmistakable. In her eyes, her grandson had finally made a friend. Sasori's personality hadn't changed, but he'd taken a step forward. For her, that was enough.
But the praise wasn't why they were here.
"This war is over," one of the senior officials said, his voice dropping low. "Konoha has transferred all forces from our front and the Iwagakure front to the Kumogakure theater. It's estimated Kumo will withdraw before long as well."
Another official picked up the thread with a sigh. "Orochimaru secured Konoha's victory against Iwagakure. On the Kumogakure front, Sakumo Hatake is leading the defense. With reinforcements now flowing in from the other resolved fronts, Kumo can't win."
The room went quiet.
Konoha had faced all four Great Ninja Villages simultaneously and held. Only now, with the war ending, did Suna's leadership fully grasp how reckless it had been to pick this fight.
But regret changed nothing. What was done was done.
"This is all the intelligence our village gathered during the war, from the battlefield and other channels, regarding the outstanding new generation figures from each Great Ninja Village."
The Third Kazekage spoke, his tone measured. "You two should look it over as well."
A subordinate stepped forward and handed a set of sorted documents to Yuji and Sasori.
Yuji flipped through the pages, and his pulse quickened.
Name after name jumped out at him. Familiar. Every single one.
Nara Shikaku. Akimichi Choza. Yamanaka Inoichi. Inuzuka Tsume. Uchiha Mikoto.
Konoha's golden generation, already making enough noise on the battlefield to land on foreign intelligence reports. Though some names were conspicuously absent. Minato Namikaze, for one, was nowhere on the list.
Still flying under the radar. For now.
From Iwagakure, the only name Yuji recognized was Kitsuchi.
From Kumogakure, it was the obvious pair: Ai and Killer Bee. Already operating together on the battlefield against Konoha, already showing the early signs of what would eventually become the feared AB Combination of the Third Great Ninja War. Not yet at their peak, but the potential was unmistakable.
Kirigakure's section was thin. Far less detailed than the others. The Hidden Mist had always been difficult to gather intelligence on.
"The losses our village suffered in this war are only temporary," the Kazekage continued. "The ceasefire doesn't mean the structure of the ninja world has been settled. War could break out again at any time. A year from now. Three years. Maybe longer."
His gaze settled on Yuji and Sasori.
"But whenever it comes, the next stage will belong to your generation. For the village to remain strong, every era needs powerful individuals who can step up."
'There are still a few years before the Third Great Ninja War,' Yuji thought as he browsed the documents. 'And they've already started cataloging the enemy's rising talent. Preparing early for once. Smart.'
'But if Sunagakure has this data, the other villages are doing the same thing. There's a reason the Five Great Villages have stayed standing this long.'
"Hm?"
His eye caught something near the bottom of the file.
His name. And Sasori's. Listed clearly among the profiles.
"That's right," the Third Kazekage said, reading Yuji's expression. "The reason we're showing you this intelligence is so you'll understand the opponents you may face in the future. And likewise, you should know that other villages have already taken notice of you."
Chiyo leaned forward, her expression dark.
"We've confirmed it. The assassination attempt on you was Konoha's doing. Hanzo leaked your information to Danzo." Her voice tightened. "I didn't expect those two to have private dealings."
The pieces clicked into place in Yuji's mind. Hanzo feeding intelligence to Danzo. Danzo dispatching Root operatives to eliminate a potential threat before it could grow. The fake Anbu. The midnight summons. All of it traced back to that connection.
"Yuji. Sasori." The Third Kazekage's voice carried the weight of someone placing a burden on young shoulders. "Remember the names in that report. Be prepared. Perhaps our generation won't be the one to lead Sunagakure past Konoha."
He paused.
"But you have that possibility."
Yuji kept his expression respectful. Touched, even.
Inside, he sighed.
'Still don't understand? Even now, after everything, their answer is just 'beat Konoha next time.' No reflection on why the war failed. No structural changes. Just pin your hopes on the next generation and call it strategy.'
'As expected. People who can't think beyond brute force never learn.'
Sasori said nothing throughout. Silent as stone.
Yuji, however, smiled. Faced the room full of expectant gazes from the village's most powerful people, and nodded firmly.
...
Next Bonus Chapter @500 PS