Konoha.
With the return of Naruto, it was just a ripple for the village, especially since the Konoha had integrated many families of Mist and Sand ninja. Therefore, the attention on the son of the Fourth Hokage was naturally less.
Moreover, it had been many years since the Fourth Hokage passed away. 'Out of sight, out of mind' - the Fourth Hokage had become a memory of the older generation.
The new generation of ninjas wouldn't remember him, and even for Naruto's generation, the Fourth Hokage was just a legend.
Barbecue Restaurant.
Kakashi looked at Naruto with a melancholic sigh, feeling emotional about Team 7.
"Wow, Teacher Kakashi is treating me to a barbecue! Next time, I'll treat everyone to Ichiraku Ramen."
Naruto, back in the village, excitedly shouted, while Kakashi twitched his mouth. Ramen, he didn't know whether to call Naruto generous or stingy.
In this life, as Uchiha Yoru's right-hand man, along with changes in policy and ninja status, Kakashi's salary and treatment had improved.
He no longer had to frequent the ramen shop as in the original story, and the current Kakashi was very generous in treating others to barbecue.
"I'm late, Teacher Kakashi."
An orange figure appeared. At the sight, Naruto couldn't help but show an excited smile, shouting, "Sakura, you're here!"
The person was Sakura from the medical department, more mature than three years ago, which excited Naruto even more.
Seeing Sakura, Kakashi also nodded with emotion, "Sakura has grown up too."
He knew about Sakura's talent. Although she was a disciple of Yakushi Nono, through his and Yakushi Nono's joint guarantee, Sakura got the opportunity to learn advanced ninja techniques.
The Fifth Hokage Tsunade's Superhuman Strength and Yin Seal.
Different from the original, Sakura directly became Tsunade's disciple, and learning these techniques seemed natural. This time, Tsunade had accepted many disciples, making Sakura's path of learning more difficult.
After all, things easily obtained are less cherished, and Sakura's worldview in the original story was problematic.
In the original, when Sasuke left Konoha to join Orochimaru, Sakura, failing to persuade him, even said she would go with him. Ultimately, Sasuke was adamant, and Sakura wanted to shout for help.
What was this? Impulse? This was actually a betrayal of the village. Sasuke lived a life of revenge, so he could abandon everything.
What about you, Sakura? You have parents, relatives, and friends. If Sasuke had agreed then, Naruto's pursuit would not have been just for Sasuke, but also for Sakura.
At least, Sakura's worldview at that time was problematic.
However, after three years of harsh societal experiences and a difficult path of learning, Sakura had naturally passed various assessments to learn these techniques.
At least, loyalty was a must.
"So, two more to go."
Looking at the arriving Sakura and Naruto, Kakashi lazily said, "We are still waiting for Gaara and Sasuke."
As they were speaking, four figures walked in. Seeing this, Kakashi couldn't help but feel sentimental, "They've really grown up, even bringing their girlfriends."
Seeing this, Naruto's eyes widened. Gaara was alone, but Sasuke actually brought two female ninja, one on each side.
"Sasuke! You! You! You!"
Pointing at Sasuke, Naruto's fingers trembled, as if seeing something unbelievable.
Sakura forced a smile and said to Naruto, "The black-haired one is Kotohime, a sound ninja from Teacher Zabuza's Team 9, and the orange-haired one is Tayuya from the Sound Village."
"Nani!" Naruto's eyes widened, as if he was the only one unaware of this scene.
As Sasuke walked in, he couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment on his face in response to his teacher Kakashi's teasing, but still pretended to be indifferent and coolly said, "Teacher Kakashi, you're thinking too much."
The black-haired ninja Kotohime, following behind him, greeted everyone with a gentle smile, not minding Sasuke's competitive nature.
Tayuya, with her striking presence, laughed and asked, "Teacher Kakashi, why didn't you bring Big Sister Hanare tonight?"
Kakashi, facing Tayuya's teasing, scratched his head awkwardly and thought to himself, "They do have similar hair colors, and indeed similar temperaments."
At this moment, by Sasuke's side were Kotohime with black hair and Tayuya with pink hair. Being in front of so many people, he felt extremely awkward.
Originally, he didn't want to bring the two of them, but under the direct and gentle gaze of his brother Uchiha Itachi, he had no choice but to agree.
"Sasuke, what's this? Two of them?"
Naruto stared with wide eyes, looking inexperienced, while Sakura forced a laugh, saying, "Sasuke comes from a wealthy family."
Wealthy families, hence the privilege.
In the world of ninjas, there isn't a strict monogamy system, although most adhere to it. It's mostly the wealthy and noble families that have such practices.
But now, with Uchiha Yoru's status having surpassed the great lords and even the Kage, the Uchiha clan's influence has risen significantly.
Being from a prestigious family within the Uchiha clan, Sasuke naturally bears different responsibilities.
"Team 7 is finally all here."
Kakashi, feeling sentimental, lazily greeted the restaurant staff, getting ready to order meat.
Uchiha Sasuke, who was feeling a bit uncomfortable, now faced Naruto's incredulous and intense gaze, making his scalp tingle, pondering something.
Tayuya smiled and whispered to Sasuke, "Don't forget the instructions from brother Itachi."
Kotohime, more gentle compared to Tayuya's straightforward nature, sat down with red ears, clearly trying to maintain composure.
Sasuke, feeling pressured under everyone's gaze, began to serve grilled meat to Tayuya and Kotohime, but his trembling hands were a bit embarrassing.
"This place's... meat is really... good!"
After stuttering a bit, Sasuke finally managed to finish the sentence.
But having said that, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief at Naruto's passionate gaze.
Actually, all of this was per the instructions given by Uchiha Itachi before they came. After all, a brother is like a father, and from a strategic perspective, he also valued their origins from the Sound Village.
It must be said that Uchiha Itachi, as a brother, had put a lot of thought into this.
"Naruto, let's eat the grilled meat."
Kakashi watched this scene clearly, smiling and speaking to everyone.
"I want to eat grilled meat!" At this moment, Naruto, as if defeated, transformed his frustration into motivation and started to eat voraciously.
This scene, well, how to put it!
Sasuke secretly felt grateful, perhaps his brother was right, at least to dispel some people's thoughts early.
Tayuya and Kotohime, naturally, over these three years in the Sound Village, and under Itachi's deliberate matchmaking, had come to this point due to their constant interactions.
Gaara was silent, while Sakura tried to cover up her embarrassment by constantly asking about everyone's experiences over the years. Naruto, as expected, was thick-skinned. After a short while, he forgot everything and cheerfully talked about his experiences over the past three years.
Outside the barbecue restaurant, a pair of crimson eyes watched this scene and finally revealed a satisfied expression before disappearing. Naturally, this did not escape Kakashi's perception, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'Itachi is really a devoted brother.'
Itachi, perched on a utility pole outside the barbecue restaurant, looked up at the whitish silver moon and smiled.
"Mother, Sasuke has grown up."
As the right-hand man of Uchiha Yoru, he naturally knew many secrets, such as the reincarnation of the wills of Indra and Ashura.
However, from historical observations, he discovered a terrifying fact - the fate between these two was a bit too much.
Especially the previous generation's Uchiha Madara, this ancestor, surprisingly didn't marry, which meant that the so-called noble bloodline wasn't passed down.
In contrast, Hashirama did marry. Looking further back in history, he began to feel anxious.
It seemed that the First Hokage also hadn't planned on marrying; it was only because of family elders' decisions that it was successful.
Therefore, as a big brother, he observed in secret and noticed something - Sasuke didn't seem to have any desire for the opposite sex. Damn it! How could this be?
Thus, Itachi had to put in a lot of effort and attention. After observing in the Sound Village for a while, he found two women with good potential, especially Tayuya, who had already had special Jōnin-level chakra three years ago.
So...
It must be said that in this life, Itachi was also breaking heart over his younger brother.
…
Fire Temple.
Since the status of the Land of Fire's Daimyo's Mansion plummeted, the Fire Temple also lost its former glory, mainly because one of the important sources of money was gone.
Under the night sky, sounds of noisy fighting emanated from the withering Fire Temple.
After quite some time, the Fire Temple was engulfed in blazing flames, and two figures emerged from the ruined gate.
"Damn Kakuzu, I still have to pray to the Evil God."
"Hidan, your Evil God might not be so bad this time." Looking at Hidan, who was covered in blood yet ranting like nothing was wrong, Kakuzu smiled for the first time.
His green eyes were filled with the joy of money, and in one hand, he dragged the body of a monk.
"Chiriku, formerly one of the 'Twelve Guardian Ninja' of the Land of Fire, now the abbot of the Fire Temple, with a bounty of thirty million."
Looking at the valuable corpse, Kakuzu's face was filled with happiness, and he even rarely complimented Hidan's Evil God.
"Fortunately, the price hasn't dropped yet. After a while, this monk might not be worth this much."
Hearing Kakuzu's words, Hidan scratched his head in confusion. "Kakuzu, can the bounty on this person drop?"
"You don't understand."
Kakuzu, looking like someone who had been through a lot and in a good mood from picking up thirty million easily, didn't mind enlightening his junior Hidan.
"The Land of Fire is now under the control of Uchiha Yoru. The Daimyo's Mansion is said to be on par with the Kage, but everyone knows that the Daimyo's Mansion is a thing of the past, its status can't compare with the Kage."
"What does that have to do with this bald monk's price drop?" Hidan looked dubious, perhaps due to the secret arts of the Evil God, which made him arrogant and a bit offbeat.
Kakuzu gave Hidan a look of inexperience, and the two walked away from the raging fire of the Fire Temple.
"This Fire Temple is one of the Daimyo's Mansion's most relied upon powers, and this bald monk Chiriku has always wanted to restore the supreme status of the Daimyo. Recently, there's intelligence that this monk has been secretly contacting people from other major countries. Do you think he could escape the eyes of Uchiha Yoru?"
"This monk's value lies in his status. He was worth thirty million as the abbot of the Fire Temple, but in a few days, when Konoha takes action, his value will be halved. So this time, we made a profit."
Kakuzu, delighted, couldn't help but urge Hidan.
"Hidan, stop dawdling. If Konoha announces that the Fire Temple is colluding with the enemy, this corpse won't be worth thirty million anymore. Let's go, let's exchange it for money first."
After hearing how much Kakuzu had explained to him, Hidan had an epiphany and nodded with a smile, "Although I don't understand what you're saying, Kakuzu, it seems very reasonable."
Kakuzu realized he had been casting pearls before swine. With a green look in his eyes, he couldn't help but inwardly curse Hidan as an idiot.
"Kakuzu, didn't we have an agreement with Asuma and the others?"
Hidan was confused, and Kakuzu snorted coldly, "We're not passing up a chance to make money. What's the big deal if those idiots wait a bit longer? Are they worth 30 million?"
"Kakuzu, I remember Asuma's bounty being 35 million."
Hidan pointed out directly, but Kakuzu was well aware and snorted disdainfully.
"What you're talking about is old news. Three years ago, Asuma's head was only worth 25 million, and now it's at most 20 million. That price is even inflated."
Obviously, without the added prestige of being the Third Hokage's son, Asuma's bounty had decreased.
"Hidan, send a signal to the others that you're lost and ask them to come find you."
"Why me again, Kakuzu?"
"I'll give you 200,000 after we collect the bounty!"
Faced with Kakuzu's generous temptation, Hidan looked down on him as an idiot, but eventually, Kakuzu gritted his teeth and said, "Next time you pray to your evil god, I won't interfere!"
Hearing this, Hidan immediately smiled, "Next time, the sacrifice for the evil god is all mine."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and finally nodded, "Fine, after the sacrifice, give me the body."
"Deal!"
"Haha, Kakuzu, I feel like we are definitely the strongest duo."
"Kakuzu..."
"Shut up, Hidan!"
~~~
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