Several days later, in the afternoon, before the gates of Konohagakure.
Although Natsuhiko had stopped operating his mobile arcade business and their journey had been uneventful, Tsunade, that insatiable woman, had frequently insisted he set up the arcade so she could play games and catch monsters. Because of this, it took them several days to finally return to Konoha.
Natsuhiko even speculated that, aside from her gaming addiction, Tsunade might also have been intentionally delaying their return to the village.
However, no matter how much she stalled, Konoha's gates eventually came into view.
For Natsuhiko, who hadn't left the village for half a year, and for Kakashi and Shizune, who were leaving Konoha for the first time for such a long period, seeing the towering walls of the village brought a sense of relief—like coming home.
Even Tsunade, who had been acting rather unwilling up until this point, seemed to relax her expression when she saw the familiar sights of the village and the Hokage Rock in the distance through the gates.
She glanced at Natsuhiko, who was smiling beside her, and her feelings became quite complicated.
She had thought that once she left Konoha, she wouldn't return for a long time. Yet, under this guy's endless scheming, she had ended up back here.
She didn't know whether she should hate him or thank him...
This time, her grandma really had taken in an unusual final disciple!
If she could always enjoy his strange inventions and games, maybe staying in Konoha wouldn't be entirely unbearable...
After secretly rolling her eyes at Natsuhiko, Tsunade's expression turned gloomy again.
Because thinking about him reminded her of Grandma Mito...
Just imagining her grandmother, furious and waiting for her, made her legs go weak. She wanted to turn around and leave on the spot.
But having come all this way, it was too late to run now.
Resolving to get it over with, Tsunade strode forward and kept urging Natsuhiko and the others behind her:
"All right, let's go. Don't keep Grandma and Kushina waiting too long."
Was Tsunade being possessed by someone?
Natsuhiko, Kakashi, and Shizune exchanged puzzled looks before following her with bewildered expressions.
Soon enough, the group entered Konoha.
Unlike during their travels across the Land of Fire, where few recognized her, Tsunade was quickly identified by many villagers the moment she stepped through the gates.
A crowd soon gathered around her, and some villagers even rushed back into the village to spread the news of her return.
The villagers' enthusiasm made Natsuhiko feel like a celebrity being swarmed by fans at an airport.
Well, it made sense. The granddaughter of the God of Shinobi, the student of the strongest Hokage, the sole female member of the Sannin, and a white-robed angel who saved lives—each of these titles made Tsunade immensely popular in the village.
Add to that her youthful and beautiful appearance, and it was no wonder she was so well-loved.
Tsunade, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, greeted the villagers naturally.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko and the others, following behind her like assistants, were amazed by her popularity.
But after listening for a while, their expressions turned odd.
Because amidst the greetings, a recurring topic kept popping up:
"Tsunade-sama, you're finally back... About the tab you left at my shop years ago, shouldn't you settle it now?"
"Tsunade-sama, I missed you so much. Konoha hasn't been the same without you… By the way, I've been a bit short on cash recently. Remember that money you borrowed from me?"
"Tsunade-sama... Pay your debts!"
The calls for Tsunade to repay her debts came at an alarming frequency, making Natsuhiko wipe sweat from his brow.
So how much debt had Tsunade racked up in the village?
Could this be the real reason she was reluctant to return?
Yet something still felt off to Natsuhiko. Even if Tsunade had been gone for so long, it was strange for everyone to immediately demand repayment upon seeing her.
What was even stranger was that some villagers, who were complete strangers to Natsuhiko, looked at him with a mix of disdain, envy, and jealousy. He couldn't understand why.
Even Tsunade, leading the group, was baffled by the sudden wave of debt collectors.
If they had been anywhere else, she would've vanished on the spot.
But this was Konoha—there was no escape.
It was at this moment that Tsunade fully grasped the saying, "Don't foul your own nest."
Fortunately, during the days when Natsuhiko's mobile arcade had been operational, she had made a hefty profit through "King of Shinobi 97."
So, for now, she could barely scrape together enough money to avoid embarrassment.
But watching her hard-earned cash disappear like water through her fingers made her heart ache as though it were bleeding!
She had planned to use the money to compensate the Senju Clan's losses and appease her grandmother's anger.
Now, it seemed she would still have to face Grandma Mito's full wrath...
After finally breaking free from the crowd of debt collectors, Tsunade and her group arrived at the gates of the Senju Clan's ancestral compound.
Reaching this point marked the true completion of their mission to bring Tsunade back.
On the way, they passed the Kato Clan's grounds, where Tsunade instructed Shizune to head home first.
Kakashi, who had followed them all the way here, then spoke up:
"Natsuhiko-sensei, Tsunade-sama, since the mission is complete, I'll take my leave now."
Tsunade waved casually:
"Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi. Get some rest—you've had a tough journey."
Who do you think made it tough?
Natsuhiko silently complained, then took out a scroll and tossed it to Kakashi.
"What's this, Sensei?" Kakashi asked, puzzled as he caught the scroll.
"The scroll contains a modified version of the Ninja First Blade and some shuriken techniques," Natsuhiko explained. "Although it's good for you to explore multiple paths, it would be a shame to let the Hatake swordsmanship go to waste. You should keep up your training."
Kakashi clenched the scroll tightly.
Not only had he envied Obito and the others' cool ninja blades, but more importantly, this blade likely came with battle gear that would free him from the hideous green jumpsuit.
Every time he wore that outfit to practice the radio calisthenics, Guy's fiery gaze made him deeply uncomfortable...
Still, he resisted the urge to take the scroll immediately and hesitated, saying:
"But Sensei, didn't you say Obito and the others earned their ninja blades after a semester of hard work? Wouldn't it be unfair to just give it to me?"
Natsuhiko chuckled:
"I did say that. But your performance during this mission was commendable. Even though you said you didn't want a reward, I can't shortchange you. Consider this blade your reward for the mission."
He added, "You're skilled with swords, so you can also help me test the blade and see which shuriken techniques work best with it."
Kakashi understood that these reasons were just excuses for his teacher to give him the blade, and his heart warmed slightly.
After a brief hesitation, Kakashi finally placed the scroll in his pouch and said earnestly:
"Thank you, Sensei. I'll thoroughly test the blade and give you a detailed report."
"No rush," Natsuhiko replied with a smile. "As Tsunade-sama said, take a few days to rest first."
With that, Kakashi said goodbye once more and left the Senju compound.
However, instead of heading home, he ducked into a secluded alley and eagerly opened the scroll.
As expected, even a genius like Kakashi was still just a five- or six-year-old child with little resistance to a cool ninja blade.
But with a puff of smoke, what appeared before him wasn't the ninja blade he had imagined but... a strange-looking weapon.
To be precise, it was less like a ninja blade and more like a star-shaped guitar.
Don't worry; the guitar shape is probably just decorative, right?
Kakashi reassured himself and instinctively plucked a string on the guitar—no, the ninja blade.
A crisp note echoed through the alley...
It really works!
Kakashi fell into deep thought.
Could it be that Natsuhiko-sensei had given him the wrong scroll?
(End of Chapter)