[500PS REACHED! Next Goal: 1000PS!]
Gensou led a group of Uchiha, walking leisurely past the Konoha shinobi, heading toward the village outskirts right under their noses.
"This group of people!!"
"Too arrogant!! Do they think Konoha is just any place?"
"Should we make a move?"
The Konoha shinobi, who had initially been intimidated by Gensou's presence, gradually came to their senses. Feeling both ashamed and angry, they glared at the departing Uchiha, itching to strike and erase the cowardice they had just shown.
However, one person had yet to speak.
"Hokage-sama?"
The Konoha shinobi, who had been instilled with the Will of Fire and the courage to fight, turned to Tsunade, waiting for her command.
Tsunade clenched her fist.
Jiraiya approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder, and with an unprecedentedly serious expression, shook his head.
Gensou, with three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan, was not someone they could defeat.
Even if they summoned all of Konoha's strength and managed to achieve a hard-fought victory, the village would fall from its position as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Not to mention, if a fight broke out, the destruction and casualties in the village would far exceed the damage caused during the Nine-Tails Night or the Chuunin Exams.
In such a case, Konoha would be left in ruins, existing in name only.
How could they afford to fight?
The current Gensou and his faction were no longer something any single shinobi village could handle.
Konoha must not be the first to strike.
Tsunade understood Jiraiya's meaning.
Though it went against her usual temper, as Hokage, she had to consider the bigger picture. Sometimes, she had no choice but to retreat.
Tsunade took a deep breath, about to speak.
But Jiraiya stepped forward first and ordered, "The Uchiha clan has been part of Konoha for decades. Though they leave today, the bond remains. Today, the Uchiha clan has avenged themselves, which also brings peace to the souls of those Konoha Uchiha who died that night. We are not enemies at this moment. Let them go."
Compared to Tsunade, Jiraiya, who had traveled widely across the shinobi world, was much more adept at handling such situations.
He deftly invoked the events of the Uchiha clan massacre, where Itachi, an S-rank Konoha rogue ninja, was killed by the current Uchiha, indirectly contributing to Konoha's well-being. By playing on the emotional ties between Konoha and the Uchiha, he gave both sides, particularly Konoha, a way out.
After all, if word got out that Konoha, the greatest of the shinobi villages, had allowed Gensou and his group to roam freely within the village, the negative impact would be significant.
But if Konoha showed remorse for the Uchiha and gratitude for their actions, allowing them to return to pay respects to their ancestors and leave without resistance, even implying that the Uchiha were always welcome back in Konoha, the situation would be seen in a completely different light.
Of course, cover-up or not, the facts remained.
Internally, if anyone needed to take responsibility later, Jiraiya would bear the brunt of it.
This was precisely why Jiraiya stepped forward before Tsunade could speak, issuing the command himself.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya held great authority in Konoha.
Many Konoha shinobi instinctively followed his orders.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded.
Gensou and his group walked ahead, while the Konoha shinobi followed behind, creating an oddly harmonious atmosphere.
Gensou glanced back at Jiraiya and smiled faintly, "That guy's pretty capable."
Not only were his written works captivating, leaving a lasting impression on people, but his ability to turn bad situations into good ones was impressive.
Gensou had heard every word Jiraiya said to save face for Konoha.
He wasn't interested in correcting him.
However, since the guy had spoken about the bond between the Uchiha and Konoha...
It wouldn't hurt to greet the villagers and rekindle those ties, right?
With this in mind, Gensou led the Uchiha on a new path. Instead of the secluded route they had taken upon entering, they now chose to walk straight through the center of Konoha.
"Huh? Why did the route change?"
"They're heading toward the village center!"
"Damn! What are they planning? Is the village their real target?"
"Are they going to use the villagers to threaten us?"
"What should we do now?"
Seeing this, the Konoha shinobi following behind grew increasingly anxious.
In the crowd, Ino, who had been keeping a low profile, muttered quietly, "You're worrying over nothing! He's not that kind of person."
With her understanding of Gensou, she knew that even if he turned around and killed all the shinobi, he wouldn't harm the defenseless villagers.
"I have to admit, compared to Doctor Sosuke last time, the real Gensou is much more handsome."
Unaware that she and Gensou had met previously in the Land of Waves, Ino remained calm, even having the time to doodle in her notebook.
Long ago, she had made up her mind to follow in the footsteps of her Yamanaka clan predecessor from the Warring States period, documenting the deeds of Gensou and eventually merging her writings into a complete biography: The Chronicles of Gensou.
"Ino, keep it down," Shikamaru whispered a reminder.
As part of the new Ino-Shika-Chō trio, he was well aware of Ino's personality and interests.
Though her fangirl tendencies were strong, they weren't too serious. He usually didn't bother trying to correct her.
However, given the current situation, he felt the need to calm her down a bit. Scribbling in a notebook now was far too conspicuous.
As for Gensou's sudden change of direction toward the village center, Shikamaru wasn't too concerned.
If he had intended to make a move, he would've done so already.
As for the reason for the change in direction...
Shikamaru glanced at the Uchiha clan emblems on the clothing of Gensou's group. He had a feeling he knew what was going on.
But even knowing, he had no power to change it.
Jiraiya, who also had some understanding of Gensou, was puzzled but not worried that they would harm the villagers.
Suppressing the anxiety of the Konoha shinobi, he continued to follow behind them, like a bodyguard escorting them.
Before long...
The bustling and lively scenes of the village center came into view.
Gensou turned back and smiled at the Uchiha behind him, "Since we're back, we've visited the Uchiha district. It's only right we take a stroll through Konoha as well. Only then is it complete."
"Let's take one last look. See the streets that live in our memories, see the villagers. And tell them..."
"The Uchiha Clan... still exists!"
(End of Chapter)