Thousands of people gathered there, creating an overwhelming presence that could not be concealed.
"Why aren't you stopping them? Why aren't you dispersing them?"
Utatane Koharu was dissatisfied, her expression very grim, and Utatane Kaori behind her also looked furious.
The ANBU Ninja who had come to report wore a troubled expression.
Stop them? Disperse them?
Those responsible for this were originally from the Uchiha clan, but now they were the leaders; who would stop them? Who would disperse them?
The Uchiha Compound was on the outskirts of Konoha, and once they moved, they could quickly gather hundreds of people at the Konoha gate.
Naturally, the surrounding villagers, not knowing what was happening, would come over to see what was going on.
Within Konoha, the families of those civilian ninjas in the army had received news early on. With the help of those with ulterior motives, the message spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Soon, a large crowd of villagers had gathered at the Konoha gate.
The news that the army was approaching Konoha was already well-known.
With such a sudden uproar, how could they dare to stop them? How could they possibly succeed in stopping them?
After scolding them, Utatane Koharu's anger subsided as she glanced at the departing Great Elder, deep in thought.
"Public opinion cannot be violated. Since that's the case, let them go. Send someone to keep an eye on them and ensure they don't disturb the order of Konoha!"
"Yes!"
After speaking, Utatane Koharu also left with her people. Among them, Utatane Kaori turned back quietly and saw Uchiha Kai in the crowd, looking at her with a provocative expression.
"Hmph~"
Evil Uchiha!
Evil Utatane!
Successfully annoying the other side, Kai felt immensely pleased.
"Everyone, we can finally go home!"
Shisui shouted loudly, venting his dissatisfaction.
"Home!"
"Home!"
The crowd responded loudly, their cheers shaking the sky, and villagers from miles away in Konoha looked in this direction.
"Here it comes, there's movement! They're coming back!"
"Waaah, my child~"
"Daddy, Daddy, I'm here~"
The villagers' calls echoed in the evening Konoha. Many of them couldn't see each other's figures but still called out impatiently.
Moments later, Shisui and the others finally arrived at the Konoha gate. Their expressions were excited yet extremely restrained.
As they passed through the Konoha gate, each ninja couldn't help but shed tears of joy.
They had returned; they had survived such a battlefield, successfully protected Konoha, protected their families, and returned alive.
The cold wind howled, yet it could not extinguish the fire in everyone's hearts.
"Kato, over here!"
"Son, here, come quickly!"
"Daddy, Daddy~"
Laughter and cries of sorrow intertwined here.
Their children and parents were present, whether in the army or among the crowd.
"Kai!"
Kai looked seriously at everything, scanning one familiar face after another in the crowd. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, and he turned to see a very familiar person standing there, equally serious in expression.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
"Don't say such foolish things. Everyone is here; how could I not come?"
Kai naturally understood; he had anticipated this moment, but as the words came to his lips, they changed naturally.
"Tsk~"
"Not bad; it seems you didn't embarrass me!"
Kai's father, Uchiha Ichimasa, crossed his arms, his gaze gradually softening and no longer so serious.
"Of course! I am Uchiha Kai!"
As shadows crossed and laughter continued, the day of the homecoming arrived, blending into Konoha.
One family after another joyfully left the line and returned to Konoha.
Shisui stood in the corner, watching it all with a gentle expression.
"Brother Shisui!"
A tender and familiar voice echoed in his ears, and Shisui turned around in astonishment.
"Itachi?"
He saw a small figure push through the crowd, about five or six years old, with a little face flushed red from the cold. The child moved cautiously, carefully cradling a baby in his arms as he ran toward Shisui.
"Hmm? This can't be Sasuke, right? Why did you bring him along?"
Compared to his surprise at seeing Itachi, Shisui was even more shocked by Sasuke's appearance.
"Mom and Dad still have things to do with the clan, so they asked me to take care of my little brother. Don't worry, Sasuke is very well-behaved."
A hint of affection appeared on Itachi's face, which was hard to imagine coming from a six-year-old child.
Shisui's eyelids twitched, unsure of what to say. "The Clan Head really is..."
"Sasuke, look, it's Brother Shisui~"
Itachi held Sasuke and brought him to Shisui, but Sasuke, not knowing who Shisui was, immediately started crying when he saw the unfamiliar face getting closer while he had been giggling just moments before.
"Eh?"
Shisui was startled, his eyes widening as he instinctively looked around. He then hurriedly tried to cheer Sasuke up.
Seeing this, Itachi quickly took Sasuke back and softly comforted him. Interestingly, as soon as Sasuke was back in Itachi's arms, he quieted down.
"I didn't expect Brother Shisui to have something he's not good at~"
Isn't this something that most people wouldn't be good at?
Watching Itachi's relaxed demeanor, Shisui thought helplessly, his face darkening.
"There are too many people here; let's head back to the clan compound first. I still have to meet Hokage-sama later."
He glanced at Sima Yi in the crowd but didn't go over to greet him; instead, he left with Itachi.
"Uncle Yi, come to my house for dinner tonight! Dad said he's already prepared the food and is just waiting for us!"
After chatting with Uchiha Ichimasa for a bit, Kai mentioned Sima Yi. Ichimasa paused for a moment before immediately extending an invitation.
"Sure, it's been a while since I last saw Ichimasa."
Sima Yi didn't refuse; it wasn't convenient for Shisui to interact with him at the moment, and he was unaware of the residence of this identity within the Uchiha clan. Having Kai's help made it easier for him to learn more details.
Uchiha Ichimasa had squeezed out of the crowd and was waiting outside. When he saw the two come out, a smile instantly appeared on his face.
"Brother Yi, you're finally back! Honestly, at this age, you shouldn't be going to the battlefield anymore."
"Hahaha, don't be fooled by my appearance; I can still wield a sword."
Sima Yi replied, laughing heartily like an ordinary old man.
"Hahaha, as expected of Brother Yi! I've prepared food and drinks; tonight, we won't stop until we're drunk!"
"Alright, we won't stop until we're drunk!"
Having been here for so many days, he hadn't really had a drink from this world and didn't know what it would taste like. Now that he had the rare opportunity, he might as well give it a try.
As night fell, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the Konoha gate became sparse again, but each household became lively.
"If it weren't for Brother Yi standing in front of me back then, I would have long been resting alongside my comrades from that time. How could I enjoy this leisure today?"
After three rounds of drinks and five dishes, Uchiha Ichimasa couldn't help but bring up old stories.
Sima Yi smiled, surprised as he looked at the nearly transparent sake in his hand.
He had tasted quite a bit of alcohol in his time, but he hadn't seen anything quite like this clear sake before.
Taking a gentle sip, he found the liquor slightly spicy yet full of aftertaste.
"Let's not bring up the past anymore; it's all behind us. Here, let's have a couple more drinks!"
Sima Yi raised his cup proactively, and Ichimasa, not to be outdone, lifted his cup to drink together, feeling quite refreshed.
Kai, on the side, followed suit and downed his drink in one go, feeling warm all over and smiling with delight, exclaimed, "Yaha~ You can't go wrong with this taste! It must be from a good sake maker; how nostalgic!"
"Brat, drink less of that; the sake is very expensive~"
"Eh heh~"
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