Chapter 13: Being Cared For
Konoha.
A squad of shinobi stood guard at the village gates.
Because of the war, even the gate guards operated in teams rather than the usual handful of sentries. Several miles outside Konoha, watchtowers had been established at regular intervals, allowing shinobi to monitor the surrounding area and detect any approaching enemies.
A squad slowly approached the village.
The moment they caught sight of Konoha's gates, excitement spread across their faces.
They were finally home.
Gōenji stared at the village gates.
They looked almost exactly as he remembered them from the original series.
Just an ordinary wooden gate.
The guards were another matter.
The two men stationed there were Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. Both were only twelve years old—two years younger than Gōenji—and were still genin at this point.
Seeing them in person stirred something strange inside him.
When he'd watched the anime in his previous life, the village gates had been little more than a vague image in his memory. Now that he was standing before them himself, he felt as though he were looking at a place he'd known for a very long time.
Yet there was still an unmistakable sense of unfamiliarity.
Perhaps that was what it meant to truly stand in a foreign world.
The heavy security around the village was also a clear indication that the war was still raging.
Otherwise, there would be no reason to station so many shinobi at the gates.
As soon as Gōenji and his squad approached, the guards became tense.
They couldn't rule out the possibility that the approaching shinobi were enemy agents using Transformation Jutsu.
This wasn't the first time someone had attempted such a thing.
"Give us the password!" one of the guards shouted.
Everyone remained on edge.
Even a merchant caravan passing by noticed the situation and immediately moved aside, clearly unwilling to get caught in the middle of a potential confrontation.
Gōenji stepped forward.
He formed a series of hand signs—not the twelve seals required for a jutsu, but a specialized combination used as an identification code.
"Konoha shinobi returning from the front lines. Uchiha Gōenji, leading the squad back to the village for rest."
The code had been taught to him by Minato.
It was a higher-level identification code used for senior personnel.
If Gōenji had died while leading the squad back to Konoha, the surviving members would have been required to provide a lower-level code and wait for the village to verify their identities before being allowed to move freely.
During wartime, they might even have been detained for several days.
The guards exchanged a glance before finally relaxing.
"Confirmed. They're our people. Welcome home."
The guards weren't particularly fond of the Uchiha, but their attitude toward the other clans was considerably warmer.
Gōenji registered the squad's return at the gates. Once everything was recorded, the group dispersed, each member heading toward home.
"I'm off first," Tekka said. "My mother must be dying to see me."
After bidding Gōenji farewell, he hurried down the street without looking back.
Gōenji watched him disappear.
So the Uchiha aren't all arrogant bastards. They have a softer side too.
It just happened to be reserved almost exclusively for their own families.
The sight left him with complicated feelings.
The others had completed their duties.
Gōenji hadn't.
As squad leader, he needed to report everything that had happened during their return. More importantly, he had to deliver the item Minato had entrusted to him directly to the Hokage.
That was part of his responsibility as captain.
Hokage's Office
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
The door creaked open.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, staring at the mountain of documents before him.
Shinobi were constantly entering and leaving the office, and the endless workload had left the Hokage looking exhausted.
At the knock, he allowed the visitor to enter.
"Hokage-sama."
Gōenji stepped inside.
Hiruzen raised his eyes and studied him.
"You must be Gōenji. Minato already informed me about you through his hawk. Bring me what he entrusted to you."
Hiruzen remembered Minato's report.
It had specifically mentioned Uchiha Gōenji.
According to Minato, Gōenji's way of thinking differed considerably from that of most Uchiha. He had already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and his abilities in several other areas were approaching the level of a jōnin.
His combat experience, battle instincts, and even his ability to lead others had all been thoroughly tested on the front lines.
He was more than capable.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. These are the mission materials Lord Minato entrusted to me."
Gōenji removed a scroll from his shinobi pouch and placed it on Hiruzen's desk.
As he did so, he discreetly studied the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen was in the period between his prime and old age. His face didn't have nearly as many wrinkles as it had in the anime. He still looked energetic, though a trace of fatigue lingered in his eyes.
Gōenji understood why Hiruzen would eventually retire.
It wasn't simply because of his age.
The war had placed an enormous burden on him.
There were countless matters that required his attention, and even one wrong decision could cause tremendous losses for the village.
"Well done," Hiruzen said. "Continue working hard. Konoha's future will eventually rest in your hands."
"...I'll do my best."
Gōenji was momentarily speechless.
I just handed in a mission report, and somehow we've already arrived at the Will of Fire.
"That's all. You may leave."
Hiruzen picked up the scroll and examined it briefly before continuing, "Get some proper rest, but don't wander too far from the village. You may be called back for another mission at any time."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Gōenji bowed and slowly withdrew from the office.
As soon as he left, another figure entered.
The man carried a short sword on his back and looked formidable. One of his eyes, however, was covered by a white bandage.
"Danzo."
Hiruzen looked toward him.
Danzo's expression remained cold.
"Why don't you hand that Uchiha over to me?"
Gōenji walked through the streets of Konoha, taking in the scenery around him.
The village still looked considerably different from how he remembered it from the anime.
Reality and fiction were never going to be exactly the same.
Still...
The village felt strangely quiet.
Gōenji sighed.
"The war has practically brought commerce to a standstill."
There wasn't much anyone could do about it.
Everything had been reorganized around the war effort.
Gōenji bought a candied hawthorn skewer from a street vendor and continued walking while eating it.
He had no idea how long the current situation would last.
For now, however, he needed to focus on becoming stronger.
After wandering through Konoha for a while, he finally made his way toward the Uchiha district.
"So the Uchiha are still living in the center of the village..."
Gōenji looked at the large estates lining the streets and the many Uchiha going about their daily lives.
Some people were running shops. Others were simply strolling through the streets.
The atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful.
At this point in history, the Uchiha had not yet been pushed away from the center of Konoha. They were still one of the village's most influential clans.
The Uchiha Police Force had caused some resentment among the other villagers, but the situation hadn't deteriorated to the point where the clan was being driven toward the outskirts.
The Uchiha remained one of the largest and most powerful clans in Konoha.
No one could casually move against them.
There was no reason to.
The Uchiha had contributed enormously to Konoha throughout the modern era of shinobi warfare.
Being one of the strongest clans wasn't merely an empty title.
"Hey! Isn't that Gōenji?"
An elderly woman sitting beside a fruit stall suddenly recognized him.
"You're back from a mission? Are you hurt? Come here and let Grandma take a look."
She held a feather duster in one hand, using it to chase flies away from the fruit.
Gōenji stopped.
Then he smiled.
"I'm Uchiha Gōenji. Who could possibly hurt me? I'm the one who hurts other people."
He gave her a reassuring smile.
"Grandma Natsume, take good care of yourself. When I have some free time, I'll treat you to a meal."
He hadn't expected this.
On his very first day back in the Uchiha district, someone had actually welcomed him home.
She even remembered him.
Gōenji knew perfectly well that he no longer had any family waiting for him.
Yet hearing an old woman address him with such warmth still stirred something inside him.
He had crossed into this world as an outsider.
He had no real attachment to it.
At least, that's what he had always told himself.
But being remembered...
Being welcomed...
Being cared for...
Those simple things were enough to warm his heart.
Perhaps humans simply couldn't live without emotional connections.