"Come on, cheers."
It was night, and a barbecue restaurant in Konoha was brightly lit, filled with laughter. Inside were some of Konoha's most well-known ninja.
After two and a half years, Neji had returned to Konoha, which was a happy thing for many. Of course, they also had many questions.
"Neji, what have you been up to these past two and a half years?" TenTen asked curiously and with concern, sitting next to Neji.
"Did you go through many life-or-death situations, meet all kinds of powerful ninja, and constantly unlock your potential in the heat of battle? Oh wow, Neji, you've really worked hard."
Before Neji could say anything, Lee spoke up loudly, tears streaming down his face as he was once again moved by the scene he had imagined.
Others also thought so, sighing secretly. Thinking about it now, Neji must have had a very hard time. Reaching this level in just two and a half years must have come at a great cost.
"I..."
Neji opened his mouth, looking at everyone's admiring expressions. He really wanted to say, "I just left the village to meet my future wives, traveled around, and had some fun."
But in the end, he held back, feeling that those words were not quite appropriate. Besides, he had been working hard to balance the relationships between these women, so... he accepted their praise.
"Oh, really?" Shion blinked her big, playful eyes and casually said, "When Neji and I were together, he was tour..."
Neji nodded slightly, but his hand involuntarily covered Shion's mouth, and he said calmly, "She's just going through a rebellious phase, please bear with her."
Everyone: "..."
"Neji, is your information accurate?" Shino pushed up his sunglasses and said in a low voice, "Do you know the movements of the Akatsuki organization?"
The Akatsuki organization was a huge weight on everyone's minds. Especially after fighting them, the power they displayed made everyone's hearts jump.
Their average strength was close to the Kage level, which was no joke.
"The Akatsuki organization?" Neji looked up slightly, thinking that perhaps it was time to let them know something.
"I can't say much about the Akatsuki organization's purpose in collecting Tailed Beasts, but about their strength..." Neji paused and said softly, "They can easily destroy Konoha, even with me here."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked.
"But, but Neji, didn't you have the upper hand in the battle with their leader? How, how could you not stop them?" TenTen asked, her mouth twitching slightly.
Neji shook his head and asked, "Who told you they only have one leader?"
What does that mean? Could there be multiple leaders?
"If those six guys attack together, I can guarantee that you won't die, but Konoha will probably need to be rebuilt," Neji said matter-of-factly.
Then, Neji started eating, not saying anything more. It was enough for them to have some idea of what was going on.
"I have another question, Neji, why can't you tell us the Akatsuki organization's purpose in collecting Tailed Beasts?" Shikamaru asked with a frown.
Neji glanced at him and said softly, "It's better to drink soup little by little. If you know too much, you'll despair."
Everyone's hearts jumped. Even Neji didn't want to say more. Just how serious was the situation?
After the get-together, everyone walked back, each in their own direction. Unlike when they came, everyone had a serious look on their face on the way home.
Watching them leave, Neji felt quite pleased. With this kind of motivation, they would be able to train more effectively and lay the foundation for the future battles between gods.
"Host accompanying Chun野 Sakura, TenTen, and Yamanaka Ino for a meal, reward obtained: [Stamina Healing], [Binding Jutsu], [Pain Sky Kick]."
Stamina Healing: One of the abilities of the Uzumaki Clan. By biting one's own skin, one can restore one's own or another's Chakra and injuries.
Binding Jutsu: A technique that uses hair as a medium to twist Chakra into ropes.
Pain Sky Kick: One of the Super Strength attacks. A single kick can cause the earth and mountains to crumble.
"Oh, it's nice to eat together, but the rewards are too few." Neji looked helplessly at these three techniques, feeling sad. He was just too powerful, and these abilities were completely useless to him.
Looking at Hinata, Karin, and Shion walking with him, he suddenly wondered if he had cast his net too wide.
Well, Neji nodded to himself. He should clean out Konoha first.
...
Early the next morning, all of Konoha's top-level personnel gathered in the Hokage's office, including clan leaders and many powerful Jonin.
Two and a half years ago, they learned what Danzo had done. To prevent turmoil in Konoha, they tacitly chose to hide everything, even from the clan leaders.
But they never expected that early this morning, Danzo's misdeeds were known to everyone. After carefully inquiring, they learned that it was Tsunade's doing.
At this moment, the room was silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone's face was serious; they were silent.
"Tsunade, you're crazy! Do you know what the consequences of this will be?!" At that moment, Utatane Koharu pushed open the door and walked in, her old face full of anger, shouting at Tsunade in front of so many people.
"I know what I'm doing. This is my decision," Tsunade said softly, looking out the window.
"You, you'll destroy Konoha like this!" Utatane Koharu pointed at Tsunade, trembling, furious.
"Konoha will be destroyed if we really hide it," Tsunade said with a wave of her sleeve, shouting coldly, "Shizune, let's go."
At that moment, a dark crowd had gathered in front of the Hokage office building. They were discussing in low voices, and sometimes roaring. Some had tears in their eyes, and some had already removed their headbands, revealing complex expressions.
Some even hesitated, holding Kunai in their hands, wanting to scratch their headbands.
Was it really worth sacrificing everything for this village?
Neji was also in the crowd. His powerful perception allowed him to see everything.
"Hmph, Danzo, do you see that? This is what you call doing things for Konoha's good. Everything you've done has led to Konoha's current state of disintegration."
Before long, Tsunade walked out with Shizune, her face worried. Looking at the crowd below that was about to split apart, the words she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat.
Bang!
A crisp sound silenced everyone. Tsunade's forehead was tightly pressed against the railing, blood dripping down her face, her voice trembling.
"Everyone, I'm really sorry for hiding everything Danzo did for so long. In Konoha, there are many heroes who died because of Danzo's careful plans, and because of that, many people are separated forever."
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