The old and weak members of the Dog Clan returned to the clan territory in the afternoon.
Doulo sent a few young dogs to escort them back, and they walked very slowly along the way.
When they entered the clan grounds, several dogs at the village entrance lifted their heads. Their gazes paused on them for a moment, then they lowered their heads again and continued licking the paws in front of them.
That should have been the end of it.
But...
"When His Highness stood in front of the Cat Clan," Doulo stood in the open space, with many young dogs lying around it, "there were at least dozens of cats. Yet he stood out alone."
One by one, the ears of the dogs lying there stood upright.
"Black Fang ran away and left the old and weak behind in the camp to die." Doulo's voice was full of passion. "It was His Highness who stayed behind, along with those human cubs."
"Humans?"
"The humans helped us," Doulo said. "But the one standing at the very front was His Highness."
The news spread faster than Doulo had expected.
By evening, dogs had already begun gathering in front of the wooden hut where Shiro was staying.
A gray dog ran over from the distance with something in its mouth. It ran up to Shiro and placed the thing on the threshold.
It was a piece of dried meat.
Shiro lowered his head and looked at the dried meat, then lifted his head and looked at the gray dog.
The gray dog stepped back, bent its front legs, and pressed its forehead to the ground, performing a bow.
Then came a gray-and-white mother dog, bringing two puppies with her. Each puppy held a little bone in its mouth.
"They insisted on coming," the mother dog said, a little embarrassed. "They said they wanted to give their favorite bones to His Highness."
The two puppies placed the little bones beside the growing pile of gifts, then copied the adults and knelt down, pressing their foreheads to the ground.
Shiro was completely frozen now. He looked at the pile of things growing higher and higher in front of him, then at the kneeling dogs, having no idea what to do.
He was only an ordinary little white dog. The things he had to do every day were run around with Shin-chan, eat when he was hungry, and sleep when he was tired.
Shin-chan was sitting cross-legged inside the wooden hut, both hands propping up his chin.
"Shiro, they really like you."
Shiro's ears twitched.
"Really." Shin-chan leaned closer. "Look, there's so much tasty food. Even I've never received this many gifts."
Doulo stood outside the wooden hut, watching more and more clansmen gather. Its tail swayed lightly.
In its heart, it calculated the time.
If everything went smoothly, the news should have already reached Black Fang's ears.
Now, all it had to do was push this matter one step further.
"Tonight." Doulo turned and faced the gathered Dog Clan members. "The clan territory will hold a banquet to welcome His Highness back to the clan."
Soon, the entire clan territory began moving.
Some dogs brought dry branches back from the forest outside the village and piled them in the center of the open space.
Firelight lit up the whole clearing.
The Dog Clan members came out from their wooden huts, carrying all kinds of things in their mouths.
They placed those things beside the fire, then retreated and lay down, forming a circle.
Doulo walked beside the fire, the flames illuminating half its face.
"Dog Clan." Its voice rose. "His Highness, who was lost outside, has returned today."
A low sound rose from the dogs lying around, as if in agreement.
"From this day forward, His Highness will lead us toward glory."
Doulo turned and looked toward the wooden hut.
"Your Highness."
All the dogs looked in that direction.
Shiro walked out, the firelight illuminating his white fur.
The dogs lying there automatically opened a path.
Shiro walked to the front of the fire, turned around, and faced all the Dog Clan members.
Firelight flickered in his eyes.
"Woof."
The dog pack fell silent for an instant.
Then the elderly dog was the first to lift its head and let out a long howl.
The three little puppies also raised their heads and began howling in their young, milky voices.
Then came the second dog, the third...
Every dog in the clan territory was howling. Their voices gathered together and echoed above the clearing.
Doulo tapped the ground with its front paw. Only after the sound gradually died down did it speak again.
"The banquet begins."
The dogs spread out a little, each going to fetch food.
Doulo walked to the fire, took a bone from the tallest pile of food, then went to Shiro and placed it down.
"This is the leg bone of a wild boar," Doulo said. "Wild boars have thick skin and tough flesh and are the hardest to hunt. The leg bone of a grown wild boar is something the Dog Clan only brings out to entertain the most honored dog."
Shiro lowered his head and looked at the bone, then lifted his head to look at Doulo.
Doulo turned around, took another bone, walked over to Shin-chan, and placed it down.
Shin-chan sat cross-legged on the ground, looking down at the bone in front of him. It was thicker than his arm.
There were roasted marks on the bone, and it gave off an indescribably delicious smell.
Shin-chan tried to bite it.
His teeth knocked against the surface of the bone with a dull sound.
The bone did not move at all.
Shin-chan's mouth remained open in the biting position, and his eyes blinked.
He put the bone down and poked its surface with a finger.
Hard.
"This..." Shin-chan turned to Doulo. "How do you eat it?"
Doulo had been looking at Shiro. Hearing this, it turned its head, and its ears twitched.
"With teeth."
Shin-chan looked down at the bone again, then looked at the neat row of teeth in Doulo's mouth.
"I don't have those kinds of teeth."
Doulo fell silent.
It lowered its head and looked at Shin-chan's mouth, then at the bone in his hands.
"Human teeth..."
"Are very useless," Shin-chan said honestly.
Doulo opened its mouth, suddenly not knowing what to say.
"I'll see if there's anything else." Shin-chan put the bone down.
He stood up and walked toward the pile of food beside the fire.
Wild rabbit, pheasant, fish...
His eyes lit up.
"This one works."
He picked up the roasted wild rabbit and returned to sit beside Shiro.
It tasted better than he had expected.
Uchiha Toru leaned against the wall of the wooden hut, holding a fruit in his hand. It was so sour that his brows furrowed.
Doulo watched from the side, its tail gently sweeping across the ground.
The fire burned until the second half of the night, leaving only a pile of dark-red coals.
Most of the dogs had dispersed. Some returned to their wooden huts, while others simply lay beside the fire, burying their noses into their tails.
From the dirt road at the village entrance came messy footsteps.
Doulo's ears stood up.
Several dogs beside the fire also woke up. They lifted their heads, their noses twitching, then stood up one after another.
Black Fang walked to the front of the fire and stopped.
"Lively."
"You returned earlier than expected." Doulo stood up.
"I heard His Highness had returned." Black Fang's gaze moved to Shiro.
Shin-chan had been sleeping while hugging Shiro. Hearing the sound, he rubbed his eyes and sat upright. "So many dogs."
Black Fang walked to Shiro, then bent its front legs and lowered its body.
"Your Highness."
The dogs that had returned with it also knelt down one after another.
Doulo's pupils shrank slightly.
It had imagined many possibilities. Black Fang returning with the main force might attack directly, or it might use the lives of the old and weak Dog Clan members to force Doulo to compromise.
But it had chosen to endure for now.
When Black Fang lifted its head, its gaze met Doulo's.
There was everything in those eyes except submission.
"His Highness has only just returned and is still unfamiliar with many things in the clan." Black Fang stood up. "The Dog Clan's survival has not been easy. If I had not been standing at the front all these years, the clan territory would have been trampled flat by the Cat Clan long ago."
It turned toward Doulo. "Doulo, wouldn't you agree?"
Doulo did not answer.
"His Highness needs my assistance." Black Fang looked around.
Doulo understood.
Black Fang was not submitting. It was using Shiro to command the pack.
But this also showed that Black Fang did not have absolute confidence either. As long as Shiro remained the prince, Black Fang could not openly move against him.
If Shiro could learn the Gigantification Technique, then everything would be easy. The dogs following Black Fang would naturally choose sides again.
Even if he couldn't learn it, as long as the Dog Clan had a prince, Doulo could stabilize the situation.
Black Fang wanted a banner, and Doulo wanted the same banner.
It didn't matter whose hands the banner was in. What mattered was that as long as the banner stood, the clan territory would not fall apart.
When Shin-chan woke up, the sun had already risen as high as the roof of the wooden hut.
Shiro lay beside him. Seeing him wake, his tail wagged quickly.
"Good morning, Shiro."
Shiro's tail wagged even faster.
"Did you remember that jutsu from yesterday, the one that makes you as big as a mountain?"
Shiro's ears stood up, and he nodded.
"Really?" Shin-chan leaned his face closer. "I didn't understand a single word of it. All that chakra running around everywhere."
Shiro tilted his head. "Woof."
"But it's okay even if you can't learn it." Shin-chan reached out and patted his head. "You're already the most amazing Shiro in the whole world, even if you can't get bigger."
Shiro's tail was wagging so fast it almost left afterimages.
Doulo stood at the entrance of the wooden hut. "It's time to send you back."
"How are we going back? Are we walking?"
"No need." Doulo shook its head. "The Dog Clan has a special technique."
It walked to the open space outside the wooden hut and pressed its front paws against the ground, as if confirming something.
Several young dogs ran over from the side and formed a circle around Doulo.
"Stand in the middle."
Shin-chan pulled Uchiha Toru over.
Doulo lowered its head, and the dogs forming the circle pressed their front paws to the ground at the same time.
A faint circle of light appeared beneath their feet and spread out along the front paws of those dogs.
Shin-chan looked down at the glowing patterns beneath his feet. "Wow."
When the light gathered beneath them, the scenery around them began to blur.
The last thing Shin-chan saw was Doulo standing outside the circle, lowering its head toward them.
Then everything seemed to stretch out.
When their feet touched solid ground again, they were already inside a cave.
Several people stood at the entrance.
Shin-chan blinked, his gaze sweeping across those people one by one.
They were all wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
His gaze stopped on a person with yellow hair.
The moment that person saw them, his body visibly relaxed.
"Ah." Shin-chan tilted his head and thought for two seconds. "You're that..."
Namikaze Minato crouched down in front of Shin-chan. "I'm glad you're safe."
"Why are you here?"
"Lord Hokage received news that you had gone missing," Namikaze Minato stood up. "He sent us to investigate the situation."
His sensory ability had always been sharp, especially toward spatial fluctuations.
In that instant just now, the space inside the cave had rippled like water struck by a stone. Something had been pulled from very far away and reformed here.
Footsteps sounded at the cave entrance again. Two figures appeared one after another.
Kakashi's gaze first landed on Shin-chan, then moved to Uchiha Toru, and his whole body relaxed.
"Found you."
Shin-chan waved at him. "Kakashi, you came too."
"Mm."
Kakashi answered simply and said nothing more. As long as they were safe, that was enough.
Maruboshi Kosuke's lips moved. Too many things surged in his eyes.
Self-blame, lingering fear, relief, and many more indescribable emotions mixed together.
"Uncle." Shin-chan's voice came from inside the cave.
Maruboshi Kosuke lifted his head.
"I'm hungry." Shin-chan was running toward him. "Do you have rice balls?"
"Yes."
His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
"How many?"
"As many as you want."
"Then I want three." Shin-chan's eyes sparkled.
Maruboshi Kosuke looked at him, his eyes red. "Okay."
Namikaze Minato turned and glanced outside the cave.
"Let's go back first. Lord Hokage is still waiting for news."
Maruboshi Kosuke walked at the very back of the group, his gaze fixed on Shin-chan's back.
Konoha Village was still the same Konoha Village.
The shops along both sides of the street were as lively as ever. Ninja jumped back and forth across the rooftops, busy with who knew what.
A calico cat crouched on a wall, licking its paw. When it saw them pass by, its ears twitched, then it continued licking.
Shin-chan waved at the cat.
The calico cat glanced at him and turned its head away.
At the Hokage's office...
When Namikaze Minato pushed open the door, several people were already inside.
The Third Hokage sat behind the desk with his pipe in his mouth.
"You're back."
His gaze passed over Namikaze Minato and landed on the three children coming in behind him. Then he took the pipe from his mouth and tapped it against the edge of the desk.
"Grandpa Third." Shin-chan poked his head out from behind Namikaze Minato.
The Third Hokage placed the pipe on the desk. "Next time, don't run around again."
"Mm." Shin-chan nodded.
Namikaze Minato briefly reported the situation.
After listening, the Third Hokage did not ask further. He only nodded.
"For the next while, you should all rest properly."
He paused. "Do not leave the village again for the time being."
"Yes." Maruboshi Kosuke lowered his head.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
"Can I sleep in?"
The corner of the Third Hokage's mouth moved. "You can."
Shin-chan clenched his fist hard, his face full of happiness.
Maruboshi Kosuke led the children toward the door.
When Shin-chan reached the entrance, the Third Hokage's voice came from behind him.
"Shin-chan."
Shin-chan turned back.
The Third Hokage looked at him, as if thinking about something.
"I still haven't given you your graduation gift."
Shin-chan's eyes widened, and he turned his whole body around. "Graduation gift?"
The Third Hokage did not mention the Guardian Leaf Bell.
He reached into the drawer of his desk, took out a scroll, and handed it over.
"What is this?" Shin-chan reached out and took it. "Is it the kind of jutsu that can make green peppers disappear?"
"There is no such jutsu." The Third Hokage shook his head helplessly. "It is the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Is it strong?"
The Third Hokage smiled. "This is a forbidden jutsu. Ordinary people can't learn it."
"Is a forbidden jutsu really hard?" Shin-chan's eyes lit up.
"Not hard." The Third Hokage knew all too well about Shin-chan's absurd chakra reserves and physique. "And it suits you very well."
Shin-chan nodded.
The Third Hokage added, "Starting tomorrow, you will also follow Minato and learn another jutsu."
Namikaze Minato, standing beside him, had a slight movement in his gaze.
Shin-chan's face immediately fell.
"Didn't you say I could rest?"
"The more ninjutsu you learn, the better you can protect the things you want to protect."
Shin-chan opened his mouth, and a scene suddenly flashed through his mind.
Shiro crouching in front of the wooden hut in the clan territory, while Doulo said that if he could become as large as a mountain, he could protect the ones he wanted to protect.
Shin-chan lowered his head and looked at the scroll in his hand, remaining silent for a few seconds.
Then he raised his head, looked at the Third Hokage, and nodded very seriously.
"Okay then."
"Alright. Go home." The Third Hokage picked up the pipe on his desk.