Chapter 197 : And Just Like That, Ten Years Passed!
The atmosphere on the battlefield was incredibly bizarre.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Orochimaru, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Tobirama.
Onoki's accusations were like daggers, stabbing into them one by one. His words were harsh, but every sentence was reasonable, leaving them unable to refute.
The brim of Orochimaru's Hokage hat was pulled low, obscuring most of his face, but the corners of his mouth were still curled up. He clearly didn't take Onoki's accusations to heart.
However, at this moment, he had no choice but to speak up.
"Everyone, what's done is done. Pointing fingers won't help. Let's discuss what we should do now."
Hearing this, Onoki's expression grew even uglier.
"Fine, fine, fine. Changing the subject, are we?"
He took two steps forward, closing in on Orochimaru.
"Your Konoha bears responsibility for this incident. If you don't provide a reasonable explanation, Iwagakure will absolutely not let this go!"
The other Kage also spoke up at this opportune moment.
Raikage A crossed his arms over his chest, his chin raised slightly as his gaze fell on Senju Hashirama.
"Konoha indeed needs to give an explanation for this."
His voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried heavy weight.
"Uchiha Madara is a Konoha Rogue Ninja, and Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were resurrected by Konoha. Now that Uchiha Madara has abducted Iwagakure's Jinchuriki, Konoha cannot stay out of this."
Yagura Karatachi tapped his Coral Staff on the ground and spoke up as well, "Kirigakure also wants to know what Konoha plans to do next."
Rasa had already retracted his Gold Dust. With some dust still clinging to his clothes, his gaze landed on Orochimaru.
"Sunagakure feels the same."
On this matter, the interests of the Kage were aligned.
Everyone present knew exactly what Uchiha Madara abducting a Jinchuriki meant. If he collected all the Tailed Beasts, the entire ninja world would be plunged into disaster.
Konoha indeed needed to provide an answer for this.
After all, if their two Hokage hadn't fought Uchiha Taiga, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have had the opportunity to strike.
Unable to listen any longer, Senju Tobirama coldly snorted. "The incident has already occurred. Rather than standing here blaming us, you should carefully consider how to resolve this."
"Blame won't solve anything."
Senju Hashirama stood beside him, his expression shifting from embarrassment to an apologetic smile. He scratched his head and said, "Uh, yes, everyone please calm down."
He paused, as if thinking about what to say next.
"Since everyone is already here to discuss matters, we might as well just hold a Five Kage Summit."
His tone seemed very sincere.
Onoki looked at him. "And in what capacity are you saying this?"
"As the First Hokage and Second Hokage?"
He looked at Senju Hashirama, then at Senju Tobirama.
"Then what does that make Orochimaru?"
His question was sharp, causing Senju Hashirama's smile to stiffen.
Senju Tobirama was about to speak, but Senju Hashirama raised a hand to stop him.
"We are the dead. Naturally, we will not participate."
He turned his head and looked at Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru is the Hokage. It is only right that he negotiates with you."
Onoki coldly snorted and said no more.
The other Kage also remained silent, tacitly agreeing with Senju Hashirama's words.
Uchiha Taiga stood on the outermost edge, craning his neck to watch the whole exchange, and shook his head in disappointment.
"That's it? It wasn't even that intense."
The corners of his mouth turned down slightly.
He had expected a good show, but in the end, nothing happened. They bickered for a bit and then stopped, moving straight to discussing how to solve the problem.
Boring.
No more fun to be had.
He turned around and glanced toward the town.
"Yugito, let's go, let's go."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried far.
"There's nothing left to see here."
He waved his hand in that direction.
Hearing Uchiha Taiga's voice, Yugito Nii didn't waste any words and simply gave Uzumaki Yumiko a slight nod.
"Let's go."
Uzumaki Yumiko stepped out from behind a pillar, holding Karin in her arms. Following behind Yugito Nii, she walked out of the city gates toward Uchiha Taiga.
Seeing Yugito Nii walk out, Raikage A's gaze paused on her. His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but then they closed.
After a moment of thought, he spoke up anyway.
"Yugito, be careful."
He had seen the scene of Uchiha Madara abducting Han very clearly just now.
Knowing that Uchiha Madara's targets were the Jinchuriki, she would also become his target in the future.
Yugito Nii stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Raikage A. Her expression remained unchanged as she simply nodded.
"Don't worry."
Her voice wasn't loud, but she spoke very clearly.
"I'm very safe by Taiga-kun's side."
Raikage A opened his mouth, but ultimately just nodded.
Yugito Nii withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward, coming to a stop beside Uchiha Taiga. She stood on his left, while Uzumaki Yumiko stood behind him holding Karin.
Uchiha Taiga glanced at them, then turned around to look at the people who had stopped arguing, grinning widely.
"Alright, the show's over. You guys go do whatever you need to do."
His gaze landed on Senju Hashirama.
"But consider this a warning, First Hokage. If you try to pin the blame on me again, it won't be so easy to brush off."
Senju Hashirama bowed his head awkwardly.
"I am incredibly sorry! I was a poor judge of character. I bear responsibility for this."
"Brother!"
Senju Tobirama wanted to say something, but after seeing Senju Hashirama's expression, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.
By this point, Senju Hashirama had recognized reality.
Uchiha Taiga had absolutely no interest in threatening the ninja world. The true threat had always been Uchiha Madara.
He had believed Uchiha Madara's words, thinking this young man was a hidden danger to the ninja world, and had fought him. But Uchiha Madara had turned around and abducted a Jinchuriki, delivering a resounding slap to his face in front of everyone.
This made him deeply ashamed.
Uchiha Taiga looked at him bowing in apology. The smile on his lips didn't change; he merely snorted a few times, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Yugito Nii followed behind him, and Uzumaki Yumiko followed behind Yugito Nii with Karin in her arms. The three of them, one in front and two behind, walked down the road into the distance.
The light of the setting sun shone on them, stretching their shadows long across the ground.
Everyone watched their retreating backs.
No one spoke.
No one stopped them.
And no one chased after them.
Uchiha Taiga and his group just left like that.
And just like that, ten years passed.
Ten years was a long time, long enough to change many things.
Konoha's ninjas grew up, Sunagakure's ninjas grew old, Iwagakure's ninjas were replaced, Kumogakure's ninjas were renewed, and Kirigakure's ninjas transitioned to a new generation.
People were born, and people died.
Ten years was a short time, short enough that some things barely changed at all.
The Five Great Nations were still the Five Great Nations, the ninja villages were still the ninja villages, and the Kage were still the same Kage.
But some things did indeed change.
After that Five Kage Summit, the Five Great Ninja Villages focused their main efforts on Uchiha Madara.
Bounties were issued across the entire ninja world to gather intelligence on Uchiha Madara. The ANBU and intelligence departments of all the major ninja villages were tracking his movements.
Border conflicts between the Five Great Nations decreased. It wasn't because the ninja villages suddenly loved peace, but because a much greater threat loomed over everyone.
Uchiha Madara only appeared twice in these ten years. Each time, he vanished quickly after a brief appearance. No one knew what he was planning, but every village that possessed a Jinchuriki kept them heavily hidden.
This had become an unspoken rule.
The ninja world didn't experience any major turmoil during these ten years, but everyone knew this peace was temporary.
Uchiha Madara was clearly plotting something. The day he was ready, the ninja world would face a true storm.
As for Uchiha Taiga, it was as if he had vanished over these ten years. He never showed his face in the ninja world again.
He didn't appear in any ninja village, and his name gradually faded from people's conversations. Only the older ninjas would occasionally bring him up, mentioning the young man who had fought against both Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara single-handedly.
But those who paid attention knew where he was.
...
Konoha, morning.
Sunlight shone from the east, illuminating the gates of Konoha and making the Konoha symbol on the pillars gleam.
Two Chunin stood on one side of the gate frame, wearing Konoha flak jackets with forehead protectors tied around their heads. Holding registration logs, they were inspecting the people entering and leaving the village.
A young man walked out of the village.
His pace wasn't fast, but it was steady.
He wore black trousers and a dark blue high-collared shirt, with a white short-sleeved jacket worn open over it. His hair was black and long, tied into a low ponytail at the back of his head, with a few loose strands framing his face.
His features were refined, but there was an indescribable melancholy in his eyes. His skin was pale, and his lips were light in color.
He walked up to the main gate, stopped, and looked back at the village entrance.
His gaze swept over the Konoha symbol on the pillar and lingered in a specific direction inside the village. That direction was the Uchiha clan compound, the place where he grew up.
He stood there watching for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His lips moved as if he were saying something to himself. His voice was so quiet that only he could hear it.
"I will resolve the rift between the village and the clan."
His voice was very soft, but his tone was resolute.
The young man didn't linger any longer. He turned around and strode forward, never looking back.
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