[TL: I am Back :D]
Hashirama laughed heartily as he looked at the group of children before him, all of them covered in dirt. Torifū, in particular, stood out—his once white hair now coated in grime, turned almost completely gray.
With a heavy heart, Hiruzen bowed his head and said with remorse, "I apologize, Hokage-sama. I failed in my duty!"
Hashirama chuckled warmly and patted Hiruzen on the head. "I've been watching everything you did. You performed admirably. The only issue was that the enemy's strength far exceeded our expectations near the end."
"There's no helping it—intelligence is never one hundred percent accurate. Just remember this lesson."
Hearing those words, Hiruzen felt a warm surge in his chest. Hashirama's kindness soothed some of his guilt, though the weight of his responsibility still lingered.
Yet dereliction of duty was still dereliction of duty. If Hashirama hadn't arrived in time, Hiruzen couldn't begin to imagine the outcome.
Had this been an actual battlefield, they would have had no choice but to die.
Just then, Naori suddenly threw herself into Kagami's arms, her voice soft and tinged with tears.
Kagami gently stroked her hair and said, "It's good that you're safe. Now you understand how dangerous missions can be, don't you?"
Naori didn't respond, only nodding in silence.
She had been completely paralyzed by the sheer force of the enormous fire tornado. At that moment, she realized she had no way to intervene in a battle of that scale.
She couldn't even run.
Fortunately, Hashirama had arrived and saved her at the crucial moment.
When she heard his voice from within the ruined building, her fear vanished instantly. It was as though the presence of the First Hokage had dispelled the overwhelming dread.
Kagami leaned down and whispered, "If you want to fight beside Torifū, you'll have to work hard to become stronger."
Naori remained silent, but her grip on Kagami's hand tightened slightly.
"Everyone did very well during this mission," Hashirama said, praising the group with a smile. "But the key turning point was Torifū's sneak attack on Romaru."
Everyone nodded in agreement. If Romaru hadn't been severely wounded and rendered unable to fight, no one could say how long the battle might have dragged on—or if they would have even survived.
Hashirama then gave personalized feedback to each member of the team, highlighting their strengths and pointing out their weaknesses. This allowed everyone to reflect clearly on their shortcomings.
In the world of shinobi, arrogance and complacency were deadly flaws. Recognizing one's limits was vital for survival.
"Alright, kids, the mission is over. Let's head back to the village and make our report."
Hashirama smiled again. "But I won't be accompanying you on the rest of the journey."
As he spoke, Hashirama's body began to stiffen, gradually transforming into wood.
Hiruzen clicked his tongue in amazement. "He unleashed such an overwhelming jutsu… and it was just a clone?"
Danzō gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Hokage-sama has government matters to handle. There's no way he'd personally show up for a mission like this."
"That's true. His power really is something else."
There was no doubt about that. The man known as the God of Shinobi wasn't someone to be trifled with.
"Alright," Hiruzen said, stretching his back. "Let's head back and report in. That fight really wore me out."
With that, he led his companions toward the valley's entrance.
But upon arriving, they were reminded that the entire valley had been sealed off by Torifū's ninjutsu.
"Torifū, can you undo this technique?" Hiruzen asked.
Torifū nodded. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the crystalline barrier.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the network of crystal vines shattered in an instant. The enormous formation covering the outside of the valley crumbled and vanished.
Hiruzen stared at Torifū's Kekkei Genkai with barely concealed envy. The ability to generate such massive and durable structures from chakra alone… wasn't this practically printing money?
Noticing that several large fragments of crystal still remained on the ground, Hiruzen bent down and collected a few.
He planned to bring them back for Biwako. Girls usually liked shiny things—and these crystals sparkled like gemstones.
With the path now clear, the group resumed their journey back to Konoha.
Though the mission was over, Torifū hadn't received any notifications or rewards from the system—not even a prompt.
He figured it must be because the mission hadn't been formally handed in yet, so he wasn't too concerned.
After all, there wasn't a single living enemy left in the valley. There was no doubt the mission had been completed.
Hiruzen, Danzō, and Kagami walked ahead, while Koharu, Homura, and Akimichi Torifu followed in the rear, keeping Torifū and Naori protected in the center of the formation.
"Torifū, are you hurt?" Naori asked.
"Nope," he replied playfully. "I'm pretty tough, after all."
Naori pouted, her lips forming a small frown. "Hmph. I shouldn't have worried about you."
She had just learned from Kagami that Torifū had rushed in alone to save her. The thought moved her deeply.
Though she had only known Torifū for a little over a month, he had already been willing to risk his life for her.
In order to prevent such a situation from happening again—and to avoid being left behind by him—Naori silently vowed to push herself harder in her future training.
Torifū glanced at Naori and couldn't help but smile at her expression, though he had no idea what she was thinking.
He hadn't known her long, but he understood that true friendship wasn't measured in time.
Although Torifū dreamed of living a quiet and peaceful life, when his loved ones were in danger, his conscience wouldn't allow him to stand by and do nothing.
That was his way of living. If he simply laid low and watched his friends suffer, that wouldn't be him.
"Naori, keep working hard. You're a genius of the Uchiha clan—you won't be any weaker than me."
Encouraged by his words, Naori's heart was filled with renewed determination. Torifū was right—as a Uchiha, she couldn't afford to fall behind.
Though they were traveling at night, Kagami's Sharingan allowed him to navigate swiftly and accurately, and the group moved quickly through the darkness.
By dawn, they had returned to the small village.
When the villagers heard that the bandits had been wiped out, they were stunned. At first, they didn't believe it—after all, the group had only left a little more than a day ago.
It wasn't until Hiruzen repeated the explanation multiple times, even mentioning the intervention of the Hokage, that the villagers finally accepted it.
News of this victory would soon spread across neighboring areas, and within a month, the village would likely return to normalcy.
After fighting and traveling all night, everyone was thoroughly exhausted.
To avoid any accidents on the road, Hiruzen suggested they rest in the village before continuing their journey.
They returned to the same inn they had stayed at previously, where the innkeeper greeted them with great enthusiasm.
Not only did he offer fresh fruit free of charge, but he also tried to waive the lodging fees.
However, the group insisted on paying the original amount. Life was already hard for ordinary people—Hiruzen and the others weren't lacking in money.
After resting for about four hours, the group set off once more.
This time, their destination was clear: the Hidden Leaf Village—Konoha.