Ryun Uchiha and the other two followed behind the Raikage. They did not say a word, only wanting to quickly get the money and leave. The Land of Lightning was pitch black, with traces of people having relieved themselves by the roadside. It was hard to understand how the Third Raikage managed the Land of Lightning.
If this situation happened in Konoha, you would just see whether the leader in charge of the sanitation department would be disciplined or not.
Regarding this, Ryun only frowned. After all, the Land of Lightning was not under his jurisdiction, and moreover, the relationship between the two villages was already as bad as it could get. Ryun had no need, nor any reason, to remind him.
Soon, the Third Raikage brought them to the Land of Lightning's treasure vault. He took a key from his trouser pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, turned it, and with a loud rumble, the door opened. Namikaze Minato, seeing this, immediately moved to enter.
Ryun grabbed him by the back of his collar. "What's the rush? Let the Raikage enter first. He is the host, we are the guests." Superficially, Ryun said this, but in reality, his eyes were fixed on the Raikage's, smiling a thin, not quite genuine smile.
What 'he is the host, we are the guests'? It was nothing more than worry that the Land of Lightning's treasure vault might have some mechanical traps, poisoned senbon, and so on. Besides, even if they were guests, they were unwelcome ones. Ryun still had that much self-awareness.
The Third Raikage cursed inwardly. This Ryun Uchiha was truly very rational. With the treasure vault right in front of him, he could still be so steady. It seemed there was a reason he kept winning.
The Third Raikage didn't say much more. He stepped on specific stone bricks to enter the treasure vault. Ryun followed behind him. Sage Mode heightened his perception and defense. If you looked carefully, you could see a faint white aura wrapped around Ryun's body.
"Grandfather and Minato, guard the entrance. I'll follow him in to take a look." Ryun said this over his shoulder, then followed. Madara Uchiha nodded. "Keep your wits about you."
"Got it!" Ryun's voice came back without him turning his head. Minato scratched his head. "Lord Madara, is it really okay for us not to go? Could the Hokage be in danger?"
Madara glanced at him. "You should be worrying about whether the Raikage is in danger or not." After saying this, he sat down on a nearby stone bench and closed his eyes to rest.
Minato thought about it, and it was true. Even if there was danger, it was the Raikage who was in danger. His teacher, the Konoha Hokage, would definitely not come to harm.
Ryun followed closely behind the Third Raikage, while also observing the surroundings. He discovered all sorts of hidden weapons concealed under the floor, in the ceiling, and within the walls. They had everything here.
When they reached an area where the flooring was clearly different from before, the Raikage's movements became more casual. Clearly, past that point, it was no longer a dangerous zone.
Seeing this, Ryun leaped forward, landing in the safe zone. He stood beside the Raikage and looked at him. "The security measures are quite good. It seems the Land of Lightning's money was spent on these arrangements."
The Third Raikage sighed and walked towards the treasure chests. These contained money that generations of Land of Lightning ancestors had scrimped and saved, bit by bit, stipulating that unless they reached a dead end, the contents were not to be touched.
Now, the Land of Lightning had just quelled its internal strife, suffered losses in external wars, and the economy was depressed. Apart from the money in this treasure vault, there was no other way.
He caressed one of the treasure chests, a look of reminiscence on his face. However, after Ryun urged him from behind, he forcibly snapped out of that state and lifted the lid with both hands.
Immediately, countless neatly arranged silver ingots lay inside. "This chest contains two billion in silver. Combined with the chest next to it, it's a total of four billion!" The Third Raikage opened the adjacent chest, revealing another chest full of silver.
Ryun smiled. "No problem. I believe the Raikage wouldn't try any tricks here. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind visiting the Land of Lightning again." Ryun said with a laugh, then stepped forward and stored both treasure chests into a scroll.
"Of course not." The Third Raikage shook his head, then prepared to lead Ryun out.
Ryun also nodded. Although there were other chests in the treasure vault, Konoha had already signed a treaty with the Third Raikage. Ryun naturally had to keep his word.
Not long after, the two left the treasure vault. Madara Uchiha immediately opened his eyes and stood up.
Seeing Madara do this, Minato, who was nearby, also stood up and positioned himself beside him.
"Lord Madara, what is it?" Minato asked.
"They're about to come out." Madara said succinctly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
As soon as his words fell, a blue and a golden figure appeared. It was the Third Raikage and Ryun Uchiha.
Ryun smiled. "We got the items."
The two nodded and looked at the Third Raikage. The Third Raikage forced out a trace of a smile. "Since this matter is now settled, I will take my leave first. Currently, there are still many matters to handle in the Land of Lightning, so I won't be keeping you for a meal."
After saying this, he locked the treasure vault, transformed into a flash of lightning, and disappeared.
The few of them exchanged glances, shook their heads, and then left the Land of Lightning, heading in the direction of Konoha.
As for why Ryun didn't inquire about Black Zetsu's situation, firstly, it was unnecessary, and secondly, since he already knew where Black Zetsu was, any movement he made would be reported to him by the stationed shinobi.
Then, how to act, how to prevent, would all be very convenient.
Soon, the group returned to Caixu Village, assembled the army, arranged for the future livelihood of the surviving civilians, and then set off towards the village.
This battle was truly exhausting. Madara Uchiha was already fast asleep on the way back. He had worked very hard in these two battles, contributing greatly. Everyone just shared a knowing smile when he fell asleep on the return journey, with no intention of waking him.
By evening, the surviving 8,000 strong shinobi army, following Ryun Uchiha, reached the entrance of Konoha Village.
A crowd of no less than ten thousand people had gathered at the village entrance. They held torches, welcoming the returning shinobi.
At the forefront, Nara Luming smiled. "Welcome home, Lord Hokage, and all you brave shinobi who fought. Every one of your achievements will be recorded in Konoha's history books."
Ryun shot him a look. "I told you, return to the village in secret. You actually arranged such a grand reception. Don't do it again."
Nara Luming smiled wryly. "The villagers did this spontaneously and voluntarily. I couldn't stop them even if I tried. They said they wanted to personally welcome the Konoha shinobi who went out to fight."
As soon as his words fell, someone from the crowd voiced support. "That's right, Lord Hokage, you've worked hard. We are all volunteers."
"Yes, without you fighting bloodily on the front lines, how could Konoha Village enjoy such peace and stability."
"Konoha is so strong now, it's all thanks to Lord Hokage and all the warriors."
Looking at the smiles on the villagers' faces and hearing their sincere, simple words, Ryun felt very gratified in his heart. Konoha now was truly wonderful.
After some mutual greetings, Ryun and the soldiers were surrounded by the common people into Konoha Village.
Then came meetings, announcements of war gains, post-war compensation, settlement of resettlement fees for the families of fallen soldiers, and so on.
It wasn't until noon the next day that the meetings were largely concluded. Ryun, yawning, walked out of the Hokage's office, followed closely by the clan heads who also headed outside.
Ryun walked towards his home. He hadn't seen Tsunade for three or four days, and missed her quite a bit.
Ryun headed straight for the villa. The excitement in his heart made his spirits lift. The weariness from fighting and meetings unconsciously lessened a lot.
He pushed open the villa's main gate and walked in. Just as he was about to take out his key to open the door, the doorknob suddenly turned. Ryun was startled, then looked up to see Tsunade, with her large belly, appearing before him.
This gave Ryun quite a fright. "Wife, what are you doing? I can open the door myself. Quick, quick, sit down and rest. You're still pregnant."
Ryun's behavior at this moment was like an elementary school student, waving his hands about, wanting to touch her but not daring to, speaking with some urgency.
Tsunade covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Husband, I was just opening the door for you. No need to be so nervous. Besides, you know my physique, and it's not the due date yet. The doctor said moving around more is beneficial."
"I scoff, which quack doctor said that? I'll have him fired." Ryun was overly nervous. His voice even trembled as he spoke now.
"Quick, quick, let me support you. Walk slowly. Good girl, careful, the floor is slippery." Ryun mustered twelve points of concentration. The flat ground in front of him was tread upon with extreme care.
Ryun's series of actions amused Tsunade, but while laughing, she also felt sweetness in her heart.
Didn't this also show that Ryun cared about her, cared about their child?
Seeing this, Tsunade did not tease him further and obediently allowed Ryun to support her as she slowly sat down on the sofa.
"Have you eaten?" Ryun asked gently.
"Not yet, it's fine. I'm not hungry yet." Tsunade smiled.
"Then I'll go cook first. You sit here properly. When you have nothing to do, scroll on your phone. Don't move." Ryun instructed patiently.
"Okay." Tsunade gave a sweet smile, looking at Ryun, the corners of her mouth upturned.
Ryun nodded, then turned and went to the kitchen. He took out the freshest vegetables and meat, and busied himself in the kitchen.
Tsunade watched this scene, the tenderness in her eyes unconcealed. Marrying Ryun was indeed the right choice. For eight years, consistent as always, he treated her well, tolerated her.
She didn't know how long she had been watching when she heard Ryun call out, "Food's ready," and suddenly snapped back to reality, preparing to stand up. At that moment, Ryun saw this and used a Body Flicker Technique to appear by Tsunade's side, supporting her.
"Slowly. Here, I'll support you. Let's walk step by step. Good girl." Ryun coaxed Tsunade as if she were a child.
Tsunade, "..."
Alright, it turns out being cared for so thoughtfully also has its annoyances. Her husband is a bit, too clingy. What to do?
And so, under Ryun's meticulous care, Tsunade perfectly spent the day.
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