On the streets of Kirigakure.
Sora and Mei strolled leisurely. This time, their return wasn't for official business, so they had much more personal space.
Besides, the war had been dragging on.
Even the strongest Ninja couldn't remain tense day after day, otherwise, they would eventually become highly strung and easily collapse at the slightest disturbance.
For example...
Konoha's White Fang, who once said would become the Fourth Hokage!
His achievements overshadowed his superior, and he was discarded once his use was over.
Konoha's White Fang's unexpected death carried too much political weight that couldn't be erased. Yet, it was undeniable that the long-term high-pressure mission environment had indeed made this elite of the Hatake Clan's spirit become too fragile.
With this precedent, Sora was quite mindful of both the political storms triggered by achievements overshadowing one's superior and the post-war PTSD left by long-term, high-intensity killing.
'It seems there's still one more matter.'
Sora's thoughts were still wandering: 'If Shimura Danzo died first, the future development of the Land of Rain would probably change significantly, right?'
'Without Danzo's assistance, could Hanzo, who had long lost his courage, still so casually force Yahiko to his death, causing Nagato to risk his life summoning the Gedo Statue?'
Looking at the heavy fog in the sky, Sora inexplicably thought of the cold, dead face of the Deva Path.
'As a part of Madara's resurrection plan, it seemed it was time to start paying attention to the intelligence about Akatsuki.'
'Nagato, Konan, Yahiko...'
Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, also had the ability to revive the dead. This might be related to the Pure Land of the afterlife, which could greatly aid Sora's subsequent experimental plans.
"Sora, open your mouth!"
Just as Sora was lost in thought, a charming hum sounded in his ear. He turned his head to find Mei looking happily at him, holding a skewer of grilled octopus she was offering to his mouth.
Sora smiled and took a bite.
The taste was rather unremarkable.
The so-called 'living off the local resources' meant that the most common food in Kirigakure was seafood: shrimp, fish, crab, squid, shellfish, geoduck...
Eating it occasionally was fine, but having these things every day inevitably became tiresome.
Sora's gaze became distant, suddenly feeling that just for the variety of food alone, they must find a way to annex the fertile, vast land of the Land of Fire.
"Delicious, right?"
Mei said with a giggle: "I've been eating at this little shop since my days at the Ninja Academy. The taste has always been good, and the ingredients are fresh. After the war ends, I've been considering opening a little shop like this too. It seems like a nice idea. Then, I could make fried octopus for you every day..."
Just as Mei was chattering on about her visions of the future, Sora suddenly stopped walking. He pulled the talkative Mei into his embrace and said, "That day will come. When the war truly ends, not just us, but every person in this world will have a bright future."
The next instant, Mei, who is suddenly embraced by Sora, stiffened completely. She instinctively wanted to struggle, but after a slight pause, she only trembled and reached out her hands to hug Sora back: "Sora, I believe you. If it's you, you can definitely achieve such a thing!"
The two stood embracing lightly on the bustling street.
The passersby, probably recognizing Sora and Mei, didn't disturb them. They just passed by at a distance, occasionally casting glances of blessing, envy, reverence, or fanaticism.
The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was always eye-catching. Moreover, one of them was Sora, the savior of Kirigakure, which added a certain sense of reverence to the villagers' gossip.
…
The relationship between a man and a woman is like a layer of paper window. Before piercing this layer, both sides enjoy the ambiguous testing.
But once the paper is pierced, many things become rightful and proper.
Like Mei now. After the embrace on the street, she seemed to have gained a certain rightful qualification and began to unabashedly hook her arm through Sora's as they walked the bustling streets.
From time to time, she would gently feed Sora the snacks she just bought, her delicate and charming adorable appearance completely devoid of the ferocious aura of the Lava Release female killing god on the battlefield.
'Lava Release huh...'
Sora looked at Mei's moving mouth as she chewed a fried meatball, and a strange worry suddenly arose in his heart.
With Blut Vene activated, he could withstand Six Paths Sasuke's Great Fireball Technique. But without it, he wondered if he could withstand Mei's Lava Release.
"By the way, Sora, I remember Haku started at the Ninja Academy, right? How are his recent grades?"
Just as Sora's thoughts were wandering, Mei suddenly tightened her grip on his arm and asked in a coquettish voice.
Sora shook his head: "I heard his entrance test results were pretty good before, but he should still have about two years until graduation. By then, I think the village's graduation policy should have changed differently. No matter what Haku's grades are, living a peaceful, ordinary life should be no problem."
Hearing this, Mei's expression also turned somber.
The graduation rules of the Ninja Academy in Kirigakure were simply inhumane. Just kill one classmate from the same year, and you could graduate directly and be promoted to Genin. Such cruelty had caused too many tragedies.
Growing up, Mei had witnessed far too many companions turning against each other to become a Genin.
If Sora hadn't shown mercy back then, perhaps even she herself would have long become an insignificant speck of dust in history.
Because of this,
The insane cruelty of the Bloody Mist policy had caused the bonds between the village's Ninjas to become increasingly weak.
Over the years, the number of Missing-nin from the village had grown, not just Genin and Chunin, but even Jonin had begun to flee in large numbers.
"Since we have nothing to do this time we're back, why don't we go see Haku? If we calculate the time, it should be about time for the Ninja Academy to let out. If we go now, we might just run into him!"
After saying this, Mei pulled Sora's arm and quickly walked towards the direction of the Ninja Academy.
After passing through a few bustling streets, the two soon arrived next to a very large complex of buildings.
This was precisely Kirigakure's Ninja Academy.
Coming here, a trace of nostalgia also appeared in Sora's eyes.
Back then, he was still a nobody struggling desperately to survive.
Even with the system's rewards, making him seem quite talented within the Ninja Academy, viewed from the perspective of the entire Ninja World, he was just a cannon fodder who would die at any moment if he didn't grow stronger.
No one wanted to be cannon fodder, and Sora was no exception.
So, the panic of his first battle, the nausea and disgust of his first kill, the tension and unease of his first mission... too many negative emotions, Sora endured them all alone.
Talent, strength, character, mentality, courage...
Sora had been growing all along.
Now, he had finally become a powerhouse who could stand on his own, not just in terms of strength, but more in terms of mental toughness and indomitability.
'Now...'
'It can be considered the end of hardship and the beginning of good times!'
Sora wore a relieved smile in his heart.
…
After strolling around the Ninja Academy with Sora, Mei returned to the main gate and quietly waited for the dismissal bell.
Soon, the dismissal bell rang.
Students from the Ninja Academy began pouring out of the gate in groups.
"Sora-nii!"
"You're back!!!!"
In the crowd, the little kid Yuki Haku spotted Sora waiting at the gate at first glance.
Forgetting to play with his little friends, Haku ran over joyfully.
"Sora-nii!"
Haku threw himself into Sora's arms happily, his handsome, cute face unable to conceal his excitement and joy.
"Haku, did you miss me?"
Sora held the little kid and managed to free a hand to ruffle Haku's black hair.
"Of course!"
"Not just me, Mom misses Sora-nii too! When Mom brought me back to the village before, she talked about Sora-nii every day!"
A child's heart couldn't keep secrets. The moment he saw Sora, Haku excitedly blurted out everything he knew.
After a few more adorably naive exchanges, Haku suddenly looked up, blinked his eyes, and looked at Mei beside Sora: "Are you Terumi Mei-nee?"
Haku asked somewhat uncertainly. He had seen a photo of the two in Sora's room before, but there was also another very beautiful black-haired girl, so Haku couldn't tell which was which.
"Yes!"
Mei also couldn't resist pinching Haku's cute cheeks: "Haku-chan, you and Sora look like family, both so pretty!"
"Pretty?"
Sora glanced somewhat helplessly at Mei. He really didn't think such an adjective should be used on a man.
"Isn't that right?"
Mei refused to be outdone and snorted lightly, 'If it weren't for that overly handsome face, how could he attract so many flirtatious admirers!!!'
…
After bidding farewell to Mei, just as Sora was about to take Haku's hand and go home, he ran into Yuki Haruko, who was rushing over.
"Sora!"
"You're back!!!"
"That's wonderful!"
Seeing Sora return safely, an expression of great surprise and happiness appeared on Haruko's face.
"Let me see, are you hurt anywhere..."
Haruko ran up and, disregarding that they were on the street, pulled at Sora's body, looking him over everywhere with a worried expression, afraid of seeing some terrible wound.
"Don't worry, Haruko-nee. This mission went smoothly. I didn't get hurt much."
Sora said with a light laugh, a rare warmth in his voice.
"That's good, that's good..."
As she spoke, Haruko used the back of her hand to wipe her tears, then said with a mix of sorrow and relief: "If the spirits of your father and mother in heaven knew how outstanding you've become, Sora, they would definitely be very happy."
Recently, Haruko would hear news from the front lines from time to time: how Sora defeated Konoha's Yellow Flash, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, or the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, and even heard the mythical battle achievement of Sora single-handedly slaughtering two thousand Konoha's Ninjas.
Haruko even didn't need to go asking for this news, as all sorts of people would constantly bring it up to her, repeating it over and over.
Why?
Because she was Sora's most direct and closest blood relative within the clan.
As Sora's accomplishments became increasingly astonishing, Haruko's status within the clan and even the entire Kirigakure gradually rose.
More and more people, unable to get to Sora directly, chose to start with Haruko instead.
Bribes of money, jewels, fields, property deeds, high-level Ninjutsu… almost every conceivable method of bribery was used.
This caused Haruko, who originally came from humble origins, to suddenly leap into becoming a highly sought-after big shot within all of Kirigakure.
To be honest,
Compared to the vanity born from everyone's flattery, Haruko was genuinely more worried about Sora's safety.
The news from the front lines was getting more and more extreme. She could hardly imagine what kind of brutal battles Sora must have gone through to complete those unbelievable missions one by one.
Haruko would even often wake up from nightmares, terrified that the news she'd hear tomorrow would be some unacceptable tragedy.
Luckily...
He was back.
Sora had returned safely!
Now…
Looking at Sora's unharmed face, Haruko truly felt the urge to cry tears of joy.
…
For the next few days, Sora closed his doors to visitors, not meeting with anyone, just resting at home alone.
Those factions desperately trying to offer their allegiance could only wait anxiously outside, scratching their heads in agitation, none daring to force their way in.
After all, he is Kirigakure's Yuki Sora!
Even the Ninjas of the Village of the Bloody Mist would feel awe and fear upon hearing this name!!!
The large residence was very quiet.
Sora lay lazily on a lounge chair in the courtyard, sleeping soundly contentedly under the warm sun.
A long time later, Sora slowly opened his eyes and said softly: "The tea is cold."
Beside him, the brown-haired girl in a kimono who had been kneeling and waiting for a long time started like a frightened bird, her small hands trembling slightly as she picked up the red sandalwood teapot, her gaze shaking as she looked at the cold, handsome man before her.
She was none other than Nohara Rin!