Inside Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatané Koharu sat together in the Hokage's office.
Each of them held an identical intelligence report.
The report detailed, step by step, how Wen Lan cleaved a Tailed Beast Bomb with a blade and captured the Five-Tails' jinchūriki alive.
As the document lay before them, all four were breathing noticeably faster.
They weren't just shocked by Wen Lan's strength—they understood something far more serious:
They could no longer suppress Wen Lan.
Or rather—
They could no longer suppress the Uchiha clan.
The deterrence of the Uchiha had already grown beyond what Konoha's authority could easily shake.
This report could not be buried. In just a few days, the entire ninja world would know what had happened.
This time, Wen Lan had effectively saved thousands of Konoha ninja.
And those thousands were not all clan members—many were civilian-born ninja.
Civilian ninja had families. Their families would be grateful to Wen Lan, this life-saving hero… and by extension, grateful to the Uchiha.
All those years of deliberate smear campaigns against the Uchiha—
With this single battle, the clan's reputation would undergo a heaven-shaking reversal.
Behind this merit stood the unstoppable rise of the Uchiha clan.
And Wen Lan himself—having saved so many—was a hero in every sense of the word.
"I told you long ago that suppressing the Uchiha would backfire, but you wouldn't listen!"
Danzō slammed the report onto the desk and glared at Hiruzen, his voice low with fury.
"If we'd worked with Kirigakure and killed him back then, would we be dealing with this now?!"
Hiruzen remained silent, the wrinkles on his forehead carved deep like knife marks.
He regretted it.
He should have listened to his old friend.
But there was no medicine for regret in this world.
In the days that followed, Wen Lan's name quietly spread throughout Konoha.
Gratitude from civilians. Respect from ninja.
Like a rising tide, it all flowed toward the Uchiha clan.
Even when the Konoha Military Police Force carried out their duties, those who used to cause trouble or deliberately oppose the Uchiha now restrained themselves.
Some people even took the initiative to nod politely at Uchiha members on the street.
The sudden change in attitude left many Uchiha feeling almost… overwhelmed.
Yet with it came an unprecedented sense of pride, reverence, and belonging toward Wen Lan—as if he alone had shouldered the dignity of the entire clan.
There were even families with daughters who practically wore down the threshold of the Uchiha clan head's residence.
Everyone knew Wen Lan was close to the clan head's family.
Marrying a daughter to Wen Lan meant climbing straight to the top.
Of course, Wen Lan—still at the frontlines—knew none of this.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Iwagakure officially announced that it would enter peace negotiations with Konoha, marking the end of the Third Great Ninja War.
Orders soon followed from the village:
All operations were to cease.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would personally negotiate peace with the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
The news swept across the frontlines like the wind.
At first, the soldiers stared at one another—then joy bloomed on their faces.
The shadow of war finally lifted. Laughter, long absent, returned to the camps.
They all knew—
If the peace talks succeeded, they would live.
Preparations for the negotiations soon began.
As the victorious side, Konoha would host the treaty signing one week later at the Fire Daimyō's residence, with four parties present:
The Hokage
The Fire Daimyō
The Tsuchikage
The Earth Daimyō
Only a small force remained on the frontlines for vigilance. The rest withdrew in batches, returning to their homes.
Wen Lan knew the truth well.
This peace produced no true victor and no true loser—only a compromise born of mutual devastation.
Even without him cleaving the Tailed Beast Bomb, the two sides would have negotiated peace after a few more months.
War dragged on too long, and ninja and civilians alike suffered unbearably.
More importantly—
Both sides had nearly bled their foundations dry.
The Third Great Ninja War emptied the coffers of every major village.
Kirigakure barely dodged part of it—only to be thoroughly wrecked later by Obito's rampage.
As for the peace between Iwagakure and Konoha—
It was simply a dignified ending to a slaughter that had exhausted national strength.
When the relief forces arrived at the frontlines, the frontline ninja packed their gear, escorted the Iwa prisoners, and began the journey home.
A massive procession returned to Konoha.
At the village gates, civilians lined up on both sides, cheering at the top of their lungs to welcome the victors home.
Yet the Uchiha clan members walked forward with cold expressions, saying nothing.
They knew full well—
These cheers weren't meant for them.
Over the years, under Hiruzen and Danzō, the Uchiha's reputation had long since been dragged through the mud.
Wen Lan walked silently at the edge of the formation, scanning the cheering crowd, yet feeling no sense of belonging.
Just as the Uchiha prepared, as always, to quietly return to their district—
Suddenly, a shout erupted from the crowd:
"It's the Uchiha!"
"Heroes! Heroes!"
"Golden Thunderflame! Wen Lan! Uchiha! Heroes!"
The sudden cheers directed at the Uchiha left every single clan member stunned—including Wen Lan himself.
Civilians shoved fruit and food into their arms.
Some elderly people wiped away tears as they shouted thanks.
Someone even dragged a ninja from the formation in front of Wen Lan, knelt down, and kowtowed in gratitude.
Only then did Wen Lan realize—
These were the families of civilian ninja.
A warm sensation spread through his chest.
He had never imagined that the village which once regarded the Uchiha as a calamity would shout such sincere cheers.
Wen Lan stood there dazed, apples filling his arms, his name echoing again and again in his ears—
As if a glacier long frozen in his heart had quietly cracked.
He suddenly understood:
Not every heart was rotted by prejudice.
Not every effort went unseen.
In this battle, he hadn't just cleaved a Tailed Beast Bomb—
He had cleaved open the thick barrier between the clan and the village.
"Wen Lan!"
A clear, lively voice rang out from nearby.
Wen Lan turned toward it and saw Inuzuka Hana standing in the crowd.
The instant their eyes met, Hana sprinted forward and leapt into his arms, hugging his neck tightly.
Wen Lan smiled softly, patting her back.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "I'm back."
"Mm."
She answered softly—but her arms around his neck didn't loosen in the slightest.
Wen Lan turned to Yakumo—no, Yagura—standing beside him.
"Have the clan head take you to my estate," he said. "There are plenty of rooms. Pick one and stay there for now."
With that, he took Hana's hand, slipped out of the formation, and ran off to the side.
Inside the procession, Inuzuka Tsume—no, Inuzuka Gaku—saw the scene and his face instantly darkened.
He was part of the triumphant return too!
Yet in his precious daughter's eyes, there was only that damned Uchiha brat!
For a moment, Inuzuka Gaku felt a powerful urge to kill Wen Lan.
Then Inuzuka Tsume emerged from the crowd holding a small bottle.
She dipped her finger into it, smeared a streak of oil paint across Gaku's face, and smiled.
"Welcome home."
Gaku's dark expression finally broke into a grin.
"…I'm back."
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