Chapter 40

Some of that number was mitigated by the decree that all retired ninja were to return to active service.

Still...retired was retired for a reason. Mental health, crippling injury old age. They weren't what they once were. Many of the young office clerks and assistants had been drafted to field duty

Given that the academy graduated one class per year for an average of thirty to fourty students, that meant that in six years they'd only recovered, numbers wise, two hundred, of those seven hundred that had been lost.

When taking into account the inevitable casualties, that number was cut down even further.

The only thing that consoled this was the simple fact that Kumo, Iwa and Suna had all suffered their own wounds in the wars. It wasn't called the "Great War" simply because Konoha participated. Endless, unremitting war was fought across every border line and territory in the continent.

But even so, Kumo's aggressive military expansion and the known fact that they, just like Iwa, posessed two Jinchuuriki made them the most likely to actually be held as the strongest village not Konoha, who's Jinchuriki, while a prodigy, was still just a gennin, and their Kage was an aging man well past his prime, which was not the case of the Yondaime Raikage. A.

In truth the one thing that was bolstering the village numbers the most, ironically, were the clans.

The remnants of the Senjuu and Uchiha, despite not inheriting the powerful bloodlines of their founders, Madara and Hashirama, both clans kept strict training programs even for distant relatives that had married outside the clans and had adopted different surnames.

Sometimes the children weren't even enrolled and simply nominated for the exams. The same held true at times for the Aburame, and the Inuzuka. These were the people pumping more recruits into the village rather than civilians who sometimes forbade their children from becoming gennin at all.

Still. Forty per year. And that's only if every team passed their exam.

The Daimyo smiled, message received. "I can imagine. But now we can see the fruits of your labor!" He exclaimed and turned his eyes towards the Pale sannin he'd ignored til now. "Orochimaru. Let me get a good look at you. Its been too long since the battle of reeds."

Orochimaru bowed at the waist. "I remember. Koutou-sama led the charge that served as the perfect diversion for our infiltration."

"Burned the castle and managed to get back in time to help us cut our way out of the encirclement." the now identified Koutou, at least, Naruto assumed so. He couldn't imagine Orochimaru calling anyone sama. "I'm looking forward to seeing this team of-" He paused, looking them over for the very first time, freezing his gaze on Naruto.

His mouth hung open a little and Naruto saw him swallow. "What is your name boy?"

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto." He answered "Who're you?"

"Show respe-" The Daimyo held up his hand, silencing his guard's rebuke, a smile danced on his face.

"I trust..." He began. "You'll give those Iwa-nin quite the show won't you?" The question was rhetorical and before Naruto could answer, the man turned and looked at Sarutobi and Orochimaru. Both men's faces were calm and placid, reflecting nothing as their liege all but beamed at them.

"We are very pleased." He said with a hearty laugh. "And now its time to please you. Come! We bring gifts from the capital for all of you!"

At those words, some more men stepped forward these carrying crates and chests between them they were led by a younger man who bore some likeness to Koutou he couldn't be older than eighteen or nineteen.

He bowed, greeting the men formally as the soldiers behind him did the same.

"Sarutobi, Orochimaru this is my son, Takechio."

They bowed.

"And-" The Daimyo paused again, his eyes blinking for a moment before his smile became megawatt bright! "Tsunade!" He yelled, hands flying open to embrace the woman.

Tsunade for her part masked the rather permanent scowl she'd been wearing for the last few days or weeks really, ever since she'd discovered just why Saru was pissed at Orochi.

Now she was pissed too but Orochimaru did a stand up job of avoiding her for nearly a month, ducking into hidy-holes and safe houses he had scattered throughout the territory. He could have just faced her and fought like they usually did but he was enjoying the fact that, eluding her, just pissed her off more.

Today her scowl had been no different and she wasn't at her sensei's side for the sole reason that Sarutobi feared she might try something incredibly embarrassing given her temper and Orochimaru's willingness to goad said temper.

You'd never know from the smile and the hug she returned. She seemed genuinely happy to see the Daimyo and he was definitely happy to see her.

"Koutou." No one missed the lack of sama at the end of that. "Been too long. "

"Now why are you hiding all the way back here?" He asked pulling away and looking at her.

"Got here late." She smoothly lied. "Some idiot banged his head and I had to patch it up. You know how it goes. Got to squeeze in here just before your guy rode up with the flag."

The man smiled then he looked behind him gesturing as he spoke. "Oh I've not introduced you to my son, Takechio!

The younger male stepped forward with a pleasant smile bowing in respect.

Tsunade bowed back. "Never met a prince before."

"Nor I, a work of art miss."

With nearly any other male it would have sounded like a cheap pickup line. But the little prince-ling actually made it work somehow even as Naruto choked on his own spit somewhere behind them.

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