187. The War Is Over

After Sora left, Uchiha Shisui wore a solemn expression. He kept repeating Sora's words in his mind: "If I was the only one, could I target the Uchiha clan like this?"

Uchiha Shisui was not a fool. From Sora's words, he guessed that Sora was most likely authorized to act against his clan.

The only ones who could authorize such actions... were the top officials of Konoha.

Uchiha Shisui smiled bitterly.

He had always believed that as long as Konoha hadn't officially moved against the Uchiha clan, there was still time to fix things. Everything could be undone.

But unexpectedly, Konoha was already targeting the Uchiha clan.

And Sora was the person appointed by Konoha to carry out this mission.

Uchiha Shisui murmured to himself: "It's not too late yet. It can't be too late. Hokage-sama and the others are just asking Sora-sama to monitor the Uchiha, not eliminate us completely. There must be a way, and I must stop this!"

Uchiha Shisui's eyes hardened with determination.

...

The war continued.

An important battle report arrived from the front line.

The leader of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Masaki, had died in battle.

Uchiha Masaki's son, Uchiha Fugaku, was elected as the new clan leader.

When Sora heard the news, he looked at the bonfire in front of him and smiled.

Soon the position of the Uchiha clan in Konoha would completely change.

As time passed, the tide of the Battle of Mount Kikyo gradually turned in Konoha's favor.

Fighting in the Land of Fire meant that as long as the ninja coalition forces of Sunagakure and Kumogakure were held back, their disadvantage would grow increasingly severe, while Konoha's advantage naturally became stronger.

Another month passed.

Unable to sustain their campaign any longer, Sunagakure decided to withdraw their troops. They abandoned their alliance with Kumogakure and retreated to the Land of Wind.

Seeing that the situation was lost, Kumogakure had no choice but to leave the Land of Fire and return to the Land of Lightning.

This war, which had been raging for many years—from when Sora was young until he was 23 years old—finally came to an end.

After the war, all ninjas serving outside the village were summoned back to Konoha.

When Sora brought Kakashi back to Konoha, the streets were crowded with people celebrating the end of the war and their victory.

This joyful atmosphere did not affect Sora and Kakashi. They simply looked at the cheering people around them with cold eyes.

In the crowd, Sora spotted the person he had been hoping to see, and Kakashi saw her too. A smile broke through his otherwise cold expression.

"Kushina."

"Sensei's wife."

Uzumaki Kushina looked at the two of them with a warm smile. "Welcome home."

Sora, Kakashi, and Uzumaki Kushina returned home together.

Kushina was very excited about what she had seen and heard during the battle.

Although Uzumaki Kushina had participated in quite a few battles before, they were all small skirmishes. This was the first time she had been involved in such a large-scale conflict, so she had plenty of stories to share.

The next day.

Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned everyone in Konoha to gather beneath the Hokage Building.

The street under the Hokage Building was packed with people.

On the rooftop of the Hokage Building stood Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, looking down at the crowd below.

With a smile on his face, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced: "This war that has lasted for nearly ten years is over. We, Konoha, have achieved the final victory. This victory is the result of everyone's joint efforts. On behalf of Konoha, I thank you all for your hard work and sacrifice!

Next, Konoha will hold a grand celebration to honor the fact that our efforts over the years have paid off and we have achieved final victory!

Wherever the leaves fly, the Will of Fire will continue to grow. The fire will continue to illuminate our village and help new leaves sprout!

I declare that Konoha's celebration has officially begun!"

The streets erupted into cheers and applause like a roaring tsunami.

But there was a group of people who seemed out of place.

The first were Sora and Kakashi, their faces expressionless.

The other group was the members of the Uchiha clan.

Originally, the Uchiha clan should have been among the biggest contributors to this war.

However, due to the Uchiha's arrogance on the battlefield, and because of Sora's targeting of them during the later stages of the war, a large number of Uchiha ninjas had died while Sora charged into battle. Those achievements were not credited to the Uchiha.

So much so that now there was a feeling that the Uchiha clan's contribution to the war was insignificant.

This made everyone in the Uchiha clan very resentful.

And everyone hated Sora intensely.

Kakashi said sarcastically, "Sensei, it seems many people hate you."

Sora naturally felt the glares from the Uchiha, and said indifferently, "It's just the rage of incompetent people."

Uzumaki Kushina was currently immersed in the joyful atmosphere. After hearing what Kakashi and Sora said, she asked in confusion, "Who are you talking about?"

Sora smiled and said, "Just some insignificant people."

While everyone was celebrating, Sora overheard discussions nearby.

"Orochimaru-sama is really amazing!"

"Yes, it can be said that Orochimaru-sama made the greatest contribution to this war!"

"Hokage-sama is very old and will probably step down soon. I think Orochimaru-sama should be the next Hokage."

"It should definitely be Orochimaru-sama. There is no one more suitable than him."

...

After hearing this, Kakashi sighed, "Orochimaru-sama's reputation is truly high. He is greatly respected in Konoha. I think he must be the next Fourth Hokage."

Sora looked at Orochimaru on the rooftop and said, "No, Orochimaru-sama cannot become Hokage."

Kakashi was surprised. "Sensei, how can you be so sure? Do you think more highly of Jiraiya-sama?"

Sora turned his attention to Sarutobi Hiruzen and replied, "Because of factions."

Kakashi frowned. "Factions? But isn't Orochimaru-sama from the Hokage's faction?"

Sora shook his head and said, "Orochimaru-sama once served in Root, and even now his position is still connected to Root. Strictly speaking, Orochimaru-sama is not from the Hokage's circle, and..."

Sora didn't finish his thought.

Because of Orochimaru's unusual behavior, Sarutobi Hiruzen must have begun to sense something was wrong by now.

Sora and Kakashi felt very disinterested in the celebration, so they went home with Uzumaki Kushina not long after it began.

Uzumaki Kushina held a recipe book in her hand, humming happily while studying what to make for dinner that night.

She was in a very good mood because the war was over. Sora wouldn't have to be so busy anymore and could always be by her side.

Every time Sora went to the battlefield, there wasn't a day when Uzumaki Kushina didn't worry about him.

Now she finally didn't have to fear for Sora's safety every day.