Ch 104 : She is my sister

Minato and the others stayed on the front lines for several days, handling various aftermath matters before finally setting off to return to the village.

Minato, Jiraiya, Fugaku, and Makoto led the procession at the front, enjoying the grand welcome ceremony prepared by the villagers and hearing their names being called out from the crowd.

For Makoto, this was the first time he had ever experienced the treatment of a war hero.

In the crowd, he spotted his clansmen, Ayari and Ayano, both gazing at him intently, so he gently waved to them.

As they walked down the streets packed with villagers, the captured Kumo ninja followed behind them.

Each prisoner wore shackles and sealing restraints; besides the Raikage, all of them had black hoods covering their heads.

A captured Kage—this was likely a first in history, with the Fourth Raikage being the only one.

The cheers of celebration gave way to an endless wave of curses and insults as the prisoners passed by.

Countless people shouted for their execution, demanding revenge for their fallen comrades.

Fortunately, the presence of ninja maintaining order prevented the situation from descending into chaos.

In the front, Shikaku and Minato couldn't help but glance back at the commotion.

They originally had no intention of parading the Kumo ninja through the streets like this—it was Makoto's suggestion.

He said that doing this would allow the villagers to vent their emotions and foster a greater sense of belonging to the village.

The Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru, also came out to welcome them.

Everyone kneeled on one knee as Minato respectfully reported their success in defeating the enemy without failure.

Orochimaru personally stepped forward to help Minato up, smiling as he expressed his gratitude and praised everyone for their contributions to the village.

The village was filled with an atmosphere of celebration, with everyone immersed in the joy of victory.

Banners hung all over the village, children ran through the streets, bands played lively and rousing music, and women gathered in circles, dancing in delight.

Minato, Makoto, and the others followed Orochimaru into the Hokage's office, where they detailed the events on the front lines, including the casualties, the losses suffered by the village, the damage to the Land of Fire, and the number of enemy forces captured.

Makoto could tell that Orochimaru was only half-listening, as he had noticed the towering stacks of paperwork on the Hokage's desk the moment he entered the office.

The sight of it made his scalp tingle.

He knew that all of this work would soon fall to him to handle.

Although he had anticipated this, facing it now, he couldn't help but secretly resent how Orochimaru seemed to avoid governmental affairs entirely.

Makoto had originally planned to take a well-deserved break after the war, but now it seemed like nothing more than a distant dream.

If the war had dragged on for several months or even a year, it was hard to imagine how the village's internal affairs—just beginning to stabilize—would have crumbled once again.

The information reported by Minato and Shikaku was already well known to Makoto on the front lines.

Whether Orochimaru listened or not didn't really matter—handling everything in the future would fall on Makoto anyway.

This meeting was merely a formality.

In the end, Orochimaru smiled and told everyone to go back and get some rest, mentioning that a banquet had been prepared to welcome them in the evening.

Makoto was asked to stay behind.

Soon, only Orochimaru and Makoto remained in the office.

Orochimaru sat casually in his chair, his gaze quietly scrutinizing Makoto.

"Lord Hokage."

"Makoto, you've really surprised me."

"What do you mean, Lord Hokage?"

Orochimaru rested one hand on the desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping the wooden surface.

He chuckled softly and said, "I initially thought you were just clever, but I didn't expect you to be this strong as well."

Makoto's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "It's just a few tricks to deceive others."

He explained that his actions on the battlefield were merely a special kind of illusion technique meant to confuse the enemy.

If he were truly as strong as the rumors suggested, he could have wiped out the Kumo ninjas single-handedly—there would have been no need for all the effort.

Orochimaru didn't show whether he believed it or not.

After listening, he simply said slowly,

"As expected, no one is willing to remain weak. Especially those who stand at the top—the desire for power only grows stronger."

"Makoto, am I right?"

Makoto lowered his head and said, "Without you, Lord Hokage, I wouldn't be where I am today. If I were to stagnate, my usefulness to you would only diminish. I still wish to remain under your wing, following you to even greater heights."

Hearing this, Orochimaru suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

The laughter carried an ambiguous meaning.

He said, "Makoto, no one has ever truly been able to stand by my side."

Makoto responded, "I hope to be that person."

Orochimaru said nothing more, merely waving his hand to indicate that Makoto could leave.

As he walked out of the Hokage building, Makoto felt much more at ease.

It was expected that Orochimaru would become suspicious.

Makoto's strength wasn't particularly overwhelming, but his sudden rise from an ordinary Chunin to his current position was enough to surprise anyone.

If Makoto had grown stronger step by step under Orochimaru's watchful eye, he wouldn't be facing such scrutiny now.

But he had displayed abilities that Orochimaru was unaware of.

Makoto made his way back to the clan compound, where his clansmen had been waiting for him.

As soon as they saw him return, they all stepped forward to greet him.

Ayari, Ayano, Hizashi, Natsu, Tokimasa, Tetsu, Haruka, and Akiri were all among them.

"Lord Makoto!"

Everyone in front of him bowed in unison.

The news from the front lines had already reached the village, including Makoto's near-miraculous display of power.

This made his clansmen respect him even more.

Previously, they had feared him because he held control over the Caged Bird Seal and had Orochimaru's backing.

But now, with the strength he had shown, any lingering dissatisfaction or resentment within the clan had been completely dispelled.

Even former leaders like Hyuga Hiashi, and the previous clan heads, had never been this powerful.

Makoto had also opened a door to the possibility of freedom for them, making the entire clan believe that following this young leader could bring the Hyuga clan to even greater heights than ever before.

People are always like this—when you are weaker than them, they can easily accept you.

No one dislikes having people around them who are inferior.

When you are stronger than him, all you will receive in return is his resentment, jealousy, and slander.

Only when your strength far exceeds his imagination can you truly earn a willing and sincere "Lord Makoto" from him.

Makoto exchanged only a few brief words with his clansmen before dismissing them.

Upon returning to his courtyard, he couldn't wait any longer and suddenly pulled Ayari into his arms, burying his face in her hair and taking a deep breath.

Ayari was startled at first, then began to struggle fiercely.

She wasn't rejecting Makoto, but rather worried about the presence of so many people around them.

Akiri and the servants sensibly lowered their heads and quietly walked away.

Ayano stood nearby, watching the two in silence.

"Makoto, are you crazy? Let go of me!" Ayari's face flushed red as she kept hitting him with her fists.

"My sister is still here!"

Ayano also said, "I'll go cook," before turning and walking away.

Makoto finally let go of Ayari after a long while, which made her very annoyed.

She felt that Makoto was being too careless about the situation and immediately started scolding him.

Makoto then tightly held her hand, speaking in a low voice,

"I have something I want to say to you. Let's go to my room."

For the past few nights, all he could hear was Guy's snoring.

It was driving him crazy.

Ayari, blushing, yanked her hand away and said, "Pfft, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I'm not going!"

Makoto smiled and looked at her. "You really aren't going?"

Ayari snorted and turned away. "No! I'm going home!"

"Alright, then I'll just have to tell Ayano these things."

Ayari immediately turned back around, both embarrassed and angry, and kicked him. "You jerk, how dare you say such nonsense? She's my sister!"

Makoto replied, "What am I afraid of? Since you don't want to, I'll do whatever I want."

"I... I... did I say I didn't want to?"

"You clearly just said it."

"...Then ask me again."

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