Leaves Not at Peace

Nozomi beamed, "Finally, we're back!" as the village boundary came into view.

Aizen nodded in agreement. Even though he'd only been away for a few days, he found himself missing Konoha more than he'd expected. Perhaps it was the chaotic nature of the outside world compared to their internal political struggles.

"Did something happen? Why are there so many shinobi outside?" Miyuki asked, being the first to notice the increased presence after Kaito, who had seen it but remained silent.

"Let's go," Kaito urged, quickening his pace.

They soon reached the gate, where guards checked their headbands and other identification, matching them against their departure records.

"What happened?" Kaito inquired while being checked.

"The village was attacked," the guard stated, setting aside his notes.

"By whom?" Nozomi interjected, practically jumping in shock.

"No details, other than they summoned large dogs," the guard replied, shaking his head.

"Dogs? Aren't those an Inuzuka clan specialty?" Aizen mumbled, a hint of confusion in his voice. Everyone heard him and understood his unspoken implication: a suspicion of betrayal. Though others shared the thought, no one spoke it aloud, unwilling to openly doubt a loyal clan. Kaito, however, let out a silent sigh, thinking, Still a child.

The guard simply waved a dismissive hand. "They had nothing to do with it. Hokage-sama has already cleared up the misunderstanding."

Yet, his gaze lingered on Aizen, thinking about how someone so young had already experienced the outside world. While he didn't know the mission details, his instincts told him that Aizen wasn't the same as when he'd left the village.

"Let's go submit the mission details," Kaito said, stepping inside, followed by the others, making their way toward the Mission Hall. This was the central hub for all mission-related tasks: assignment, completion, financial transactions, and reviews of reports, including those concerning fake missions or betrayals.

Unlike what's often depicted in anime, direct meetings with the Hokage for every mission weren't required unless it was an urgent or critical S-rank mission or involved unexpected findings; most matters were handled right here.

As they walked through the blocks, they all witnessed widespread destruction: numerous buildings were destroyed, poles lay toppled, and the roads bore massive indentations, like giant paw prints—each one larger than a full-grown man.

"How big were they?" Nozomi whistled, marveling at the size of the paw prints. Even Miyuki's usually stoic expression faltered. "How were they able to do this?" she muttered.

Kaito remained silent, his expression grim. As a seasoned jonin, he had a much clearer understanding of the destruction than the others.

But no one noticed the clear recognition and small smirk that played on Aizen's lips.

Finally, they arrived at the hall, bustling with shinobi of all ages—some in groups, others solitary. Kaito led them to the right, where mission completions were submitted. After waiting in line, it was finally their turn.

Throughout this, many noticed Aizen, the smallest one in the hall, but no one said anything directly. It's a ninja's necessity and specialty to gather information. Over the past few days, they'd already learned about the two youngest graduates: one, the son of the late White Fang, and the other, from the notorious Uchiha clan.

Kaito handed two scrolls to the man at the counter. The man set the red-covered scroll aside and opened the blue one. As he read, his eyes occasionally flickered to the team, particularly to Aizen. He nodded and said, "Okay."

"Good," the team turned to leave. As they exited the building, Kaito turned to Aizen. "They'll cross-check the details within a week. After that, you can go to the first floor to collect the mission reward."

Aizen nodded. He already knew all of this from various seniors in his clan, and it wasn't like he needed the money immediately anyway.

"You all can rest for five days," Kaito announced. "If nothing comes up, we'll take another mission after that. During this time, you can come to me if you need any guidance."

He said this more out of formality, knowing that since each of them came from a clan, they'd have their own training methods. Of course, he still planned on teaching them many things himself.

As everyone dispersed, Aizen too headed towards his clan compound. He walked through many blocks, listening intently and occasionally asking people what they were saying about the recent attack.

"If the White Fang were here, nobody would've dared to do that."

"Yeah, nobody attacked Konoha in the last war."

"The Shimura clan suffered the most."

"Pity the White Fang left us."

"He was a coward who died rather than fighting for the village."

"Yes, it was because of him this happened."

"I heard the Inuzuka clan uses dogs."

"Are they traitors?"

"Why didn't the Hokage take action against them?"

"It is said the Hokage didn't find any proof against them, that's why he declared them innocent."

Hearing all this, Aizen's smile widened as he stood in front of his clan compound, thinking about how one of Konoha's most loyal clans was now under suspicion. Two familiar figures stood guard.

"Danzo-nii, Renji-nii! Thanks for guarding the gate," he called out with a warm smile.

"How was your mission, Aizen?"

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