Chapter 16: Homecoming and Shadows
Just outside Konoha Village.
Liumu threw his arms wide and shouted to the sky, "I'm finally back!"
Having been reborn into this world for five years, and having been away for just one, Liumu was surprised by the sense of homecoming that washed over him. This past year, they had lived rough, sleeping under the stars. While the journey itself wasn't arduous, it lacked the sense of belonging that Konoha provided.
Seeing Jiraiya approach, the shinobi on duty at the village gate immediately recognized the legendary figure.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
"Welcome back, Lord Jiraiya!"
...
Jiraiya nodded with a smile at their greetings. The moment they passed through the gates, however, his demeanor shifted. He shoved his pack into Liumu's arms with a strange expression and whispered into the boy's ear, "Take this back for me. I'm off to see my… ahem… I'm off to find some inspiration."
Liumu: "…"
"Old lecher."
Glaring at Jiraiya's retreating, bouncing figure, Liumu slung the pack over his shoulder and headed for home.
A Few Months Earlier.
Liumu, who had previously expressed no desire to participate in the Chunin Exams, had suddenly received a new system mission. Just like the earlier task to become a ninja, this one compelled him to return to the village, participate in the Chunin Exams, and successfully become a Chunin.
The rewards for this mission were something Liumu couldn't refuse.
Upon completion, he would receive not only another Fate Roulette Lucky Draw but also five additional keys to the Temporal Training Chamber.
"That… is very tempting."
This particular Chunin Exam was being hosted by the Land of Lightning. Liumu needed to return to Konoha early to join the village's other participants for the journey.
After finally arriving home, Liumu spent the entire afternoon cleaning and organizing. It wasn't until evening that he finally had a moment to sit and rest.
Grumble…
Liumu glanced sideways, smiled, and got up to head out.
Wandering the familiar streets, looking at buildings that hadn't changed in a year, Liumu felt his spirits finally relax.
"Liumu?!"
A lovely voice suddenly called out. Liumu looked over to see Yuhi Kurenai, his former classmate from the Ninja Academy, standing at the entrance of a flower shop on the street.
"It really is you!"
Kurenai hurried over, her eyes examining him from head to toe. "You've gotten tanner. And taller," she said with a smile.
Liumu had a distinct impression of Yuhi Kurenai. Back at the Academy, she and Nohara Rin represented two extremes of beauty. Compared to Rin's gentle, introverted nature, Kurenai was a fiery little spitfire. With her wild, unconventional skills, she could hold her own with the boys and had secretly attracted the attention of many of them. Her personality could be summed up by a phrase from his past life: 'This girl's got some serious sass.'
Meeting again, they talked from dinner until late into the night. Through Kurenai, Liumu learned much about the changes among his classmates and within the village.
It seemed that after Liumu left with Jiraiya, Konoha's leadership had undertaken some major operations. Not only had village security been tightened, but numerous Jonin-level masters had been deployed on missions.
Their classmates from the Academy hadn't graduated yet. But after Kakashi and Liumu departed, Might Guy, greatly motivated, had begun training like a madman, pushing himself to the brink of self-destruction. As for Rin and a few other friends Liumu was close with, they were all making varying degrees of progress.
"Have you come back to take the Chunin Exams?"
The Chunin Exams were a major event in the village lately. Kurenai had guessed this was the reason for Liumu's return.
Liumu nodded. "Yes."
"Wow, really? That's amazing, Liumu!" Kurenai praised. "If you succeed, you'll set a new record for Konoha. A six-year-old Chunin… that would be unprecedented."
Liumu offered a faint smile but didn't comment.
He wasn't worried about the journey to the Land of Lightning. Although tensions between nations were high, during the Chunin Exam period, the major villages typically avoided causing trouble.
"By the way, what about Kakashi? Have you seen him recently?" Liumu suddenly thought of Kakashi, as he would also be a participant.
"I don't know about that," Kurenai replied. "But you could ask Guy. He's always pestering Kakashi."
Liumu nodded.
For the rest of their time together, Kurenai pestered Liumu for stories of the outside world, and he recounted the various strange things he'd encountered over the year.
Eventually, as it grew late—and as a girl, Kurenai had a strict curfew—they parted ways.
"Goodbye, Uncle Teuchi!"
Liumu waved and left the ramen shop. On his way home, his thoughts drifted to Kakashi's future, the tragedies that would befall him.
Lost in thought, he wandered aimlessly until he fully snapped back to reality and realized he was standing before the gates of the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, controlled by the Uchiha clan.
"Who goes there?"
Seeing Liumu's approach, a dark-eyed member of the Military Police stepped forward, making a gesture to check his identity.
Just then, a figure dropped down from the second floor of the building and extended a hand to stop the officer.
"He's just a child. Don't make a fuss."
Liumu looked at the man. He wore the red armband of the captaincy and had the distinctive tear troughs under his eyes. Liumu immediately recognized him: Uchiha Fugaku.
"Captain, we have orders to—"
"That's enough," Uchiha Fugaku cut him off sharply, shaking his head at the officer.
At this moment, Liumu felt a pang of awkwardness regarding the Uchiha clan. After all, a year ago, he'd destroyed a stone statue that was akin to a symbol of their faith.
"It's almost curfew. Hurry home," Uchiha Fugaku said, looking down at Liumu briefly before turning and walking back inside without another word.
Once home, Liumu washed up and lay on his familiar bed, hands behind his head, analyzing the current situation.
Due to Danzō's machinations, the Uchiha clan harbored deep resentment towards Konoha's higher-ups, feeling persecuted. As the respected captain of the clan, Uchiha Fugaku was an enigmatic figure, his true thoughts difficult for most to grasp.
The seeds of rebellion had long been sown within the Uchiha. In this matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, bore undeniable responsibility. After all, if he hadn't turned a blind eye, Danzō could never have pushed the Uchiha to such extremes.
"At this time, Itachi shouldn't have been born yet…"
Liumu muttered to himself. Even if the Uchiha clan were to be massacred, that event was at least a decade away. During that intervening period, Konoha would first have to endure the flames of the Third Great Ninja War.
(End of Chapter)
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