Chapter 214: Return

The battle had come to an end, and as Rock Lee relaxed on the side, he suddenly seemed to think of something and turned to ask Iruka, "Teacher Iruka, who do you think our new companion will be?"

Excitement filled Naruto upon hearing about a new teammate. He eagerly asked, "Is it Sakura-chan?"

"If it's Sakura, that would be great! If she finds out I'm a ninja now, she'll definitely..."

As Naruto spoke, he began fantasizing about Sakura's admiration and surprise upon seeing him.

Even Sasuke, who usually maintained a cool demeanor, let his mind wander. He thought about his parents and clan members, but intentionally avoided thinking about the one who slaughtered his entire clan.

Observing his students lost in their thoughts, Iruka squatted down and asked, "Lee, if it were up to you, who would you most want to join us this time?"

After a moment's contemplation, Rock Lee replied, "It would be excellent if Master Guy could come, so he could train with me. Of course, having Tenten and Neji here every day would also be wonderful."

Iruka sighed inwardly, realizing that he couldn't train with Lee and, in fact, wasn't even a match for him. He chose not to address Lee's later words and turned his attention to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, who do you hope the new companion will be?"

Sasuke's expression remained firm as he answered, "I hope it's a member of my clan. As long as it's not that guy, I'd be happy with any clan member joining us."

Iruka looked at Sasuke with a trace of pity. His heart ached for this student who had experienced such tragedy at a young age, especially at the hands of his own brother.

Next, Iruka turned to Naruto, curious about his expectations. "Naruto, who do you most want to join us?"

Naruto, with a fiery look in his eyes, replied confidently, "I hope Charles-sama brings my mom and dad. Even though I've never seen them and don't know who they are, I believe in Charles-sama's abilities. He should be able to do it!"

Iruka, hearing Naruto's response, was briefly stunned. He had expected Naruto to mention Sakura or someone related to love, not his parents. 

Iruka reached out and gently patted Naruto's head, feeling a sense of empathy for the lonely child. Naruto's dreams and curiosity about his own origins tugged at Iruka's heartstrings.

Iruka addressed the three students, "I hope that in the days to come, each of you will be able to reunite with your loved ones."

"I hope to see the companion we're expecting."

"However, for the one coming this time, let me make a bold speculation."

"Since Charles-sama said it's a companion, it might be someone we know. Considering that last time it was a Jonin, maybe this time the ninja who comes will also be a Jonin."

"As for who exactly it is, we'll find out after we return tomorrow."

Hearing Iruka admit he doesn't know either, Naruto couldn't help but shout, "Iruka-sensei, we all said who we most hope will come; you should say too!"

Iruka, faced with Naruto's insistence, sighed but eventually agreed, "Fine, I'll share my hopes with you."

After a moment of contemplation, Iruka began recalling who he would most want to join them. 

He thought about classmates from his time, his parents who died in the Nine-Tails incident, and even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had guided him through life.

"Regardless of who comes this time, I will be happy. All of those are my expectations. Of course, what I hope for the most is a powerful companion who can assist Charles-sama."

Hearing Iruka's official-sounding response, the three were dissatisfied and exchanged glances.

At this moment, the ten werewolves Iruka had assigned to clean the battlefield returned to the hall one by one and gathered in front of him.

"Lord Iruka, these are the blood cores I've collected."

Each werewolf handed over the blood cores they had collected to Iruka. Along with Marcus's, there were a total of 89 blood cores.

Apparently, when Viktor was in the werewolf base earlier, he took away most of the vampires. So, the number of vampires gathered in the castle was not very large.

After accepting the blood cores, Iruka nodded in satisfaction, wondering if these blood cores could bring a new companion.

Just as Iruka was uncertain, the cleanup team from the London Continental Hotel arrived with several cars.

The leader of the cleaning team from the London Continental Hotel was named Cassell. He approached Iruka, respectfully bowed, and greeted, "Lord Iruka!"

Iruka took out his Adjudicator Coin, handed it to Cassell, who checked it to ensure it was genuine, and then returned it to Iruka. Cassell then shouted to his subordinates, "Let's get to work."

Ten or so cleaners, armed with tools, began packaging the corpses and cleaning the bloodstains and debris on the ground.

At this moment, Selene finally woke up and, seeing the people in the room and the busy cleanup team, approached Iruka.

"Lord Iruka, I have gained all of Marcus's memories!"

Seeing Selene quickly obtain the memories this time, Iruka was somewhat surprised.

"Viktor and Marcus's blood not only gave me their memories but also enhanced my strength to some extent."

Apparently, Selene also noticed Iruka's doubts and explained.

Iruka nodded and then said, "Since the vampires on this side have been cleared, organize the belongings here. Leave the castle intact; maybe we can attract more vampires. I believe in London, apart from the vampires gathered in the castle, there must be vampires elsewhere."

Selene nodded, "Understood, Iruka-sama!"

Iruka looked at everyone and continued, "Let's return to the continental hotel. We'll take advantage of the night and charter a plane straight back to New York!"

"As for handling the other vampires, we'll follow Charles-sama's arrangements after returning to headquarters."

"Yes!"

With Iruka's orders, everyone left the vampire castle, leaving the cleanup team to handle the scene.