60. Ishigami Hara's Toughness

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The return journey was smooth, and there were no accidents. Because there were wounded in the team, it took almost half a month to reach the destination.

It was early autumn when they set out, and late autumn when they returned. In more than a month, some things had not changed, such as Konoha, which was still the same as when Ishigami Hara left, with towering city gates and noisy crowds.

But some things had changed, such as Ishigami Hara's identity. When he left, he was just an ordinary Genin, but when he returned, he had brought a good prestige. Even though he was still a teenager, no one would ignore his existence.

The crowd surged out of the gate, and countless Konoha residents gathered here to celebrate the return of the heroes. There was laughter, but also sadness.

When the ashes of the dead were brought back, the grief of relatives and friends was beyond words, and the sound of wailing rang out, which soon stained the joyful atmosphere with a touch of sadness.

Fortunately, this situation did not last long. Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen walked out of the crowd, looked at the returnees with a smile on his face, and began his performance.

Perhaps it was a true expression of emotion, or it might be intentional, Sarutobi Hiruzen said a lot.

"Welcome back, heroes of Konoha. It is your dedication that allows everyone to enjoy peace and tranquility. You are the leaves that make up the big tree of the village, and you use your body to block the wind and rain for everyone..."

Everyone listened, all with a moved look. Many wounded were excited, and they wished they could kill for Konoha on the battlefield again.

Ishigami Hara did not have much resentment towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, because he knew very well that Sarutobi Hiruzen's arrangement for him was just doing things that were in line with the status of a superior.

If he were Sarutobi Hiruzen, without the system and many bloodlines, he would probably make the same choice.

The power that cannot be controlled will make the superior vigilant no matter which world it is placed in, and the same is true for the ninja world.

The only difference is that Ishigami Hara did not think of standing against Sarutobi Hiruzen. On the contrary, he admired this Hokage. He was not lacking in skills, and at the same time, he could keep a kind side to the outside world. This is not something that ordinary people can do. (T/N: Admiration in how he works, not the person)

And the most important thing is that Sarutobi Hiruzen was ordered to take over the responsibility of Hokage on the battlefield and stabilized Konoha Village in the midst of the storm and continued to prosper.

Say he is kind or hypocritical, it is rare for a normal ninja who is not from a bloodline ninja clan and is not a descendant of Ōtsutsuki to be able to do this.

However, this does not mean that Ishigami Hara will be manipulated by others.

With a smile, listening to Sarutobi Hiruzen's theory of the Will of Fire, Ishigami Hara also made comments in his heart.

The theory of the Will of Fire was just that in Ishigami Hara's eyes. It was nothing more than a means to unite the forces of Konoha. However, in the ninja world, this theory was considered advanced. At least it could be recognized by everyone in Konoha and was very useful.

Ishigami Hara never thought of changing this theory. On the contrary, being in Konoha, supporting this theory was also a kind of correctness, which could provide Ishigami Hara with a lot of convenience.

"Hara!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen came to Ishigami Hara, patted his shoulder with his hand, and his face was full of encouragement and admiration.

"You did a good job, showing your potential and talent. You are the hero of the leaf."

Ishigami Hara bowed slightly and smiled. "You are too flattering, Hokage-sama, I just did what I should do, it's nothing."

As he spoke, Ishigami Hara glanced at the two consultants behind him with expressionless faces, and Shimura Danzō was not present.

Tsunade on the side was a little impatient and said, "Don't stand here, old man."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not surprised to hear that, but sighed and said to Tsunade, "I'm glad you're back."

"Che~."

Tsunade turned her head and ignored it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't feel embarrassed, and seemed to have liked Tsunade's attitude for a long time.

Ishigami Hara knew why Tsunade was like that, and it was related to Nawaki, because of what happened to Nawaki when he went to the battlefield. Tsunade had naturally thought about it. If there was evidence, Tsunade would dare to turn against him on the spot.

So in this case, even if the incident had nothing to do with Sarutobi Hiruzen, as a Hokage, it was his fault for this incident, and Tsunade's attitude was obvious.

Nawaki was embarrassed on the side, but he didn't dare to say anything. He knew his sister's temper too well.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Anyway, welcome home."

The returning team entered the village amidst the welcome of the crowd.

Tsunade, as the leader, took Ishigami Hara and Nawaki to the Hokage building.

As for the Four Tails Jinchūriki who was brought back as a captive, he had long been accepted by the Anbu.

It was not something Ishigami Hara needed to worry about where he was taken.

In the Hokage's office, Ishigami Hara saw Shimura Danzō, sitting on a sofa on one side, with his eyes slightly closed, as if he was taking a nap, but Ishigami Hara could sense the gaze from the other person under his eyelids.

"Old man, I need an explanation."

Tsunade took the lead.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also had a serious expression, and of course, he knew what Tsunade was referring to.

"Anbu has already found out that the information leaked when Nawaki left the village was because of a traitor in the village, so this is my responsibility as the Hokage."

Nawaki scratched his head and hurriedly said, "It's nothing, Hokage-sama."

"Heh, who is that traitor?" Tsunade asked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "It's a Chūnin, born a commoner."

"How could a Chūnin know the information about Nawaki?" Tsunade asked.

...

"Hah..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and did not answer.

At this time, Shimura Danzō, who was sitting next to him, said, "The traitor is called Ekin, his father is Ryotaro, and his former name was Kaishin Ryotaro."

"What, Ekin-kun?"

Nawaki was startled, a little bit unbelievable, and subconsciously said, "How could Ekin-kun be a traitor? He obviously taught me a lot of things, and... and his father is a hero of the village!"

Shimura Danzō still had that indifferent look, and said calmly, "Nothing is impossible. People will change, and it is indeed a bit unexpected that he would become a traitor, but this is reality."

"Why, why did he do this?" Nawaki couldn't accept it.

"Out of anger, or unwillingness. Anyway, you can bear the name of Senju, but he can only be a civilian. Maybe this is something that he found difficult to accept," Shimura Danzō said.

"Okay."

Tsunade suddenly spoke, stopping Nawaki, who was about to speak again, and staring at Shimura Danzō, she said, "That's it."

Shimura Danzō remained silent and did not speak again.

Ishigami Hara glanced at the scene. Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, the other two consultants looked calm, and the atmosphere in the Hokage office seemed solemn for a while.

"Hara."

It was Sarutobi Hiruzen who took the initiative to speak and broke the silence.

Ishigami Hara bowed slightly.

"From now on, your level will be promoted to Jōnin. In addition, you will enter Anbu and serve as a small captain."

This was the arrangement for Ishigami Hara's next work. As for the promotion to Jōnin, Hokage had the authority to do so, and given the wartime situation, it could be considered a special circumstance.

But Ishigami Hara's response would make the faces of several people present change slightly, especially the two consultants.

"I'm sorry, Hokage. I promised Nawaki to teach him Wood Release. Besides, I have some gains from the battlefield that need to be sorted out, and I am afraid that I will not be able to undertake other tasks in the short term."

Utatane Koharu's voice became stern, "Do you know what you are saying, Ishigami Hara? As a ninja, you refuse the order of the Hokage. Have you forgotten the ninja code?"

Ishigami Hara's expression remained calm, and he turned his head to stare at the advisor, his tone equally composed.

"Advisor, I am just stating a fact. Ninjas are not tools for your hands."

"You!"

Utatane Koharu's face suddenly changed, and he immediately scolded, but the next moment his voice stopped abruptly.

It was because Ishigami Hara just looked at him quietly, his left eye turning into a white eye, and his right eye blood red with three black magatama.

"Is this the truth that Master Mito taught me, or do you not agree with it, 'Elder'?"