Uchiha Chapter 77: Return to the Village
For the third time, Gōenji stepped through the gates of Konoha.
Looking at the familiar scenery and bustling crowds, he felt a complicated mixture of emotions.
The more experiences he had, the deeper his connection to Konoha became. Little by little, that bond had grown stronger, and his carefree attitude of simply running away whenever trouble appeared had gradually disappeared.
Ryoma, Taku, Aburame Fūjin, Uchiha Shisui…
To Gōenji, the many comrades who had shared pieces of his life were proof that he was gradually forming genuine connections with the shinobi world.
Gōenji had never wanted to isolate himself from society.
What meaning would there be in living like that?
Humans were social creatures. Without interaction with others, survival itself would become difficult.
Besides…
If he really intended to rule the shinobi world in the future and reduce the number of wars, he would need plenty of like-minded people.
Or, more accurately, people capable of helping him accomplish that goal.
Gōenji really had begun thinking along those lines.
As his strength increased, so did the number of changes he wanted to make—especially after witnessing the cruelty of war firsthand.
Power gave people courage. There was a reason people said that those with ability dared to break the rules.
Once a person's strength reached a certain level, their mindset inevitably began to change.
Gōenji was no exception.
There had even been a time when he thought that perhaps it would be better to remain an ordinary person.
Keep a low profile.
Stay out of trouble until Naruto and the others eventually saved the world.
Then spend the rest of his life quietly enjoying himself.
That was the kind of life he had always wanted.
But once he realized that he was a member of the Uchiha Clan—and understood that such a peaceful existence was impossible—his goal had changed.
He would strengthen himself purely for the sake of survival.
He needed enough power to survive both Konoha's wars and the inevitable internal conflict within the village.
That had been his mindset back then.
Now, after spending an entire month contending with the Tsuchikage and witnessing more and more of the cruelty and death brought about by war, Gōenji's perspective had changed once again.
He was only fourteen years old, yet he already possessed enough strength to contend with the Tsuchikage.
According to the diagnosis he'd received at the shinobi hospital, he still had two more years before reaching his physical prime.
By then, his strength would far surpass what it was now.
He didn't even know how powerful he would eventually become.
But judging from his current rate of growth, there was no doubt that his future strength wouldn't be insignificant.
After all, he could already fight the Tsuchikage.
By then, defeating Uchiha Madara might be as easy as reaching into his pocket.
Then he could gather his comrades, begin conquering the world, and unify it.
"Of course, that's something to worry about later."
Gōenji curled his lips.
"Right now, I should rest, continue studying, and work hard to become stronger. I'll become the strongest person in the world—even without the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Ultimately, he still had to return to reality.
Dreams could wait.
There was always the possibility that he would eventually encounter a bottleneck in his growth. If that happened, he'd have to overcome it step by step.
After leading the returning shinobi team through the necessary registration procedures, Gōenji assigned them duties based on their condition and the team's needs, allowing those who were healthy enough to take charge of the various duties.
He personally escorted the remaining wounded to Konoha Hospital and arranged treatment for them one by one.
When he arrived at the hospital, he found it overflowing with patients.
The wounded had even spilled out into the corridors, while medical personnel hurried from one patient to another.
And yet, everything remained orderly.
"Gōenji! I heard you held off the Tsuchikage for an entire month. That's incredible."
A man completely wrapped in bandages suddenly spoke to him.
Gōenji narrowed his eyes and looked him over carefully.
"Tekka?"
"Cough! During the fighting against the Mist Village, I was surrounded by a large number of enemies and got injured. But it's nothing serious. I'm an Uchiha. A few injuries like these don't mean anything."
Uchiha Tekka coughed dryly as he spoke.
Yet the astonishment in his eyes was impossible to hide.
In barely half a year, Gōenji had grown to such a level that he could actually fight the Tsuchikage.
He truly deserved to bear the name of the Uchiha Clan.
"Is that so?"
Gōenji looked him up and down.
"But you really do need to improve. You actually allowed yourself to get surrounded by the enemy. Be more careful next time. You might not be so lucky."
His words were blunt.
His words immediately struck at Tekka's confidence.
The Uchiha Clan's arrogance was far too widespread, and Tekka was no exception.
Gōenji wanted to temper that pride now, so Tekka would be easier to control when the right opportunity eventually arose.
As expected, Uchiha Tekka immediately fell silent.
Whether being injured by the enemy or allowing himself to be surrounded without noticing, both were humiliating to him.
I absolutely won't make the same mistake again.
That was the only thought he could cling to.
Gōenji nodded.
"By the way, what about Inabi and Yashiro? They didn't die, did they?"
"How could they?"
Tekka shook his head.
"Inabi is still fighting on the front lines. Because of the Battle of Mount Kikyo, Konoha doesn't have enough manpower for internal patrols, so Yashiro joined the Uchiha Police Force. I imagine you'll be assigned there too once you return."
Gōenji was surprised.
"What? Konoha's internal defenses have really been reduced to this point? They need someone like me, who can immediately enter battle, to return from the front lines and defend the village against enemy infiltration?"
Has Konoha really become this desperate?
It seemed the Battle of Mount Kikyo had been an incredibly costly victory for Konoha.
One had to understand that Gōenji was currently an important combat asset on the front lines.
Keeping him in Konoha was hardly beneficial to the war effort.
After all, his abilities were obvious to everyone, and he could contribute far more on the battlefield.
If Konoha had no choice but to keep him behind to protect the village, then its shortage of manpower must have reached a truly serious level.
At the same time, Gōenji wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, in the anime, by the latter stages of the Third Shinobi World War, every major shinobi village was already stretched to the breaking point.
Konoha happened to destroy Iwagakure's logistical supply line at the Kannabi Bridge, which pushed the Third Shinobi World War into a period of de-escalation and eventually brought the war to an end.
Although Gōenji had become involved in the fighting, the losses naturally wouldn't be quite as catastrophic as they had been in the anime.
But they certainly weren't insignificant.
All he had done was keep the Tsuchikage and Akatsuchi occupied.
That had nothing to do with the other battles.
And although Ōnoki was an old fox who was extremely cunning, that didn't mean the other Iwagakure commanders were incompetent.
Their decisions could still lead to unexpected developments.
Gōenji would only be able to determine what had really happened after he obtained the complete intelligence regarding the Battle of Mount Kikyo.
For now, his mission was complete.
Once he reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, if there were no additional assignments, he would be free.
He could finally go home and have a proper rest.
"Yeah. The losses from the Battle of Mount Kikyo were far beyond anything you can imagine."
Thinking about the fighting on the front lines, Tekka couldn't help but sigh.
"This was the greatest loss Konoha has suffered since the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War. Only the Hokage knows the exact number of casualties."
The four great shinobi villages had mobilized their forces simultaneously, leaving Konoha practically surrounded.
If not for Lord Orochimaru's overwhelming combat strength and command ability, along with Minato Namikaze's unexpected assault that bought Konoha a brief chance to breathe, the enemy might already have reached the village gates.
Mount Kikyo wasn't exactly close to Konoha.
Hearing this, Gōenji nodded.
It seemed his guess had been correct.
Konoha had indeed suffered tremendous losses.