Chapter 226 Naruto's Abnormality
Uchiha Touko took out the ring from the box. The ring resembled a thumb ring, so he put it on his right thumb and channeled some chakra into it, essentially registering an account on the Akatsuki's video conferencing software.
"Mr. Pain, you're very kind," Uchiha Touko nodded and smiled.
"It's all for the long-term peace of the ninja world," Nagato said. "Then, we'll be returning to the Land of Rain tomorrow. The Hokage will likely be very busy these next few days, so we won't disturb you any longer
." "Alright, thank you for taking good care of Deidara," Uchiha Touko said.
The next day, Nagato and Konan led the delegation from the Land of Rain who had come to participate in the Chunin Exams back to the Land of Rain. Uchiha Touko began to formally handle the aftermath of the military conflict.
The first event was the public memorial ceremony held at the Konoha Heroes' Memorial.
That morning, Uchiha Touko and the Third Hokage both attended the ceremony wearing specially made black suits.
As the current Hokage, Uchiha Touko's presiding over this ceremony was perfectly normal. As for the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, everyone had sacrificed so much to save his grandson, so Hiruzen solemnly attended the ceremony with Konohamaru.
Meanwhile, the heads of the various ninja clans in the village all donned black formal attire and arrived at the scene. Even Naruto, who had been confined to his home since being sent back to the village by Deidara, wore a black suit embroidered with the Uzumaki clan crest early this morning and came to the Konoha Heroes' Memorial.
Naruto looked solemn, his usual cheerful demeanor completely gone.
Sasuke and Neji, as the young heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans respectively, who also attended the ceremony, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Naruto. For the past two days, Naruto had remained secluded, refusing to respond even when Hinata tried to contact him, causing them great concern. Seeing Naruto at the memorial ceremony brought them some relief.
Although it was clearly not the right time for conversation, the two exchanged glances with Naruto and then took their places, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
A short while later, Uchiha Touko, dressed in a black haori, slowly walked to the front of the stage. Upon reaching the stage, he did not speak immediately, and the ninjas and civilians attending the ceremony below remained silent as well.
After a three-minute silence, Uchiha Touko turned and glanced at the Konoha Heroes Monument behind him before slowly speaking:
"Four hundred and seventy-nine names." Uchiha Touko's tone was heavy. "These are not cold numbers, but four hundred and seventy-nine once vibrant lives, four hundred and seventy-nine burning wills to protect Konoha, comrades-in-arms who fought side by side, neighbors who helped each other, a father who was the pillar of a family, a mother who was gentle to a child, a proud child and grandchildren to an elderly person... It is you, all of you here, the void in your hearts that can never be filled."
Uchiha Touko's gaze slowly swept over the people standing solemnly below the stage, passing over the faces that were trying to hold back tears, the clenched fists, and the children's innocent yet sorrowful eyes.
"Just three days ago, the Hidden Cloud Village's conspiracy shattered the tranquility of peace. The flames of war once again mercilessly scorched the peace we cherished. We were forced to take up arms, not to conquer and plunder, but to protect—to protect the future represented by the Will of Fire."
"Fortunately, Konoha achieved final victory."
"But this victory came at a heavy price. These 479 comrades, with their most precious lives, built an insurmountable wall for Konoha's future! Their blood stained the banner of victory! Their souls became the cornerstone of Konoha's protection!"
Uchiha Touko's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Konoha resident present. Naruto raised his head, gazing thoughtfully at the Konoha Heroes Monument behind Uchiha Touko.
"The price of victory is too heavy. This weight will forever weigh on my heart, and on the shoulders of all the living. The names of these 479 heroic spirits will not only be engraved on cold stone tablets, but will also be etched into the depths of the souls of every one of us who are alive! Their sacrifice is the most severe test for us: Do we deserve the respite they bought with their lives? Are we strong enough, united enough, and wise enough to protect everything they defended with their lives?"
"The dead are gone, but the living remain. Endless grief and sorrow are our right at this moment. But to wallow in grief is the greatest betrayal of the departed! They fell so that we could continue forward, so that the fire of Konoha could burn even brighter!"
"So, stand up! Fellow countrymen of Konoha! Wipe away your tears, grasp the kunai and hope in your hands! Inherit their will, shoulder their dreams! Let the light of these 479 heroic spirits guide our path forward!"
Uchiha Touko suddenly turned around, faced the monument again, and bowed almost at the waist, remaining there for a long time.
When Uchiha Touko straightened up again, his face was filled with an unwavering resolve.
"In the name of the Fifth Hokage, I hereby declare:"
These 479 warriors are heroes of Konoha! Their names and deeds will be forever etched in Konoha's history! Their souls will forever remain with Konoha, and with the inextinguishable will of fire!
May their souls rest in peace. Konoha will remember your sacrifice! We will inherit your will! Where Konoha dances, the fire will burn eternally! We will continue to illuminate the new seedlings and protect this village—until the very end! "
As Uchiha Touko's words fell, the scene fell into another three minutes of silence.
Three minutes later, everyone present raised their heads, solemnly gazing at the Konoha Heroes Monument before them.
After Uchiha Touko finished speaking, he placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the Konoha Heroes Monument and then bowed again.
Behind him, Sarutobi Hiruzen followed closely with Konohamaru, bowing and offering flowers. Konohamaru even knelt down and performed the kowtow.
After waking up, Konohamaru learned the price Konoha had paid to rescue him from Kumogakure. From that day on, the boy seemed to have grown up overnight, his body..." Having just recovered a little, he immediately sought advice from his grandfather on how to become stronger.
Following him, the heads of the various ninja clans arrived at the monument in turn, bowing and offering flowers.
The commoners who had come to participate in the ceremony also stepped forward.
The entire ceremony lasted for the entire morning, and it wasn't until noon that the crowd in front of the monument slowly dispersed.
For the villagers, the incident was almost over, but for Uchiha Touko, it was just the beginning.
Just moments before, the Fire Country's court had received a document from the Lightning Country's officials. The Lightning Country's daimyo, in strong terms, accused Uchiha Touko of disregarding peace and attempting to instigate war between the two countries, and further... The document demanded that Uchiha Touko immediately release the detained Kumogakure ninja, otherwise, if war broke out between the two countries, he, Uchiha Touko, would be the greatest war criminal who disrupted the peace of the ninja world!
Although the shamelessness of the Daimyo and officials of the Land of Lightning was notorious throughout the ninja world, Uchiha Touko couldn't help but laugh in anger upon seeing the document. Konoha was clearly the victor in this military conflict; how dare these barbarians of the Land of Lightning call him a war criminal!
Of course, the ministers of the Land of Fire would not stand idly by while their respected Grand Minister of State was humiliated, and immediately drafted an even more scathing document and sent it back.
Uchiha Touko knew that this pointless war of words between the two sides would probably continue until... They will only formally begin prisoner exchange negotiations after A truly regains consciousness. However, A was first turned to charcoal by Uchiha Toukoku, then lost an arm in an explosion, and finally had to endure damage from the Heavenly Delivery Technique. It's estimated that it will take at least ten days to two weeks for him to regain consciousness.
Therefore, for Uchiha Toukoku, the most important thing now is to ensure the proper distribution of compensation for the fallen soldiers.
In order to further strengthen the cohesion of the village's ninja and prepare for the upcoming institutional reforms, Uchiha Toukoku plans to personally distribute the compensation door-to-door. Therefore, Uchiha Toukoku will likely be extremely busy for the foreseeable future.
...
The crowd attending the memorial ceremony gradually dispersed, but at this moment, Naruto arrived at the Konoha Heroes Memorial Monument. He silently gazed at the reliefs on the stone tablet, recording the major events in Konoha's history since its founding, from the establishment of Konoha by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to his father's sacrifice in sealing the Nine-Tails. Below these reliefs were the names of countless ninjas who had sacrificed themselves for Konoha.
Naruto reached out and touched the names, feeling the texture of the stone, his expression dazed.
Since returning from the battlefield, Naruto's heart had never been at peace.
Although his teacher had taught him the true nature of war from a young age... The fact that the people of the Land of Fire had been living better and better over the years told him that Konoha was on the right path. However, in the past few days, a voice in his subconscious seemed to be constantly telling him that chakra should not be a tool of war, but a bridge for mutual understanding between people. Only in this way could the ninja world achieve true peace.
However, the values he had formed from the education he received from Uchiha Touko since childhood made it difficult for him to accept this. Therefore, Naruto's thoughts had been very chaotic these past few days, to the point that he was even awakened from his sleep by that subconscious voice.
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(End of this chapter)