The meeting dispersed, and the delegations from every other village withdrew at remarkable speed. Each one of them seemed desperate to hurry home and take back command before their villages slipped into chaos. Only the Konoha group…
"Tsunade-hime, are we really not heading back yet? The village needs us to steady the situation, right?"
Minato scratched his head, genuinely confused.
He had originally intended to teleport Tsunade home with Flying Thunder God, but Tsunade waved him off—saying they should first stroll around the capital of the Land of Iron—and Minato had believed her.
After one casual stroll, Tsunade sat herself down in a nearby izakaya.
"What are you rushing for? Does it look like Kyoichi or your teacher are in a hurry? Lord Third finally gets to be Hokage again—let him enjoy it for once. Don't kill a man's spirit, understand?"
She raised an eyebrow and lifted her cup toward him.
Minato had no choice but to drink with her.
After a few generous mouthfuls, Tsunade turned toward the street outside, a faint smile at her lips just as Kyoichi, Jiraiya, and Nagato stepped inside.
"Tsunade, that's not very nice of you. Drinking without me? How could you?"
Jiraiya grinned shamelessly.
Tsunade couldn't be bothered to answer. She had prepared five bowls—no one needed to ask for whom.
Jiraiya poured himself a full serving the moment he sat.
Kyoichi sat down quietly, amused. Was the wine really that good?
If Jiraiya thought he was getting a free drink from Tsunade, he'd better be ready to pay for it later.
Still, Kyoichi didn't expose him and casually poured himself some too.
"You too…?"
"Minato, we've been on edge for so long. We finally won. Sit down and relax for a moment. Speaking of which—you've been with Kushina for so long. When are you two planning on having a kid?"
"C-cough! Well, that's not really up to us. It'd be great if we did, but it's not something we can force. And for Kushina… childbirth is dangerous."
Minato rubbed his head awkwardly.
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Kushina was weakest during childbirth, when her chakra control dropped. It was an extremely risky event—more so than for any normal woman. Minato had never fixated on having children.
Tsunade smiled faintly.
"That was before. Now that Konoha is strong, no one would dare cause trouble. And since Madara is truly dead, Kushina doesn't need to worry. If there are any… issues, she can come find me."
"T-Tsunade-hime! Th-there are definitely no such issues!"
Minato's face burned red.
Fortunately, it was all Konoha people here. Even Nagato—though unfamiliar—was technically a kind of clan-relative to Kushina and had trained alongside Minato.
"Hahaha, I'm teasing you! Someone like you definitely has no problem!"
Tsunade slapped his shoulder.
Jiraiya let out a nostalgic sigh beside them.
"To be honest, sometimes I still feel young. But seeing all of you entering the age of having kids… I realize we've gotten old."
"…Don't include me."
Tsunade's voice turned icy.
Kyoichi silently lit a candle for Jiraiya in his heart.
He should thank his lucky stars Tsunade was in a good mood today—or the table, the sake, and Jiraiya himself might not survive her fist.
For a woman, age was the ultimate taboo.
Jiraiya realized a moment too late that he'd stepped on a landmine. He hurried to apologize to avoid getting punched.
Normally he'd accept a beating, but not in front of Minato and Nagato. Too embarrassing.
They ate and drank to their hearts' content.
Tsunade, lightly tipsy, leaned on Kyoichi's shoulder… only to push him away a moment later and brace herself on the table as she stood.
"Time to head back. Unless you all want to wander around the Land of Iron even more."
"Let's go back. Judging from Minato's face, he's probably dying to teleport home already."
Kyoichi wasn't joking.
Minato's expression screamed "I want to go home right now."
If they stayed any longer, he'd likely excuse himself and leave them behind.
Kyoichi wouldn't mind being left alone—but if Minato left early, Kyoichi would end up escorting more people back.
"…Honestly, I do want to go home. I've been gone almost a month. Hunting Madara nonstop… I haven't had any time to be with Kushina."
Minato admitted openly.
Jiraiya glanced at Nagato, then chuckled.
"Well, Nagato and I have decided to travel the shinobi world together. We're not going back with you. Minato—if you do end up having a kid, send me a message."
"…Sensei—fine. I'll send word to both you and Nagato."
Minato sighed.
Why was everyone like this?
They said their goodbyes. With Jiraiya and Nagato leaving separately, Kyoichi's escort duty suddenly became simpler.
Minato exchanged a glance with him.
"I can take her—"
Kyoichi grabbed Tsunade's shoulder gently. She stiffened, then relaxed.
He had intended to teleport them home… but after a moment's thought:
"If we all leave now, no one will remain to coordinate the retreat. Minato, you go first. We'll travel back with the main forces."
"…Alright."
Minato agreed after a moment's hesitation.
Konoha did need someone competent on hand.
The Third Hokage was elderly, and Anbu had been understaffed—Gekkó Hayate had been single-handedly running most of their operations in Minato's absence.
Minato wasn't comfortable leaving the village unattended.
A moment later, Minato vanished with Flying Thunder God.
Kyoichi escorted Tsunade around the capital for a while. Once she sobered up, he brought her back to join Konoha's troops.
The Konoha force had already returned to the Land of Fire—but they were still some distance from the village.
The journey home should have taken only a day, but they constantly stopped to rest, chat, or lecture along the way.
Their leisurely pace stretched the trip into three to four days.
When they finally returned to the village, the look on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face…
If Tsunade had been the one wearing that expression, the table in front of her would not have survived.
In that sense, the Third Hokage's temper was much better than hers. He only scowled instead of exploding, and most of the work had already been handled—only a few new tasks remained.
Even Tsunade felt a tinge of embarrassment.
The very next day, Hiruzen returned to his actual job as academy headmaster.
Being Hokage again for a short while had been nostalgic—but since Tsunade was the rightful Hokage, he had no reason to interfere. Besides, the academy had its own pile of responsibilities.
Tsunade was disappointed.
With Hiruzen gone, she had no choice but to resume working herself.
Such a good tool man… gone.
Kyoichi's carefree days also ended. Orochimaru hunted him down almost immediately with a mountain of research tasks to tackle together.
Thankfully, Minato hadn't abandoned his own responsibilities—he remained in charge of Anbu.
The workload wasn't even heavy; Kyoichi still had free time to spend with his wife—far easier than going on missions.
The Uchiha clan, too, had settled down completely now that Madara was truly dead.
Of course…
Some things would not change just because the war ended—such as the rising popularity and influence of Inahori and Shisui among the younger generation, a trend even Fugaku was powerless to reverse.
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