Thanks to the "enthusiastic masses" brainstorming and contributing a plethora of ingenious ideas, Kakashi's Sharingan sealing jutsu ended up loaded with various "functional modules," some necessary, some… not so much. The so-called "self-destruct sequence," in particular, sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. As everyone knows, anything with a self-destruct sequence will eventually activate it. Otherwise, why design the function in the first place?
Fortunately, the person applying the seal to Kakashi was Kushina Uzumaki, the one aspect of this whole ordeal that gave him some measure of reassurance. A master of Uzumaki sealing techniques, a highly skilled expert in fuinjutsu – she wasn't prone to slip-ups.
Kushina even had to consider Kakashi's image. He needed to maintain his original "handsome" appearance; she couldn't just slap a poultice on his face. He was, after all, her precious student. If he became disfigured, wouldn't he be doomed to a life of bachelorhood?
In truth, Kushina was overthinking it. Whether Kakashi remained single had little to do with his face.
Anyway, because Kushina insisted on using a "trace-less mode" on Kakashi's face, two consequences arose. The good: the sealing formula around Kakashi's left eye wouldn't easily appear, leaving his face truly unmarked. The bad: Kushina even used a scalpel and eye-scooping knife during the sealing process, causing Kakashi some unnecessary pain.
The brutal scene of Kushina performing the jutsu even prompted some… peculiar comments from two unnamed individuals who were observing at the time.
Tenzo opened his mouth and said, "This could be considered a kind of castration… Don't get me wrong, I'm talking about the eye."
Habara shook his head. "Not quite. It's more like a vasectomy. Don't get me wrong, I'm talking about the eye, too… A Sharingan vasectomy. Sounds more fitting, doesn't it?"
Kakashi: "…"
In any case, a brand-new "eye-protection" seal was completed. It was perfect for Kakashi: ultra-thin, overnight use, no side leakage, and even had two usage phases.
If Habara's seal was considered a hydroelectric project, then Kakashi's seal was…
Unspeakable, unspeakable.
Based on historical precedent, Kakashi lay in the hospital for a week before being declared "recovered."
During this time, the Merit Evaluation Committee was still hard at work. Verifying the performance of over ten thousand ninjas across a decade-long war was no simple task.
The celebratory enthusiasm of the Konoha populace, however, had already waned. When you thought about it, Konoha wasn't exactly the victor of this war. So why were the people celebrating for so long? The Third Shinobi World War ended in a five-way loss; there was no winning nation.
The Merit Evaluation Committee's work remained unfinished, and it seemed unlikely to be completed anytime soon. Therefore, according to the village's schedule, other matters couldn't wait any longer.
On the day Kakashi was discharged from the hospital, Konoha first held a Jonin meeting. The Third Hokage announced the implementation of a medal system within the village. Since most of the Jonin had already received their medals in advance, the decision was passed without opposition.
The medals represented more than just honor; different ranks of medals would also be linked to the percentage of mission pay ninjas received. The village was still discussing the specifics of these benefits, and the Third Hokage hadn't made a concrete decision, but it was certain that ninjas holding high-ranking medals would receive more compensation when undertaking missions.
Honor was to be given, and benefits were to be provided. Only then could the medal system truly take root.
After the medal system passed smoothly through the Jonin meeting, specific announcements were posted on the "Village Council Bulletin Board" in front of the Hokage's office building that afternoon. Although these notices seemed somewhat informal, the system was officially implemented from that moment forward.
Habara was standing in front of the bulletin board. He wasn't reading the notices themselves; he knew their contents perfectly well. He was simply observing the reactions of the ninjas around him who were reading the announcements.
From what he overheard, it seemed the ninjas were receptive to this novel system. One person was talking about what kind of medal he might receive, while another was saying he had already received a certain medal.
As he listened, Habara realized that not everyone cared about so-called honor. A significant number of ninjas approved of the medal system because it represented the village's acknowledgment of their sacrifices and contributions during the war.
How many people truly sought only honor? Those ordinary ninjas often pondered if their meager strength had actually contributed anything to the war or to Konoha. Now, the village and the Hokage were explicitly telling them, "Yes, you did."
This recognition was truly invaluable.
Seeing this, Habara nodded silently and quietly walked away.
As he headed towards the small building not far away, he saw a group of ninjas approaching. They looked travel-worn and exhausted. Habara recalled the Third Hokage mentioning something at the meeting: the last squad of Konoha ninjas had withdrawn from the Land of Rice Fields and would be returning to Konoha today.
The war was truly over.
Habara's gaze swept over the squad, and he saw someone unexpected… Shisui Uchiha, and several other Uchiha ninjas.
Uchiha ninjas actually stayed on the battlefield until the very end? This was somewhat unbelievable. Normally, if the Uchiha were treated this way, they would surely accuse Konoha of "oppression and persecution." It wasn't that the Uchiha were petty, but rather, at this point in time, there was very little trust between them and Konoha.
Shisui Uchiha also noticed Habara by the roadside and gave him a slight nod.
Habara's expression became thoughtful.
"The Uchiha… The war may be over, but that doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing from here on out. Without strong external pressure, irreconcilable internal conflicts are likely to erupt."
Would there be another Uchiha Clan Uprising? Habara didn't know, but it wasn't really his concern… even though Shisui Uchiha seemed to be influenced by his shock therapy at the moment.
Ignoring this question, Habara continued walking. As he walked, he noticed a young female ninja consistently walking ahead of him. This female ninja… seemed familiar.
Familiar from his past life, though this was his first time seeing her in this one.
"Speaking of which, aside from the Uchiha, there's also that matter…"
Thinking this, Habara suddenly quickened his pace. Then, with lightning speed, he swiftly pulled down the back of the female ninja's collar, exposing her neck and a large portion of her back.
"Hey, you… Ah, sorry, wrong person."
Habara's swift action, immediate apology, and rapid escape before the other party could react were executed flawlessly, to the point where someone might question, "Why are you so practiced at this?"… Okay, Habara knew pulling down a woman's clothes in the middle of the street was impolite.
The female ninja, turning around abruptly, had a furious expression on her face. However, in the blink of an eye, the person behind her had vanished.
Habara definitely wasn't bored enough to do such a thing for no reason. This female ninja… was named Anko Mitarashi. She was Orochimaru's disciple. Habara was simply checking to see if she had been branded with Orochimaru's "Cursed Seal." He remembered that Orochimaru left Konoha soon after Anko received the Cursed Seal, or was it that Orochimaru gave Anko the Cursed Seal when he left Konoha?
Habara couldn't recall the specific details, but it was certain that these two events happened close together in time. Although Habara didn't know if Orochimaru would still defect from Konoha after learning that secret, Anko Mitarashi's Cursed Seal was, in any case, a significant marker.
Habara had just checked her neck and found no trace of the Cursed Seal.
Anko was still standing there, her expression shifting between red and white. At first, she was just angry, but soon, she felt a chill of fear.
She was a ninja, and she hadn't been off guard. Yet, that person had approached her silently. If he could pull down her clothes, he could just as easily slit her throat without a sound…
The streets were too dangerous. She needed to find Orochimaru immediately.
…
Three days later.
Habara woke up early that day. He was about to habitually reach for his "sword case" when he realized that, no matter what, he couldn't bring such a thing with him today.
Habara changed into a black outfit… Well, it couldn't be considered mourning clothes, but it roughly conveyed the sentiment… and then pinned his two medals to his chest.
Logically, wearing medals to a funeral felt off, out of place. But this was the "suggestion" given by the village, and if one really tried, a reasonable explanation could be found.
Today was the Fourth Hokage's official funeral.
Habara was fine; his two medals didn't take up much space and at least looked unobtrusive. But when he arrived at the funeral and saw Kakashi, it felt even more out of place… Kakashi had a row of medals pinned to his chest.
Was this supposed to be a report to his teacher in the "Pure Land?"
Then, Habara saw Kushina Uzumaki. How to put it… she didn't appear overwhelmingly sad, but she carried a certain indescribable aura.
Superficial sorrow is easily washed away by time.
Inner grief, however, only deepens with time, until it eventually spills outward.
Was the war truly over?
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