Chapter 38 — Temari Reads a Comic
When Chiyo and the others were in trouble, a figure suddenly appeared—Namikaze Minato, who had been concealing his identity.
"The acting Hokage is alive. Let them enter Konoha," he said, relaying Su Li's order.
Hearing Minato's words, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane exchanged uncertain glances.Lord Su Li actually agreed to let the Sand Shinobi enter Konoha?
They were the ones who had destroyed Konoha!
Not only were the two guards confused, even the Sand Shinobi delegation found the situation hard to understand. Judging by the hostility from Izumo and Kotetsu, they knew just how much resentment Konoha held toward them.
They had already been preparing to retreat—to return to Sunagakure and report what happened.But suddenly, they were allowed in?
And that title… "Acting Hokage"?
Does that mean Konoha hasn't appointed a new Hokage yet?
Chiyo frowned slightly. She had assumed that Jiraiya would have already become the Fifth Hokage.It seemed that wasn't the case.
"Welcome to Konoha," Minato said kindly, taking over as their escort after greeting Izumo and Kotetsu.
Despite knowing Sand had attacked Konoha, Minato—ever the "Little Sun"—maintained a warm, professional attitude. Of course, that courtesy only lasted as long as the Sand delegation truly came for peace talks.
"…"
Though Minato welcomed them, the Sand delegation's expressions were far from pleasant.After all, Baki had been defeated in seconds.
Half an hour later, Chiyo could only suppress her pride and nod. Led by Minato, the Sand Shinobi entered Konoha's gates.
Resentment of the Village
As they walked through the streets, villagers and shinobi alike stopped to stare.Their eyes burned with open hatred.
If not for the presence of Minato and the surrounding Anbu, a fight might already have broken out.
Even so, angry voices rose from the crowd:
"Bastards! How dare you show your faces in Konoha!""Those damn murderers!""Get out of Konoha!""Get out of Konoha!"
At first, it was chaos—then the chants grew unified, louder, sharper.
Minato motioned for the Anbu to disperse the crowd.As the Captain of Anbu directly under the Hokage, his calm voice carried authority.
"Please, don't mind them," he said politely. "Our Konoha welcomes friends."
Having lived through multiple Great Ninja Wars, both Chiyo and the late Baki had long grown accustomed to hatred.But for the younger generation—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro—the atmosphere felt heavier.They understood the cost of war more than anyone.
The group followed Minato for nearly ten minutes before arriving at an unfamiliar location—a manga reading area.
Rows of shelves were lined with comic volumes. Konoha shinobi sat around quietly, reading.
Chiyo blinked in confusion."Where… is this? Shouldn't we be heading to the Hokage Building?"
What was this strange place? Why were so many ninja reading comics?
"His Excellency is quite busy," Minato explained gently. "He asked me to have you wait here for now. You may read some comics to pass the time."
"Quite busy?"
Hearing that, Chiyo's suppressed anger flared again.
Busy?What could possibly be more important than peace negotiations between two great villages?
It felt less like diplomacy and more like humiliation.
Chiyo clenched her fists, wanting to storm out.But when she glanced back at Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro—still so young—her anger softened.
No matter how much this infuriated her, she couldn't risk another war.She could only swallow her pride.
If a second battle broke out, who knew how many of these children would survive?
"…I see. We'll wait here," Chiyo said at last.The words felt heavy, as though they had aged her by decades.
Minato, sensing her frustration, could only bow slightly.He understood her feelings but couldn't explain Su Li's intentions. Without another word, he turned and left.
The Waiting Room
After Minato departed, the Sand Shinobi delegation sat stiffly in silence.
They had come carrying the hopes of their entire village. Every minute mattered.But now—they were just… waiting.
At first, everyone tried to remain patient.But as time dragged on, and there was no sign of the acting Hokage, their unease grew.
The air turned tense, oppressive.
Temari and Kankuro could barely breathe under the weight of it.Finally, in an attempt to break the silence, Temari reached out and picked up a comic from the nearby shelf.
Her eyes landed on the title:
"Journey to the West: Princess Iron Fan."