As time passed, the pleasant autumn gradually drew to a close, and even the Land of Fire, the most fertile land on the entire continent, inevitably grew colder.
However, amidst these biting winds, the gates of Konoha were bustling with people.
People gathered on both sides of the main road leading from the gate to the Hokage Building, a dense crowd silently looking forward.
As the warm sunlight cast down from the clear sky, it illuminated faces filled with excitement and anticipation: there were Konoha Ninja who remained in the Village, children who had not yet graduated from the Ninja Academy, but even more were Konoha Villagers... Today was the day of the Konoha Ninja army's triumphant return.
After signing the peace treaty, another half a month passed, and Hidden Cloud Village finally gathered its first installment of reparations.
As agreed, Konoha also began to withdraw its troops under the command of Senju Mori.
Ultimately, only about three hundred regular defense forces were left at the Land of Fire border, replacing the original border defense units that participated in the great war, and all other Ninja returned to Konohagakure.
When that figure finally appeared at the end of their vision, the long-accumulated cheers erupted, sweeping through all of Konoha like a tsunami.
"It's Hokage-sama!"
"Third Hokage has returned!"
The leader was none other than the Third Hokage, Senju Mori.
He wore his iconic Hokage hat and walked steadily at the very front; beneath his flowing sacred robe, he wore the scarlet armor he had worn when he set off for war.
Senju Mori's expression was calm; he did not deliberately release any aura, but simply looked peacefully at the villagers on both sides.
But everyone who saw him felt that Hokage-sama seemed more majestic than they remembered, and also more trustworthy.
Following behind Senju Mori were many high-ranking officials of Konohagakure.
Advisor Nara Shikatsune, Advisor Hiruzen Sarutobi, Uchiha Clan Head Uchiha Isshin, Senju Clan elite Jonin Senju Soji... Like Senju Mori at the very front, these high-ranking Village officials all maintained solemn expressions.
Because behind Senju Mori and the others was a line of stretchers steadily carried by Konoha Ninja, and on each stretcher lay a silent body covered by a white cloth.
The cheers died down at this moment, replaced by heavy silence and sporadic gasps; the joy of victory and the weight of sacrifice intertwined complexly in everyone's hearts.
Although Konoha had achieved ultimate victory, war was still war, and injuries and deaths were ultimately unavoidable.
But after a brief period of sadness, there was a sight that made everyone gasp, followed by even louder cheers.
Heavy carriages rolled in, laden with various scrolls of all sizes; the large ones were sealing scrolls used to store supplies, while the smaller ones were Ninjutsu scrolls treasured by Kumogakure.
At the end of the procession were over a thousand Konoha Ninja with high morale and sharp eyes.
Senju Mori walked forward, quickly arriving at the Hokage Building at the end of the road.
When his figure appeared on the rooftop of the Hokage Building, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and the previously noisy atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
Senju Mori looked down at Konoha below, and his voice, amplified by Chakra, clearly spread throughout the entire area.
"Fellow Konoha citizens, we have won!"
After a brief silence, there was a roar of cheers like a mountain and a tsunami.
Senju Mori raised his hand, pressing down the wave of sound with a virtual gesture, and continued:
"This victory did not come easily."
"In this war, many of us lost family, lost friends."
"We defeated the greedy Kumogakure and protected Konoha's peace and tranquility, but the cost was the lives of one hundred seventy-nine Konoha Ninja!"
"I share this pain with all of you; their names will be forever engraved on the Memorial Stone, and their spirits will protect Konoha's future!"
"Konoha is a Village that loves peace, but it is by no means a weak Village. Anyone who attempts to threaten Konoha with war will pay the price for their despicable actions..."
Senju Mori's speech was not long; he knew well how to stir the emotions of his audience.
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable resolve:
"Now, I, Senju Mori, in the name of the Third Hokage, declare—"
"First, comfort the heroic spirits!"
"All fallen Genin will receive a condolence payment of four hundred thousand ryo! Chunin, five hundred fifty thousand ryo! Jonin, one million ryo! Since they sacrificed for Konoha, Konoha will never let down their families."
"Second, reward the meritorious!"
"All thirteen hundred Ninja who participated in the first wave of battle will be rewarded sixty thousand ryo! The thousand Ninja who provided subsequent support will be rewarded twenty thousand ryo! Your merits will never be forgotten by the Village!"
A huge, incredible wave of gasps swept across the entire plaza.
It should be known that participating in war and defending the Village was the duty of Ninja, and Konoha had never before set a precedent for awarding rewards for this.
The amount of sixty thousand ryo could even be considered quite generous.
Generally speaking, a B-rank mission would involve fighting Ninja.
The remuneration for a B-rank mission was typically between one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand ryo, of which Konoha would extract half, and the remaining remuneration, after being equally divided among the four members of the team, would leave each person with just over ten thousand ryo.
Higher-ranked A-rank missions were even more difficult and usually only accepted by Jonin.
Although they seemed to offer hundreds of thousands of ryo in remuneration, after Jonin completed them at the risk of their lives, each individual would only receive five or sixty thousand ryo.
Now, Senju Mori was essentially converting the rewards for Chunin and Genin participating in this war directly into the remuneration for an A-rank mission.
The amount of the condolence payments also far exceeded the period of Second Hokage Senju Tobirama; five hundred fifty thousand ryo was already equivalent to nearly two years of income for an ordinary Chunin.
Senju Mori intended, through such actions, to win the hearts of the entire Village and establish higher prestige and authority for himself, while subtly changing the Ninja's perception of war.
Of course, the cost was extremely high.
Just for condolence payments and rewards, Senju Mori disbursed over one hundred eighty million ryo.
But it is foreseeable that after this, Ninja will no longer simply view war as a sudden disaster.