Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 226 Naruto's Abnormality

Uchiha Touko took the ring out of the box. The ring looked like a thumb ring, so Uchiha Touko put it on his right thumb and put a little chakra into it, which was like 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 set off back to the Land of Rain tomorrow. The Hokage will probably be very busy these next few days, so we won't bother you any longer."

"Alright, Deidara, thank you for taking good care of him," said Uchiha Touko.

The following 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, while Uchiha Touko began to formally handle the aftermath of this military conflict.

The first event was a public memorial ceremony held in front of the Konoha Heroes Monument.

That morning, both Uchiha Tokō and the Third Hokage attended the ceremony wearing specially made black suits.

As the current Hokage, it was perfectly normal for Uchiha Touko to preside over this ceremony. As for the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, everyone had made such a great sacrifice to save his grandson, so Sarutobi Hiruzen also solemnly participated in this ceremony with Konohamaru.

Meanwhile, the heads of the various ninja clans in the village also changed into black suits and came to the scene. Even Naruto, who had been locked in his house since Deidara sent him back to the village that day, changed into a black suit embroidered with the Uzumaki clan crest early this morning and came to the Konoha Heroes Monument.

Naruto looked serious at that moment, his usual playful demeanor completely gone.

As the young clan leaders of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, Sasuke and Neji, who also attended the ceremony, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Naruto. For the past two days, Naruto had been staying indoors, and even Hinata's attempts to contact him had yielded no response, which had greatly worried them. However, seeing Naruto attend the memorial ceremony now put their minds at ease.

Although it was clearly not the right time for conversation, the two exchanged glances with Naruto and then stood in their designated positions, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Before long, Uchiha Touko, dressed in a black haori, slowly walked to the front of the stage. After walking onto the stage, Uchiha Touko did not rush to speak. The ninjas and civilians who came to participate in this ceremony below also remained silent.

After a three-minute silence, Uchiha Touko looked back 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 gentle mother who was a child, a proud child and grandchild of an old man… 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 crowd 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 conspiracy of the Hidden Cloud Village shattered the peaceful tranquility. The flames of war once again mercilessly burned 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, we, Konoha, achieved the final victory."

"But we also paid a heavy price for this victory. These 479 comrades used their most precious lives to build an insurmountable wall for the future of Konoha! Their blood stained the banner of victory! Their souls became the cornerstone protecting Konoha!"

Uchiha Touko's voice wasn't very 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 far too heavy. This weight will forever weigh on my heart and on the shoulders of all the living. The names of these 479 heroic souls will not only be engraved on cold stone tablets, but also etched into the depths of the souls of every one of us who are alive! Their sacrifice is the most severe test for us: Are we worthy of 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, and 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 flame of Konoha could burn even brighter!"

"So rise up! Fellow countrymen of Konoha! Wipe away your tears, grasp the kunai and hope in your hands! Inherit their legacy, shoulder their dreams! Let the light of these 479 heroic souls guide our path forward!"

Uchiha Touko suddenly turned around, faced the monument again, and bowed almost bent over, remaining there for a long time.

When Uchiha Touko straightened up again, his face showed only steely 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 recorded in the annals of Konoha! Their souls will forever remain with Konoha, and with the inextinguishable Will of Fire!"

"May your souls rest in peace. Konoha will remember your sacrifice! We will carry on your will! Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die! We will continue to illuminate the new seedlings and protect this village—until the end of our lives!"

As Uchiha Touko finished speaking, the scene fell into a three-minute moment of silence once again.

Three minutes later, everyone present raised their heads and solemnly gazed at the Konoha Heroes Monument in front of them.

After Uchiha Touko finished speaking, he placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the Konoha Heroes Monument and then bowed again.

Behind them, Hiruzen Sarutobi followed closely with Konohamaru. While bowing and presenting flowers, Konohamaru knelt down and performed a kowtow.

After Konohamaru woke up, he learned what price Konoha had paid to rescue him from Kumogakure. From that day on, the boy seemed to have grown up overnight. As soon as his body recovered a little, he began to ask his grandfather how to become stronger.

Subsequently, the leaders of the various ninja clans came to the monument one by one, bowing and offering flowers.

The civilians who came to participate in the ceremony also stepped forward one after another.

The entire ceremony lasted for the whole morning, and the crowd in front of the monument slowly dispersed around noon.

For the villagers, the incident was almost over, but for Uchiha Touko, it was just the beginning.

Just now, the court of the Land of Fire received a document from the official government of the Land of Lightning. The daimyo of the Land of Lightning, in strong terms, accused Uchiha Touko of disregarding peace and wanting to start a war between the two countries. He also demanded that Uchiha Touko immediately release the detained ninja from Kumogakure. Otherwise, if the two countries go to war, Uchiha Touko will be the biggest war criminal who destroys the peace of the ninja world!
Although the shamelessness of the Daimyo and officials of the Land of Lightning was well-known throughout the ninja world, Uchiha Tokō couldn't help but laugh in anger after seeing the document. Clearly, Konoha was the victor in this military conflict, so how dare these barbarians from 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 a more incisive document to send back.

Uchiha Touko knew that this pointless war of words between the two sides would probably continue until their A truly regained consciousness before the prisoner exchange negotiations would officially begin. However, A was first turned into a charred corpse by Uchiha Touko, then had an arm blown off, and finally had to endure the damage caused by the Heavenly Delivery Technique. It was estimated that it would take at least ten days to half a month for him to regain consciousness.

Therefore, for Uchiha Tokō, the most important thing now is to arrange the compensation for the fallen soldiers.

In order to further strengthen the cohesion of the village's ninjas and prepare for the upcoming system reforms, Uchiha Touko plans to personally distribute the compensation money to each household. Therefore, Uchiha Touko will likely be very busy for some time to come.

……

As the people attending the memorial ceremony gradually dispersed, Naruto arrived at the Konoha Heroes Memorial and silently gazed at the reliefs on the stone tablet that recorded various major events since the founding of Konoha. From the establishment of Konoha by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to his father's sacrifice to seal the Nine-Tails, and then below these reliefs were the names of one ninja after another who sacrificed themselves for Konoha.

Naruto reached out and touched the names, feeling the texture emanating from the stone tablet, his expression dazed.

Since returning from the battlefield, Naruto's heart has never been at peace.

Although his teacher had told him about the nature of war since he was a child, and 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, in the past few days, a voice seemed to be constantly telling him in his subconscious that chakra should not be a tool of war, but a bridge for mutual understanding between people. Only in this way can 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 point. Therefore, Naruto's thoughts have been very chaotic these past few days, to the point that he is even awakened by that subconscious voice when he is sleeping.

(End of this chapter)