Haruki turned around.
Sunagakure had vanished from sight.
After living there for more than a month, he felt a tinge of reluctance to leave.
Although it was painful to dig out knowledge from his past life, most of the people he met were nice.
Especially Sasori.
Talking with him about robots, Gundams, and even cyberpunk made him recall his cherished student days from his past life.
Haruki retracted his gaze.
The next time he came, there might no longer be endless yellow sand. Perhaps he'd see a green shelter forest stretching out like a natural barrier rising from the ground.
This was a great feat of human beings against nature.
Haruki originally planned to use the Flying Thunder God to return, but thinking of the border town he saw on the way there, he decided to walk instead.
Aoen Hyuga and Saori Hyuga stayed in Sunagakure for docking, so there was no need to use the carriage.
Walking in a hurry all along the way, as he neared the Land of Fire, towns gradually came into view.
To Haruki's relief, the Third Kazekage had indeed followed his instructions.
The buildings in the town were renovated, and most of the people were hired to repair roads or plant trees.
Haruki specifically asked about the situation and learned that the Third Kazekage offered a decent salary, much higher than what these civilians earned before the war.
All in all, it was a prosperous scene.
Even Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and Mikoto Uchiha were in a good mood.
Mikoto was simply kind - hearted.
Tsunade and Minato thought more. After learning of Haruki's ideals, Tsunade had been pondering what she could do for these people after becoming Hokage.
The changes in Sunagakure were indeed good.
But people were different, and the situations of villages also varied.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi and others in Konoha Village, which was relatively wealthy, it might not be successful to implement such measures.
Tsunade could gradually analyze the complex situation in Konoha.
But precisely because of this, she was more worried than ever.
Minato thought that the problems in Konoha might even be more serious. He vaguely felt that what he saw in front of him was just a beautiful illusion. It was only maintained by Sunagakure, and the essence remained unchanged, only alleviated.
Let's put aside their thoughts for now. Another person was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.
Kushina Uzumaki.
When the four of them reached the gate of Konoha Village, they saw such a scene.
A young girl with fiery red hair, her delicate face full of anger, hands on her hips, and a fierce look in her eyes.
"Teacher!"
She shouted extremely loudly and was extremely aggrieved.
"Why did you leave me in Konoha Village? For a month! Do you know how I spent this month?!"
She pouted, rolled up her sleeves, showed her small fists, and angrily questioned.
Haruki immediately showed an embarrassed smile.
To be honest, he was quite wronged too.
After sending Kushina to learn from Mito Uzumaki, he took Minato and the others to Sunagakure.
He thought he'd be back in a few days, so he didn't tell Kushina.
But unexpectedly, he was away for almost two months.
"Teacher, say something!"
Kushina waved her small fist forcefully. "You had the guts to abandon me in Konoha Village. Why are you silent now?"
Haruki couldn't help but be both amused and annoyed.
Although it was indeed quite outrageous for a teacher to stand up a twelve - year - old girl, didn't this sound like the words of a heartless man?
Thinking of this, Haruki picked up Minato Namikaze beside him and threw him over.
"I'll let Minato explain it to you."
Minato had absolutely no idea such a thing would happen. He didn't even have time to react before he was about to collide with Kushina.
Trying not to take advantage, he was about to run, but immediately found that he couldn't mobilize his chakra.
He widened his eyes and instantly remembered his teacher's scheming personality.
But Minato didn't end up hitting her.
Because Kushina directly threw him back.
"I don't want him!"
"...???" Minato Namikaze was extremely confused.
Haruki caught Minato and restored his chakra. He smiled and said, "You three haven't seen each other for a long time. You must have a lot to talk about. Teacher won't disturb you."
After saying that, he grabbed Tsunade and disappeared on the spot.
"!!!"
Kushina was stunned for a moment. Her fair and delicate little face turned red with anger, and her mouth pouted high.
"Damn it!"
She stamped her foot hard. After venting her anger, she looked at Mikoto Uchiha.
"Um... Kushina..."
Mikoto opened her mouth but didn't know what to say for a moment.
Kushina's anger welled up. She ran in front of her, stood on tiptoe, reached out her hand, and pinched her cheek, pulling it gently.
Suddenly, it was like a meme - worthy scene!
What a comically squished - face moment!
"You're my best friend, but you didn't even tell me before you left!"
"Sorry... I... thought I'd be back soon."
With her face being pinched, Mikoto's voice came out muffled.
"Humph!"
Kushina let go. After all, she was her friend, so she believed her.
Then, seeing the pinch marks on her beautiful face, she pouted, reached out her hand again, but this time with much less force.
Mikoto smiled faintly.
Feeling Kushina's delicate little hand gently massaging her face, she stroked Kushina's long red hair and said, "You've worked hard."
Kushina's eyes turned red. She hugged her, buried her head in her chest, and mumbled, "All of you are big bad guys. You left without saying a word. You made me so worried."
Mikoto patted her back without saying a word.
She understood Kushina's feelings.
After the Uchiha clan massacre, Mikoto, Minato, and Haruki became the most important people in Kushina's life.
"It's all the teacher's fault."
Mikoto didn't hesitate to shift the blame. She smiled and said, "How about we three give him a little greeting tomorrow?"
Kushina immediately raised her head, her eyes shining.
"How?"
"We three will pretend to be training and launch a sneak attack on him when he's off guard."
"Will it work?" Kushina frowned. "The teacher is so powerful. We can't beat him."
"Hey, don't boost his morale!" Mikoto pinched her nose. "Our combined strength is more than enough to deal with Jonin. Moreover, we're in the dark, and he won't be on guard at all."
Kushina immediately burst into laughter and snuggled in Mikoto's embrace. "Humph, I'm definitely going to teach Teacher a good lesson!"
Then she turned to look at Minato Namikaze.
"What about you? Aren't you going to rat us out?"
"Definitely not!"
Minato Namikaze readily agreed. He also wanted to take revenge.
It was really infuriating to be thrown out just now!
Especially Kushina's attitude towards Haruki.
Sure enough, Haruki was his lifelong rival!
At this time, Haruki, who had returned home, had no idea that his three disciples were plotting a rebellion.
"Are you really okay? I think your disciple is on the verge of crying," Tsunade said as she saw him lying on the sofa like a useless person and couldn't help but shake her head.
She still preferred the Haruki who planned strategies in Sunagakure.
"It's okay."
Haruki waved at her.
Tsunade stepped forward.
He grabbed Tsunade and made her plop down on his lap. He put his arm around her slender waist and said with a smile, "The most important thing now is to have a good rest."
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