"Second Elder!!"
The mont they saw that familiar face, the clan mbers who had once been won over by Zoro's charisma, along with Muneyoshi's forr subordinates, imdiately revealed expressions of excitent and relief.
Zoro had returned.
At that instant, it felt as though the backbone they had lost over the past half year had suddenly returned.
And with it, their confidence to stand tall once again.
"Zoro? When did you get back?"
Even Fugaku revealed a rare smile upon seeing him.
After all, during these past six months, Itachi had constantly spoken about the swordsmanship teacher he deeply admired.
"Just got back."
Zoro gave Fugaku a faint nod, though the smile on his face barely moved.
Then, his gaze slowly shifted toward the corner of the eting hall.
"So, Shisui…" Zoro spoke calmly as he gradually walked forward, his voice growing colder with every step. "You want to take my place?"
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Shisui stiffened slightly.
He knew Zoro well enough to understand that beneath that calm tone was a dangerous pressure.
And truthfully, Shisui himself did not believe Zoro would misunderstand him completely.
This matter had never truly been his own decision.
Most likely, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been pulling the strings behind the scenes again.
"Ah… no, you must be joking." Shisui quickly shook his head with an awkward smile. "Since you've already returned, naturally the Dove faction should still follow your lead."
As he spoke, Shisui secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
What he feared most was exactly this kind of situation—
Temporarily taking over Zoro's position, only for Zoro to eventually return and create conflict between the two of them because of it.
Shisui had always hated internal disputes.
From the beginning, he had never wanted to interfere with the Dove faction's leadership.
Unfortunately, this had been Hiruzen's order.
Thankfully, Zoro had returned before things escalated further.
"Mm."
Zoro rely responded indifferently before turning his gaze elsewhere.
"So…" His eyes slowly landed on the elder who had proposed the idea earlier. "Do you still have any objections?"
As he spoke, Zoro walked toward him step by step.
Back when Muneyoshi was still alive, this old bastard had behaved more obediently than anyone else.
Whatever Muneyoshi said, he followed without hesitation.
And now?
Only half a year after his grandfather's death, he was already impatiently trying to seize influence for himself.
"H-How could I dare?" Cold sweat instantly ford across the elder's forehead as he forced out a flattering smile. "The position of Second Elder has always belonged to you."
Despite being much older than Zoro, he understood one thing clearly—
Within the Uchiha Clan, seniority ant nothing without strength.
Power was the true source of authority.
And Zoro's reputation alone was enough to make him feel pressure.
Zoro stared at him coldly for several seconds.
At his age, the old man had already lived long enough.
Tomorrow, Zoro would kindly send him beneath the earth to rest early.
He had absolutely no goodwill toward these dogs loyal to the Hokage.
Naturally, that included Uchiha Shisui as well.
The only difference was that Shisui still had value.
As for this old man…
Zoro would simply allow him to enjoy his final day alive.
"Zoro," Fugaku suddenly spoke up, clearly attempting to ease the tense atmosphere, "now that you've returned, do you have any plans? Would you like to visit your grandfather's grave? We could go together."
Unfortunately, changing the subject was aningless.
In Zoro's eyes, this elder was already dead.
"We can talk about that later." Zoro's voice remained calm. "The reason I returned during the clan assembly was because there's sothing I wanted to understand."
The atmosphere gradually grew heavy again.
Zoro slowly lifted his head.
"Why was my grandfather abducted by Iwagakure shinobi?"
The mont those cold words fell, Fugaku's expression subtly changed.
Naturally, he had long suspected certain things himself.
But suspicions were one thing.
Speaking them aloud openly was another matter entirely.
"We still cannot determine the exact circumstances," Fugaku said after a brief silence. "At the ti, your grandfather may have been near your residence, or perhaps he encountered Iwagakure spies while outside the compound."
"We didn't even realize he had disappeared. It was only after his body was returned that we learned of his death."
As he spoke, Fugaku's voice carried visible regret.
In many ways, he had practically grown up under Muneyoshi's guidance and respected the old man deeply.
But as clan head, expecting him to thoroughly investigate all of Konoha over this matter was unrealistic.
After all—
He carried the responsibility of the entire Uchiha Clan.
Seemingly understanding Fugaku's difficulties, the coldness in Zoro's eyes eased slightly.
"As for visiting him… I'll go alone."
"That's all."
With those words, Zoro turned and walked away.
Before leaving, however, he gave Shisui one final glance from the corner of his eye.
That single look made Shisui's heart tighten slightly.
Soon, Zoro's figure gradually disappeared from the eting hall.
His departing silhouette seed strangely lonely.
Without question, Muneyoshi had been buried within Konoha's morial Stone Forest.
Unlike Hatake Sakumo, at the very least, Muneyoshi had still been granted the title of "hero."
Unfortunately…
That title now sounded unbearably mocking to Zoro.
After leaving the clan compound, Zoro removed his black cloak and casually changed into a black training outfit before heading toward the morial grounds.
If not for the butterfly effect caused by his existence, then at this mont, Uchiha Obito's na should already have been carved onto one of those morial stones as well.
Thinking about such things, Zoro eventually arrived at the cetery.
Today's sky was especially gloomy.
Dark clouds pressed heavily overhead, dim and suffocating, as though the heavens themselves reflected Zoro's current mood.
Lonely.
Silent.
And filled with grief.
Suppressing the emotions inside his heart, Zoro's gaze suddenly paused on a familiar figure standing quietly before one of the graves.
"Thank you."
Looking at the bouquet of white flowers placed neatly before the tombstone, Zoro slowly walked over and softly spoke to the girl beside it.
The little girl from years ago had already grown into a graceful young woman.
"Hm?"
Nohara Rin turned around in surprise.
But the surprise in her eyes instantly transford into joy.
"Zoro-kun… you finally ca back!!"
Before Zoro could respond, Rin suddenly threw herself into his arms.
Her body was warm and carried a faint fragrance.
Zoro did not push her away.
Instead, he quietly allowed her to hold him tightly.
He could clearly feel the worry hidden in her trembling body.
And beneath her beautiful eyes, he could also see traces of exhaustion that had accumulated over ti.
Soone had truly worried about him this much.
If he pushed her away now, even he would feel disgusted with himself.
Observation Haki quietly spread outward.
After confirming that there were no ridiculous "coincidences" nearby, Zoro relaxed slightly.
Then again…
If Obito happened to witness this scene, who knew whether his Sharingan would awaken on the spot?
Unfortunately, the one being healed right now—
Was Zoro himself.
"Thank you."
Zoro spoke once more.
But this ti, his gratitude was for Rin's concern.
Hearing his voice, Rin finally realized what she had done and hurriedly pulled herself out of his embrace.
A faint blush imdiately spread across her pretty face, and even her eyes beca flustered.
She had simply worried about him too much.
Her earlier actions had been pure instinct.
Seeing her like this, Zoro unexpectedly revealed a faint smile.
Then, he slowly raised his hand and gently patted her head.
Although he was only eleven years old now, he had already grown taller than the fourteen-year-old Rin.
In this cruel shinobi world, finding soone who genuinely cared about him…
Zoro did not know whether it should be considered a blessing or a curse.
"Haa…"
After quietly exhaling, Zoro looked seriously at the girl in front of him, who clearly enjoyed the gentle touch on her head.
When is a man most vulnerable?
Without question—
It is when his heart feels the emptiest.
After losing his grandfather, Zoro's heart had long since beco hollow.
And Rin's concern had undoubtedly beco a ray of light shining into that darkness, slowly filling the emptiness inside him.
As though finally making up his mind, Zoro looked directly into Rin's eyes and gave her the answer she had waited years to hear.
"Rin…"
"Be my girlfriend."
The mont those words entered her ears, Rin's entire body froze.
She covered her mouth tightly, her pupils trembling violently. Crystal-clear tears instantly overflowed from her eyes, shimring beneath the dim sky.
This answer—
She had waited four whole years to hear it.
***
Advance chapters available on P@trè0n (Aki_sensei). Appreciate the support!
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