The warmth of Konoha's lanterns was a comfort, but Akari felt the cold still clinging to his skin as he passed through the village gates. Snow melted on his shoulders, leaving dark patches on the fabric of his kimono. He moved quietly, offering a brief nod to the guards—both of whom looked as though they wanted to speak but decided against it.
He was exhausted, but not from battle.
It was the weight of what came after.
He walked the familiar stone paths, past steaming noodle stalls and sleepy storefronts. The village, for all its cracks and shadows, lived. Children played in the snowbanks near the training fields, and laughter spilled from open windows like birdsong.
Peace still lingered here.
But it felt… fragile.
"Welcome back," came a calm voice from the shadows.
Akari turned to find Tobirama leaning against a lamp post, arms crossed. The Second Hokage's white hair was streaked with snow, his gaze as sharp as ever.
"I heard what happened," Tobirama said. "They expected you to die."
"They were wrong," Akari replied.
Tobirama gave a rare smirk. "Fortunately."
The two walked side by side through the village, neither speaking for a long while. Only when they reached the edge of the Naka River did Tobirama stop.
"You've grown stronger," he said. "Faster. Smarter."
"Experience makes for an impatient teacher."
"You didn't just survive that ambush. You overwhelmed it. Alone. Even Madara was impressed."
Akari raised a brow. "He said that?"
"In his own way," Tobirama replied. "He said, and I quote, 'He didn't die. Good.'"
Akari chuckled. "High praise."
But Tobirama's face grew serious. "They're moving, Akari. The other villages. Slower than we are, but steady. The world's shifting. And we're shaping it more directly than ever before."
Akari looked out over the water. "So this is how peace will come? Through conquest?"
"It's not conquest if the alternative is annihilation. Madara's vision… Hashirama's dream… they're finally aligning. With you at the center."
Akari didn't answer.
Because deep down, he knew: whatever peace they were building, it wasn't the one they had dreamed of as children.
---
That evening, Madara stood atop the Hokage monument, gazing at the stars. The wind was fierce up there, tugging at his cloak. He didn't seem to notice.
Hashirama joined him without a word, eyes fixed on the forest beyond the village.
"They've started fortifying their western borders," Hashirama said quietly. "Kiri, Iwa, Suna… they're uneasy."
"They should be," Madara replied. "But they'll thank us one day."
"I still wish there had been another way."
"I know," Madara said. "But we chose the path. Now we walk it."
Down below, Akari entered his small home near the training quarters. He lit a lantern, hung up his blade, and sat beside the window, watching the wind dance through the village.
He didn't regret what he'd done.
But sometimes… he missed the boy he used to be.