People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"Don't worry, I will keep my promise."

"I have some news for you. Konoha is about to hold the joint Chunin Exams. That's a great opportunity."

"I don't need you to control me; I will fulfill the conditions of our cooperation."

Naruto led Kimimaro away from Orochimaru's underground base.

Kabuto asked doubtfully, "Lord Orochimaru, will Naruto Uzumaki go and destroy Konoha?"

"It definitely will. I see my past self in Naruto. I will never let go of any opportunity that can cause damage to Konoha."

Orochimaru looked at the few cloned pieces of Yosuke's flesh and blood, and sighed:

"It's a real pity, though. The effectiveness of cloned flesh diminishes significantly with each use. It seems we need to be careful with the remaining flesh."

Kabuto stared intently at the petri dish in Orochimaru's hand, his glasses concealing the glint of insight that occasionally flashed in his eyes.

...

After everything was ready.

Yosuke, along with Sasuke, Kaori, and Shion, set off for Konoha.

Upon entering the Land of Fire, Sasuke asked, "Lord Yosuke, should I change my clothes? Will clothing with the Uchiha clan crest have any impact on Kagerou Village?"

"No need. Those guys in Konoha already know that Itachi founded the Village of Blazing Sun, so changing clothes is pointless."

Sasuke nodded happily. To be honest, he didn't want to hide his identity. What was the point if those he defeated didn't know he was from the Uchiha clan?

Taking Sasuke and Kaori to Konoha for the Chunin Exams this time is like a game-changer.

With the combination of Lightning Breathing and the Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke has already surpassed the strength of an ordinary Jonin.

As for Kaori, although she appears to be a medical ninja, she has mastered the Breath of Love. While her combat abilities are not as strong as Sasuke's, Chunin-level ninjas are no match for her, and she can hold her own against ordinary Jonin.

As for Shion... she's basically a mascot for tourists visiting Konoha.

Upon arriving at the gates of Konoha, Yosuke handed his pass to the guard ninja at the entrance for verification before entering Konoha.

Sasuke looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Konoha, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Sasuke hates Konoha, but he doesn't hate the land of Konoha.

After all, this place holds Sasuke's fondest memories.

Passersby on the street saw the Uchiha clan crest on Sasuke's clothes and all whispered among themselves.

Because on the night of the Uchiha clan massacre, the Konoha leadership announced that all Uchiha clan members had been killed.

Before Yosuke and his group could venture deeper into Konoha Village, Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of Yosuke.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on Sasuke for a long time.

"Welcome to Konoha, folks from the Village of Blazing Sun. Please follow me, and I will take you to your inn."

To facilitate management, Konoha grouped the ninjas from various villages together in inns on the same street.

Kakashi led Yosuke and the others to the inn and then left.

Shion couldn't wait to go out for a stroll, and Kaori shared the same thought, inviting Sasuke to go along.

"You guys go ahead, I'm not going." Sasuke hated the way the Konoha villagers looked at him.

Yosuke realized that Sasuke really wanted to visit Konoha, so he said, "If you want to go, then go. There's no need to care about others. You are now a ninja of the Village of Blazing Sun, a guest of Konoha."

After thinking for a while, Sasuke nodded in agreement. He really wanted to see the former Uchiha clan's ancestral home.

Sasuke, along with Kaori and Shion, arrived at the former Uchiha clan's territory.

Xiang looked around and asked, "Is this the place where Sasuke used to live?"

The Uchiha clan's territory has now been transformed into a commercial street, and there is no trace of the Uchiha clan left.

Sasuke was lost in thought, his eyes cold and distant. His only remaining hope in Konoha had vanished.

Are you...Sasuke?

Sasuke turned his head and saw that it was Sakura Haruno, a classmate he had studied with at the Ninja Academy.

Xiang asked curiously, "Sasuke, do you know her?"

Sasuke said expressionlessly, "How could I possibly know anyone from Konoha?"

Sakura was deeply hurt because she could sense that Sasuke recognized her.

Sakura is in a very awkward situation now. She was once part of Team 7, but Naruto has defected and Sai has been summoned back by Root.

With Konoha facing a major disaster, Kakashi, as a key figure in the village, has heavy daily tasks and can't spare any time for Sakura.

Class 7 is now defunct, with only Sakura remaining.

Sakura felt incredibly disappointed as she watched Sasuke walk away.

Sasuke doesn't care about Sakura's feelings; in his eyes, Sakura is just a stranger he's had some interaction with.

Next, it's Shion and Kaori's turn to take center stage, strolling around Konoha.

Sasuke couldn't understand why they stood there for a long time as if they had never seen the same things in the shops of Kagerou Village.

Sasuke, who was following behind them, regretted it a little; he should have known better than to come out.

...

Yosuke, who had just left the inn, intended to have a drink at a bar, but instead ran into an old friend.

"Yosuke?!"

Yosuke greeted him with a smile, "It's been a long time, Asuma."

Asuma excitedly stepped forward and punched Yosuke on the shoulder: "You bastard, you're still alive but you didn't even say hello to me, making me sad for a long time."

"There was no other way. Given the circumstances at the time, staying in Konoha would have been pointless."

Asma fell silent.

Yosuke was clearly helping Konoha resist the Nine-Tails, but his own father and Danzo treated him as an invader.

"I'm sorry, Yosuke."

Yosuke comforted her, "It's alright, Asuma, you don't need to apologize. In my eyes, you are my friend, and that has nothing to do with our positions."

Asma gave a bitter smile.

Yosuke patted Asuma on the shoulder and asked, "Want to go to the pub for a drink?"

"Okay, it's on you!"

Asuma was about to take Yosuke to the tavern when a member of the Anbu suddenly appeared in front of him.

Asuma, thinking the Anbu had come to see him, asked, "What's wrong?"

The ANBU member said to Yosuke, "I am here on the orders of the Hokage to invite Mr. Yosuke to the Hokage Building for a meeting."

Yosuke smiled helplessly:

"Looks like I'll have to wait until next time to drink the wine you're treating me to."

Chapter 289 Conditions

Yosuke followed the ANBU members who came to the Hokage's office building.

Yosuke saw Hiruzen Sarutobi once again.

At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked much older than the Hiruzen Sarutobi Yosuke had encountered during the Nine-Tails' rampage.

If he was vigorous and strong back then, he is now old and frail.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Yosuke, he looked somewhat surprised.

"I didn't expect it to be you!"

Yosuke smiled and said, "It has indeed been a long time since we last met, Third Hokage, since the day of the Nine-Tails' attack."

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of the three mysterious figures who appeared on the night of the Uchiha massacre.

"You were one of the three masked men who took Itachi and the others away from Konoha back then, weren't you?"

Yosuke didn't hide anything and openly admitted, "Of course, Konoha is too dangerous. It looks glamorous on the surface, but it's so dark and corrupt inside. Itachi is my disciple, and as Itachi's master, I naturally have an obligation to help him escape from the abyss of Konoha."

During the Nine-Tails' rampage back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat guilty towards Yosuke.

Yosuke, an outsider, helped Konoha resist the Nine-Tails, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, tacitly allowed Danzo's Root to arrest Yosuke.

"This is just your prejudice against Konoha. Konoha is not corrupt." Hiruzen Sarutobi said this without any confidence.

Yosuke's smile carried a hint of mockery: "Is that so? As a former Hokage, you would rather give up the current Hokage, Minato, than punish Danzo. Moreover, I've heard that Konoha's Jinchuriki, the Sannin, have either left or betrayed the party. It must be quite a feat for you to say something like that."

The once-powerful ninja has now been blinded by power. As Hokage, he has not contributed to the development of Konoha, but has instead repeatedly indulged Danzo, plunging Konoha into crisis.

Konoha...what a pity, I quite liked this place at first.

Yosuke's words angered Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Ubuyashiki Yosuke, this is Konoha, not Kagerou Village, nor is it the ^ organization. Aren't you afraid I'll reprimand you?!"

"Since you know I'm a member of the ^ organization, you should also know about Kirigakure. You can give it a try."

Yosuke didn't take Hiruzen Sarutobi's threat to heart at all, because he was certain that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't dare.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly didn't dare.

The entire ninja world already knows that Kirigakure was destroyed by members of the ^ organization.

Konoha could no longer withstand further destruction, and Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not take that risk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions.

"The reason I invited you here this time is to discuss cooperation with your Yangyan Village, specifically regarding chakra metal ore."

"Oh? Then you should know that we're cooperating with Iwagakure on the chakra metal ore, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "I know, but we can offer you more generous terms than Iwagakure does."

"This is rather difficult. The fact that the Kagerou Village came to Konoha to participate in your Chunin Exams has already given you a lot of face. If you want to cooperate with the Kagerou Village, you should first resolve the historical issues, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said with certainty, "I believe in Itachi's character. With his magnanimity, he would not refuse any conditions that would benefit the Uchiha clan and the Village of Blazing Sun."

"You really have an inflated sense of self-importance. You think you can just wipe the slate clean by killing all of Itachi's clan? You politicians are really shrewd. I said, if you want to cooperate with Kagerou Village, you have to resolve the historical issues first. The one here now is not Itachi, but me."