HTP: Ch. 67

[Hiruzen]: And then?

[Ace]: Of course, the war ended. There was no way to keep fighting. I had already run back to Pops. Garp wouldn't really drag me back and execute me, right? Of course, the Marines couldn't admit defeat either, so the situation just came to a standstill.

And then…

[Ace]: You guessed right! Of course, it was Shanks who came forward. Sengoku took the opportunity to deescalate the situation. No way would they really go all out and perish together with the Whitebeard Pirates. Come to think of it, he was pretty slick too. I bet the Gorosei called him just then. The moment his golden Den Den Mushi rang, he kicked it away. If the Gorosei had issued an order, the fight might have continued. As for us, we owed Shanks a favor, I returned that favor to him. And so, the Marineford War ended. I finally got my revenge, hahaha! Now we're holding a feast!"

At this point in the conversation, Hiruzen and Ace had more or less gone through the entire Marineford War.

In short, thanks to the efforts of Itachi, the tides of battle had been turned. When he would return with a hoard of treasure, it could once again contribute to the rebuilding of Konoha.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen sent a message:

[Hiruzen]: Congratulations! You've completely changed your fate.

[Yoriichi]: Congratulations, Ace. From now on, the sky is yours to soar.

[Ace]: Hah, just a bit of hardship, that's all.

Still acting cool, huh?

Hiruzen was a bit speechless.

[Hiruzen]: Then let Itachi return for debriefing. Tsunade can give him some treatment too.

---

Aboard the Moby Dick, the deck was brightly lit.

Laughter pierced the stillness of the night. Whitebeard sat on his specially-made massive chair, holding a barrel of liquor as tall as an average person. The wine dripped down his beard.

"Gurararara! Drink to your heart's content tonight!"

Marco, in his phoenix form, soared in the sky. Sparks from his tail feathers exploded like brilliant fireworks.

Luffy's cheeks were stuffed full, and his rubber arms stretched far to grab more grilled meat.

Jinbei sat cross-legged in a corner of the deck, holding an oversized custom-made wine cup, his fin-like ears twitching joyfully. "This was truly a total victory."

Ace was surrounded by the crew. His orange cowboy hat tilted to one side, battle scars still on his face, but his smile was brighter than anyone else's. He raised his cup and shouted, "To Pops!"

He had changed Whitebeard's fate, changed his own fate, and changed the fate of everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates.

He was truly basking in triumph.

"To Pops!!" Hundreds of cups were raised at once, the liquor glistening like crystals under the moonlight.

Itachi stood alone by the ship's railing, his red cloud-black robe fluttering in the night breeze. He held an empty rum bottle, and his scarlet eyes reflected the sea, yet seemed to glimpse a world far away.

The sounds of joy from the deck reached him faintly, Marco's hearty laugh, Vista's boisterous shouting, Whitebeard's bold calls for drinks… Now that the mission was over, it all felt as if separated from him by an invisible wall.

The mission was complete. That meant it was time to return. After all, he did not belong here. He never truly belonged here. There was still a destiny waiting for him in the shinobi world.

"Won't you have a drink with us?" Ace's voice came from behind.

"No, I should be heading back."

Itachi tossed the empty bottle into the sea and stood up. "Let's do it now."

Ace was a bit surprised. "You're not going to say goodbye? You guys seem pretty close now."

"No need. The mission is complete."

Ace clicked his tongue. "Alright then. There's always next time. I'll leave you a five-star review."

A swirling vortex of flame appeared in the air.

The vortex gradually expanded until it revealed a clear image: the familiar village of Konoha. Through the portal, the Hokage Rock could be seen in the distance, it was nighttime there as well.

He said in surprise, "Lucky shot, coordinate was spot-on."

Itachi gave a slight nod and stepped toward the flame portal. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly paused.

"Well then… goodbye."

Before Ace could respond, he had already vanished into the flaming vortex. The burning portal gradually shrank until it disappeared into a few sparks, carried away by the sea breeze.

Marco had somehow appeared on the mast, holding two bottles of liquor. He tossed one to Ace and said, "He's gone?"

"Yeah, very decisively." Ace caught the bottle and clinked it lightly against Marco's.

He burst into hearty laughter.

"No need to get sentimental. Once he's done with Konoha's medical care, we'll take on the next job together."

Marco leapt down from the mast and walked shoulder to shoulder with Ace.

"So tell me what happened during all this."

"Hahaha, alright! Let's start from the day that bastard captured me…"

"And that's how it went. I got reinforcements from another world. Seems like you all got along well, five-star rating from me!"

---

The flame vortex faded over a training ground on the outskirts of Konoha. Itachi quietly landed on the ground.

His red cloud-black cloak still carried the scent of the sea breeze. His Sharingan reflected the long-missed nightscape of Konoha, which now felt slightly unfamiliar. During his time away, the village had gained quite a few new buildings. Even the Hokage Rock now had several large spotlights, so that even at night, villagers could clearly see the faces of the four Hokage carved into the mountain.

The Hokage… really has a creative side now.

"Itachi." A masked ANBU operative wearing a fox mask suddenly appeared in a treetop. "The Hokage requests your immediate presence in the office."

"Understood."

The two leapt across rooftops under the moonlight. As they passed a newly built commercial street, Itachi noticed that the old Ramen Ichiraku sign had been replaced by a bright LED one. Next to it was a new store, with a bizarre sign, bold font, and way too many words:

"Strongly Recommended by the Third Hokage: The Ninja Game!"

"Faithfully Recreating the Essence of Ninja Life!"

"Special Research by One of the Five Great Generals: Orochimaru!"

"A Favorite Even Among the Fourth Hokage and His Son!"

Itachi was honestly a little curious, What is this? And… Orochimaru's back in Konoha too?

Noticing Itachi's confused expression, the ANBU ninja explained, "That's a promotional store for the Naruto Mobile Game. The village recently introduced a new communication device called a smartphone. There's a game on it personally designed by the Third Hokage, really popular."

Itachi nodded, though he was clearly more concerned about the mention of the dangerous Orochimaru, and asked directly.

"Orochimaru…?"

"Ah, he was an undercover agent in Akatsuki. He's returned to Konoha now. That smartphone? He invented it too."

"Huh?"

Seriously?

Is this even real?