Quest Completed?! Which one though?

It had been a couple of days since the invasion and Hiruzen's funeral would be held soon.

Well… when it rains it pours. Danzo had convinced the council that they had to intervene in the matter of the shinobi, opting for peace instead of war. It was an empty attempt to gain the backing of the civilian council he had lost.. and it was successful to a point. The council liked their peaceful lives, protected under the tree that was Konoha and away from harm's way.

A military operation would increase the chance for retaliation in their minds, making it the least desirable option. Thankfully, Danzo's desperation was visible, opting to speak before me, backed by the previous Hokage's two advisors. I agreed, only if not for the need I had for the council's backing… but it also made me realize that I needed a firmer grip in Konoha. With this, I lost an opportunity to increase my name's reputation, even if by a little… but most of all, it escaped my grip,

I had neither a clan to speak of nor subordinates. But I had the backing of Konoha… the backing of the people and most of the shinobi.

Walking down the street, word of my feat had spread. Due to me instructing Orochimaru to not allow Hashirama to release a wide range wood Jutsu, the entire showdown had been in clear view of the spectators, the Hero who held his own against two of the strongest Kage to ever live and risked his life to protect Konoha and the Hokage.

Whatever suspicions the high-ranked Jonin like Kakashi or Shikaku may hold against me for any reason before or after the invasion would be drowned or reflected back to them by the public opinion.

Making my way towards the Uchiha compound I could see many people gathered at the entrance. As I approached one of them turned towards me, making the others turn their attention towards me as well. Shinobi, civilians, children, adults, young and old were gathered, dressed in black and waiting at the entrance.

"Ahhh…. Uchiha-sama." – An old man spoke as he bowed his head and the others followed him, a civilian, dressed in black, his face covered in wrinkles, white hair on his head and he barely seemed to stand.

"Is something wrong? Do you need me for some reason?" – I asked, though due to my height I was shorter compared to most of the ones gathered here, it seemed rather awkward.

"We're sorry for disturbing you… especially after the battle, you went through… but we… we would like to thank you." – The old man said as he moved towards me.

"Thank me? I did what every shinobi would have done in my place." – I said simply, raising my hand to stop him. I very much doubted that they could give me something worth my time. It was better to get this out of the way as soon as possible.

"It may be true… maybe every shinobi would have tried to do the same in your place… but they wouldn't have succeeded. We know who you faced. Many tried before to defeat the first Hokage… Sometimes, trying is not enough. Sometimes you have to succeed… and you did. You protected this village, you protected each and every one of us. For that, thank you… and please, have this." – he said as he mentioned towards his back, where all the others were still bowing.

As he turned his head, a line opened and a kid came out. A genin by the looks of it, a little bit shorter than me, holding two items in his hands. The first was flowers, Buruberu or Bluebells as they were more widely known, symbolizing gratitude.

(A/N: at least that's what google says, it holds this meaning in Japan. Hope it's right. If any of you know it is wrong please leave a paragraph comment. Hope you enjoy the chapter.)

But the second item made my eye narrow slightly. Held in a showcase, was a sword that I could remember vividly. It was the 3rd Kusanagi Sword… The one Sasuke would come to use after his battle with Kaguya. How the hell did it end up here?

As the young boy approached he spoke flustered.

"U-Uchiha-sama, please accept these gifts." – he lowered his head as he extended his hands.

As I reached out and grabbed the two, I turned my head to the old man and asked.

"Where did you find this sword?"

A sad look passing through his eyes the old man explained slowly.

"Something I acquired due to luck when I was young. Even I could tell it was special, it was so sharp and yet so durable, so I hid it carefully. It was meant to be a gift to my son when he became a shinobi… sadly neither he nor his son had the talent. I kept it as a family heirloom, waiting for the day someone in our line could take up the blade… sadly after the last attack on the village, I am all that remains of my family. I didn't know what to do with it, it remained a reminder of what I had lost and so I decided to sell it… but then I saw Uchiha-sama. You were returning from the battle, bloodied but still standing straight. You fought to protect us… and maybe this sword wouldn't have made much of a difference either way… but it just might prove useful in the future."

Well, it was a good weapon, though for some reason it seemed like I passed a quest… or maybe I did. Was Kuro supposed to have completed some kind of quest during the Invasion to get this sword? It seemed like a perfect setup for a protagonist. Contribute to saving the village and get a reward. So now I was stuck getting the sob story and reward… well, technically I am the protagonist, a part of me at least, though it seems like the order is really screwed up since Orochimaru was actually working for me. Is this the reward for attacking Konoha then? You would think the characters have it tough but someone actually has to think all this through. I was getting lost in thoughts, back to the sword in question.

I had asked Orochimaru about his forging ability, given the fact that Sasuke had gotten two similar swords to the Kusanagi, it had to be from him. His response was that he had acquired two Kusanagi swords, not forged the second one. They were made by one blacksmith, but as for who, he couldn't tell.

[High-grade Sword: The Third Kusanagi Sword has been acquired. (Forged by an unknown blacksmith, the first Kusanagi sword was powerful on its own, containing special abilities and unbelievable sharpness, it made the wielder dependent on it. Unsatisfied the blacksmith produced the second Kusanagi, a sharp and durable sword but nowhere near as powerful. It was a sword that depended on the wielder's abilities yet not powerful enough on its own. Still unsatisfied the blacksmith forged his third and final Kusanagi sword. A sword as sharp and durable as the first one, yet as dependent on its wielder as the second one. A sword made for a master swordsman that can bring out the wielder's abilities while the wielder brings out the sword's full capabilities, creating a symbiotic relationship between them.]

It had been quite a while since I had gotten a notification. This was the first time I was seeing an item description. Either the others I had come in contact with were too insignificant or too weak.

"Thank you all. I will strive to continue and protect our village." – I spoke with a smile on my face… If I didn't decide that someone attacking it was better for my interests.

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Well, a gift remained a gift, not to mention now that I had confirmed Konoha's gratitude I believe I wouldn't have to wait long before I gained the Hokage position. The slug princess wouldn't be a problem.

How would it look like to the people? Who would they choose? The Senju who abandoned them and only came back to take the position as Hokage, or the Uchiha who fought, bled, and almost lost his life for them? This was going to be interesting. Just by returning to the village to accept the council's decision she would propel my reputation to that of a saint in this village while throwing hers to the dirt. All that was needed was a few well-placed rumors.

And in the time between the council's decision and her arrival, my preparations would be completed and even Danzo would not be able to interfere. The odds were completely in my favor. Slowly I made my way inside the compound as my smile started to twits and my Sharingan rotated. Things were about to get interesting once again.

(A/N: I came up surprisingly empty when I looked for info on these swords. I sincerely doubt Orochimaru forged them(second and third) or Sasuke just picked them up like grass. Orochimaru or someone close to Sasuke is most likely to have collected the third one and given it to Sasuke or Sasuke just stumbled across it in his travels. Either way, I think it's better than him just showing up with one sword after another with no detail where they came from. If you guys don't like the backstory you can just ignore it. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of the system soon.)