Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Kaguya Honebami's body convulsed violently, and a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from his mouth before he completely lost consciousness.

But everyone knew he wouldn't die.

The Hokage cannot allow him to die.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped looking at him and instead looked around, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the plaza.

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached every corner, as if it were resounding directly in everyone's minds.

"War is always the least efficient and most foolish use of ninjutsu."

He pointed to the magnificent sunrise on the horizon, where the morning light had already painted half the sky into a tapestry of gold and crimson.

"The true meaning of ninjutsu is creation, construction, and protection."

"It's so that every person in the village can see such a beautiful sunrise in peace every morning, instead of waking up in blood and fire, or dying in endless darkness."

These words, like a warm light and a red-hot branding iron, were deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Hidden Mist ninja present.

They instinctively looked up at the sky.

Yes... how long has it been since I've watched the sunrise so quietly?

The ninjas of the Blood Mist Village are accustomed to darkness, to killing, to falling asleep amidst the smell of blood, and to waking up to screams.

They had almost forgotten the original color of the sky.

A surviving member of the Kaguya clan looked at the grotesque bone blade in his hand, then at the sunrise on the horizon. His expression shifted from ferocity to bewilderment, and finally, to endless emptiness.

With a clang, the bone blade fell to the ground.

He knelt on the ground, his forehead slamming heavily against the cold stone slab with a dull thud.

Once there's a first one, there's a second, and a third.

Those once arrogant and domineering war maniacs, now like a group of lost children, laid down their weapons and shed all dignity and pride in the light of dawn.

on board.

Hozuki Kaigetsu gripped the railing tightly, looking at the kneeling crowd and listening to the Hokage's calm declaration, feeling his very soul tremble.

He turned around abruptly and looked at his scroll of revitalization plan, which was filled with grand blueprints.

It turned out to be like this...

So this is the true power... leadership.

My own ideas about reservoirs, ports, and power plants seemed so shallow in the face of the Hokage's words.

He only thought about how to build it, but forgot why he was building it in the first place.

"Gurgle..."

A clear sound of swallowing saliva came from the side.

Hozuki Shio gazed at the distant sunrise with shining eyes, muttering to herself, "That color...it looks like the marshmallows my brother used to make for me, with orange marmalade..."

"..."

One more touch! Give me back my atmosphere!

Hozuki Kaigetsu stumbled and almost lost his balance.

Well, my sister's level of understanding is probably a level higher than mine; she has reached the philosophical height of "everything can be eaten."

on the square.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the Kaguya clan members who were kneeling and begging for mercy, and announced their verdict.

"From this day forward, all members of the Kaguya clan will be sent to the mines beneath the village to use your hands and sweat to excavate the treasures you have possessed for hundreds of years without knowing anything about them."

"Use your labor to atone for your sins. Build a new Mist Village that you once tried to destroy with your own hands."

Upon hearing the verdict, Yagura and Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief.

They exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw relief and deep awe.

There was no extermination of the clan, no massacre.

This was both a punishment and a way out for the Kaguya clan.

More importantly, the Hokage's actions directly transformed the Kaguya clan, the most unstable and destructive force, into the labor force most urgently needed in the early stages of the construction of the new Kirigakure.

Killing two birds with one stone, no, killing three birds with one stone!

Their skillful methods and meticulous thinking won them over wholeheartedly.

The overwhelming force is merely a facade; the true power of Konoha lies in its terrifying ability to completely dismantle, co-opt, and transform you from the very root of your mind.

They deserved their defeat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have said everything he wanted to say, and he didn't even bother to look at the Kaguya clan members who were either bewildered or relieved after being sentenced.

He turned around, resumed his unhurried pace, and walked towards the port.

It was as if his words and actions, which had just stirred up the future of the entire Hidden Mist Village, were nothing more than a few casual remarks to him.

Uchiha Shisui's figure had appeared behind him at some point, following him like a shadow.

Twenty Konoha Anbu members silently emerged from various shadowy corners, forming the most tight formation, and followed their Hokage.

A brief silence fell over the square.

Yagura watched Hiruzen Sarutobi's departing figure, then looked at the ravaged village and his surviving companions beside him.

He took a deep breath, leaned on his broken coral staff, and limped after them.

Mei Terumi hesitated for a moment, then immediately followed.

The surviving high-ranking elders of Kirigakure exchanged glances, and finally bowed their heads respectfully, following behind Yagura and Mei Terumi.

Thus, a strange scene appeared on the streets of Kirigakure at dawn.

Twenty-odd Konoha ninjas dressed in black walked at the forefront, their steps calm and firm.

Behind them, a group of ninjas dressed in Hidden Mist attire followed closely, heads bowed, like a group of newly tamed wild beasts cautiously following in the footsteps of their new masters.

As Yagura and Mei Terumi stepped onto the deck of that massive steel ship with incredibly complex emotions, a fragrance incongruous with this weapon of war wafted into their nostrils.

It was a blend of the aroma of rice, the richness of miso, and the smoky flavor of grilled fish.

They saw that a small table had been set up on the spacious deck at the bow of the ship.

The silver-haired girl, Hozuki Shio, who had just been trembling with anger, was now holding a large bowl, her eyes shining as she looked at the food on the table, her mouth practically watering.

Meanwhile, Hozuki Kaigetsu, who calmly expounded on his grand vision in front of everyone, was holding a small notebook, intently writing something down in front of a plate of fried fish.

"...The fish skin is fried until golden brown and slightly charred, requiring precise control of the heat; the Uchiha's Fire Release techniques could learn from this. The fish meat remains tender and juicy inside, possibly by utilizing the principle of a water-retention technique to lock in moisture..."

Yagura and Mei Terumi felt a chill run down their spines.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already walked to the table, and as if nothing had happened, he sat down naturally and picked up his chopsticks.

"What are you all standing there for? Time to eat breakfast."

He picked up a slice of golden-yellow pickled cucumber, put it in his mouth, and made a crisp chewing sound.

Then, looking at Hozuki Shio, who was filled with admiration and longing, he casually said, "Try this, it's a specialty of Konoha, pickled cucumbers, it goes very well with rice."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Hozuki Shio immediately picked up a large chopstick and stuffed it into her mouth, her eyes narrowing into slits with happiness.

Yagura and Terumi Mei stood stiffly a few meters away.

Looking at this incredibly heartwarming and ordinary scene before me.

The man who had just been like a god or a demon, declaring the fate of a family and reshaping the future of a village, was now wearing a satisfied smile because of a piece of pickled cucumber.

A chill even more biting than when they faced Susanoo shot straight from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

They finally understood.

In the eyes of this Third Hokage, the earth-shattering coup and the god-like battle just now might really be... just a boring appetizer before the main course.

This enormous gap in understanding brings with it a reverence deeper than death itself.

Just then, an ANBU member appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi like a ghost, kneeling on one knee, his voice completely flat.

"Lord Hokage, Elder Yuanshi has sent someone who is waiting below the ship."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even look up, continuing to drink his miso soup: "Let him come up."

"Yes."

The ANBU paused for a moment, then continued reporting, "The messenger said that Elder Yuan has something of paramount importance that he wants to personally hand over to you, and... the future master of Kirigakure."

The words "future masters" struck like a thunderbolt.

Yagura and Mei Terumi's bodies jolted suddenly, and their expressions changed drastically in an instant.