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

Chapter 432 Konoha Defines Peace

The rain pounded on the scorched earth, making a monotonous and oppressive rustling sound.

Several campfires burned in a corner of the ruins, their orange-red light trying to dispel the damp, cold night fog, but also making the surrounding shadows appear even deeper.

In this desolate silence, a gentle voice, like warm sunlight piercing through the rain, drifted down lightly.

"Since you're here, why not come down and have a cup of hot tea?"

Behind the highland bushes, Killer Bee and his group tensed up instantly.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a blond young man standing leisurely by the campfire in the temporary camp.

He was only wearing a standard Konoha Jonin vest, with a warm smile on his face, as if he were entertaining guests in his own backyard rather than on a perilous battlefield.

The young man gently raised the steaming teacup in his hand in their direction.

Minato Namikaze.

Killer Bee's pupils contracted slightly as he slowly exhaled.

This is neither a provocation nor a test.

This is a posture of ease and composure, a calmness based on absolute confidence.

The other party is telling them in this way—your stealth has been under my watchful eye from the very beginning.

"Um……"

Killer Bee suppressed the turmoil in his heart, waved to his subordinates behind him, and took the lead in walking down the slippery high ground.

The boots sank into the mud, making a dull thud.

The atmosphere became thick and subtle the moment they stepped into the brightly lit area of ​​the camp.

The dozen or so Cloud Village ninjas were all on high alert, their muscles taut like a fully drawn bowstring, their hands never leaving the ninja tool pouches at their waists, their sharp eyes scanning every Konoha ninja in the camp.

The reaction from Konoha, however, was quite different.

The group of young boys and girls, who looked quite young, simply observed these uninvited guests with curiosity.

The loud, goggles-wearing Uchiha boy even leaned close to his silver-haired companion and whispered, "Hey, Kakashi, they look so fierce, like they're going to eat us alive."

The silver-haired boy, known as Kakashi, didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his voice indifferent.

"Shut up, you idiot. Your voice is loud enough for them to hear you."

Hehe~~

"..."

Killer Bee ignored the young people's petty actions and looked past the crowd, his gaze first landing on the few Cloud Village ninjas who had been rescued.

They were leaning against a relatively clean rock, covered with a blanket, and a female medical ninja from Konoha with short brown hair and purple marks on her cheeks was gently and attentively feeding her hot soup.

Seeing that his companion was unharmed, Killer Bee's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He then focused his attention entirely on the blond youth and walked straight over to him.

The ninjas on both sides seemed to have some tacit understanding, automatically separating behind the two men and forming a clear confrontation.

Chirabi took off his sunglasses.

Those eyes, which bore a resemblance to the Fourth Raikage's, held no hint of jest at this moment, only pure scrutiny and inquiry.

He looked the young man in front of him up and down... who looked no older than himself.

Sunny, gentle, and handsome.

But deep within those azure eyes lay a calm, bottomless lake, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

"My name is Killer Bee."

He began in an extremely concise tone, completely devoid of any rap rhythm, "I have come to make contact with you on the orders of the Fourth Raikage."

Minato Namikaze smiled and extended his hand, not to shake hands, but to gesture for him to sit by the campfire.

"Minato Namikaze. We are the Konoha Peacekeeping Force, sent by the Third Hokage to maintain regional peace and prevent the war from escalating."

Peacekeeping forces?

Killer Bee pondered this unfamiliar name in his mind, a name that exuded an unquestionable and domineering aura.

What exactly is the Hokage of Konoha thinking?

That's a bit too much of a boast.

"So, everyone in the Konoha Peacekeeping Force..."

Chirabi did not take a seat, choosing instead to get straight to the point: "How much do you know about the current situation?"

"We just wiped out a small team from Iwagakure."

Minato answered calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial, "They were carrying out indiscriminate attacks in a village."

Killer Bee's expression darkened.

"This is exactly what we are facing."

His voice deepened, "Iwagakure and Sunagakure have come prepared this time. Their main attack force consists of the demolition squad personally led by the Tsuchikage Onoki, as well as the puppet army under the command of the Third Kazekage, Retsumon. These two old guys have brought in their most elite troops."

"As for Hanzo the Salamander of Amegakure..."

Killer Bee's lips curled into a sneer. "His men were mostly used as scouts, carelessly thrown at the front. Cannon fodder, that's enough to show that this so-called three-village alliance is not equal at all."

Minato nodded quietly, signaling him to continue.

This was pretty much as he had predicted: alliances between major powers inevitably come with the exploitation and sacrifice of smaller nations.

"Their tactics are very clear."

Killer Bee continued, pointing to the damp ground and sketching a simple map with chakra. "Their coordination is flawless. Occasionally, they even break up into smaller units to encircle and defeat our forces one by one."

"Our defenses have been pushed back again and again, and in the village... many young ninjas have already..."

At this point, Killer Bee's voice became hoarse and heavy with uncontrollable sorrow.

He recalled the lists of fallen soldiers, still wet with ink, that Toshiro had presented to him one by one in the command post; they were all full of vibrant, young names.

Cloud Village is on the verge of collapse under the combined attack of two equally powerful villages.

Minato listened quietly, his smile long gone, replaced by a solemn expression.

He could sense the weight in Chirabi's words; they were the backbone of a village, struggling to maintain its last shred of dignity at the cost of countless young lives and scalding blood.

He reached out and patted Killer Bee on the shoulder.

"I understand what you mean."

Minato Namikaze's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the rain and clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Our mission is to stop all acts that disrupt the peace without justification."

Minato's eyes shone with a terrifying light at that moment.

"Whether it's Iwagakure, Sunagakure, or..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over all the solemn-looking Cloud Village ninjas present.

"...anyone else."

The moment he finished speaking, an invisible, powerful aura emanated from the gentle young man.

The ninjas of Kumogakure clearly sensed from him an aura of majesty no less powerful than that of the Raikage in their rage, yet one that was more restrained and unfathomable.

This is the confidence that comes from the largest village in the ninja world.

It is also a confidence stemming from absolute strength.

Kirabi remained silent, but his heart was in turmoil.

He finally understood why his elder brother and Lord Tsuchishiro were willing to swallow the humiliation of killing their father in order to ask Konoha for help.

Because the Konoha before them had become so powerful that they had to take it seriously and even depend on it.

As Minato spoke, he took out a specially made trident-shaped kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

Without any warning, his wrist simply twitched slightly.

The kunai transformed into a streak of silver lightning, tearing through the rain and silently flying towards Killer Bee's chest.

"!"

The Cloud Village ninjas behind Killer Bee were shocked, their chakra surged instantly, and they instinctively began to form hand seals.

However, Killer Bee suddenly raised a hand, stopping all their movements in an unquestionable manner.

His movements were as fast as lightning.

He precisely extended two fingers and firmly clamped the kunai between them just as it was about to touch his vest.

There wasn't even the slightest metallic clanging sound.

A cold, metallic sensation came from his fingertips, and Killer Bee looked down.

The kunai handle, with its unique shape, was densely engraved with extremely complex and mysterious magical runes, as if it contained some kind of profound principle of space.

At that moment, Killer Bee understood completely.

This kunai serves as a deterrent, showcasing Konoha's advanced military might.

It was also an invitation.

An invitation to Kumogakure to join a new game called "Peace," spearheaded by Konoha.

He looked up and met Minato Namikaze's calm and deep blue eyes.

Beneath that sunny smile lies an unfathomable confidence.