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

Chapter 37 The Storm is Brewing, the Hokage's Wait

A newly built military fortress on the northern border of the Land of Fire.

In stark contrast to the intense battles taking place in the Land of Rain, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth, this place was eerily quiet.

The sky was clear and cloudless, without even a breath of wind.

On the fortress walls, Konoha ninjas stood ready, but each of them wore an undisguised look of anxiety and confusion.

"Hey, what is the Hokage thinking? He transferred so many of us here, and all we get to do is sit in the sun all day?" A young ninja leaned against the wall and complained quietly to his companion.

"Who knows? The other three battlefields are in full swing, with the Sannin and White Fang reporting victory after victory. But here, we can't even see a shadow of the Cloud Village."

Another ninja lowered his voice, "I heard that Lord Uchiha Kagami captured the Third Tsuchikage's son without shedding a drop of blood. The scene was...tsk tsk. It's said that the Iwagakure people were so scared that they crawled back into their caves."

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Of course it's true! The whole village is buzzing with rumors that the Hokage is a god descended to earth, capable of foresight. Otherwise, how could he have predicted Iwagakure's actions so accurately?"

The ninjas' chatter was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach the ears of a man who was resting with his eyes closed not far away.

Danzo Shimura.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He couldn't figure it out either.

It has been almost a month since I received the Hokage's order to assist Hiruzen in guarding the northern defense line as his second-in-command.

During this month, Hiruzen did almost nothing.

There were no increased patrols, no scouts sent out, and he was even distracted during routine military meetings. The thing he did most of the day was to stay in the command room at the highest point of the fortress, slowly wiping his black rod.

That staff was transformed from his spirit beast, the ape demon, the Vajra Ruyi Staff.

Danzo had several times wanted to ask Hiruzen what he was waiting for.

Will the Hidden Cloud Village really abandon other battlefields and launch a surprise attack from here, just as he said?

This is completely illogical.

But when Danzo thought of Hiruzen's unpredictable predictions, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

His feelings towards Hiruzen are complicated right now.

There was awe and faith, but more than anything, there was a deep sense of powerlessness.

He felt like a baby still learning how to walk, while Hiruzen was already standing on a cloud, overlooking the entire game.

Danzo.

A calm voice came from behind him.

Danzo's body stiffened, and he immediately stood up straight and turned around: "Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had somehow appeared behind him.

He wasn't wearing the Hokage's robes, but just a light black outfit, holding the Vajra Ruyi Staff that had been polished to a shine.

"Still worried about the movements of Kumogakure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile.

"……yes."

Danzo hesitated for a moment, but decided to voice his confusion, "Hiruzen, I still don't understand. The Third Raikage, A, while known for his bravery, isn't a fool. Given our demonstrated intelligence capabilities, would he really risk being discovered beforehand and launch a large-scale surprise attack?"

"He will." Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was unusually confident.

He walked to the edge of the city wall and gazed at the distant, rolling mountains belonging to the Land of Thunder.

"Because he and I are two completely different kinds of people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was far from as calm as it appeared. He was also waiting, even more anxious than Danzo.

But he couldn't show it.

As the commander-in-chief, his emotions directly affect the morale of the entire army.

He could only confirm the future direction through the simulator, again and again.

[Simulated Scenario: The Decision-Making Process of the Third Raikage, A.]

[Scene 1: Kumogakure, Raikage's office. A looks at the battle report on the three-pronged attack by Konoha's forces, a disdainful sneer on his face. "Hiruzen Sarutobi is still too young. Dividing his forces into three routes seems like a comprehensive strategy, but in reality, it's full of weaknesses."]

[Scene 2: A strategist-type Jonin from Kumogakure raises a concern: "Lord Raikage, Konoha's intelligence gathering capabilities in the Land of Earth are extraordinary. If we rashly launch an attack, we might repeat the mistakes of Iwagakure."]

[Scene 3: Ai smashes the table to pieces with a single punch, declaring domineeringly, "Intelligence? Before absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery is a joke! The failure of those cowardly Iwagakure bastards was simply because they weren't strong enough! I, the Third Raikage, will use my indestructible fists to show Hiruzen Sarutobi what true war is!"]

[Scene 4: A stubbornly believes that with Konoha's main forces scattered across three other battlefields, its northern defenses are inevitably vulnerable. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to penetrate deep into the Land of Fire's heartland. He wants to use a glorious victory to wash away the stigma of a coup d'état that Kumogakure bore when the Second Hokage died, and to prove to the entire ninja world that Kumogakure is the strongest.]

The simulation has ended.

"Sigh..." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

As expected, the Third Raikage was a complete brute with extreme confidence in his own power.

However, his son learned a lesson from him.

It's not that he couldn't see the risks, but rather that he firmly believed his strongest spear could pierce through all risks.

This kind of person is the most terrifying, but also the easiest to deal with.

All you need to do is follow his train of thought and give him what he considers a perfect script, and he will jump in without hesitation.

All Hiruzen Sarutobi has to do now is wait quietly for the protagonist to make his appearance.

"Hiruzen, what are you looking at?" Danzo followed his gaze, but could see nothing but the continuous mountain range.

"I'm looking at the future of Konoha," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

He took a document out of his pocket and handed it to Danzo.

Danzo took it with a puzzled look, opened it, and found that it was a list and resumes of ninja academies.

The first name on the list was one he had never heard of before.

"Minato Namikaze?"

"Um."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "A very interesting little guy, his theoretical grades are quite good. His report says his dream is to become a Hokage like me, someone who can protect everyone's smiles."

Danzo looked at the sunny smile of the blond boy on the list, then at the man beside him with deep eyes who seemed to carry the whole world on his shoulders, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"War will eventually end."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of weariness. "Our generation is destined to live in blood and fire. But every drop of blood we shed now is so that their generation won't have to go through all of this."

He patted Danzo on the shoulder: "So, be patient, Danzo. What we're waiting for now is not just a victory in this battle, but also to fight for a longer period of peace where they can grow up in peace."

Danzo held the list in his hands, his palms burning.

For the first time, he understood Hiruzen's strategy from this perspective.

He seemed to... understand something.

Just then.

"Hey——!"

A sharp eagle's cry shattered the tranquility of the sky.

A black scout eagle swooped down from the direction of Kumogakure like a black lightning bolt, landing precisely on the arm of an intelligence ninja at the fortress.

The intelligence ninja quickly untied the intelligence scroll from the eagle's leg, his expression changed drastically, and he appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo using the Body Flicker Technique, kneeling on one knee, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Lord Hokage! Lord Danzo! S-rank emergency!"

"The main force of Kumogakure mobilized in full half an hour ago!"

"The Third Raikage, A, is personally leading the expedition!"

coming.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo exchanged a glance.

A storm is coming.