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

Chapter 503 The Messenger

Under Hanzo's breathing mask, the air he exhaled became scalding hot and rapid.

His gaze was fixed on the man who calmly took his seat, and deep in his pupils was a tremor that he could not hide.

One of the legendary Sannin was punched into the ground.

Like swatting a fly.

Hanzo lived his entire life amidst poisonous fog and conspiracies, witnessing countless powerful figures and personally burying countless powerful ones.

But at this moment, a chill ran down his spine. The chill had nothing to do with poison or killing intent.

It was a pure, top-down perspective from the very top of the food chain.

He suddenly realized clearly that his proud title of demigod was not even worthy of being called a pawn in the order constructed by this man.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down, his gaze sweeping to his side.

"Danzo, Kagami, Sakumo. You've arrived."

His tone was extremely casual, as if he were greeting an old friend visiting at his own doorstep.

Danzo positioned himself to the right and slightly behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. His gaze first swept discreetly over the load-bearing structure and entrance layout of the tent.

"Lord Hokage."

The sound was not loud, but the voice was deep, like sand and gravel rolling over railway tracks.

Uchiha Kagami walked to the left, his face bearing that gentle, comforting smile.

"I took care of some trivial matters along the way, so I'm late."

His tone was unusually amiable, as if he were attending a belated tea party.

Sakumo Hatake took his place last.

Without exchanging pleasantries or making any movements, he simply stood quietly behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

That's it.

"Cough cough—"

An untimely cough broke the silence in the tent.

Tsunade's temple throbbed as she strode to the human-shaped crater, bent down, grabbed Jiraiya by the collar, and yanked him out of the ground.

"You shameful idiot!"

She cursed under her breath, but a soft, bluish-green light shone from her hand as she precisely covered Jiraiya.

Jiraiya slowly woke up, mumbling incoherently, "Master's... right hook... has improved quite a bit..."

"--Shut up."

Tsunade pressed her fingers firmly on his swollen cheekbone.

"hiss--!"

The tent was completely silent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze from the two troublesome disciples and turned it back to the Fourth Raikage and Hanzo of the Salamander, who were already frozen in place.

His tone was flat.

"Lord Raikage, Lord Hanzo—let me introduce you both."

"Shimura Danzo. Konoha's advisor and elder, currently primarily responsible for the village's infrastructure planning and internal security."

Danzo nodded to the two of them expressionlessly.

"Uchiha Kagami. Head of the Uchiha clan and chief of the Konoha Police Force."

Jing smiled and cupped her hands in a respectful gesture.

"Sakumo Hatake—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then finished speaking the last few words in a casual, almost absurd tone.

"The head of Muye Ecological Farm."

The air inside the tent seemed to freeze.

Tsuchishiro's one eye suddenly contracted.

Infrastructure?

Farming?

His mind raced, repeatedly processing Hiruzen Sarutobi's understated introduction three times over, until a chilling conclusion surfaced—

A village abandoned its leader to work on road repairs.

They threw away the Leaf White Fang to farm.

The only explanation is that their top-tier combat power has overflowed and cannot be used up.

It's overflowing to the point where you could stuff a Kage-level ninja into a farmland and make him a field manager.

He dared not think any further.

The Fourth Raikage and Hanzo nodded slightly to Danzo and the other two almost simultaneously.

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

It was so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling sound of the oil lamp wick burning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the teacup in front of him and gently blew on the steam rising from the surface of the water.

"We were just talking about inviting representatives from Iwagakure and Sunagakure to come and discuss this matter."

He put down his teacup.

"A verbal invitation is not enough. We need to send an envoy of sufficient importance to demonstrate our sincerity."

"And—our will."

The sound wasn't loud, but it made everyone in the tent tense up a little.

"I have decided to send two teams as messengers from Konoha to Iwagakure and Sunagakure respectively."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and slowly swept his gaze over the crowd.

"The messenger bound for Iwagakure Village—"

He looked at Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, whose face was still somewhat red and swollen.

"The three of you will represent Konoha and have a proper talk with the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki."

Orochimaru narrowed his long, narrow eyes slightly, a hint of undisguised interest flashing in his golden vertical pupils.

"Dust Release... I've always wanted to observe it up close."

Tsunade crossed her arms and said decisively, "Understood."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and dusted himself off.

The traces of laughter on that swollen face were completely gone.

"Yes, teacher."

His voice was steady and resonant.

The fact that the three disciples of the Third Hokage were sent as messengers carries significant weight.

Tsuchishiro's fingers twitched, and he subconsciously glanced at Ai beside him.

The Fourth Raikage's jaw muscles were tense, and he remained silent.

"An envoy bound for Sunagakure—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on the three people on the other side.

"Danzo. Kagami. Sakumo."

"The situation in Sunagakure is rather complicated, and their Kazekage must have a lot to say. The three of you will go and meet with him."

Danzo Shimura. Kagami Uchiha. Sakumo Hatake.

Darkness. Light. Blade.

The three stepped forward and responded in unison—

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Two teams.

Six names.

With just a few casual words, Hiruzen Sarutobi unleashed all the power capable of overturning the ninja world.

A series of rapid breaths came from beneath Hanzo's mask, but were forcibly suppressed.

The two teams accepted the order and set out.

The curtains were lifted and then lowered again, and the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Silence returned to the tent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his teacup, which had gone mostly cold, and looked past the rising steam to Ai and Hanzo across from him.

"So——"

"While we wait for them to return, let's talk about the pension fund."

The curtain was lifted, and six figures filed out.

The campfire outside was burning brightly. Sparks were whipped up by the night wind and crackled and popped in the air.

Kakashi leaned against a crooked tree, his breathing beneath his mask even and calm, but his dark eyes remained fixed on the direction of the tent flap—from the moment the six people went in until now, they hadn't looked away for a single moment.

The moment Sakumo Hatake stepped out, Kakashi's back left the tree trunk.

Without hesitation, without the reserve and composure typical of gifted young people.

He took one step, then the second step turned into a jog, and by the third step he had crashed into Sakumo's arms.

"Oh, Tosang!"

The voice was very soft, just three words stuck in Shuo Mao's chest.