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

Chapter 328 The Impure World Reincarnation Technique

They were all people who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and the future described by Hiruzen Sarutobi filled them with a strange sense of dread.

"Therefore, I proposed the Expo. It is the culmination of our five-year plan, and also a beginning. A beginning for us to convey our beliefs to the future."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was full of power, as if it possessed a kind of magic that could penetrate people's hearts.

"But this is just my first idea. Behind it, I have a much longer-term plan."

He took a deep breath and slowly uttered four words.

"A century-long plan..."

These four words, like a resounding bell, struck deeply in everyone's heart.

The five-year plan is ambitious enough.

A plan for the next century—what a magnificent picture it will be!

Seeing the shocked reactions of the crowd, Hiruzen Sarutobi curled his lips into a meaningful smile.

This is exactly the effect he wanted. The groundwork for developing ideas needs to be laid step by step.

"I hope there is a way for our descendants to learn about the past without having to rely on cold history books and monuments. I hope they can see and hear the teachings of their ancestors firsthand. I hope they can truly understand where Konoha's peace and the Will of Fire came from, and where it is going."

As soon as he finished speaking, you could hear a pin drop in the office.

Danzo's breathing quickened slightly. He thought of the stone tablet at the Naga Shrine, and of his ancestors who had long since turned to dust.

If... if future generations could hear firsthand the ideals of the first generation in establishing the village, and witness firsthand the blueprints laid out by the second generation of teachers... what an awe-inspiring education that would be! This would forge the soul of the village far more effectively than any cold, lifeless building!

Sakumo Hatake's heart was also stirred. He thought of his son, Kakashi. He hoped Kakashi could understand that the sword in his father's hand could be used to kill, but also to protect. If only his fallen comrades could tell Kakashi themselves why they fought, and why they died…

An indescribable excitement rose in everyone's heart.

However, while everyone was excited about this grand plan, only one person felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

Nara Shikaku suddenly raised his head from the table, his usually sleepy eyes now filled with surprise and uncertainty.

What others hear is a grand vision and beautiful expectations.

What he heard, however, was an unsettling, overly realistic description between the lines.

I saw it with my own eyes?

Heard it with my own ears?

What exactly does "Lord Hokage" mean?

Isn't this... just a metaphor?

He stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke on that gentle, smiling face.

but.

That face held only the confidence of someone in control of the situation and the profound insight to see through everything.

An absurd yet irresistible thought began to frantically grow in Nara Kazunobu's mind.

"Lord Hokage..."

He heard his own voice was a little dry as he spoke with difficulty.

"You said you saw your ancestors with your own eyes..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell directly on him, and his gentle smile seemed to deepen.

"What do you think about the antlers?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell precisely on Nara Shikanobu, and his gentle smile seemed to deepen.

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.

While Shimura Danzo and Hatake Sakumo were still excited about their grand plans, Mitomon Homura and Utatane Koharu were also immersed in the awe of this century-long project.

Only the Nara deer antlers, like a deer with its neck being choked, had all its fur standing on end.

He sensed a chilling certainty in the Hokage's excessively calm expression.

That's not a metaphor.

The Hokage is serious.

He was truly planning to let future generations see and hear firsthand the stories of their long-deceased ancestors.

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed not to hear his question. He clapped his hands lightly, breaking the suffocating silence and pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.

"I'm entrusting the entire matter of the expo to you, Antlers. I have faith in your abilities."

He glanced around, his face regaining its impeccable gentleness.

"Danzo, Sakumo, finish your plans as soon as possible and send them to Shikazuchi for consolidation. Koharu, Kadoya, thank you both for your hard work."

The arrangement was so smooth and seamless that it left no room for anyone to ask questions.

Danzo Shimura and Sakumo Hatake exchanged a glance, each seeing an even more intense rivalry in the other's expression, and immediately nodded in agreement.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also composed themselves. Although they were still full of doubts about the "century-long plan," their trust in the Hokage made them suppress these doubts in their hearts.

One by one, everyone got up to say goodbye, but Nara Shikaku remained frozen in place, looking as if his soul had left his body.

"antlers?"

Before leaving, Akimichi Torifu nudged his friend with his elbow, "I'm leaving. Come to my place for barbecue tonight. I saved the best scorpion leg for you."

"Ah...oh..."

Nara Shikaku was jolted back to his senses by the poke. He responded weakly and dragged his heavy steps behind the group like a walking corpse.

Before leaving, he looked back one last time.

The Hokage was standing by the window, the afterglow of the sun casting a long shadow of him.

That figure, as always, seemed reliable.

But for some reason, today's Nara deer antlers gave off a chilling, mad scientist vibe.

The office door was closed gently.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Tsunade and Orochimaru, whom he had deliberately left behind, remained in the room.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

If the high-level meeting just now was a political arena where strategies were planned and executed, then at this moment, this place is more like a secret research institute about to begin forbidden experiments.

"teacher."

Orochimaru spoke first, his golden vertical pupils flashing with undisguised curiosity and inquiry, "The grand plan you mentioned for a century seems to be more than just the inheritance of ideas."

Tsunade also crossed her arms and looked at her teacher with a serious expression.

Her medical intuition also told her that what her teacher was about to say would likely overturn her understanding of the world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, not answering directly, but instead taking a scroll wrapped in layers of seals from the huge bookshelf behind him.

The scroll was made of some kind of unknown animal hide, with an old, dark yellow color. It was covered with intricate sealing techniques and emitted a chilling chakra fluctuation.

Just seeing it made Orochimaru's breathing quicken slightly.

That was the chakra aura of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

Orochimaru,

Hiruzen Sarutobi handed over the scroll with a steady hand, as if he were simply delivering a routine mission report. "This is part of the research manuscript left by our teacher, about the nature of the soul and chakra."

Orochimaru stretched out his hands and accepted the scroll with an almost reverent gesture.

The moment his fingertips touched the reel, he could even feel a slight tremor.

It wasn't out of fear, but out of extreme excitement.

He slowly unrolled the scroll, and its contents instantly captivated his entire being.

"...The soul is not nothingness, but the highest condensed state of spiritual energy..."

"...Chakra is the bridge connecting the soul and the body. Theoretically, with enough energy and a suitable medium, the soul of the deceased can be temporarily recalled from the Pure Land..."

"...The Impure World Reincarnation Technique, preliminary concept..."

One after another, bold and crazy theories, and line after line of precise and rigorous technique deductions, exploded in Orochimaru's mind like thunderclaps.

This is the truth!

This is the ultimate secret that he pursued throughout his life, a secret that transcends the boundaries of life and death!