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

Chapter 512 The Establishment of a Transnational Foundation

The atmosphere inside the tent seemed to freeze for a moment as the last document was put away by Tsuchiya, before slowly flowing back to normal.

Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his right hand.

Ai made the first move.

When the Fourth Raikage stood up from his chair, the wooden armchair that had borne his entire weight finally let out a long, groaning sound, as if it were finally relieved of its burden.

His bronze muscles were taut and relaxed beneath his dark clothing, creating a soft rustling sound.

The five fingers are firmly clasped together, with distinct knuckles.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

The flickering candlelight inside the tent cast two dancing spots of light in Ai's deep blue eyes, behind which lay the unfathomable sea.

Too many things were churning there: the image of the Third Raikage, father, falling in the Land of Whirlpools; the cries of his comrades struggling on the sea; the humiliation of being bullied by Iwagakure and Sunagakure; and the terrifying power of the person before him who could deliver the final blow.

There was hatred, but it was weighed down by something more complex and heavier—was it gratitude? Was it fear? Or... something he himself didn't want to think about deeply, a sense of bewilderment about the path of shadow?

The Fourth Raikage's lips moved, his bronze Adam's apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only squeezed out a heavy "...Hmm" from his nose.

Hiruzen Sarutobi loosened his grip.

Ai took a step back, a steady step that seemed to have used up all his strength at that moment.

He sat down again, and the chair creaked once more, but he no longer paid attention.

Then there's Hanzo.

Hanzo the Salamander stood up three beats slower than Ai.

He had been sitting for a while, and when he lifted his hand off the table, the vermilion ink on his fingertips had mostly dried in the candlelight, leaving a thin, glaring red residue.

He grasped Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand.

The force was very light.

The only sensation in my palm was the rough fabric of the other person's glove, as if it were ready to be pulled back at any moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped it for a full two seconds before releasing it.

Hanzo withdrew his hand to his side, letting it hang naturally by his legs, as if the brief contact had never happened.

The huge breathing mask blocked most of his expression, revealing only a pair of deep-set eyes that were staring straight ahead without any emotion.

The breathing coming from behind the mask was even and steady; no emotion could be discerned.

"Lord Hokage."

Hanzo the Salamander spoke, his voice muffled as it came through his mask.

"Um?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to him, his expression gentle.

"I will determine the location of the Amegakure branch building within a week of returning."

"it is good."

"Construction team—"

"Konoha will send someone."

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded quickly, his tone matter-of-fact, even with a hint of nonchalance, "Konoha has an entire construction team; building a building is no problem."

"???"

Is building a house really such a simple thing?

Hanzo fell silent.

Inside the tent, only the faint rustling sound of the curtains being blown by the night wind could be heard.

"Uh... the cost?"

Hanzo the Salamander finally spoke again, uttering each word slowly, as if weighing its own weight.

"It's included in the initial advance payment."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's answer was swift as ever, as if he had already prepared it, leaving no room for doubt.

Hanzo's mask moved almost imperceptibly.

He raised his eyes, his pupils, shrouded in coldness and caution, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi for a moment.

His gaze was full of gratitude, and then he nodded very slightly.

He didn't say anything more.

He lowered his eyelids again, his gaze falling on his dry fingertips, where the stubborn crimson stain was glaringly obvious.

—See, it's that simple.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shifted his gaze from Hanzo, past the somber-faced Tsuchishiro, and finally back to the three documents placed side by side on the table.

Black ink on white paper, red seal like blood.

A building. A foundation. A group of war orphans.

To put it simply, this is a nail, rightfully driven into the lands of Kumogakure and Amegakure.

The building stands in front of someone else's house, and the staff, using Konoha's funds, care for the children left behind by the fallen. Day after day, year after year, seeds of gratitude will take root and sprout in this foreign land.

On a larger scale...

This is a net.

Woven with the softest kindness, spread with the most irreproachable reasons, it warms and gently covers the suffering of survival and the embers of hatred.

You can't refuse a hand that's reached out to you, offering to help you care for orphans.

If you refuse, you're a heartless bastard who doesn't care about the orphan's life or death.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his eyes, the almost cold clarity that had flashed in them earlier was quietly concealed.

His facial features softened, regaining a gentle and comforting quality. However, the all-seeing glimmer in the depths of his eyes had not been completely extinguished; it was simply hidden even deeper.

"You've all worked hard today."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out at the right moment, gentle and mellow, with just the right amount of concern.

Tsuchida, who had been standing motionless like a statue behind Ai, took half a step forward after these words were spoken.

The steps were small, but they landed precisely on the point where Ai and Hanzo's eyes met, perfectly capturing the lingering aftertaste of their hard work.

He leaned forward slightly and tapped his right fist lightly on his breastplate, producing a dull thud.

A flawless, standard Cloud Shadow military salute.

"Lord Hokage has come from afar; you must be tired from your journey."

"Lord Raikage has given the order to prepare a separate tent for you on the east side, with all necessary supplies. I hope you will not find it inappropriate."

As he finished speaking, he lowered his gaze, maintaining the posture of bowing, but secretly glanced at his own Raikage out of the corner of his eye.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, accepting the measured respect: "Thank you for your consideration."

Only then did he slowly turn his gaze to Ai.

Some knots cannot be untied by a single document.

It takes time, perhaps longer than the years, to slowly grind it down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze, his tone remaining calm: "Then thank you very much, Raikage."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned around.

The curtain was lifted a crack by the wind outside, letting in the night and the scent of earth.

He followed the Cloud Village ninja waiting outside the tent and calmly left the temporary meeting tent that determined the future of countless people.

The curtains were drawn, blocking out the light from both inside and outside.

Ai stood still for a long time.

Tsuchishiro quietly raised his eyes and glanced at his Raikage's profile, which was calm as the sea yet turbulent beneath. In the end, he swallowed back the words of comfort.

Hanzo had already sat down again, his mask facing the empty table, as if there was still an unfinished game of chess there.

The moment the tent flap was lifted, the night wind, carrying the smell of earth and the remnants of the campfire, swept over Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

The campsite had become much quieter.

The previous clamor of battle cries, the groans of the wounded, and the commands of the commanders were all covered by a thick, weary silence.

The campfire had dwindled, leaving only a few clusters of dark red embers flickering on the ground.

Occasionally, the rustling of someone turning over and a few mumbled words could be heard from the tent area in the distance.

The Cloud Village ninja led the way, his steps were disciplined, neither too fast nor too slow, his shoulders and back were straight, and he remained alert even while guiding the way.

Elite.

Hiruzen Sarutobi followed behind, his hands naturally behind his back, his steps leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll under the moonlight.

His gaze didn't sweep across the area intentionally, but he had already taken in the subtle movements between the tents on both sides and in the shadows of the trees—there were several very faint, well-trained chakra fluctuations in the darkness, rising and falling rhythmically like ripples blending into the night.

He is a sensory ninja on night duty.

Konoha.

His aura was kept very low, so low that even an ordinary ninja could hardly detect it if they passed by.

Even with his eyes closed, Hiruzen Sarutobi could sense that there were exactly four within a radius of fifty meters.

One of them, nestled among the dense foliage of the tall cedar tree diagonally above him, had his breathing and heartbeat almost stopped.

--very good.

He didn't look up, but the corners of his mouth curved up almost imperceptibly.

A sense of security and silent protection quietly flowed through my heart.

Two minutes later, the Cloud Village ninja stopped in front of a separately erected tent.

The tent was twice the size of any other tents seen along the way, and the tent fabric was a calm, dark gray that almost blended into the shadows in the night.

Above the tent flap hung a solitary oil lamp.

The dim yellow light swayed in the passing night wind, stretching and shortening his shadow as it danced silently on the muddy ground.

The Cloud Village ninja stepped aside, his posture respectful: "Hokage-sama, we've arrived."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and walked straight toward the tent that was swaying slightly in the wind.

The light from the oil lamp fell on his tall, straight back, casting a warm, dim yellow hue over his robes, which were stained with dust and gunpowder. He raised his hand and lifted the tent flap.