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

The future masters.

These six words seem weightless, yet they also feel incredibly heavy.

They drifted through the cool morning sea mist, past the sizzling aroma of grilled fish on the deck, and gently landed in the ears of Yagura and Mei Terumi.

boom.

The two felt a loud bang in their heads, and all the sounds in the world disappeared.

Before my eyes, the crisp sound of Hozuki Shio happily chewing on pickled cucumbers, the scratching sound of Hozuki Kaigetsu's pen tip gliding across paper, and even the cries of seabirds in the distance, all seemed infinitely distant and indistinct at this moment.

In their world, all that remained was the single-kneedle Konoha ANBU member kneeling before them, and the few words he had just uttered, words that sounded like a curse.

The Hidden Mist Village... its future masters.

Yagura's body stiffened almost instantly in the thin layer of moisture on the deck.

The giant coral staff on his back, with its rough, ocean-inspired texture, was digging into his palm, causing a slight, insignificant sting.

He clenched his fists unconsciously, his knuckles bulging from the excessive force, trying to draw a bit of calm from the hard touch.

But Kexin was sinking rapidly.

It's perfectly reasonable for Elder Yuan to want to see the Hokage.

Last night's coup and Konoha's thunderous attack foreshadowed a change in the fate of Kirigakure.

But the future owner...

who is it?

His gaze, like that of an uncontrolled puppet, stiffly and inch by inch turned toward the silver-haired girl who was holding a bowl bigger than her face, her cheeks stuffed full.

Is it Ghost Dengxi?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he nipped it in the bud.

impossible.

This woman's mind was consumed with nothing but how to tear the enemy to pieces and how to devour all the food.

Let her be the Mizukage? Kirigakure will probably disband within three days because its entire budget has been used to purchase Konoha barbecue.

So...

Yagura's gaze then moved with difficulty to Hozuki Kaigetsu.

Is it him?

This former genius, now a traitor, is indeed intelligent and capable. More importantly, he has been completely transformed by Konoha's terrifying ideology.

He is now the perfect extension of Konoha's will into Kirigakure.

But how could the people in the village, those ninjas who struggled to survive in the blood mist, possibly obey a traitor?

Is it...

Yagura's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be myself? Or... Mei Terumi?

They are the most outstanding among the new generation of Kirigakure, and among the few who still maintain a clear mind in the Blood Mist Era.

Strength, experience, lineage... from any perspective, they are the most logical successors.

But why?

Why, under these circumstances, would a member of Konoha's ANBU reveal this matter in such an almost informant tone?

A chill rose from the soles of Yagura's feet and instantly spread throughout his body.

Mei Terumi, standing next to her, wasn't in much better shape.

Her one bright green eye, which wasn't hidden by her long hair, had shrunk to the most dangerous pinpoint, locked tightly on the Konoha ANBU member.

You can even clearly see the scratches on the Konoha insignia on the other person's headband, and the subtle wrinkles on their dark gray combat uniform caused by the sea breeze.

The operative knelt there, like a sculpture blending into the shadows, his breathing steady and his heartbeat calm.

This absolute, inhuman discipline instilled in her a deep-seated fear, even more so than the godlike Susanoo of Uchiha Shisui last night.

The atmosphere on the deck became incredibly eerie.

Those two hopes for the future of Kirigakure were frozen in place, as if under a spell, their hands and feet ice-cold.

The man in charge of all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, didn't even put down his soup bowl because of this earth-shattering report.

He calmly and slowly sipped the last mouthful of warm miso soup from the bowl.

"Glug."

A clear swallowing sound.

He let out a satisfied sigh, as if in his ears, the words "future master of Kirigakure" were no different from the delicious taste of the soup today.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his soup bowl, slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin, his movements as elegant as if he were attending a daimyo's banquet.

He then turned his head to look at the two high-ranking members of the Misty Hidden Sect who were experiencing turbulent emotions, his face still bearing that gentle, spring-like smile.

That smile, when seen by Yagura and Mei Terumi, sent chills down their spines more intensely than the coldest ice and snow.

"There's no need to trouble our old friend from Kirigakure to come in person."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable resolve.

"I'll go there myself."

"Yes."

The secret agents received the order and vanished like ghosts in a flash.

On the deck, the utterly ordinary breakfast atmosphere continued.

Hozuki Shio had happily finished her second bowl of rice, and her bright eyes were now fixed on the last grilled fish on her plate, her mouth practically watering.

Haiyue continued to write furiously in his notebook, muttering to himself, seemingly building a preliminary mathematical model for the "functional relationship between the crispness of fish skin and the level of chakra."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two clowns he had successfully "reformed" and a smile flashed in his eyes.

He turned to Yagura and Mei Terumi.

"Why don't you two come along too?"

His tone was as if he were inviting a neighbor over for a visit.

"After all, this is a family matter of your Hidden Mist Village."

Household matters.

These two words, like two invisible hammers, slammed heavily into the hearts of Yagura and Mei Terumi.

Their faces changed rapidly, from pale to flushed, and finally turned ashen.

Yes, family matters.

But now, it's obvious who's in charge in this family.