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

Finally, a rhomboid crystal, only the size of a thumb, jet black, and with a smooth, mirror-like surface, quietly floated in his palm.

Sasori could sense an incredibly evil, chaotic, yet highly concentrated chakra emanating from that crystal. It was the essence of the evil cult leader and all the power of the entire altar.

"Failure is also a kind of data. And this data..." Retsumon grasped the crystal, a strange smile spreading across his lips, "...is beautiful."

He handed the crystal to the scorpion.

Scorpion looked at his reflection, and in that extreme darkness, a pair of eyes burning with obsessive and fanatical flames were looking back at him.

Inside the temporary command post in Iwagakure, the air still carried the lingering dust from Onoki's fist smashing the stone table.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed completely oblivious to the rage and solemnity. He simply calmly withdrew his gaze from Onoki and turned his attention back to the window.

At the port, three massive steel warships, like silent behemoths, lay quietly at the dock, their cold, hard outlines forming a stark and jarring contrast with the rustic and rugged architectural style of Iwagakure Village.

"Let's go, Onoki."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice calm and even, "Even after a thousand miles of travel, we must part ways. The details of the subsequent cooperation will be handled by a representative from the Shikagaku-ha."

Ohnoki hummed in response.

He followed Hiruzen Sarutobi towards the dock.

They remained silent the entire way, but the stubborn Tsuchikage's eyes never left the three warships.

That wasn't a toy pieced together from wood and canvas, but a war fortress cast in steel.

The smooth seams of the armor on the ship's hull, the Konoha ninjas bustling about on the deck, and the cannons with intricate sealing techniques faintly visible on both sides of the ship's sides... every detail silently speaks of the unfathomable industrial strength and war potential of Konoha Village.

This power is even more suffocating than the ninjutsu of a Kage-level ninja.

Ninjutsu is destruction, but this is creation—a power belonging to a nation that can amplify destructive force hundreds or thousands of times.

"Sarutobi,"

Finally, at the gangway of the dock, Onoki stopped. He looked up, his cloudy but still sharp eyes staring directly at Hiruzen. "You mentioned before, about digging a canal connecting the north and south along the border between the two countries... I agree to this plan in principle."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped in his tracks, turned around, and gave a predictable smile, but still raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise: "Oh? I thought Lord Tsuchikage would think this is a fantasy."

"A fantasy?"

Onoki blew on his beard. "Making barren land grow crops is a pipe dream, and using ninjutsu to light up the night is also a pipe dream. Haven't you Konoha Inui made enough pipe dreams already?"

He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious: "However, we will send people to oversee control of the canal, its width and depth, and future shipping revenue."

"certainly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, agreeing readily without any hesitation or bargaining.

This left Onoki speechless, as he had prepared a whole host of arguments.

Looking into Hiruzen's calm, unwavering eyes, he suddenly understood something. This man was never thinking about the ownership of a canal, nor about the gains or losses of a single city.

He was using steel, cement, canals, railways… using these things to bind the entire ninja world to his chariot called “peace.” And he himself, or rather, Iwagakure, after witnessing this irresistible “momentum” firsthand, had no choice but to get on board.

"Iwagakure will no longer be a pawn for any schemer."

Onoki said in a deep voice, this was both a promise and a statement, "We will drag out those rats hiding in the gutter and crush them."

"I look forward to that day." Hiruzen Sarutobi extended his hand.

Ohnoki looked at the hand, remained silent for a moment, and finally extended his own calloused hand and grasped it firmly.

……

Having bid farewell to the scheming Tsuchikage, the fleet sets sail once more.

On the vast, boundless sea, the cheers of the boys almost lifted the deck.

"Wow—! I see it! It's the coastline of the Land of Fire!"

Wearing his signature goggles, Obito Uchiha was practically hanging from the ship's side, shouting excitedly.

"Shut up, Obito."

Kakashi leaned against the mast, holding a book he'd pulled out from who-knows-where, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "You've said that seventeen times since yesterday. Is your Sharingan only for being the first to spot a toilet?"

"What do you know! This is called being eager to go home!" Obito retorted, hands on his hips. "Besides, I'm injecting vitality into the Will of Fire! A lifeless guy like you would never understand!"

"Vitality? I think it's just noise."

Asuma, who was wiping his chakra knife, couldn't help but join in the吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) as well.

The boys' noise brought a helpless smile to Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips as he sat on a deck chair not far away, with Shisui Uchiha making tea for him beside him.

After several days of sailing, the massive fleet finally arrived at Henshio Port, the largest port in the eastern part of the Land of Fire.

The scene here is completely different. Huge chakra-powered cranes are methodically hoisting goods, and the wide, flat cement roads are bustling with traffic.

A bespectacled, refined-looking Nara native was already waiting at the dock.

"Lord Hokage, you must be tired from your journey."

Naoki Nara, the port manager under Root, bowed respectfully. "During your absence, the first phase of the 'Chakra Light Rail,' which connects the port directly to Konoha, has been fully completed."

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear bell rang.

On a brand-new platform not far from the dock, a "metal box" with a streamlined front and bright, clean windows, made entirely of metal, was quietly parked.