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

In the distant borderlands, deep beneath the land of the wind.

In a secret workshop filled with countless puppet parts and bizarre specimens, Black Zetsu's twisted will trembled excitedly within the body of the Third Kazekage, Retsumon.

It had just received the most accurate intelligence from Uchiha Mine in Konoha.

The time has come for the Nine-Tailed Fox to give birth.

"Hehehe... Hiruzen Sarutobi."

Liemen let out a hoarse and distorted laugh, a laugh that did not belong to him, but to the Black Zetsu within him.

It turned to the other side of the workshop.

There, a boy with short, dark red hair was intently adjusting a brand-new humanoid puppet. The puppet's face was none other than that of the Third Kazekage himself.

"scorpion."

Liemen spoke, his voice regaining the majesty of a Wind Shadow.

The boy called Scorpion stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and his indifferent eyes revealed no emotion.

"Master."

"Prepare for a grand feast." Retsumon's voice carried a hint of seduction. "Go to Konoha and deliver the most magnificent despair to them. This is the best opportunity to prove your eternal beauty."

Upon hearing this, a hint of fervent artistic pursuit finally flashed in Sasori's usually calm and collected eyes.

He reached out and gently stroked the puppet that perfectly replicated him, the "Third Kazekage," as if admiring a masterpiece of art.

"Yes, Master."

He whispered, "I will prove that my art is eternal, beyond life and death."

……

Meanwhile, in Konoha, in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped lightly on a location marked with a red circle on the map.

On the sofa opposite him sat Akimichi Torifu, expressionless, and Nara Shikazu, with a look of utter annoyance.

"To prevent any uninvited guests from arriving, we need to prepare a stage that they cannot refuse."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a flat tone.

Neither Akimichi Torifu nor Shikanobu asked who the enemy was.

This is the tacit understanding they have formed with the Third Hokage. The Hokage can always see the future that they cannot see, and what they have to do is to perfectly execute the Hokage's will.

Deer Antlers yawned and spread a scroll on the table, which contained a detailed diagram of the building structure and defensive deployment.

"As per your request, the plan to trap you like a turtle in a jar is ready."

He pointed weakly at the blueprints, "The birthing location is set at a secret manor outside the village. On the surface, it appears to be poorly guarded, but in reality..."

"The Dark Side has already deployed the latest three-dimensional perception barriers in all major transportation routes and inside the mountains."

Akimichi Torifu added, "Any fly that flies in won't come out alive. The manor's underground has also been transformed into a final refuge of chakra concrete."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction.

His future simulator had already told him that Black Zetsu would use this opportunity to incite Sasori of the Red Sand and the cultists of Jashin to attack.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He looked out the window at the brightly lit, peaceful village and murmured to himself.

"We must ensure that they never return."

"We also need to follow this line and pull out the big fish hiding in the ditch behind them."

On the night Kushina gave birth, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and even the moonlight could not penetrate.

Storm is coming.

Outside Konoha Village, the brightly lit manor stood like an isolated island, radiating an alluring glow in the darkness.

Under the cover of night, countless dark figures moved silently through the woods, making their way quietly toward the manor.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, exuding an aura of madness and fearlessness.

Leading the group were two figures.

One was Lie Men, draped in a cloak of wind and shadow, surrounded by ominous black sand and iron.

The other one is hidden inside a giant puppet named Hiruko, with only a pair of cold and indifferent eyes showing.

Sasori of the Red Sand gazed at the warm manor in the distance, a cruel smile curving his lips.

The grand feast is about to begin.

Within the hard shell of the Hiruko, Scorpion's gaze passed through the puppet's eye sockets, coldly fixed on the distant lights.

His master, the Third Kazekage Retsumon, exuded an aura that filled him with both awe and reassurance.

His fingers flicked lightly on the mechanism controlling the chakra threads, producing a soft clicking sound.

This is the final adjustment before the artwork is presented on stage.

He could sense the chaos and madness emanating from the cultists behind him; they were inferior, disordered, and devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

They are merely expendable products in this grand performance, the initial base color splashed onto the canvas.

And he, Sasori of the Red Sand, will be the protagonist of this performance.

The prosperity of Konoha, and those vibrant lives, will all be transformed into the most dazzling flowers of death in his hands.

Their wails will be the most magnificent movement of this symphony.

"Master, look!"

Scorpion's voice came through the puppet's mechanism, carrying a hint of suppressed excitement, "That light, how much it resembles a fragile heart. With just a gentle squeeze, it will burst into the most beautiful crimson fireworks."

He couldn't wait.

He wants to make the Konoha ninjas into his collection.

An artwork called Despair, Eternity.

He was completely unaware that inside the Liemen beside him, a black, shapeless thing was silently watching him, its gaze devoid of appreciation, only cold as if it were a tool.

The sheltered spot on the mountaintop.

Liemen's indigo short hair billowed in the night wind, and the black iron sand surrounding him flowed slowly as if it were alive.

"Don't be careless, Scorpion."

Retsumon spoke hoarsely, his voice sounding as if it had been sanded, "Sarutobi Hiruzen... it's not that simple."

He sensed a faint unease lingering within the Black Abyss within him.

Everything went too smoothly, as if it were a carefully orchestrated stage. But the intelligence was absolutely certain: the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was giving birth, and the seal was at its weakest—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"hehe."

Scorpion let out a soft laugh from the puppet, with the arrogance unique to youth, "Even the most intricate trap is nothing but an embellishment before absolute art. This decaying village should have long since achieved eternity in flames and despair."

He said no more, his fingers twitched slightly as he looked back at the fanatical cultists.

"Go."

He gave a concise order: "Use your blood to stain the curtain of the feast red."

"For the great evil god!"

Hidan, a silver-haired man wielding a three-section scythe and wearing a Jashin necklace around his neck, let out a frenzied scream.

He led a massive, dark mass of followers, surging out of the forest like a tidal wave, heading straight for the manor's main gate.

According to the plan, they were responsible for drawing enemy fire.

The other two squads will launch a surprise attack from the cliffs on the flanks, creating even greater chaos.

Sasori and the Third Kazekage will infiltrate from the weakest point in the defenses, like the most precise scalpel, directly targeting the weakened Nine-Tails Jinchuriki inside the delivery room.

……

Inside the manor.

The air was so oppressive it was almost frozen.

The medical ninja who was assisting with childbirth had fine beads of sweat on her forehead. She walked hurriedly but dared not make the slightest noise. Only when the metal instruments collided in the tray would they make a crisp sound or two.

Kushina Uzumaki's red hair was soaked with sweat as she gritted her teeth and endured the waves of excruciating pain.

"Relax, Kushina, breathe in rhythm with me."

Tsunade sat by her side, her voice steady and powerful. She kept wiping Kushina's forehead with a damp towel, the emerald green medical chakra gently enveloping her and easing her pain as much as possible.

Outside the delivery room, Minato Namikaze paced back and forth in the corridor, his golden hair appearing somewhat dim under the light. He repeatedly checked the sealing barriers inscribed on the walls and floor, ensuring that every rune was accurate.