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

three days later.

The plaza in front of the Fengying Building was full of people, but no one spoke.

Rasa stood on the high platform, draped in the Kazekage's divine robes, with a sash representing his status tied around his waist. His expression was somber as his gaze swept over the crowd below, finally settling on Chiyo.

Chiyo nodded to him.

"From this day forward, I am the Fourth Kazekage."

Rasa's voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire plaza: "I will protect the future of Sunagakure."

The applause was sparse and weak.

Luo Sha didn't pay attention.

He turned and walked into the Kazekage Building, leaving behind a group of Sand Village ninja looking at each other in bewilderment.

---

The first thing Rasa did upon becoming Kazekage was to summon all the high-ranking officials.

"We must send a delegation to Konoha."

Luo Sha's voice echoed in the empty office, sounding somewhat weak, "Go apologize."

An elder couldn't help but speak up: "But Lord Fengying, the letter already said that Lord Liemen was...

"That's not important."

Rasa interrupted him, "The important thing is that Lord Retsumon did indeed lead an invasion of our ally Konoha and clashed with the Hokage of Konoha. That's a fact."

He looked out the window at the endless desert, his eyes weary.

"What we need to do now is to apologize to Konoha, not to argue about any principles."

"We don't know how long Lord Retsumon was controlled by that thing called Black Zetsu. But one thing is clear—if Konoha hadn't intervened, Sunagakure might have been driven into an even more terrifying abyss under that monster's control."

He turned around and looked at the crowd.

"Yakura".

"Yes."

A female ninja with short, flaxen hair and a tall, straight posture stepped forward.

"You will be the head of the delegation. Depart immediately for Konoha."

Rasa looked at her. "Remember, you have only one purpose for this trip: to express Sunagakure's apology and sincerity. Whatever conditions Konoha proposes, do not object on the spot. Bring them back, and we will decide."

"...Yes, Lord Kazekage."

Ye Cang bowed her head and accepted the order. She could sense the suppressed helplessness of the entire village behind this command.

When Yekura led her delegation on the journey to the Land of Fire, she had already prepared herself for the worst.

However, when she actually arrived in Konoha, everything she saw shook her understanding to its core.

This...is this Konoha?

The crowded, traditional ninja village of my memory has disappeared.

Instead, there was a... a modern metropolis that she couldn't describe in words.

The smooth, wide Chakra concrete road stretched to the horizon, flanked by towering buildings she had never seen before.

A train, without horses pulling it, glides quietly past them, with smiling villagers sitting in the windows.

There was no smell of sand or dust in the air, only the aroma of food and a faint fragrance of flowers.

The pedestrians on the street, whether ninjas or ordinary people, all radiated a sense of inner peace and confidence.

Ye Cang's heart sank little by little.

This is no longer simply a military gap.

A faint aroma of tea filled the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, not wearing the sacred robes that symbolized his Hokage status, but simply dressed in black casual clothes.

The teacup in front of him was steaming.

Yekura led the delegation members in bowing deeply to the legendary Hokage in the most standard manner.

"On behalf of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the entire village of Sunagakure, I, Yogakure Jonin, offer my deepest apologies to the Hokage for the offensive actions of the Third Kazekage, Retsumon."

She lowered her head deeply, awaiting the impending judgment.

However, the expected questioning and pressure did not come.

Get up.

A gentle voice rang out.

Yekura looked up and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly looking at her, his eyes filled with no mockery or anger, only an unfathomable calm.

"There's no need for that."

Hiruzen picked up his teacup and gently blew on the steam. "The actions of Retsumon should not be borne by the entire Sunagakure village. Please sit."

He pointed to the sofa opposite him.

Yecang was somewhat at a loss, and the Sand Village ninja behind her looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is completely different from the script they had envisioned.

Guided by the Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu, they sat down awkwardly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't immediately get down to business. He just casually asked about the recent weather in Sunagakure and the specialties of the Land of Wind, as if he were chatting with a friend who had come from afar.

This extreme sense of relaxation, ironically, made Yekura feel even greater pressure.

She couldn't fathom the Hokage's thoughts at all.

Just as she was about to be crushed by this invisible pressure, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his teacup.

"Konoha has received your apologies."

He finally got to the point.

Yekura's heart was in her throat.

"but,"

Hiruzen changed the subject, "Instead of an apology, I have a better suggestion."

He took a scroll from the documents beside him and gently pushed it across the table.

"Take a look."

Yecang hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the scroll.

When she slowly unrolled the scroll and saw the title, she was completely stunned.

"A Plan for Joint Development and Ecological Governance of the Silent Forest Area in the Land of Grass".

What is this?

Ye Cang was completely taken aback, and she quickly scanned the following content.

The plan was written in great detail, from the initial pollution survey and soil analysis, to the mid-term biological remediation plan and soil improvement technology, and then to the later-stage economic zone planning and the introduction of drought-resistant crop varieties...

Every step is logically rigorous and based on detailed data.

What she found most incomprehensible was that the section on investment and profit distribution clearly stated: Konoha Village provides all core technical support and undertakes the initial capital investment, while Sunagakure Village is required to send personnel to participate in the construction and be responsible for the subsequent regional security.

Yekura's fingers tightened, and the edge of the reel was deformed from her grip.

She looked up, staring at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.

"Lord Hokage... what's wrong...?"

"That land contaminated by the cultists of evil gods is a huge problem. It is a potential threat to Konoha, Iwagakure, and even Sunagakure, which is closest to it."

Hiruzen calmly explained, "If we leave it unchecked, it will only become a breeding ground for the next evil. Therefore, it must be cleaned up."