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

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his teacup and gently blew away the rising steam, his voice as steady as the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Konoha has the technology and the funds, but it lacks experience in operating in harsh environments for extended periods. Sandstorms, scorching heat, drought."

His words were spoken slowly and deliberately, each word clearly reaching Ye Cang's ears and impacting her understanding.

"Instead of letting Konoha make sacrifices unilaterally, let's cooperate."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his teacup, his long, slender fingers lightly tapping the plan on the table, as if illuminating not just a piece of paper, but a brand new era.

"To transform this cursed land into an oasis that can bring prosperity to both our nations. Yekura, don't you think this is more meaningful than any compensation?"

Yekura's throat tightened suddenly, as if gripped by an invisible hand, and she couldn't utter a single word.

She had expected to face humiliation, harsh terms, and the bitter pill that the defeated must swallow.

But what she saw was a blueprint that was incomprehensible to her, a blueprint that could be described as a "gift".

The Hokage did not choose to weaken the Sand Village; he chose a different path.

A road that binds the future of Sunagakure and the interests of Konoha together with the strongest concrete and the most lush crops.

Once the plan is accepted, Sunagakure will be dependent on Konoha for a long time to come, in terms of both technology and resources, and will have to work alongside Konoha's ninjas. The two villages, which have been enemies for generations, will become a mutually beneficial community because of this jointly cultivated oasis.

What he wanted was never a subservient grovel on the ground.

Rather, he is a friend who can keep up with him and serve him.

A chill ran down Yekura's spine. She gripped the scroll tightly, her knuckles turning bloodless from the force. The hard edge of the scroll dug painfully into her palm.

She finally understood that the reason why Konoha was so powerful was not just because of Hiruzen Sarutobi's godlike strength.

It is also because of this kind of vision and magnanimity that can turn deep-seated enemies into allies.

Ye Cang suddenly stood up, and the breeze he created momentarily stopped the aroma of tea on the table.

She bowed deeply to Hiruzen Sarutobi once again, this time with her head lower than ever before, filled with awe and complete submission.

"I fully understand your will."

Her voice trembled slightly, "I will bring this plan back to Sunagakure word for word and present it to the Kazekage."

Hiruzen smiled and nodded, leaning back in his chair, his entire body sinking into the shadow of the sunlight, leaving only a pair of calm yet seemingly all-seeing eyes.

"This is not an order, Yecang, it's an invitation."

"Konoha's future needs friends, not more enemies."

His gaze went past Yekura's shoulder and out the window.

There, trams glided quietly by, shops along the street bustled with activity, and children chased each other, laughing and playing with candy. A scene of prosperity, a scene of tranquility.

"The choice is in your hands."

……

three days later.

When Yekura returned to Sunagakure with the plan that would change the fate of both countries, she was greeted by a relentless, sand-laden gale in the dead of night.

In Fengying's office, there was only one solitary lamp.

Luo Sha read through the entire project plan alone under the lamp. He read every word, every piece of data, and every plan over and over again.

A long silence.

The silence was so profound that only his own breathing could be heard in the office, along with the tireless howling of the wind and sand outside the window.

He stood up, walked step by step to the window, and pushed it open.

A cold wind, carrying icy sand, rushed in and stung his face.

Sunagakure Village under the moonlight was desolate and bleak. The low, earthen-yellow buildings stretched out in undulating rows, like silent graves. The air was always filled with a dry, dusty smell.

Involuntarily, the descriptions of Konoha that Yekura had brought back surfaced in Rasa's mind.

"Everyone on the street had a smile on their face, a smile I had never seen in the village before... It was a smile from the heart, a smile of hope for the future."

Luo Sha withdrew his gaze and looked down at the high-quality scroll in his hand.

The plan even clearly listed the soil composition analysis of the Grass Country, the drought-resistant crop varieties that could be introduced in the future, and the list of materials needed for the first phase of the project.

That was not a spur-of-the-moment suggestion.

It was a path to the future that had been prepared long ago, waiting for Sunagakure to walk into it.

That night, the Fourth Kazekage remained awake all night.

The next morning, he issued his first and most shocking order to the entire village since taking office.

Sunagakure will fully accept Konoha's invitation.

From this moment forward, two hundred elite ninjas, led by the hero Pakura, will be dispatched to the Silent Forest of the Land of Grass to usher in an era of deep cooperation with Konoha.

The entire village of Sunagakure was in an uproar.

The relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure has entered a completely new phase, much to everyone's surprise.