Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

The atmosphere in the Hokage's office was heavy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat upright at his desk, his expression calm yet resolute, looking at Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura.

"I have summoned you all here today to inform you of one thing. I have decided to step down from the position of Third Hokage and no longer be in charge of Konoha's administration."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them immediately put on a fake expression and began to dissuade him.

"Hokage-sama, you absolutely mustn't! The village still needs you to lead!"

"Yes, how can you leave at this time? Konoha cannot do without you."

No sooner had the insincere words been spoken than the three of them could no longer hide their eagerness and asked questions almost simultaneously.

"Now that you've made up your mind, do you have a choice in mind for the new Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept over the three, his tone calm and firm:

"The one I desire has come from time to time."

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu immediately shook their heads in opposition, while Danzo's expression darkened as he refuted it.

Faced with the unanimous opposition of the three, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been relatively mild-mannered just moments before, suddenly became unusually tough and refused to budge an inch.

"I'm telling you, the next Fifth Hokage is Jiraiya. This is an announcement, not a discussion."

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled his conversation with the boy in the ruins.

"Are you the Hokage of Konoha?"

"I am."

"Are you the third or fifth generation?"

"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, the teacher of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and the disciple of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage."

"Then why is the Third Hokage in charge of the village that belongs to the Fifth Hokage?"

"The village is facing a generational gap; perhaps I need to wait for the next generation to grow up." Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his combat suit, lay flat in the sunset, smiling as he watched the sun go down.

"So you're willing to become a fallen leaf destined to be burned, all to protect the village's seedlings?"

"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never be extinguished. This is my duty, and it is also the duty of the Hokage of all generations."

At that moment, the boy walked up to him and asked, "Then why let those rotten roots absorb nutrients from the new branches, Third Hokage?"

His smile froze, but the boy's words followed immediately: "I already know the answer I want and am willing to give my life for it. And you, are you willing to cut away the rotten roots of this towering tree?"

After a long silence, "Well then, perhaps a new hairdresser would be a good choice. Whether it's Jiraiya or Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, they would both be good options. What do you think?"

As the figure disappeared into the distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped back in the Hokage chair, the Hokage's office empty. He knew the rotten roots would eventually be severed, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Those roots were once so vibrant and powerful, supporting him to the position of Hokage. He could be utterly indifferent to the lives of his enemies and even his own.

But how could he bear to watch his companions die one by one because of him?

Huff, Hiruzen Sarutobi removed the straw hat that symbolized the Hokage, and then began to correct the mountain of documents with his pen.

...........................................

"It's so cold! My nose hurts so much, waaaaaah!" Karin Uzumaki covered her nose, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked at Akira Nagakura, hoping that this kind older brother would hug her in his warm embrace.

"Pain? That's normal, it means you're building muscle!" Ryukura Akira nonchalantly gave a thumbs up.

Both Shiro and the others were dressed in clothes that allowed for easy movement, keeping them warm while allowing for agility. Only Karin was wrapped up tightly, looking like a little penguin.

"Come on, little penguin, give a shout!"

"Goo goo goo goo!!" Karin shouted in protest, and the effect was outstanding, bringing Shiro and Ryukura Akira to full health.

"Xiaoming, what are you doing here?" Bai looked at the snow-covered landscape before him, as if this place wasn't important in the future.

"Ahem." Ryukura Akira wiped his nose. "After careful consideration, I chose this place as the location for our Akira Squad's first mission!"

As he spoke, he raised his index finger. "First, as far as I know, the people here are all very weak. Bai could solo this himself, which ensures our safety."

"Secondly, this is our first mission, so we naturally need to work out a bit. We'll also give Karin some practice to see how well she's been training these past few days."

"Third, there is something I desperately need beneath this land, and if we can obtain it, it will greatly benefit our next steps."

"Last and most importantly, the mainstream ninjutsu in the Land of Snow is Ice Release. To prevent the ninjutsu from being lost, I think we need to have them make some contributions to Haku."

After saying that, he raised his hands and shouted loudly, "Yahoo!!"

The sound spread, causing ripples to spread across the sea not far away.

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass on the Land of Snow!!"

A group of people rushed towards them from not far away; they were troops from the Land of Snow.

Seeing this, Karin Uzumaki quickly hid behind Akira Nagakura, but before she could even catch her breath, she was lifted up by a large hand.

"Why are you running? This is the perfect time to test the results of your training!"

You should know that these days they have not only been traveling, but Ryukura Akira and Haku have also carried out special training for Karin's body.

The current strength of the necklace is that of a true genin! Of course, not a Konoha genin.

"Gurgle, gurgle!"

"Don't be afraid, Bai and I will help you distract the enemy!"

As he spoke, Ryukura Akira took a step forward and charged ahead, his originally smooth skin still bulging under the layer of insulation.

"Remember to leave them alive!"