Naruto: They are all reborn.

Chapter 20 A Peaceful Night

The war is over.

After several letters were exchanged between Konoha and Kumogakure, the two sides reached an agreement on the contents of the ceasefire agreement. Subsequently, Kumogakure sent an envoy to Konoha and signed the agreement.

During those days, Tsunade unusually refrained from drinking and remained sober at all times.

Not only that, she also suspended Toki's training program, requiring him to maintain peak physical condition at all times. Furthermore, she wouldn't allow Kushina to act alone; she had to either stay by her side or with Grandma Mito…

This series of arrangements made Shi Xu very nervous, as if Yunyin would definitely tear off the disguise and announce the continuation of the war with a surprise attack.

Fortunately, Tsunade's worries were unnecessary. After signing the ceasefire agreement, the Cloud Village delegation only stayed in Konoha for two days, bought some local specialties, and then left.

They were accompanied by secret agents throughout the entire process, and they were unable to cause any trouble.

After that, Asuma found Toki and made a promise to go to a ramen shop together after school, saying that he had some questions he wanted to ask for answers to.

Toki also had something she wanted to know, and perhaps she could learn something from Asuma, so she didn't refuse.

At the ramen shop, Asuma ordered two bowls of noodles.

But he didn't touch his chopsticks; instead, he stared at the rising steam from the ramen noodles and began to speak slowly about the words that had been building up in his heart for so long.

What exactly did he mean by "not enough"?

Stripped of his headband, and no longer a ninja, isn't that punishment enough?

Asuma thought about it for several days, vaguely feeling that there was something hidden in Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, but he still couldn't figure out what it was.

Shi Xu felt like he was playing a jigsaw puzzle. Tsunade's fragmented words, Asuma's doubts, Kakashi's narration... piece by piece came together, and at this moment, the puzzle was finally completed.

After slurping up the last bite of noodles, Shi Xu put down his chopsticks and asked, "I can understand the Hokage's thoughts, because that answer will definitely bring you even greater confusion and doubt right now. Even so, do you still want to know?"

Upon hearing this, Asuma hesitated for a fleeting moment before immediately making a decision: "Even so, I need to know!"

"Let's find another place then. There are too many people here; it's not a good place to talk."

"Where to?"

"Just find any deserted park."

Shi Xu jumped off the chair and left.

They hadn't even reached the park yet, but there were hardly any people on the road, so Tokio spoke first: "Do you know a man named Shimura Danzo?"

Asuma was quite surprised: "Uncle Danzo? Why are you asking about him?"

Shi Xu stopped, gazing at the shimmering lake surface, and said, word by word, "Because he is the mastermind behind the entire 'White Fang Incident'."

"How could this be?!" Asuma's pupils constricted sharply, her lips trembling. "How...how could it be him?"

Hearing Asuma addressing Danzo Shimura, Tokio couldn't help but sigh.

"As expected of the Hokage's son, even if it's not intentional, he casually associates with the highest-ranking officials in Konoha."

Shi Xu remained calm and continued, "Shimura Danzo's goal is to become Hokage, but he faces not only Sakumo Hatake as a rival, but also Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is already Hokage."

As he spoke, Toki turned to Asuma and said, "You don't mind me calling them by their first names, do you?"

Asma was still pondering his words when he shook his head: "No."

Toki continued, "According to the Ninja Code, the first priority for ninjas is to carry out missions, while the spirit of Konoha, the Will of Fire, is to promote the protection of comrades."

"The root cause of the 'White Fang Incident' lies in the conflict between the 'Ninja Code' and the Will of Fire. Shimura Danzo merely leaked the secret, thus eliminating his rival Hatake Sakumo and creating a problem for Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was then the Hokage."

And this is precisely why Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite being able to easily quell the rumors, ultimately chose to remain indifferent... no, it should be said that he didn't know where to begin.

Upon hearing this, Asma understood the cause and effect, but he still only had a vague understanding of some of the deeper meanings.

Why was the father at a loss for what to do?

Toki explained, "Because when other ninjas face the same choice as Sakumo Hatake, they will definitely refer to the outcome of the 'White Fang Incident.' Remember the 'Simulated Konoha' game we played the other day?"

"Remember."

"In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, the stability of the village is the most important thing. If his decision in the 'White Fang Incident' favored Sakumo Hatake, what would happen to the village if other ninjas chose to abandon their missions to save their comrades?"

Asma's expression was complicated, and he placed a hand on his chest: "I see, no wonder he said I couldn't understand his actions, but... but I still can't approve of his actions."

"For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the stability of the village is paramount. He must resolve this matter before the villagers discover this 'conflict,' but Danzo Shimura will not give him that opportunity. As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi makes a move, Danzo Shimura will bring up this fundamental conflict and expose it to all the villagers."

"In the end, the only one who could move was the person involved—Sakumo Hatake."

Shi Xu's voice was incredibly calm, as if he were simply stating a fact, until he spoke the last sentence, when a hint of mockery appeared.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

A gentle breeze blew by, and Asuma looked up, her eyes filled with uncertainty: "Shixu, do you know about 'Jade'?"

"It's like the king in shogi; once it's checkmated, the game is lost."

"The 'Jade' is the most important piece in shogi, so... what exactly is the 'Jade' for the village?"

"Well..." Tokio scratched his head, "I'm afraid everyone's answer will be different, and my answer may not be your answer. Just like in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart, the 'Jade' represents the stability of the village, many ninjas would probably think that the 'Jade' represents the Hokage..."

Asuma clenched a handful of damp soil and stood up. "If we can sacrifice White Fang today for the stability of the village, what can we sacrifice tomorrow?"

"I absolutely do not accept that answer!"

After Asuma left, Tokio walked to a bench by the lake, sat down, and stared blankly at the lake.

Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten more, and then we can have a peaceful night's rest.

—From Su Xun's "On the Six States" (Song Dynasty).

Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions were essentially escapism. The Song Dynasty in his previous life had already shown what kind of consequences this would lead to. In short, he was by no means a good leader.

But such a person has been sitting in the position of Hokage until the beginning of the story...

Shi Xu couldn't help but turn her head and look at the fluttering leaves: "Do people immersed in the joy of victory in war ever think about where the victory came from?"

It wasn't until the setting sun shone on Shi Xu that he got up and slowly walked back.

But behind him, a long-hidden malice was quietly revealed.

I'm having surgery tomorrow, and I'm in terrible condition today. I can only rely on the outline to get through it.

After I'm discharged from the hospital, I'll take a look back at what I wrote today and revise it then.

I humbly beg you all to read this and vote!

barley

begging!

(End of this chapter)