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

Chapter 577 The Humiliating Duo

Orochimaru's slippery, sticky voice still lingered in my ears.

Onoki would never forget the faint sound of a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

He was leaning on a makeshift wooden cane, and with each step forward, a dull, splitting pain shot through his lower back.

The Third Tsuchikage, who once flew through the skies, can now only stand on the hard, solid soil at the border of the Land of Lightning.

The person walking alongside him wasn't much better off.

The acting Kazekage, Chiyo, wore a tattered cloak, her two withered hands tucked into her sleeves.

The once-proud Chikamatsu Ten has been reduced to a pile of broken parts, and her back is now even more hunched than Onoki's.

Behind each of them followed a dozen or so dejected surviving soldiers.

They were less of a negotiating delegation and more of a group of refugees fleeing famine.

The wind was strong at the border of the Land of Lightning, whipping leaves into people's faces.

Onoki cleared his throat, attempting to break the suffocating silence. "Advisor Chiyo, the Kazekage of your village…"

"I'm sick."

Chiyo interrupted him abruptly, giving Onoki no chance to probe further, "The Third Hokage has fallen seriously ill and is unable to travel far. If Lord Tsuchikage has the time, he should perhaps take better care of his back."

Onoki snorted and shifted his weight onto his cane.

Testing is pointless.

For two defeated nations, all their plans were futile in the face of Konoha's overwhelming military might.

If they go to keep their appointment now, they'll be lying on the chopping block.

Just look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who's known as the professor of ninjutsu, and he's planning to cut a few pounds of flesh off them.

Huang Tu lowered his voice to remind him.

"Father, we're almost at the main venue. Konoha should be waiting for us."

After turning past a scorched forest, a wide wooden fence stretched out in the clearing ahead.

The main camp tent stood high in the center, surrounded by a tight defensive line.

Ōnoki looked along the first line of defense and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A sharp pain shot through his lumbar spine, and he gritted his teeth, staring at the giant man blocking the road.

Bronze skin, golden hair.

The man had his arms crossed over his chest, wearing the most ordinary Kumogakure coarse cloth armor, and was instructing two Kumogakure genin on the shift changes for the outer sentries.

"Raikage?!"

The Fourth Raikage, A, the most ferocious lion of Kumogakure, was now standing obediently outside the Konoha camp, resembling a guard captain watching over the gate.

Hearing the noise, Ai turned her broad shoulders.

He glanced down at Onoki, his face devoid of any emotion, merely raising his chin slightly and nodding in an extremely indifferent manner.

They then turned around and continued to plan the patrol routes.

Chiyo almost dropped her cane into the mud.

Onoki dragged his feet closer, his voice laced with harsh sarcasm.

"The Fourth Raikage. Standing guard in his own territory, letting outsiders blow in the cold wind. If your father were alive, he'd probably crawl out of the Pure Land and beat you up."

Ai's movement of adjusting her wristband stopped in mid-air.

He abruptly turned his head, and a terrifying layer of lightning chakra flickered on his thick arm for half a second.

"If you old bones are tired of living, I can bury you in the Land of Lightning right now."

Ai's words were harsh and uncompromising, with no hint of joking: "Shut up, and then get inside."

Onoki puffed out his cheeks and swallowed the rest of his words.

This lion really does kill.

The Raikage has been completely tamed.

Chiyo tugged at Onoki's sleeve from the side.

Following Chiyo's suggestion, Onoki turned his head and looked at the other entrance to the camp.

It was a huge, bluish-green rock. Sitting on the rock was a man wearing a huge breathing mask.

The man carried a specially made kusarigama on his back and was leisurely wiping the blade with a white cloth.

Amegakure Village, Sanshokuyu Hanzo.

The man, revered as a demigod in the ninja world, was currently leading a squad of Rain Ninja, diligently guarding the rear of the Konoha camp.

Onoki took two steps forward, trying to get back at Hanzo: "Hanzo! You treacherous bastard..."

stab.

Hanzo casually tossed the white cloth, stained with venom, into the ground, and white smoke rose up.

The mask emitted muffled breathing sounds.

He didn't even look up, but focused intently on the reflection of the sickle.

Onoki froze completely.

humiliation.

An unprecedented humiliation shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head.

Konoha actually used the leaders of two other villages to serve as their gatekeepers!

This is a protest.

Onoki's mind began to race.

What exactly did Hiruzen Sarutobi do? Threaten him with force?

No, the Raikage is burdened with the hatred of his father's murder. How could Hanzo, an extremely suspicious dictator, be willing to submit to someone else and do something as degrading as guarding someone's door?

Konoha must have offered them a condition they simply couldn't refuse, one that would even make them wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to serving them.

What exactly is it?

Chiyo's breathing became extremely heavy. She and Onoki looked at each other for a second and saw the same thing in each other's eyes.

An immense fear of the unknown.

"Please, both representatives."

The tent flap was lifted, and Hijiri, the strategist of Kumogakure, stepped out.

On the half of his face where his single eye was exposed, there was a subtle, extremely complex twitch.

That was three parts politeness and seven parts pity.

This pitying gaze was even more painful than slapping Onoki twice.

Ōnoki gritted his teeth, slamming his cane on the ground with a thud, and with the last vestiges of his Tsuchikage strength, strode into the main tent. Chiyo followed closely behind.

The interior of the tent was very spacious.

In the very center was a large mahogany table.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the main seat.

He wasn't wearing the Hokage's robes, which represent the highest authority, today; instead, he was wearing a gray long robe with a very casual, homey style.

Holding a white porcelain teacup engraved with the Konoha logo, he was slowly skimming the tea foam.

Hearing the noise, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up.

There was no sarcastic remark as Ohnoki had anticipated, nor the triumphant swagger of a victor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his teacup, crossed his hands on the table, and exuded an extremely gentle aura.

"You two have come from afar; you must have had a long and arduous journey."

A warm male voice echoed through the empty tent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed outside the tent and casually began to speak, as if chatting about everyday matters: "The borders of the Land of Lightning are really not peaceful. I'm a light sleeper. The guards outside are being handled by Lord Ai and Lord Hanzo. Are they reliable?"

pat.

Onoki's heart clenched, and he used the pain to keep himself standing.

Is it reliable enough?

That was the shadow of a large country, and a person who had controlled a small country for decades! In Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, he became a bodyguard who was passable?

What enormous benefits did Konoha promise that would make Hanzo and Ae willingly become its dogs?

Did they grant all the mineral resources of the Land of Earth to Kumogakure? Or did they give the oases of the Land of Wind to Amegakure?

In an instant, Ōnoki's mind conjured up hundreds of conspiracies for Konoha to divide the world.

Each one would bring Iwagakure to utter ruin.

"Lord Hokage...you have quite the skill."

Ohnoki forced out a few words through gritted teeth.

"The Earth Shadow is overrated."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand and pointed to the two empty chairs opposite the table. "Sit. Lord Tsuchishiro, please pour two cups of hot water. The Tsuchishi Kage has an injury on his waist, and drinking cold water may cause it to flare up."

Tsuchishiro bowed slightly and walked forward with practiced movements, carrying the teapot.

Onoki plopped down on the chair.

He stared warily at the steaming glass of water in front of him, making no attempt to touch it.

Chiyo sat beside her, her withered back straight, her whole body tense.

"Lord Hokage, let's not beat around the bush."

Onoki placed his hands on the table, leaning forward, trying to regain a tiny bit of initiative. "We're here to discuss the post-war period..."

"Gurgle—"

A strange, muffled thud, extremely out of place, came from behind the tent.

Onoki was interrupted and turned to look.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, the three scourges, are temporarily absent.

Behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, there were only two masked ANBU members.

He rubbed his stomach.

"Now that everyone's here, let's skip the dry business stuff."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at the Anbu behind him and issued his first official order of the day: "Notify Fugaku that the food can be served."

Serving the food?

Onoki suspected that he had a serious hearing problem.

Isn't this the ultimate summit that will determine the future of the ninja world for the next century? Isn't this a battlefield where territories will be divided and war reparations settled?

What dishes are served?

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head, looked at Onoki and Chiyo's stunned faces, and casually spread his hands: "Guests from afar, we can't let them talk business on an empty stomach. You two are getting on in years and your digestive systems aren't very good, so I specifically asked the kitchen to make it a little lighter. Oh, by the way, could you please pass me that vinegar bottle over there?"

Onoki stared blankly as he reached for a glass bottle on the corner of the table.

The curtain was lifted again.

The head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha, the god of death who awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and single-handedly suppressed the Iron Sand Wall on the battlefield, was currently wearing a coarse cloth apron with the Konoha emblem printed on it.

The infamous head of the Uchiha clan was carrying a huge white porcelain tray.

Several large bowls, steaming hot, were placed on the tray.

Fugaku walked to the table and placed the large bowl in front of Onoki and Chiyo with perfect technique.

A wave of heat hit my face.

This is a bowl of tonkotsu ramen made with bone broth and topped with a few slices of bright green scallions.

Fugaku Uchiha even thoughtfully placed a pair of clean wooden chopsticks next to the bowl of noodles.

Having done all this, Fugaku took a half step back and bowed slightly: "Hokage-sama, there's still bone broth simmering in the casserole. Would you like it brought up now?"

"No rush, Fugaku, thank you for your hard work. Sit down and have something to eat with us."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his chopsticks and, right in front of Onoki, slurped up a large mouthful of noodles.