Chapter 104: The Third Hokage We Encountered Together - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

Chapter 104: The Third Hokage We Encountered Together After the end of the Konoha Crush Plan, a large number of official missions appeared at Konoha's mission assignment office. Most of these were D-rank missions. The missions mainly involved tasks like repairing village buildings, gathering construction materials, and some C-rank patrol tasks. For tasks like rebuilding the village, ninjas were much faster than civilians. It also allowed new genin to experience the harshness of war up close, maturing them quickly. However, before undertaking missions, Hinata had two tasks to complete. Early the next morning, Hinata dressed in black funeral attire, accompanied Hiashi Hyuga, Hizashi Hyuga, and Neji to the rooftop of the Hokage's building. The weather wasn't good today, cloudy from the early morning. It mirrored the people's somber mood. By the time Hinata arrived, raindrops had already started to fall lightly, as if the heavens themselves were weeping in sorrow. Or perhaps it was the result of some ninjutsu... In the rain, at the funeral, people lined up to offer flowers. Everyone was reminiscing about their times with the Third Hokage, and so was Hinata. Thinking back, putting aside past biases, the times the Third Hokage talked to Hinata one-on-one, he was always like a kind and gentle grandfather. He seemed like an ordinary old man, nothing like the leader of a ninja village. Yet the Third Hokage died in the manner befitting a Kage. At this moment, Hinata also set aside her previous biases, earnestly recalling the times they encountered the Third Hokage together. And those heavy rains they missed back then... today they had all come to pass. Hinata remembered her days at the ninja academy. After school, she often went to the food street to buy a bunch of snacks and then ran alone to the Hokage Rock. She'd sit on the heads of one of the previous Hokage, munching on snacks while enjoying the view of Konoha. That spot was high, offering a panoramic view of the entire village. Back then, Hinata had a bit of a fanciful imagination, often imagining herself as either Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, looking down on Konoha... Ah! This is my village! The Third Hokage would occasionally come by, chat with Hinata, and rudely steal her snacks. Among the many ninjas of Konoha, quite a few had met the Third Hokage alone and were engaged in heart-to-heart talks, maybe even brainwashing sessions. Of course, the Third Hokage you encountered might have just been one of his shadow clones. After all, as Hokage, he couldn’t have been that free. In Konoha, if a ninja never had a one-on-one talk with the Third Hokage, it could only mean one thing... you weren't important at all! So, everyone present was reminiscing about the days when they met the Third Hokage, feeling the sadness in their hearts. However... Kakashi did not come. While Kakashi was known for being late, as a disciplined ninja, he would never be late for important occasions. At this moment, Kakashi was likely at the Memorial Stone, perhaps mourning Obito and Rin, or his departed father. Though the Memorial Stone certainly didn't bear the name of the White Fang... "Uu-uu" Konohamaru was crying bitterly; today, he lost his grandfather. Iruka and Naruto stood by Konohamaru, quietly comforting him. They were reminded of their own memories. Everyone seemed to have a sad past of their own. When the White Fang took his own life, Kakashi was even younger than Konohamaru is now. Who was there to comfort the five-year-old Kakashi? The Third Hokage and the White Fang both died protecting their village comrades; one was a hero, and the other, a coward. Hinata found it hard to comment on what was right or wrong. Though White Fang, as a ninja, had abandoned his mission, reportedly causing great losses to the village. But in a sense, Orochimaru’s current influence also stemmed from the Third Hokage’s momentary softness that allowed him to escape. Who should bear Konoha's loss today? If the Third Hokage had been ruthless enough to kill Orochimaru back then, would there have been no Konoha Crush Plan today? Yet, no one would probably blame the Third Hokage! Still, the mistakes made by the Third Hokage and the White Fang were essentially the same. Thus, the Third Hokage chose to face Orochimaru alone, even at the cost of his life, sealing Orochimaru’s jutsu. Was this not another form of suicide? The Third Hokage ultimately chose the same fate as the White Fang. Where there are leaves, fire burns. The shadow of the fire illuminates the village and causes new leaves to sprout. Today, the Third Hokage indeed shone his light upon the entire village. As for the mistakes, let them fade away with his death! After all... Konoha has Danzo to bear those burdens. Besides, Hinata could hardly blame the deceased. In truth, Hinata felt some compassion for Kakashi. These past years, Kakashi must have lived in great solitude... Yet Kakashi was also fortunate, for he met her, this little cutie! ... On a distant wall at the outskirts of Konoha, two figures in black cloaks adorned with red clouds silently gazed upon the village. After the chaos of battle, Konoha was in shambles everywhere. “Despite avoiding destruction, it seems they've still suffered a lot. For such a once-prosperous village... really a pity!” Itachi's tone held a trace of complexity, which he quickly concealed. The tall man beside him, with a conical hat, glanced sideways at the slightly gaunt Itachi Uchiha, speaking with a playful tone, “Is it unlike you? Even you... hold some fondness for your home?” “No... I have no fondness.” Itachi’s voice was slightly hoarse, as if someone not used to speaking was forcing the words out, emotionless. Beneath the hat, his forehead protector bore a deep slash over the Konoha crest, the mark of a rogue ninja. Underneath, his eyes were the crimson three-tomoe Sharingan. Before the devastated sight of his hometown, the only emotion in those eyes was indifference. “Is that so?” Kisame was noncommittal, shifting the topic to Orochimaru. “Speaking of which, Orochimaru was very capable! After so many years, he managed to kill two village’s Kage in one go…” Itachi remained silent. Kisame brought up Orochimaru to gauge Itachi's reaction regarding Sasuke. Itachi and Sasuke, the last surviving brothers of the Uchiha, both had the potential to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. Yet, Itachi hid his true self deeply, even someone like Obito couldn’t discern him. In the Ninja World, a new set of Eternal Mangekyo eyes was bound to appear, but Obito wanted to know to whom these eyes would ultimately belong. Despite Itachi’s apparent concern for Sasuke, what wouldn’t a ninja do for immense power? Obito didn’t know if Itachi was aware of the existence of the Eternal Mangekyo, nor if such power might tempt him to target Sasuke. Seeing Itachi silent, Kisame once again changed the topic. "It seems Konoha hasn’t suffered irrevocable damage; they'll likely soon return to prosperity... Itachi, your hometown is quite resilient!" Itachi's eyes were sharp, his crimson eyes slowly rotating the tomoe. “Let’s go.”