Sure enough, was Mishiko the only one among us who was right?
A trace of reminiscence uncontrollably appeared on the Third Hokage's face, and this thought surfaced in his heart without him realizing it.
At that moment, a scene from his memories, one that had already grown blurry, clearly emerged in his mind.
Back then, they had merely been fledglings fresh out of the Ninja Academy. Because of their outstanding talent, they had been chosen by the Second Hokage to become his disciples.
Precisely because of that, every one of them had been filled with longing for the future. Especially himself, Danzo, and Kagami Uchiha, who had graduated as the greatest prodigy among them—they had all harbored dreams of changing the Shinobi World.
Danzo and he, in particular, had both aimed to become Hokage.
On the very day they were chosen by the Second Hokage and passed his test, he, Danzo, Kagami, Koharu, Homura, and Torifu gathered in the eastern district of the village, which had yet to be built. Looking over the leveled land, they spoke freely of their dreams.
Thinking back on it now, those dreams truly had been nothing more than childish prattle—whether his own, Danzo's, or Kagami's, who had still been full of passionate fervor at the time.
Even Koharu, Homura, and Torifu—the three quietest among their group—had, as he remembered, unusually said quite a lot that day.
Every one of them, every last one, had been full of hope for the future, full of fighting spirit, full of optimism.
At that moment, they believed there was nothing they could not accomplish.
As long as they had the Second Hokage's guidance, worked hard enough, and continuously grew stronger, they would be able to change Konoha, change the Shinobi World, and usher in an era of true