In early spring, Konoha gradually wakes up from the cold hibernation,
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of the window of Hokage's office, looking out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha and the smoke rising from his pipe.
After entering spring, the villagers also become active, the streets are crowded with people, and the shouts of vendors and the play of children interweave into a vibrant atmosphere.
The pain caused by the war is slowly healing, and the haze of Nine-Tails Incident four years ago is quietly fading away with the spring.
All of this was achieved under my governance!" Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his pipe, but his eyes suddenly solidified.
On the street in the distance, something seemed to happen.
Looking closely, it seemed that the Uchiha members of the Konoha Military Police Force family who were enforcing the law were punishing a vendor, causing the surrounding pedestrians to drive Earth Flow involuntarily.
Hokage's brows under the hat are slightly.
It would be better if Uchiha Clan could also calm down." Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but think.
"Lord Hokage." Nara Shikaku's knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in." Hiruzen Sarutobi retracted his gaze from a distance and looked at Nara Shikaku who pushed in with a scroll.
The latter placed a scroll on Hokage's desk and said to Third Hokage, "Lord Hokage, this is the latest information from Land of Bears.
Please take a look.
2
"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on the chair, opened the scroll and read it carefully.
As he looked at it, Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face became more serious.
In the scroll, according to the news spread after the Land of Birds messenger returned, Land of Bears had been renamed Land of Stars. Land of Birds was the first to recognize the country's new regime change, the country's daimyo system was abolished, and a mysterious man became the leader of Land of Stars.
This new regime, located at the hub of commercial routes in the western part of the mainland, is establishing trade relations with neighboring countries at an alarming rate.
"The King" Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took a puff, then raised his head and asked Shikaku: "What do you think?"
As the chief think tank around Hiruzen Sarutobi, such information naturally goes through his hands before being reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Well, Land of Birds sent an envoy to Land of Bears. This is very suspicious." Nara Shikaku pinched his chin and analyzed. "This is a small town without a ninja village. The country is sandwiched between Land of Earth and Land of Wind. The last war became the main battlefield between Sunagakure and Iwagakure."
"So, I think this move must not have been done by Daimyo Land of Birds himself. There should be instructions from Daimyo of the Land of Wind or Daimyo of the Land of Earth behind it."
Nara Shikaku's analysis very accurately grasps the helplessness of small countries as pawns under the control of big countries.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and continued to ask, "Is there any more news from Daimyo of the Land of Earth and Daimyo of the Land of Wind?
"Both countries have not expressed their stance, and are still implementing the blockade of Land of Bears, now it should be called Land of Stars, this country." Shikaku hesitated for a moment, and then added, "But the strange thing is that they allow small countries to trade with Land of Stars."
"Recently, the Land of Fire caravans have frequently hired ninjas to escort them to the Land of Stars border cities. Basically, they are all B-Rank Mission escorted by the caravans. Many ninjas in our village have also taken on these tasks and sent the caravans to the border cities of Land of Birds and Land of Stars."
After the end of Third Shinobi World War, ninjas from various countries have shrunk their sphere of influence. When other countries carry out entrustments to protect caravans or important figures, as long as there is no conflict between the tasks of both parties, they will basically not cause trouble.
Ninjas are human beings too, and they also get tired of war.
"The tasks our ninjas receive are basically to escort the caravans to the border city of Land of Stars and end there, because the ninjas of Land of Stars will take over the escort of these caravans and be responsible for their safety, and it is said that the business environment of Land of Stars is very good, and the businessmen who come and go are full of praise for Land of Stars."
When Konoha's ninjas are active outside, they will also bring some collected information back to the village, such as the merchants' favorable opinion of Land of Stars, "Is that so?" Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and thought for a while.
The sparks in the pipe flickered on and off, Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered the coup Land of Snow two years ago.
Two years ago, the Yukinin leader of Land of Snow, Kazahana Dōtō, led his troops to launch a coup, killed his own brother Kazahana Sōsetsu, and became the king of Land of Snow.
And Kazahana Dōtō himself is a ninja, commanding a group of Yukinin.
The only difference between the relationship between other countries and the Ninja Village is that Land of Snow has poor resources and ninjas are also trained by the country. As the king's younger brother, Kazahana Dōtō has ninja talent, so he was trained to become the leader of Yukinin.
But Kazahana Sōsetsu never expected that his younger brother would lead Yukinin to kill his own brother.
However, the rebellion of Land of Snow is strictly a power struggle within the ruler. The rebel Kazahana Dōtō is both the leader of Yukinin and the royal family of Land of Snow, and has the right to inherit the throne.
Third exhaled a smoke ring and said to Nara Shikaku, "That's it for the time being. Pay close attention to the developments of Land of Stars and Hoshigakure.
Remind the team assigned to escort the westbound caravan to be vigilant."
"Yes!"
Nara Shikaku nodded in agreement.
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
After finishing a day's work, Hiruzen Sarutobi took some exercise.
He opened a drawer and took out an envelope.
"Today it's time to pay living expenses to Naruto." Hiruzen Sarutobi counted the coins inside, stood up, took off his Hokage hat, and changed into casual clothes.
Arriving at Naruto's house, when I was about to knock on the door, the door suddenly opened from the inside.
"Yes? Grandpa Third Hokage!" Naruto's little hand pulled the door handle. When he saw Third Hokage outside, his eyes widened in surprise.
Third Hokage Hokage is one of the few people around him who treats him well. Although he is not a relative, he seems to know his parents very well.
"Where are you going, little Naruto?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked curiously.
"Go to the park!" Naruto opened the door and invited Third Hokage to come in and sit.
Of course Hiruzen Sarutobi knows several friends of Naruto, an orphan named Menma, and Hyuga Clan's eldest lady Hinata Hyuga.
Both of them have a good relationship with Naruto and often play together.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought, they are just four or five-year-old children, it is normal for them to like to play.
After learning about Menma's life experience and Hinata's situation, he was relieved that they would play together and hoped that playmates of the same age would allow Naruto to have a normal childhood.
"Then I won't bother you. This is your living expenses for this month." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not enter the house, but just took out an envelope.
Pass it to Naruto.
And told him, "Don't spend it randomly!"
When Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to leave, Naruto, holding the envelope in both hands, suddenly asked, "Grandpa Third Hokage, do you know my parents?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was halfway turning around, was stunned for a moment and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Why do you ask?"
Is that guy Danzo secretly in contact with Naruto?" The first thing Third Hokage thought of was his old friend.
Naruto stood up and asked with a confused face, "I'm just curious, why do other people have parents! But I don't-""
"Menma doesn't have parents either." Third Hokage said after a moment of silence.
"But-" Naruto wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Third Hokage.
"Your parents are both heroes." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed with a heavy face, "But there is no resurrection after death."
After saying that, he was ready to leave.
"Lord Hokage!" A Anbu Ninja wearing an animal mask suddenly landed on the handrail of the corridor and knelt down on one knee and said.
"Asura left a notice on the Hyuga Clan!"