The Confused Third Hokage

That night.

Hokage Building, Hokage's Office.

Bang!

A ninja clad in a black robe over a white shirt, with bandages wrapped around his head and right eye and an X-shaped scar on his chin, had just slammed his fist onto the desk before Hiruzen Sarutobi. The dull thud vented his dissatisfaction.

"Hiruzen, what are you doing? Why did you put Hatake Kakashi on Minato Namikaze's team?"

"Do you know what you're doing? What if he takes revenge on the village in the future because of what happened to his father?"

Facing the roaring Shimura Danzō, Hiruzen Sarutobi merely puffed silently on the pipe in his hand without uttering a word.

"You should know that the village never played a glorious role in what happened to his father."

"So hand him over to me. I'll train him into a qualified ninja." Shimura Danzō's gaze was icy, and the cold gleam in his eyes seemed to contain a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent. Danzo had his own way of dealing with people like Kakashi, who might pose a threat to the village.

Shimura Danzō waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi's response, but instead of the answer he wanted, he received silence. Long, drawn-out silence.

At some point, Danzo had realized that he was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen's silence, weakness, and habit of passively accepting whatever situation arose—everything about it drove him mad with dissatisfaction. Whenever he saw it, Danzo felt a blazing fire burning in his heart, slowly consuming his soul.

"Danzo, we cannot do this to the descendant of a village hero."

"Hiruzen!" Seeing that this was indeed the answer, Danzo's tone turned even harsher.

You never make a decision before something actually happens.

This time, it was the same as always.

"Danzo, that's enough. I believe Kakashi is a ninja with the Will of Fire." After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to feel somewhat lacking in confidence and added, "Minato will teach him well."

Seeing that Danzo still wanted to argue, Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts became a tangled mess. He already felt guilty over the death of White Fang, and seeing Danzo still intending to make a move against White Fang's son angered him even more. His conscience would not allow him to do such a thing, and he shouted sternly.

"I am the Hokage, Danzo."

Seeing that it was just as expected, those same words again, Danzo closed the only eye exposed outside his bandages in disappointment. He did not continue arguing. He knew his old friend far too well. After saying bitterly, "You'll regret this," he stormed away.

Watching Danzo's furious retreating figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi irritably picked up the pipe he had set aside, refilled it with tobacco, and used Fire Release to light it. He took a light puff and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. The smoke twisted upward and slowly vanished in the brightly lit office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not always kept a pipe in hand, but ever since the White Fang Incident, he had found himself growing increasingly fond of the smell of tobacco.

Watching the wisps of white smoke rise, Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts drifted with it to that white-haired man who had always been stern and reserved.

Was I wrong?

As Hiruzen Sarutobi asked himself this, his expression kept changing, as though he were struggling inwardly. Yet he could not help asking himself again.

Where was I wrong?

The moon was bright and the stars sparse, and all was silent. The empty Hokage's Office clearly had no answer to that question.

Naturally, no outsiders knew of these matters. Turning back the clock, after parting ways with Minato Namikaze,

Hyuga Kazuya had not been home long before the Maid informed him that Uncle wanted to see him.

In Uncle's study, Hyuga Kazuya met with Uncle.

Uncle stopped writing on the scroll in his hand. Looking up at Hyuga Kazuya's arrival, he pointed to the large box on the desk. "Take a look. The bow and arrows you wanted."

Seeing the nearly two-meter-long wooden box on the desk, Hyuga Kazuya hurried forward and opened it. Inside the large wooden box was a smaller wooden box and a bronze-colored bow roughly one and a half meters long. Its body resembled a crescent moon, with white cloth wrapped around its grip. There was not a single unnecessary decoration or pattern on the entire bow. It was simple and ancient.

Hyuga Kazuya picked up the bow and carefully ran his hand along its body, feeling the grain of the wood. Grasping the handle, he gently pulled the bowstring.

It's so heavy. Feeling the resistance of the bowstring, Hyuga Kazuya was secretly astonished.

Aiming at the room's window, Hyuga Kazuya barely drew the bow using only Taijutsu and fired it without an arrow.

With a whoosh, the Air Current created by the bow instantly struck the Window, blasting a Big Hole through it. The Air Current then shot out of the house and flew into the distance, vanishing without a trace.

After testing the bow's power, Hyuga Kazuya could not help saying, "It has this much power even when fired without an arrow? This is incredible."

Seeing Hyuga Kazuya's shocked expression, Uncle could not help feeling proud. "Of course. This is the work of the Best Craftsman of the Land of Fire. The bow was made from the largest tree found in the Forest Created by the First Hokage."

"What does that mean? Why specifically mention that it was created by the First Hokage?" Hyuga Kazuya was deeply puzzled.

He had thought it would be some rare timber unique to the Shinobi World, but it had actually been created by the First Hokage?

Hearing Hyuga Kazuya's question, Uncle slowly explained, "The trees created by the First Hokage's Wood Release can continue to exist even after the First Hokage withdraws his chakra. The Clan deliberately preserved some back then, and over the years, they have been nourished with chakra to prevent them from continuously deteriorating due to the absence of the First Hokage's chakra."

After taking a sip of Tea from the desk, Uncle continued, "Moreover, this type of wood is exceptionally hard and resistant to stretching, making it ideal for crafting bows. Otherwise, why would Wood Release be something every Konoha ninja longs for?"

As Uncle introduced the bow, a trace of longing appeared on his face when he spoke of the First Hokage.

"You people who never witnessed that era cannot understand the First Hokage's power."

"Is that so?" Hyuga Kazuya lowered his head and stroked the bow's body as though caressing a peerless beauty.

"The First Hokage's Wood Release truly was powerful." Hyuga Kazuya naturally knew about the First Hokage's strength. Calling him one of the strongest beneath the Six Paths would not be an exaggeration at all.

Uncle merely smiled without speaking. The First Hokage's strength was acknowledged throughout the Shinobi World and beyond question.

Seeing Hyuga Kazuya nod to show that he understood, Uncle went on to introduce the Bowstring. "The Bowstring is woven from Silk spat out by a unique Giant Spider in the Land of the Falls. It is exceedingly rare and very expensive."

After Uncle finished introducing the bow in his hands, Hyuga Kazuya liked it even more. From now on, it would be the Divine Weapon with which he would roam the Shinobi World.