The Previous Hokages: I'll Just Quietly Watch You

Morning light spilled through the windows of the Ninja Academy and into the classroom.

Sakura Haruno stood beside Sasuke's desk, her eyes filled with worry.

Sasuke had not come to school for a week, and today was the first time she had finally seen him.

She asked him in a soft voice where he had been all these days.

Sasuke kept his gaze fixed on the desktop, saying nothing.

On the other side of the classroom, Ino Yamanaka glanced toward the door from time to time.

Her gaze swept across the room, searching for that familiar figure.

Jingxin had graduated a year ago, yet she still found herself looking for him out of habit.

Ino bit her lip.

She had gone to the vicinity of the Uchiha Compound to look for Jingxin several times over the past few days, only to be stopped by Anbu ninjas each time.

They said the area was now a restricted zone, off-limits to outsiders.

Her heart grew increasingly uneasy.

Could something have happened to Jingxin?

The thought made her unable to sit still.

Ino finally gathered her courage and walked toward Sasuke.

Her steps were hesitant, but she eventually stopped in front of him.

"Sasuke," Ino's voice trembled slightly, "do you know where Jingxin is? I haven't seen him for several days."

The mention of that name caused the classroom to fall suddenly silent.

Several classmates turned to look their way.

Sasuke raised his head, his black eyes calm and rippleless.

He looked at Ino's expectant yet fearful expression and spoke slowly: "Jingxin is dead."

The color drained rapidly from Ino's face: "Don't joke around. Isn't it said that he's just away on a mission and hasn't returned yet?"

Perhaps she had not yet heard the facade woven by the Uchiha and Konoha to distance themselves from Jingxin: that he had died while on a mission.

Naruto Uzumaki, sitting in the back row, stood up abruptly.

He had been staring at Sasuke with jealous eyes, but at this moment, those blue eyes were filled with shock and rage.

"You're lying! How could Jingxin be dead! You bastard, Sasuke!"

Naruto rushed over and grabbed Sasuke by the collar: "Jingxin is my best friend! He promised to teach me shurikenjutsu!"

Sasuke swatted Naruto's hand away, his expression remaining cold: "I never lie."

Naruto turned and bolted out of the classroom.

Sakura Haruno looked at the devastated Ino, wanting to speak but holding back.

Shikamaru Nara leaned against the window, sighed, and a flicker of sorrow passed through his eyes.

Sasuke lowered his head again, as if nothing had just happened, though his tightly clenched fists betrayed the turmoil within him.

The door to the Hokage Office was pushed open with a bang.

Naruto Uzumaki burst in, tear tracks still staining his face.

"Old Man Third!" Naruto shouted urgently: "What happened to Jingxin? Sasuke said he's dead—that's impossible, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the documents in his hand and looked up at the panic and expectation in Naruto's eyes.

On the wall, the portraits of the past Hokage looked down silently at the scene.

"Naruto," the Third Hokage's voice was somewhat hoarse, "are you keeping up with your lessons at the Ninja Academy?"

"Don't change the subject!" Naruto raised his voice: "Tell me where Jingxin is! He's my only friend!"

A complex emotion flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes.

That special Uchiha boy...

Jingxin was indeed different from the other Uchiha.

"Ninjas have the fate of a ninja," the Third finally said: "Naruto, you should go back to class."

"But..." Naruto wanted to say more.

"This is an order from the Hokage," the Third's voice carried an unquestionable authority: "Go back."

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage, whose kind face was now stern, and tears welled up in his blue eyes once more.

"I don't care what happened, one day I will know the truth!" Naruto turned and left the office, his shoulders slumped.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the documents again, but he could not take in a single word.

He walked to the window and looked out at the streets of Konoha.

Where is that child now?

This question circled in his mind.

Memories surged forth like a tide.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered the first time he saw Kyoshin Uchiha.

While other Uchiha children carried an innate arrogance, Kyoshin always wore a smile.

He could become friends with anyone—children from the Hyuga Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, or ordinary families.

He trained harder than anyone else; his shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu were all exceptional.

The teachers all called him a genius, yet he never grew proud because of it.

Instead, he often helped students who were falling behind, patiently explaining difficult concepts.

Kyoshin became a legend at the Ninja Academy.

Not just because of his strength, but because of his character.

A kind-hearted Uchiha—that was a rarity in the history of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had once kept a secret watch on this child.

He saw Kyoshin become friends with the lonely Naruto.

Kyoshin became the most outstanding student in recent years and graduated early, but later, news came back that he had died in the line of duty, leaving no remains behind.

That day, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his office for a long time.

After the night of the clan massacre, the report from Itachi Uchiha brought a new truth to light.

Kyoshin had not died; he had escaped during his mission and left Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's feelings became complicated.

On one hand, he felt a sliver of relief that Kyoshin was still alive; on the other, he fell into deep worry.

From Itachi's deductions, Kyoshin knew the secrets of the Uchiha and the decisions made by the upper echelons of Konoha.

If he were to make these public, Konoha's reputation would be ruined.

The balance between the Five Great Nations was already fragile; if Konoha lost its credibility and internal chaos ensued, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Other ninja villages would seize the opportunity to strike, and war might break out once again.

The sorrow of the past was gradually replaced by the anxieties of reality.

Kyoshin was no longer the kind youth in his memories, but a potential threat.

A threat that could destroy the reputation Konoha had built over decades.

And since he was a threat, he had to be dealt with.

This was also the reason Hiruzen Sarutobi kept the truth from Naruto.

Because he knew Naruto's personality well; if he learned that Kyoshin was still alive, he would likely turn Konoha upside down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and spoke to the empty air, "Summon Advisor Shimura."

A few minutes later, the secret door in the office opened, and a figure walked in.

Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, his right eye and right arm wrapped in bandages, his expression cold, his single eye filled with scrutiny.

"Regarding Kyoshin Uchiha," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, "he needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

The corners of Danzō's mouth curled into a mocking arc, "How euphemistic."

"Hiruzen, you are still the same; you want to protect everything, and in the end, you protect nothing well."

"Danzō!" the Third Hokage's voice turned stern.

"I know what must be done!" Danzō turned and walked toward the door, "You always stand in the sunlight, while I am destined to act in the shadows. This time will be no different; I will handle the dirty work."

The secret door closed, and silence returned to the office.

Outside the window, Konoha was bathed in bright sunlight, and children ran and played in the streets.

This was the place he had sworn to protect with his life.

Even if the price was to bear guilt once more.

Even if the price was to make the child who once made him proud disappear forever.

The responsibility of the Hokage outweighed everything else.

Personal feelings had to give way to the interests of the village.

This was the principle he had learned from the First Hokage and the Second Hokage.

But why did his heart still feel so heavy?