The Third gazed into the distance with clouded eyes. Turning his head, he looked out the window at the village he had spent his life protecting, and his thoughts gradually drifted away.
Letting go of Minato Namikaze's hand, he said softly, "Do you know, Minato? I took over as Hokage just as the First Shinobi World War was breaking out. The war erupted so suddenly. Kinkaku and Ginkaku's personal actions became the spark that set everything in motion.
"To protect us, who were still young at the time, Tobirama-sensei faced Kumogakure's elite Kinkaku and Ginkaku Unit alone. I can still vividly remember the look in his eyes at that moment. Originally... originally, Tobirama-sensei could have escaped."
After coughing lightly twice, he continued in a low voice, "Later, the First Shinobi World War broke out in full. We had so many enemies. Internal conflicts, external pressure... Konoha, which had existed for less than twenty years, was on the verge of falling apart.
"It was also then that I instructed Danzo to establish Root, allowing him to form an independent faction within the Anbu—not only to deal with the war beyond the village, but also to preserve the village's own stability."
A bitter smile appeared on his lips, yet sorrow filled his eyes. "Heh, preserving stability. Minato, do you know how heavy the words 'Konoha' are? Heavy enough to crush you until you can barely breathe. Yet sometimes, as Hokage, you have no choice. You must pretend not to know what you know. Even if everyone else panics, you cannot lose your composure.
"Those days were difficult and dangerous, but fortunately, we endured. It was also during the First Shinobi World War that Danzo, Homura, and the others gained the power they hold today. As for the many things that happened afterward,