Third Hokage

The journey back to Konoha had been free of enemies.

Soon, Lin Mu, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others returned to Konoha.

Konoha was no longer the prosperous village it had once been.

Much of the village had been reduced to rubble. Corpses littered the ground, and blood stained everything!

Countless medical ninja hurried through the ruins, searching for anyone they could still save.

Some ordinary villagers wandered through the wreckage too, their gazes blank.

In this fierce war, their families, friends, teachers, and students might all have met with misfortune.

But that was war.

Such horrific scenes were all too common in a war between two nations.

The moment Lin Mu and the others entered Konoha, their bodies all trembled.

Naruto Uzumaki, who had chattered incessantly along the way, fell silent.

Even if many of these people had once mocked him or looked down on him, they had still been living, breathing people with families and friends.

But now, they were all dead!

Sasuke Uchiha, already a quiet and cool-tempered boy, fell even more silent. The corpses strewn before him reminded him of that night years ago.

That night, the bodies lying all around had been his family!

Shikamaru Nara frowned deeply. He had always wanted to live an ordinary life, but war would not allow him that peace.

"Waaah..."

Hearing the crying that echoed throughout the village, Sakura Haruno could no longer hold back her tears. She covered her mouth and sobbed softly.

They were all still children of around ten. War was truly too cruel for them.

Lin Mu had lost the joy he'd felt after winning the battle. Even though he wasn't a native of the Naruto World, the people who had died before his eyes had all been real, living beings!

But he was a transmigrator, and mentally more mature than Naruto and the others.

After a brief silence, he was the first to break the stillness, which had grown almost deathly.

"Let's find our teachers first and learn what's happening in the village!"

Though they were grieving, the others nodded.

The dead were gone, but those who survived still had to go on living.

Lin Mu led them along Konoha's streets toward the Ninja Academy.

Konoha had mostly driven out the invaders by now, and things had grown somewhat peaceful.

They should be able to find their teachers at the Academy, right?

No one spoke along the way. Only faint sobbing reached them. Gradually, Lin Mu felt a chill...

War... was terrifying!

Soon, they reached the Ninja Academy. The children who usually filled it with laughter had already been evacuated, leaving it silent and deserted.

"Naruto?"

A voice called out. Naruto Uzumaki looked up toward the school building.

A shinobi with tied-back hair and a horizontal scar across his face came out.

Umino Iruka!

But the sunny smile Iruka-sensei used to wear was gone.

"Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here? What about Kakashi-sensei and the others?"

Seeing Iruka-sensei lifted Naruto's spirits a little.

Iruka was one of the people he trusted most.

Iruka didn't answer. He walked past them to the entrance of the Ninja Academy, then spoke hoarsely. It was the second thing he'd said since they met.

"Come with me!"

Without looking back, he hurried off in one direction.

Naruto and the others were confused, but they followed Iruka-sensei closely.

After following him for a few steps, Lin Mu began to understand.

They were heading toward the Chunin Ninja Exams arena.

By now, the battle at the arena between Orochimaru and Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi should be over, right?

He quickened his pace, staying close behind Iruka.

Soon, Iruka led Lin Mu, Naruto, and the others to the vicinity of the Chunin Ninja Exams arena.

Corpses and bloodstains covered the entire arena.

The scenes they'd passed on the way had left them numb, so their expressions barely changed now.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Umino Iruka leaped straight onto a rooftop, and Lin Mu and the others quickly followed.

Tap, tap, tap...

They landed on the roof and were startled by what they saw.

Tree branches crisscrossed the rooftop, leaving it in utter disarray.

This was Senju Hashirama's Wood Release secret technique—Deep Forest Emergence!

But Lin Mu had no heart to marvel at the power of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.

His gaze settled on the center of the rooftop, where dozens of elite jonin had gathered.

Lin Mu took a few steps forward and finally saw what lay among the jonin.

A person was lying there.

That was... Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi!

He lay on the ground, weak and helpless, his chest barely moving. Even keeping his eyes open seemed difficult.

Seeing Third Hokage Hiruzen like this left Lin Mu with complicated feelings.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, had been a direct student of the First and Second Hokage and had trained the famed Sannin.

He could freely use all seven chakra natures and had mastered every jutsu in Konoha, earning him the title "Professor of Ninjutsu."

To be honest, Lin Mu found it hard to explain how he felt about Sarutobi Hiruzen.

When he'd first transmigrated, he hadn't liked Sarutobi Hiruzen.

As a transmigrator, he knew that Naruto Uzumaki was not only the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but also the son of Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

He was the child of Konoha's heroes!

The Fourth Hokage and his wife had died saving Konoha, and Naruto was the last legacy they had left behind.

But Third Hokage had hidden the fact that Naruto was the son of heroes.

Everyone knew he was the Jinchuriki of the Demon Fox, but no one knew he was the Hokage's son.

As a result, Naruto suffered scorn and bullying!

Lin Mu had naturally felt that Naruto had been treated unfairly, and had been prejudiced against Third Hokage.

But after transmigrating, his view had gradually changed.

The Hokage was the highest leader of Konohagakure, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had none of the arrogance of someone in power.

He was kind, magnanimous, and compassionate.

He often visited the Ninja Academy, treating clan children and war orphans alike with the warmth of an elder.

He was like a grandfather to those children.

He sincerely hoped they would grow up and shoulder the responsibility of helping Konoha prosper.

He was truly a worthy Hokage and a worthy elder!

Everything he had done in his life had been for Konoha.

He had not failed the trust placed in him by the First and Second Hokage.

Even his death had come fighting for Konoha.

He truly deserved everyone's respect!