Will of Fire

However, the person who disguised himself as the Kazekage and incited the war between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire was Orochimaru—he was the disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen!

This was his mistake!

He was always too lenient with people, and because of this, he caused irreparable consequences.

Even at the very end, during their life-and-death battle, he still felt a sense of reluctance toward Orochimaru!

Lin Mu still clearly remembered the old man standing in the classroom of the Ninja Academy, patting the children on their heads and cheerfully speaking of his expectations for them:

"You are all the future of Konoha, and the Will of Fire will be passed on by you!"

But now, this old man lay weakly on the ground, and he was about to die!

"Grandpa Third..."

Naruto Uzumaki, standing behind Lin Mu, was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Third Hokage was one of the people who treated him the best!

But now, he was about to lose another loved one.

Gradually, more and more people gathered around Lin Mu; they were of all ages, and at this moment, they were all silent.

They had come to bid farewell to their most respected Hokage, their most revered elder!

"Hahaha..."

The dying Third Hokage suddenly revealed a sharp glint in his eyes and let out a laugh.

His complexion also gradually began to flush with color.

But no one around him showed any excitement; instead, their expressions grew even grimmer, for they all knew in their hearts that this was the final flash of light before death!

"Why is everyone making such faces? Are you sad for me?"

Third Hokage's voice was very low and hoarse, and his gaze gradually shifted, landing on the many youths standing behind the jonin.

"My only regret now... is that I won't be able to continue watching these youths... grow up... continue to protect Konoha... and let Konoha shine with unparalleled brilliance!"

"Having served as Hokage for so many years... this burden is finally being lifted!"

As he spoke, Third Hokage's voice grew lower and lower, and his gaze gradually lost its focus.

Finally, his eyes completely lost their light.

Third Hokage... had died in battle.

"Lord Third!"

"Sarutobi..."

"Grandpa Third!"

The people around could no longer suppress the grief in their hearts and began to cry out loud.

"Wuwuwu... Grandpa... Grandpa, what's wrong with you!"

Konohamaru, who had just returned from the shelter to the rooftop, pushed hard through the crowd and rushed to the body of Third Hokage.

"Grandpa, open your eyes and look at me; I haven't challenged you yet, and I haven't become Hokage yet!"

This child, only six or seven years old, was already crying uncontrollably.

He had watched with his own eyes as his dearest grandfather died before him!

Lin Mu reached out to touch the drizzle falling on his face; it was bone-chillingly cold!

"Is even the heavens weeping for Third Hokage, and for the souls who died in this war?"

Lin Mu had never felt such a heavy heart, and his gaze slowly fell upon the body of the old man, which was already growing cold.

In his heart, he suddenly recalled the words this old man often kept on his lips.

"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire will burn."

This was... the Will of Fire!

Lin Mu suddenly understood the meaning of this Will of Fire.

Third Hokage had upheld this Will of Fire throughout his life, dedicating his entire existence to Konoha.

Now he was dead, but the shadow of the fire illuminated the village and allowed new leaves to sprout.

The Hokage's funeral ended, and a month passed quickly.

The passing of the dead was irreversible, but the living still had to go on.

Although those who survived this brutal war still suffered the pain of losing loved ones and friends, they had rekindled hope and begun new lives.

Konoha was slowly rebuilt from the ruins, gradually returning to its former appearance.

And the selection of the Fifth Hokage was also put on the agenda.

Konoha in the Land of Fire was the greatest village in the ninja world; without the leadership of a Hokage, it was as if it had lost its backbone.

This was extremely disadvantageous in such troubled times.

And in the current Konoha, there were roughly three types of elites who could participate in the decision-making for the election of the Hokage.

The direct subordinates of the Third Hokage, supporters of Danzo, the leader of Root, and a large number of neutral factions.

At the assembly to elect the Hokage, Danzo's supporters vigorously pushed for him to become the Fifth Hokage.

However, as soon as this proposal was put forward, it was suppressed by countless voices of opposition.

Even the other elderly advisors of Konoha stood in opposition, rejecting Danzo's succession as the Fifth Hokage.

The reason was actually quite simple.

Although the organization known as Root was not understood by ordinary villagers of Konoha, it was no secret to these elites.

During this brutal war, Root, despite possessing great power, had no outstanding achievements to speak of.

To want to be Hokage without having made any contributions—did Danzo take them for fools?

Therefore, the proposal for Danzo to become Hokage was rejected outright at the very beginning of the meeting.

Although Danzo was very powerful in Konoha, he had no way to sway the meeting's decision.

He could only continue to hide in the shadows of Konoha, leading the organization known as Root.

After many meetings, no suitable candidate had been discussed.

Just at this moment, someone thought of Jiraiya, who had returned to the village to assist in the fighting during the war.

Jiraiya was a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, one of the Legendary Sannin, and possessed both great strength and high prestige.

If he were willing to serve as the Fifth Hokage, it would naturally be perfectly appropriate.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya's ambitions did not lie there; he was determined to travel the world, collect material, and continue creating his Icha Icha Paradise!

However, Jiraiya also offered his own idea, proposing that Tsunade, who was also one of the Legendary Sannin, be brought back to succeed as the Fifth Hokage.

This suggestion was immediately met with the agreement of the others.

Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, one of the Legendary Sannin, and possessed powerful medical ninjutsu, with more than enough prestige.

If she were willing to return to the village to serve as the Fifth Hokage, there would naturally be no problem at all.

Electing the Hokage was a matter for the high-level officials of Konoha, and naturally had nothing to do with a lowly Chunin like Lin Mu.

After attending the funeral of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he devoted himself to training.

During this month, he conducted a careful study of the system.

When he had first obtained the system, he could see the missions it issued, but unfortunately, his strength at the time was limited; even if he saw them, they were of no use.

Now that he had obtained the Wood Style Body and mastered several offensive and defensive ninjutsu, his combat power had greatly increased.

He could finally attempt to complete the missions issued by the system.

For example, low-risk missions such as hunting wild beasts or collecting medicinal herbs.

He slowly began to figure out the patterns behind the system's mission issuance and reward distribution.

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