Konoha Hidden Village Can't Do Without the Third Hokage

"Then thank you very much, Lord Hokage," Nara Shikaku said, then sat down in front of Namikaze Minato and offered his help.

This made Namikaze Minato even more uncomfortable.

Namikaze Minato lived up to the style of previous Hokage; he was very approachable and mingled easily with his own people in private.

But today, Nara Shikaku started addressing him as "Lord Hokage" the moment he entered, being overly polite even though there were no outsiders present, which made Shikaku feel very awkward.

Normally, Nara Shikaku opens his mouth like this, he's followed by all sorts of sarcastic remarks, but not today.

Something fishy is going on today!

"Nara Shikaku..." Namikaze Minato asked cautiously, "Is something wrong at work?"

"Lord Hokage," Nara Shikaku began with a powerful statement, "Do you mean that I shouldn't be here unless it's official business?"

"No, no, of course not." Namikaze Minato quickly waved his hands, afraid that his friend would misunderstand, but he couldn't say it directly, which made him so frustrated.

After all, he can't exactly say, "If you were like this normally, you would have started yelling by now."

Seeing Namikaze Minato looking so uncomfortable made Nara Shikaku feel really good.

However, he knew when to stop, since he needed someone's help.

Otherwise... I'll stop here? I'll make you cry, you slacker!

"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you today." Nara Shikaku recited "Impulse is the devil" to himself, suppressing the urge to complain, and smiled again.

"Oh, Nara Shikaku, you tell me! We're like brothers!" Namikaze Minato, getting excited.

Haha! He won't get criticized today!

"Actually, it's about my son," Nara Shikaku said, pretending not to notice his friend's smug expression. "You know, you've probably had a lot of people contacting you lately."

"I understand, I understand." Upon hearing Nara Shikaku's words, Namikaze Minato immediately understood.

Ever since Uchiha Shingen went to teach at the Ninja Academy, the phrase he heard most often was, "I have a child."

Hidden Leaf Village is a village that focuses on the inheritance of secret techniques. Unlike bloodline limits, basic education is of paramount importance.

Having a basic education from a Five Kage -level ninja is a completely different matter from not having one.

Uchiha Shingen was particularly special; he accomplished the feat of fighting against the Tailed Beasts before he was even twenty years old. Everyone knows how much his private tutoring could enhance a child's abilities.

No parent would hesitate to try and secure a spot.

Unless this parent is stronger than Uchiha Shingen at the same age, which unfortunately, there is no such person in Hidden Leaf Village at present.

The Nara Clan and Uchiha Clan weren't particularly close, Nara Shikaku himself didn't have any personal connections or resources within the Uchiha Clan that he could leverage. Therefore, he had no choice but to seek help from Namikaze Minato indirectly.

"Nara Shikaku, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure about this," Namikaze Minato said frankly. "But I will recommend Shikamaru to Shingen."

Feeling that his words weren't strong enough, he added another sentence.

"I'll definitely push hard."

"Your words are enough," Nara Shikaku sighed.

The chances of that happening are slim. Nara Shikaku himself didn't expect Shikamaru to become a non-mainstream member of the Nara Clan.

Uchiha Shingen's selection of students must have been based on his personal relationships with his clan and family, and he had no connection to either.

But that's just how it is when you're a parent.

"Nara Shikaku, Shingen is actually a very nice person. You two should visit each other more often," Namikaze Minato said.

Namikaze Minato genuinely hoped that Uchiha Shingen could develop more personal relationships with the Sarutobi Clan faction.

This also contributes to the stability of the village.

"Shingen- kun is no ordinary ninja now. Leaving too many traces would be bad. Let's not worry about it and see how the younger generation fares."

Nara Shikaku smiled.

The Ninja Academy trains not only ninjas, but also their comrades.

Once you leave school, developing a relationship isn't so easy.

After a moment of reflection, Nara Shikaku stood up to take his leave when suddenly there was a hurried knock on the office door.

Nara Shikaku opened the door and saw Uchiha Inabi.

"Nara Clan- sama."

"You are... Inabi?" Nara Shikaku was taken aback, then saw that Uchiha Inabi was holding an information scroll.

Still from the ANBU.

This thing is easy to recognize; it has a special mark. Others might not be able to tell, but Nara Shikaku is very familiar with it.

He immediately realized that something terrible had happened.

"Inabi, go to the Ninja Academy and ask Shingen- kun to come with you."

As he spoke, he quickly stepped aside.

Namikaze Minato also saw the scroll in Uchiha Inabi's hand, and his expression changed.

The ANBU's recent actions have all revolved around the Land of Wind!

Namikaze Minato saw bloodstains on the intelligence scroll!

Chapter Fifteen: Hidden Leaf Village Cannot Be Without the Third

"What? Another meeting?" In the classroom, Uchiha Shingen, still holding chalk, looked at Uchiha Inabi with dissatisfaction. "Are you kidding me? I'm a sacred teacher now."

Uchiha Inabi chuckled dryly.

Since everyone here is a student, he couldn't go into too much detail.

However, after knowing him for many years, Uchiha Shingen saw something in his eyes.

Uchiha Shingen put the chalk back, clapped his hands, looked at the group of students in the classroom with their eyes shining, and said, "Everyone heard that, that's all for today's class. I won't assign any homework. Go home and digest the material yourselves, understand?"

"Yes!" the students answered in unison, their voices loud and clear.

They discovered for the first time that listening to theoretical lectures could be so enjoyable.

This was the first time I'd ever known that there were so many layers within chakra.

As for the few kids who were already being taught by Uchiha Shingen, they also had a good review of what Uchiha Shingen had taught them before.

However, during their second study session, they gained new insights by considering their own specific circumstances.

Some things that I didn't understand at the time, or even didn't understand at all, seem different when I look back now.

Even things you thought you understood before, you probably have new insights upon looking back.

"Okay, I'll talk to the academic affairs office about the rest of today's classes and have other teachers teach you. No slacking off, okay? You have to listen attentively to every teacher who teaches you, understand?"

"Yes, teacher."

Seeing the students' high level of enthusiasm for learning, Uchiha Shingen was very satisfied and felt a great sense of accomplishment. After saying "Class dismissed," he and Uchiha Inabi left the classroom.

"What happened?"

"Brother Shingen, something terrible must have happened. I..."

Uchiha Inabi recounted the events, adding his own speculations.

"They actually attacked Leaf Village's ANBU?" Uchiha Shingen raised an eyebrow. "Whoever it is, it's unacceptable for them to come without paying a price. Go back to the Police Force and alert everyone. I don't think it'll come to war, but who knows what else might happen."

"Okay, Shingen- nii." Uchiha Clan nodded in agreement and then left.

Uchiha Shingen then headed to the Hokage Building.

The teaching building is very close to the Hokage Building, and there is a special passage from the Ninja Academy to enter the Hokage Building.

As he walked down the corridor to the floor where the Hokage's office was located, Uchiha Shingen noticed that the atmosphere in the corridor was different today.

The offices on this floor, besides the Hokage's room, are the offices of the Hokage's secretaries, but today the atmosphere is heavy, and everyone's face shows tension.

It seems something has happened.

The Hokage Building... it's been a long time since I've seen this kind of atmosphere.

In the six years since peace was achieved, Hidden Leaf Village has been developing very well. Cloud Village has become more subdued, Leaf Village has Iwagakure and Hidden Mist Village as allies, and Sand Village continues to be weakened. The internal and external environment of Hidden Leaf Village has become more relaxed, and ease has become the theme of this floor.

After all, as long as the opponent is not a major ninja village, it's essentially no problem for Hidden Leaf Village.

Two Konoha Ninja opened the door to the Hokage's office for Uchiha Shingen.

Uchiha Shingen walked in and saw Namikaze Minato looking at a piece of intelligence and deep in thought at his desk.

Nara Shikaku stood next to Namikaze Minato, his gaze also fixed on the intelligence report on the table.

After Uchiha Shingen entered, the two of them shifted their attention away from the intelligence report.

"Shingen, you've finally arrived," Namikaze Minato said. "Something's happened in Sand Village."

"Are they going to rebel?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

There was no way around it; his impression of the Sand Village... no, I mean the Konoha Crush was too deep, and he couldn't erase it even after two playthroughs.

This plan was anything but a joke. In the original timeline, Sand Village didn't fare well, and Leaf Village wasn't much better off either—it was a meticulously planned surprise attack launched by a major ninja village. Hidden Leaf Village not only lost a Hokage, but also suffered the loss of nearly half of its ninja force.

With both sides severely injured, Sand Village responded immediately to the olive branch extended by the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Tsunade, establishing a genuine military alliance with Leaf Village to defend against external threats.

Sand Village was able to defend against Iwagakure, and Leaf Village gained the confidence to prevent Cloud Village from engaging in military blackmail or even launching a real southward invasion.

But that was the original timeline. In this timeline, Sand Village was simply being exploited by Leaf Village, so it's not surprising that they had any thoughts.

"No, but there was indeed an attack on our ANBU within Sand Village territory," Namikaze Minato said. "According to our intelligence, Sand Village has secretly allied with Cloud Village."

"Has an alliance been formed?" Uchiha Shingen only cared about this. "Was it the Sand Ninja or the Cloud Ninja who attacked the ANBU?"

Once the alliance is established, it will be a long-term and stable relationship.

The meaning behind who attacks the ANBU is also different.

"There's no alliance, but Sand Village and Cloud Village share a common goal." Namikaze Minato tapped the intelligence file on the table. "The choice was good; it's Iwagakure."

Uchiha Shingen was taken aback.

When Sand Village is mentioned, he always subconsciously assumes that the target will be Leaf Village.

I almost forgot, Sand Village and Iwagakure are the real old buddies.

The relationships between the five great ninja villages are complex, but there are a few close-knit groups.

Sand Village and Iwagakure.

Iwagakure and Cloud Village.

Cloud Village and Leaf Village.

They are considered the three greatest iron men in the Ninja World.

The kind where someone's head is bleeding profusely.

After regaining his composure and thinking it over again, Uchiha Shingen also felt that Iwagakure was not so much chosen as they were the only option available to them.

The alliance between Sand Village and Cloud Village forms a perfect north-south geographical alliance.

They can attack Leaf Village or Iwagakure simultaneously, but it's not very convenient to attack Hidden Mist Village because if Sand Village wants to attack Hidden Mist Village, they have to bypass the Land of Fire and take the route through the Land of Tea.

However, attacking Hidden Leaf Village would also be inappropriate, because Hidden Mist Village and Leaf Village have a very close relationship and are geographically close. At the same time, Sand Village is also an ally of Leaf Village. Even if it's a fake alliance, Sand Village cannot betray its alliance without sufficient reason.

Breaking an alliance is very costly.

The current Sand Village is not being driven to the brink of despair by Leaf Village like in the original timeline.

However, if we fight against Iwagakure, Leaf Village cannot intervene. Iwagakure is an ally of Leaf Village, but Sand Village is also an ally. It wouldn't make sense for Leaf Village to help Iwagakure fight Sand Village.

The alliance between the two became a protective talisman for Sand Village at this time, allowing it to attack Iwagakure without any worries.

As for Cloud Village, once the debt was paid off, there were indeed no more obstacles.

However, the relationship between Iwagakure and Leaf Village has been quite delicate in recent years.

Otherwise, how could Sand Village and Cloud Village have joined forces?

"Who proposed this alliance?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

He first suspected Cloud Village.

As it turned out, his suspicions were correct.