Upon returning to Konoha, Tsubasa immediately threw himself into handling government affairs. He knew that only by properly arranging matters in Konoha could he wholeheartedly pursue his path of Immortal Cultivation. He was busy, but his heart was always with Tian Yueqing unborn child. He hoped that when his child grew up, he would live in a peaceful and powerful world of Immortal Cultivation.
"Creak--" The door was gently pushed open, and Biwako's figure appeared in the doorway. This former female ninja now had graying temples, but her eyes were still as sharp as when she had trained him as a child. She was holding a faded cloth bag in her arms, and judging from how carefully she was handling it, it probably contained more of his favorite glutinous rice balls.
"You're having too easy a time as Hokage, aren't you? I never see you." Biwako slammed her cloth bag down on the table, causing ripples to spread in the inkstone. "If it weren't for the fact that you're my junior brother, I wouldn't bother with you at all. The five of us, the Hokage's secretaries, handle everything, big and small."
Tsubasa tore open the oil paper, and a sweet aroma mixed with the heat wafted out. He smiled and said, "Senior Sister is still the same as ever, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. I've delegated authority, and you've all done a good job, haven't you? Tell me, you don't come here without a reason. You even bought food this time, so what favor do you want from me this time?"
Biwako's expression suddenly turned serious. She walked to the window, looked at the Hokage Rock under repair in the distance, and said, " Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others want to return to Konoha completely."
These words were like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly freezing the relaxed atmosphere. Tsubasa paused, his hand holding the dumpling still, as memories from those years surged up: the resolute figures of the Sarutobi Clan and their families as they left the village, and their parting words, " Konoha can no longer accommodate us, so we will build a more prosperous village ourselves."
"They've been living in another village for years, doing plenty of mining and herb gathering. They heard you were back recently and sent me to plead their case. They haven't stepped foot in the village without your permission." Biwako sighed, pulling a crumpled stack of letters from her pocket. "These are from Hiruzen, seven letters in total. Each one says, 'Please, Lord Hokage, for my sake, please see them.'"
The edges of the letter were worn and frayed, and the ink had smudged. Tsubasa glanced at the contents; the letter was filled with regret for his impulsive actions back then, worry about the village's current situation, and the phrase repeated countless times, "I am willing to atone with my death."
"As you know, the Konoha Inner Village are thriving right now, but the outer villages are struggling, with a lot of chaos." Biwako walked to the map, her fingertip tracing the vermilion markings. "Scouts from Iwagakure and Kumogakure come to gather information every few days. The village needs a lot of people to develop; we're short of talent in every sector..." Her eyes gleamed as she turned. " Hiruzen and his men brought over 30,000 ninja from the outer villages. If we could bring them under Konoha's control..."
"Senior Sister!" Tsubasa jumped up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Don't forget what they did back then, how much damage they caused when they betrayed the village! How many children lost their parents, how many families were torn apart!"
Biwako, however, did not back down and walked straight up to him. "Of course I remember! But you should remember even more that the real traitors were Hiruzen's fathers, and Hiruzen and his companions had rendered meritorious service to Konoha. Back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitokado Homura fought bravely and selflessly for Konoha on the battlefield in the Land of Lightning!"
Her voice trembled slightly, "They haven't had it easy these past years either. To atone for their sins, they led their people to mine and gather herbs. They even sent elite troops to various countries to acquire rare minerals. Hiruzen and his men were constantly on the run, secretly mining abroad. To prevent the information about the mineral resources they discovered from being leaked, they didn't even dare to set up a fixed base."
A long silence fell over the office. Tsubasa gazed at the old banyan tree outside the window, its leaves rustling in the autumn wind. He recalled how Hiruzen Sarutobi from his past life in the anime always explained the Will of Fire to children, and Will of Fire was indeed manifested when he was killed by Orochimaru. He remembered how opinions about Hiruzen Sarutobi were mixed among netizens in his past life...
"Just one meeting," Biwako suddenly softened her tone. "Just to give me, their senior, face. If they still harbor any disloyalty, I'll be the first to deal with them." She pulled a worn-out bell from her bosom, the very token of their first graduating class from the Konoha Academy. "Back then, we swore an oath to protect Konoha together. Now, it's time for them to return and fulfill that promise."
Tsubasa stared at the bell; the characters " Konoha " were still visible amidst the mottled patina. He sat down heavily, grabbed a dumpling from the table, and took a big bite, the sweet taste spreading on his tongue. "Giving them only half an hour shows their sincerity. If I find out they dare to play tricks..."
"I understand." Biwako smiled, a hint of relief in her eyes.
Outside the window, the setting sun dyed the clouds blood red. Tsubasa watched the sky gradually darken and silently clenched his fists—hoping that his senior sister's persistence this time would not be wrong, and hoping that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others could seize the opportunity.
Inside the Hokage Building, steam rose from the tea in the Hokage's office. Tsubasa gazed at the white mist rising from the cup, listening to the approaching footsteps outside the door. As the door creaked open, three young figures entered. Hiruzen Sarutobi's black hair gleamed with a frosty hue in the morning light, Mitokado Homura's Konoha Forehead Protector was crookedly tied to his forearm, and Utatane Koharu's hands trembled slightly as she clutched the hem of her clothes.
" Lord Hokage." The three knelt on one knee in unison, their foreheads almost touching the floor. Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against a ceramic bowl, "We deserve to die, we only beg you to give us a chance to atone for our sins."
Tsubasa didn't rush to speak, his spiritual power spreading out silently like spider silk. He could clearly sense Utatane Koharu's violently heaving chest, Mitokado Homura's clenched and unclenched fists, and the vibrations of Hiruzen Sarutobi's sweat dripping from his forehead onto the wooden board. These subtle physiological reactions couldn't lie; they shouldn't be lying.
"More than 30,000 people? Back then, when you all brought your families and wandered to the Land of Rice Fields, there were over 100,000 of you! Now, eight years have passed, where are the others?" Tsubasa stroked his teacup. "Now you say you want to come back? Do you think Konoha is a place you can come and go as you please?"
Mitokado Homura kowtowed violently, blood instantly welling from his forehead. "Back then, we were ousted from our high positions, blinded by hatred! Plus, our clans were no longer under our control! As disciples of Teacher Tobirama, how could we possibly betray Konoha? It took so many years to finally gain complete control of the clan..." His voice choked with emotion, unable to continue. Utatane Koharu was already sobbing. "More than 40,000 ninjas and Shimura Clan refused to return to Konoha and remained in the Land of Rice Fields. Another 20,000 ninjas were dispatched to establish intelligence stations in various countries and to protect and transport rare mineral resources."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, trembling, pulled a worn notebook from his robes. Between the pages were dried honeysuckle flowers. "This contains maps of the intelligence network we've built over the years, the distribution of various rare minerals, the troop movements of Iwagakure, the water source layout of Sunagakure, and the deployment of the Land of Land of Lightning's army..." The moment the notebook was opened, Tsubasa caught a glimpse of the dense annotations, many words smudged with water. "We've established numerous intelligence stations Land of Fire; with your approval, they can immediately be used by Konoha."
The aroma of tea mingled with the stench of blood filled the cramped space. Suddenly, Tsubasa's spiritual power touched a tremor—the heart of Hiruzen Sarutobi, where an old scar was faintly burning. It was a mark left years ago when he killed Hiruzen's father. Tsubasa slowly said, " Hiruzen Sarutobi, I killed your father with my own hands. Have you forgotten the hatred for your father's murder?"