There Should Be Applause Here

Deep down, Asuma desperately wanted to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about his fears.

But whenever he recalled facing Miya that day, the fear in his eyes grew stronger, and the words he wanted to say caught in his throat.

"Whatever it is, take your time. There's no rush."

"Let's eat first, all right?"

Hiruzen reached out and patted Asuma on the shoulder as he spoke softly and gently.

Seeing that Asuma was on the verge of a breakdown, Hiruzen was heartbroken.

To Asuma, Hiruzen's words seemed to have a magical power. The fear in his heart seemed to be melting away, little by little, beneath the sunlight.

The sunlight shining into his heart was warm and reassuring.

With Hiruzen's reassurance, Asuma gradually calmed down and followed him downstairs to the dining table.

Little by little, Asuma told Hiruzen everything that had happened in class that day, leaving nothing out.

As he listened to Asuma and saw that his emotions had stabilized, Hiruzen felt relieved. He also took the opportunity to teach him a lesson:

"Asuma, life is long. Sometimes, losing isn't really something to fear."

"What's frightening is being too afraid to admit you've lost."

"Sometimes, having the courage to admit defeat is the greatest bravery of all."

"You lost this time, so train hard and win next time."

"A ninja must endure what ordinary people cannot if he is to accomplish great things."

At that moment, Asuma seemed to see a light in Hiruzen. His heart stirred, and he regained his confidence.

There should be applause here!

Add some background music to the scene, and it would be... tsk, tsk, tsk...

Hal... le... lu... jah...

After teaching Asuma and realizing that he had emerged from the shadow in his heart, Hiruzen let out a long sigh of relief.

Biwako Sarutobi, who was at his side, also put her worries to rest.

Suddenly, Hiruzen's tone changed, and he spoke earnestly:

"Asuma, don't blame your father for usually being too strict with you."

"You're my son, the son of Konohagakure's Third Hokage. Nothing has been able to change that since the moment you were born."

"Other people will pay attention to your every move, and everything you do will be magnified endlessly."

"That identity is a source of confidence for you, but it's also a weight you were destined to bear from birth."

"I don't want that identity to be a burden to you. I want it to be a driving force that spurs you on."

"So I hope you'll work hard to be your best self and become capable of bearing that weight."

"Then, surpass it."

Asuma was still at the rebellious age when he did as he pleased, and he had never considered these questions before. Hiruzen's words undoubtedly struck him with tremendous, deafening force.

Looking at the earnest Hiruzen, Asuma, who had never considered these questions before, seemed in that instant to have

grown up.

It was both a misfortune and a blessing. After this setback, it was hard to say whether Asuma would still be as rebellious as he was in the original story, only coming to understand Hiruzen's good intentions and changing greatly after Hiruzen died.

"I understand. I'll train hard from now on."

With that, Asuma stood up and said,

"I'll go back to my room."

After Hiruzen nodded, Asuma walked back toward his room with slightly heavy steps. When he reached the corner, he suddenly turned back and said from the bottom of his heart,

"Thank you, Dad!"

Then Asuma disappeared from Hiruzen and Biwako's sight.

Hiruzen and Biwako had gone to great lengths for Asuma. Watching him, who seemed to have grown up, they exchanged a glance and both smiled with relief.

With Asuma's problem dealt with, Hiruzen found a moment of leisure amid his busy schedule. Sitting in his study at home, he temporarily set aside his heavy official duties to rest for a while at noon.

"Phew..."

"Miya, was it?"

"I'll find a chance to see him again!"

Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. As he sat there, memories surfaced in his mind, and a nostalgic look appeared on his face.

"Miroku, you have an outstanding son."

Turning to look at the dark, starry sky outside the window, Hiruzen suddenly wore a complicated expression.

He seemed nostalgic, sorrowful, and also pleased.

When people grew old, they would always recall the things that had left a deep impression on them.

Miroku Hanama was one of Konoha's Jonin and a capable subordinate of Hiruzen's.

He wasn't the strongest, but Hiruzen trusted him the most. Anything entrusted to him was handled in an orderly fashion.

Only after putting him to work did Hiruzen learn what outstanding work ability meant, what it meant for everything to run smoothly.

If nothing had gone wrong, Miya's father, Miroku, would very likely have become one of the Jonin Hiruzen relied on.

He was utterly loyal, capable at his work, and a pleasure to have working for him.

Who wouldn't love a subordinate like that?

Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

During a secret mission assigned to Miroku, faulty intelligence received by Hiruzen led to the tragic destruction of the entire squad Miroku led.

It was one of the incidents that had pained Hiruzen the most.

At the time, Miya was still unborn in his mother's womb, soon to come into the world.

When Miya's mother learned of her husband's death, she could not bear the blow. Her overwhelming grief caused Miya to be born prematurely.

She also suffered severe bleeding during childbirth.

Miya had almost become the most unfortunate transmigrator in history: a transmigrator who died before he was even born.

It had come within a hair's breadth of both mother and child dying.

After taking one look at the newborn Miya, his mother ultimately passed away, reluctant to leave.

From then on, Miya went from being a Jonin's son to an orphan.

He had grown up stumbling along to this day.

Perhaps out of guilt, Hiruzen paid some attention to how Miya was doing.

Some days ago, when Hiruzen learned that Miya had injured a Ninja Academy teacher badly enough to send him to the hospital, he finally discovered just how formidable Miya's talent and strength were.

For that reason, he had even made time to meet Miya in person and suppressed the matter of Miya injuring the Chunin teacher.

Otherwise, as a helpless orphan with no one to rely on, no matter how strong and talented Miya was or how much the Ninja Academy prized martial prowess, he would probably have had trouble escaping punishment without his connection to Hiruzen.

And Miya could still be safe and sound now, still attending classes at school?

Wake up.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Of course, Hiruzen's regard for Miya's strength and talent was also part of the reason.

Otherwise, what would have happened if an ordinary student with poor talent had tried the same thing?

Conversely, if Miya hadn't been strong enough, he couldn't have beaten the Chunin teacher badly enough to send him to Konoha Hospital.

Geniuses always had a few privileges, after all!

It was the same everywhere.

At that moment, Hiruzen, who wanted to train Miya into an excellent ninja like his father Miroku, muttered to himself:

"Miroku, if you were still alive now..."

"Seeing Miya as he is now, would you be happy or proud?"

"Or both..."

Hiruzen silently smoked, drawing in and exhaling clouds of smoke as he muttered to himself for quite a while.