The Wind That Shouldn’t Have Appeared

As Minato Namikaze listened, his shock deepened. Just as he was about to speak, Naruto had already left the sealed space and was descending the stairs.

Meanwhile, the clone that had escorted Hayate Gekkō home had just entered the house.

The moment the clone shut the door, Naruto completely dispelled all of his disguises. As soon as the door closed, he dispelled the Shadow Clone as well.

However, the memories transmitted back from the clone made his brows twitch slightly.

Today, Shikamaru had actually taken the initiative to hint that the Third Hokage would return to Konoha that very night.

What did this mean?

Naruto had known Shikamaru for quite some time and always found him to be rather peculiar. It was clear that the Third Hokage had arranged for Shikamaru to interact with him. Shikamaru himself had even admitted that he was following orders from the Third.

But now, it seemed like he was genuinely trying to be his friend...

"Father, you were once the Hokage. What is your opinion of the Nara Clan?"

Naruto's consciousness once again entered the sealed space. His gaze was calm as he looked at his father and asked.

Minato Namikaze noticed Naruto's serious expression and began to carefully recall his experiences with the Nara Clan during his tenure as the Hokage.

"The Nara Clan has always been the most trusted clan of the Hokage—without exception. They are loyal only to the Hokage and willingly serve as the Hokage's shadow."

As he spoke, Minato's expression suddenly turned strange. He too realized that there was something off about the Third Hokage arranging for Shikamaru to approach Naruto.

"The most trusted by the Hokage... loyal only to the Hokage..."

Naruto replayed these key points in his mind several times, and his eyes gleamed.

The Third Hokage was already very old.

Logically, after his father, the Fourth Hokage, had sacrificed himself, the village should have immediately elected a Fifth Hokage. But somehow, the Third had managed to forcefully reinstate himself in power in such a short period of time.

This was not just unexpected for the people of Konoha—it must have seemed unbelievable to the other ninja villages as well.

Even in the anime, there were scenes depicting people discussing the election of a Fifth Hokage at the time.

Moreover, the Third Hokage had originally abdicated due to his failures in war.

Saying that the Fourth Hokage's death was too sudden and that Konoha was in a state of crisis, unable to find a suitable replacement in time?

That excuse was completely unconvincing.

By then, the Third, along with Danzo and the two advisors, had long since taken full control of Konoha's political power. Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, had been nothing more than a puppet.

They didn't even consider sending someone to look for Jiraiya or Tsunade?

Sure, Jiraiya might have been difficult to locate, but Tsunade, a notorious gambling addict, would not have been hard to find!

And later, during the Chunin Exams, when Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush plan, the so-called "strongest Hokage in history" still died just as suddenly. That situation wasn't much different from the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.

Yet this time, no one claimed they couldn't find someone to take over as Hokage—the village continued to operate as usual.

As soon as the Third Hokage was buried, the two advisors immediately pushed for Jiraiya to assume the role. When Jiraiya refused, he effortlessly located Tsunade and brought her back to inherit the position.

To outsiders, Shikaku Nara—the father of Shikamaru—was definitely considered a trusted confidant of the Third Hokage. However, at this point in time, Shikamaru hadn't even started at the Ninja Academy yet, and they weren't at the point where the Third assigned his own son, Asuma Sarutobi, to lead the Ino-Shika-Cho team.

Shikamaru understood his position. Although he was the son of the clan leader, he was not yet an official ninja with a rank. He still had the freedom to make his own choices.

He had already begun contemplating the many uncertainties surrounding his own future.

The Nara Clan was loyal to the Hokage—but the Third had served two terms, held power for too long, and was far too old.

Would the next Hokage also bear the Sarutobi name? Shikamaru had his own calculations. A smart person would never tie themselves permanently to a single tree.

He was following the Third Hokage's orders, but he had already chosen how he would follow them...

The night was calm, and Konoha lay in silence. The Third Hokage now stood by the window of his office. Without alarming anyone, he had quietly returned to the village and was flipping through recent administrative reports.

After two months away, it was now early spring. However, his trip to the Fire Nation's capital had not gone as smoothly as expected.

"Hokage-sama!"

A figure suddenly appeared on the steps outside the window.

"Ah, Hayate," the Third Hokage's gaze sharpened. "Did anything unusual happen with Naruto while I was away?"

Hayate Gekkō skillfully pulled out a small notebook and handed it over. "This is a detailed report on the target over the past two months."

"Hm? The very day I left, Naruto took the initiative to save someone?" The Third Hokage's eyes paused on the first page but then frowned. "Yet, in the end, the villagers misunderstood and surrounded him?"

"And then Naruto simply told them to move aside and went home?"

"He wasn't angry?"

Hayate shook his head. "There were too many villagers gathered—I couldn't see his expression clearly. But on the way home, the target showed no signs of anger or dissatisfaction."

"Excellent!" The Third Hokage's face relaxed slightly.

Naruto had saved someone willingly, but more importantly, he hadn't shown anger even after being misunderstood.

It seemed his guidance was working. Naruto was still on the right path to growth. This meant his future plans could proceed smoothly.

As he continued flipping through Hayate's report, everything seemed consistent with the situation before he left—except that Naruto still hadn't learned the Shadow Clone technique.

"Has Naruto gone to bed yet?" The Third Hokage smiled slightly at the thought.

"Just now, when you summoned me, the target was about to—"

Whoosh!

Before Hayate could finish his sentence, an ANBU operative wearing a mask suddenly appeared beside him, kneeling on one knee.

"Hokage-sama! The Barrier Team has just detected another abnormal chakra fluctuation in the Forest of Death!"

The Third Hokage's expression turned grave. "Hmm? You said 'another' fluctuation? Has this happened frequently?"

"Yes!" The ANBU operative rose and handed over a document. "Here, this is a detailed record of frequent chakra activities in the Forest of Death since your departure."

The Third Hokage skimmed through it, his eyes flashing coldly. "We move now!"

At the same time, Naruto was also puzzled.

He had spent the entire afternoon at home, and with his current sensory range, he had been fully aware of the Third Hokage's return.

While tracking the Third's location in the office, Naruto suddenly sensed an unfamiliar chakra signature in the Forest of Death.

This chakra felt strange, and it was following the exact routes Naruto had taken during his previous training sessions there.

"Who is this? The Third Hokage is bringing a large group over—does that mean this person isn't from Konoha?"

In the Forest of Death, the Third Hokage and a dozen ANBU surrounded a shadowy figure.

"It has been a long time, Sarutobi-sensei."

A hoarse voice echoed as the figure stepped into the moonlight. Beneath long black hair was a pale, sickly-looking face, with golden, slit-like pupils scanning the scene with amusement.

"Yes, Orochimaru... You should not have returned. Since you have, you will not be leaving again!"

The Third Hokage's eyes were sharp as he glared at his former student.

"Heh... Sarutobi-sensei, are we fighting already?" Orochimaru chuckled. "Perfect timing. I've recently made some breakthroughs in the Second Hokage's forbidden techniques."

The Third Hokage's pupils contracted. What forbidden technique has Orochimaru mastered now?

"Then let me become the wind that turns Konoha's rotting windmill—let's see if it can still spin!"

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