Chapter 89: First Mizukage - Byakuren

"Everything is for Konoha."

Hashirama turned to gaze out the window, all traces of nervousness now gone from his heart. "Yes, everything is for Konoha."

The reason for seeking peace was simply to allow Konoha, this great tree, to flourish in the Ninja World. He wanted the children of Konoha Village to grow up safely. He wanted the villagers of Konoha Village to smile every day.

If that was the case, what was there to be nervous about? Hadn't he already fought for this very cause for so many years? Even Madara couldn't stop him, so what were four mere Kage? If they agreed to peace, then it would naturally be a joyous occasion for everyone. If they didn't, then they were enemies of Konoha Village. Though Hashirama yearned for peace, he knew what price had to be paid to achieve true peace!

Torifū could clearly feel his teacher's aura shift; it changed from somewhat lost to resolute. His teacher was always like this, suddenly becoming impassioned, and he had pretty much grown accustomed to it. Roughly every so often, Hashirama would become dejected, and then suddenly impassioned again. This time it should be the same.

Hashirama wasn't looking at his draft anymore. He called Tobirama, intending to stroll through the village together. Tobirama naturally had no objections, and as their apprentice, Torifū naturally had to accompany them.

Leaving the Hokage Building, the ninjas in plain clothes on the street wanted to step forward and salute when they saw the Hokage, but due to their mission, they could only pretend to be ordinary civilians and greet the Hokage.

"Good day, Hokage-sama."

And Hashirama would respond to each one, which warmed everyone's hearts. Although the ninja all knew Hokage was a very warm person, truly greeting him as an ordinary person felt quite wondrous. Without the superior-subordinate relationship, it felt as if they were family.

Hashirama walked very slowly along the way, as he had to respond to every person who greeted him. But he thoroughly enjoyed this feeling. Tobirama was the same, losing himself in the villagers' repeated calls of "Tobirama-sama." This was mainly because Tobirama handled many of the village's miscellaneous affairs, so the villagers also trusted him greatly. Besides the Hokage, the villagers trusted Tobirama the most.

Torifū, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion. It reminded him of that saying: it's not about becoming Hokage to gain everyone's recognition, but gaining everyone's recognition to become Hokage.

Hashirama was undoubtedly a good Hokage, deeply respected and loved by the villagers. And Tobirama was the same. Perhaps it was their selfless love for Konoha, dedicating their entire selves to it. If Hashirama and Tobirama hadn't established Konoha Village, perhaps with their strength, they might have lived to eighty or ninety years old. But precisely because of the bond of Konoha Village, they were fearless in the face of death. When confronted by pursuers, they could abandon their lives without hesitation, entrusting Konoha to new sprouts.

They walked for a long time. Everyone, hearing that Hokage-sama was on the street, came out to greet him. Hashirama greeted almost every villager, and everyone knew that the Five Kage Summit was being held today, so they just greeted Hashirama and hurried home, afraid of causing trouble for him.

By the time Hashirama, Tobirama, and Torifū reached the main gate, Naori and Kagami, along with other ninja responsible for the reception, were already waiting at the village entrance. People were expected to arrive in another two hours. Hashirama decided to wait there. He needed to make an appearance anyway; he couldn't let the first impression of Konoha be one of arrogance.

Over an hour passed, and it was now nearly noon. The sun was still scorching, but no one complained. Suddenly, Torifū felt the air grow much more humid. Before Torifū could react, a massive water dragon abruptly burst forth from the distant horizon, heading towards them. Torifū looked at his teacher, but Hashirama merely smiled, making no move.

The water dragon fell and exploded into a huge splash about fifty meters from them, but it seemed to be controlled, as not a single drop of water splashed onto the Konoha Village personnel. The water settled and then transformed into a thick mist. Torifū saw such a large expanse of mist and felt his hands itch; he almost couldn't resist spitting a cloud of mist into it. But he ultimately held back.

A team of figures slowly emerged from the mist. The person leading them was an old man with white hair and a long beard, wearing a Mizukage hat. His left eye was blind and bore a scar running across it. A smile was on his face, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth. This person was none other than the First Mizukage of Kirigakure, Byakuren. He had single-handedly unified all the islands and ninja clans, large and small, of the Land of Water, and was a battle-hardened ninja. Following behind him was a man with long black hair and narrowed eyes, looking quite like a sage. The very last group was a team of ordinary ninja, nothing particularly special about them.

"Hokage-sama, how is your health?"

Byakuren extended his hand with a full smile, and Hashirama also reached out and grasped it.

"Very well, indeed. Mizukage-sama, you also look to be in good spirits."

The two shook hands; these men who had never met before chatted casually.

"I am not as well as Hokage-sama. I am an old man, but I can still live for a few more years."

Hearing this, Hashirama smiled, "Life and death are determined by fate. We just need to do what we can, and leave the rest to the younger generation."

Byakuren nodded repeatedly at these words. It was a pity that his most promising successor couldn't come this time; otherwise, he would surely gain much insight. Speaking of which, he also wanted to see what the person who could fight his successor to a standstill looked like. In the future, he might become a formidable enemy of Kirigakure.

The two chatted for a while, but the sun was truly scorching, and it wasn't good to leave the elderly Mizukage exposed to it for too long. Hashirama then ordered the ninja to escort the Mizukage and his entourage to their resting place. Byakuren was somewhat tired from his journey, so he didn't continue chatting with Hashirama and followed the ninja away.

Torifū looked at Byakuren's appearance, and those sharp teeth, and couldn't help but feel that he might be from the Hoshigaki clan, though he had no evidence. Regardless, Byakuren could provide Torifū with 1000 Peace Points, and the person behind him was likely the Third Mizukage. He should also contribute some.

The good thing about this Five Kage Summit was that each Kage would bring their successor. This basically meant they could all provide him with Peace Points. Just unlocking the character profiles could give him almost 10,000 Peace Points. And there should still be chaos events, right? Speaking of which, why hadn't this chaos event started yet? Uchiha Madara's was announced a year in advance.

[T/N: Just a little reminder! If you enjoy what I create, you can support me at https://ko-fi.com/claychampion]