Chapter 133: Doubts and Clarifications
"Hiruzen, where have you been for the past few years?"
Within the Sarutobi Clan grounds, Biwako looked at Hiruzen in front of her, her expression filled with emotion.
She was Hiruzen's wife.
When Hiruzen had first been declared missing, she had mobilized the full strength of the Sarutobi Clan to search for his whereabouts. Unfortunately, in the end, she had found nothing.
In the years that followed, although she never gave up searching, like many others in the Sarutobi Clan, she had already begun to treat Hiruzen's disappearance as death in battle.
After all, such things were far too common.
The number of shinobi who went missing during war was not small. Most of them had actually died in battle, their bodies simply never recovered. A small portion chose to defect and became rogue shinobi.
Given Hiruzen's status, it was naturally impossible for him to defect. Since he had not returned for three years, the only conclusion was that he had died in battle.
Biwako had already prepared herself for that outcome, but she never expected that just as she had resigned herself to fate, Hiruzen would return.
This made her emotions surge uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault."
Facing the wife he had not seen in so long, a rare look of guilt appeared on Hiruzen's face.
Being missing for three years had only felt like a moment to him, as though he had simply had a very long dream.
But for everyone else, those three years had been very real.
Because of that, when Hiruzen faced his wife and children, the guilt in his heart became even stronger.
After soothing Biwako's emotions, Hiruzen began asking about the whereabouts of his children.
He had several children. Among them, his eldest son had already grown up and become a qualified shinobi. He was currently away on a mission.
His second son, Asuma, was still at home because he was young. At present, he was only a little boy.
Asuma looked at the father before him with a trace of unfamiliarity in his eyes. It took him quite a while before he finally confirmed Hiruzen's identity.
After catching up with his wife and son, Hiruzen finally began to notice his surroundings.
He had been gone for three years, and his home seemed to have undergone enormous changes.
The houses before him had become much more refined. Although they did not possess the flashy luxury of a nouveau riche, many changes could still be seen in the details.
"This is all thanks to Kei."
Biwako explained, "During the years you were missing, he kept finding various reasons to subsidize the clan, and he also took great care of us."
"In the three years you were gone, the family's savings multiplied several times over."
She took out a bankbook, which recorded the savings of Hiruzen's family.
Hiruzen reached out and took a look, then was immediately stunned.
This was not merely several times over. It had practically increased tenfold.
Before his disappearance, Hiruzen had been an elite jonin of Konoha and the most suitable candidate for the next Hokage.
His income had naturally not been low. Combined with his background in the Sarutobi Clan, his savings had already been quite substantial.
But even with such a solid foundation, for it to increase tenfold in just three years was terrifying.
"This is only part of it."
Biwako continued explaining, "Besides these savings, we also own many shops and properties now. The rental income alone each month is considerable."
"In fact, before you returned, I was still considering whether or not to send Asuma to the Ninja Academy."
She looked at young Asuma, her eyes soft. "Becoming a shinobi is good, but it is too dangerous. One could be killed at any time."
"With our current assets, even if this child does not become a shinobi in the future, I believe he can still live a very good life."
"Absurd!"
Hearing Biwako's words, Hiruzen instinctively objected. "If everyone thought like that, who would still be willing to become a shinobi in the future? Once our generation passes away, who will protect Konoha?"
"Several of our children are already shinobi."
Biwako sighed. "Since that is the case, what is wrong with leaving one child to live peacefully?"
"As for Konoha's shinobi, now that Kei has expanded the Ninja Academy, many civilian shinobi graduate every year and join Konoha."
"Konoha is not lacking one shinobi named Asuma."
The way men and women thought was ultimately different.
Hiruzen carried all of Konoha in his heart, considering the future of the entire village.
But in Biwako's view, Konoha's future would naturally be protected by other shinobi.
Konoha had never lacked outstanding shinobi, and this was even more true after Kei expanded the Ninja Academy's educational system.
Since their family already possessed enough assets to live prosperously even without becoming shinobi, why should their child go to the battlefield?
Going to the battlefield meant either killing someone else's child or being killed by someone else's child. Such things were simply too cruel.
Biwako herself was an outstanding shinobi, and she understood all of this far too well. Because of that, she naturally did not want her child to experience it too.
"That kind of thinking is very dangerous."
Hiruzen looked at his wife and let out a long sigh.
He felt there was something wrong with Biwako's argument, but he could not clearly explain where the problem lay.
However, he felt that no matter how wealthy Konoha became, it would ultimately need powerful shinobi to protect it.
In fact, precisely because Konoha was so wealthy now, more people would covet it in the future. That made protection even more necessary.
If everyone thought like Biwako and did not want their children to become shinobi, what would become of Konoha in the future?
Hiruzen did not even dare imagine that scene.
He decided to leave this problem for Kei to consider.
After all, in terms of status, Kei was the Hokage now.
He was only an ordinary Konoha shinobi.
Not long after he returned home, the head of the Sarutobi Clan also arrived.
In terms of relationship, the Sarutobi Clan Head and Hiruzen were relatives, and their relationship was very close.
"Hiruzen, it is wonderful that you returned this time."
The Sarutobi Clan Head's face was filled with deep joy. "We need you right now."
After Kei took office, the Sarutobi Clan, as one of his supporters, had also received favorable treatment.
The current Sarutobi Clan was involved in various industries and was developing quite well.
Only in terms of critical power did the Sarutobi Clan still fall somewhat short.
Because the Sarutobi Clan had no other figures capable of supporting the situation.
Aside from Hiruzen, even the Sarutobi Clan Head himself had limited strength and ability, and did not meet Kei's standards for personnel.
Therefore, over the past few years, although the Sarutobi Clan had obtained many benefits and their wealth had increased greatly, they had not gained much key authority.
But now, Hiruzen's return would change all of that.
Given his relationship with Kei, he would inevitably rise to a high position in Konoha upon his return.
When that time came, the Sarutobi Clan would also inevitably take another step forward and become a truly great clan within Konoha.
Even if they could not compare with the Uchiha and Senju, they would still be much stronger than the other shinobi clans.
Hearing the Sarutobi Clan Head's intentions, Hiruzen silently sighed.
It was like this again.
Three years had passed, and he discovered that many things seemed to have changed.
Danzo was like this, and the Sarutobi Clan Head before him was the same.
As before, he spoke tactfully, not agreeing to many of the Sarutobi Clan Head's requests. He only politely stated that he would consider them carefully.
The Sarutobi Clan Head had no intention of forcing him either. He merely carefully advised him to rest well.
After him, the other shinobi clans in Konoha also received the news.
Homura, Uchiha Kagami, and the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. Everyone who had a past relationship with Hiruzen came to visit.
Perhaps knowing that Hiruzen's return would inevitably make him a major figure in the village, these people were all very respectful toward him, and each brought precious gifts when they visited.
The value of those gifts was so great that even Hiruzen could not help feeling surprised when he saw them.
In the past, if those things had been used as commission fees, they would have been enough to hire Hiruzen himself for an S-rank mission.
But now, they were merely gifts, naturally given to gain a little of Hiruzen's goodwill.
In the end, even the Hyuga Clan Head came in person.
If the arrival of the others was something Hiruzen could barely accept, then the arrival of the Hyuga Clan Head truly stunned him.
Because this clan had always been proud.
In the past, even during Tobirama's era, the Hyuga Clan had often paid little attention to Tobirama and had given him no face despite his status as Hokage.
In Konoha's past history, only the First Hokage, Hashirama, had truly been able to make those people bow their heads.
And now, that habitually proud clan had actually come like everyone else, delivering gifts to Hiruzen and even speaking with an air of flattery and respect.
Was this still the Hyuga he was familiar with?
At this moment, Hiruzen began questioning his understanding of life.
He felt that everyone seemed to have changed a great deal.
Only he remained in the past era, his beliefs being shocked again and again.
He had many feelings about everything in Konoha now, but he had also learned to remain silent and did not show too much of them.
He spent several long days within the Sarutobi Clan grounds, barely adapting to the current rhythm of Konoha.
Only then did he choose to step out of his home and walk into the Hokage's office.
"Please come in."
Just as he reached the main door, Kei's voice slowly rang out.
Hiruzen felt a chill in his heart, but he still walked in.
"Counting the time, it has been about half a month since we last met."
Sensing Hiruzen's presence, Kei slowly raised his head and could not help smiling at him. "It seems that during this time, you have been doing quite well, Hiruzen-sensei."
"Thanks to you, I suppose I have."
Recalling his experiences over the past half month, Hiruzen could not help nodding with a bitter smile.
Purely in terms of living conditions, these two weeks had been the best days of his entire life.
Every day, food and supplies were delivered by specially hired servants. Meals were prepared by specially hired chefs. If he needed anything in daily life, he only had to give an order, and someone would bring it to him.
The overall lifestyle felt like that of a noble, extremely luxurious and enjoyable.
To be honest, Hiruzen liked this kind of life.
People yearned for ease and comfort, and Hiruzen was no exception.
But he was an outstanding shinobi, after all. Even when facing such an easy and comfortable environment, he could still restrain himself and remain unwilling to sink into it.
So he came to find Kei, hoping that he could clear up his doubts.
"In the years I was away from Konoha, you did very well."
He spoke in praise. "Even if Shodai-sama and Sensei were brought back to life and saw the current Konoha, they would probably feel gratified."
"You have done even better than they imagined."
The current Konoha was indeed extremely prosperous and peaceful. Even if Hiruzen felt discomfort in his heart, he would not deny this point.
Within the current Konoha, beggars and vagrants had completely disappeared. Even the most ordinary orphan could receive relief from Konoha, enough for them to live without worry until adulthood.
The shinobi within Konoha lived prosperous lives, and as long as the residents were willing, they could easily find work that provided enough food and clothing, even enough to support their families.
There was no hunger, no war, and there were channels for upward mobility. Everything looked so thriving, even better than the future the First Hokage had once envisioned.
But the better the current Konoha was, the greater Hiruzen's anxiety became.
After all, no matter how prosperous and peaceful a place was, it ultimately needed military strength to protect it.
If there were not enough shinobi to protect it, then the prosperity and peace before him would eventually become meaningless.
So he raised his doubts to Kei, hoping he could clear them up.
"Hiruzen-sensei, you are overthinking it."
Hearing Hiruzen's doubts, Kei only smiled. "Actually, many people have raised the same doubts as you."
Most of the shinobi within Konoha now were from the older generation. People like Danzo and Homura had all come out of the era of war.
Anxieties like Hiruzen's were naturally shared by them as well.
But in the end, they had all been persuaded by Kei.
"Please come out for a walk with me."
He reached out to Hiruzen and gave an invitation.
Hiruzen did not know why, but he still placed his hand in Kei's.
The next moment, the two vanished from the spot, arriving directly at another location through the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"This is... the Ninja Academy?"
Standing at the highest point of a bell tower, Hiruzen looked down at the many children below, surprise appearing on his face. "Are these all students of the Ninja Academy?"
"Yes."
Kei nodded. "Hiruzen-sensei, do you know how many students there are here in total?"
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].