Chapter 72
"Never be afraid of the enemies you see, but always be worried about the ones who hide in the shadows."
He remembered his father's words even now. The Third Raikage was a presence that was respected and loved by his people, but also feared by his enemies. No, he was feared by the rest of the world.
That's why he was hunted down by ten thousand shinobi from various places. To defeat the Third Raikage, they needed to first exhaust him for days. And without that kind of force, nothing could have stopped his father.
But could he last that long? No, he wasn't his father. Still, the Third Hokage wasn't wrong. He could escape if Bee and Yugito used the tailed beasts inside them. But what then? He would lose them forever.
Nothing happened, huh? How could it be so simple? It just didn't make any sense. If one tried to do something against another, it was a conflict. And a conflict only ended with one side being completely defeated. It made no sense to let go of their enemy.
The lightning covering his body was ready to move. The Third Hokage was injured, and he himself confirmed that he wouldn't be able to put up a fight. This was his chance to kill the Third Hokage. But what then?
Those damn eyes that were so damn clear. They portrayed nothing. No fear. No hesitation. The Third Hokage was ready to die. Was this the Will of Fire? Why the hell was it so damn terrifying to be looked at with those damn eyes? Why did it make him hesitate so much?
But he knew. It was because he wasn't in the right. It was he who came with intentions to sow conflict. It was all simple. Peace doesn't pay. He needed conflict for this village to exist. A military was created to fight, not to protect. Without conflict, he and his shinobi would lose their jobs. They would become useless.
The pressure put on him was already considerable. If he signed the peace treaty, if he accepted that there was no more war, he would lose his usefulness to his country, too. That's the kind of world he lived in. A shinobi village depended on its country.
They were soldiers born to kill. So, they were easily abandoned. The only reason they could exist was that their country needed them. But that wasn't enough to sustain a village. Other countries needed shinobi, too. But why choose them when there was a village like Konoha?
A village with a considerable reputation and affordable pricing. To smaller and weaker countries, Konoha was far more approachable than Kumo. The only reason they didn't come to Konoha was that Kumo was still considered to be at war with Konoha.
So, all those neighboring countries couldn't buy the services of the enemy village; otherwise, they would face retribution from the Land of Lightning. Peace simply couldn't be accepted, not with Konoha, not before their village managed to make preparations. Not until he was ready.
The lightning moved with him as he lifted his hand. From this distance, he could kill the Third Hokage, especially since he was already so injured. But he didn't. He saw Jiraiya looking down on him with countless ANBU shinobi ready to strike.
From the stands, he recognized Kakashi Hatake, the boy wonder himself. Even he knew of the genius that Kakashi was, a born killer. Further away was the head of the Hyuga clan, watching the scene with cold eyes. Eyes he would like to have for himself. He was surrounded.
"Why hesitate?" He turned to the Third Hokage once again, who looked curiously at him. "Just get over it. I am too old to wait for your indiscretion. Do it, or return to your seat."
"I want the reason for their actions."
"Would that make any difference? Greed. Fear. Hate. It could be any of them. Or all of them at once. Would that change anything? Nobody got hurt, so just drop it, finish the Chunin Exams, and get the hell out of my village. Or kill me right here, be proud as you will be the one to bring me down and destroy any relationship you could ever have with Konoha."
He knew that too. How could he not? He also had a greed for power. Fear of others' power. And hate for how they used it. No matter the reason, nothing would change. Of course, he knew it, but what could he do even if he knew? Those kinds of things didn't matter.
Nothing happened, huh? How could anyone expect him to accept it? But there was a man who just did that. Or did he? What was the angle of it all? It made no sense to him. No matter how he played it, he didn't see himself winning, but neither did he see how Konoha was winning in this interaction.
What was the Third Hokage's plan? Why would anyone try to do something like this? Why risk his life for an enemy shinobi? He couldn't believe it was done out of compassion or something like that. There had to be some deeper meaning behind it all. And as he thought about it, he remembered who he didn't see right now.
Where was the Wicked Eye Fugaku? Probably the second most dangerous and powerful shinobi in Konoha, just behind Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. Where was he? Then it hit him. The Third Hokage was the light. So, of course, he cast a massive shadow, a shadow where his true enemies lay.
How clever. From the very beginning, he had fallen into the trap. From every word they had spoken until now, it all made sense. The Third Hokage had read him through and through, like he was an open book.
'You won't get anything else out of me, simply because you are afraid of betting on it.'
He remembered those words that he hadn't put too much thought into earlier. And yet these words came from the Third Hokage himself. They had far deeper meaning. From the very beginning, the Third Hokage was teaching him, and he had failed to understand it.
Of course. Why else was the Third Hokage adamant about betting the moment the finals began? It was a lesson that the Third Hokage wanted to instill into him, but he was just too stubborn to accept it.
The Third Hokage wanted to bet on the future. Even now, he was betting his life on the future, while he himself lived in the past. If he struck this man down right now, killing him, he wouldn't get anything out of it. After all, he would do it because he was afraid.
There was nothing to be gained as long as he was afraid. That was what all of this was about. Of course, if the Third Hokage didn't have the same thoughts as Minato, how could he have chosen him as his successor?
Unlike the other villages that valued strength, bloodline, or connection, Konoha valued its ideology. The Will of Fire. He was never able to understand it, but now he saw a glimpse of it. In the eyes of his opponent, in the eyes of his worst enemy, he understood what it meant, even if it was just a small portion of it.
The Third Hokage didn't stand before him because he wanted to gain anything. Not because he was afraid of those who tried to use underhanded methods. He cared for the future. And now he was telling him to bet on it, too, or give up on it completely. Somehow, the Third Hokage reminded him of his father.
Strong and unbeatable. After all, the Third Hokage from the very beginning suspected something about Suna. That's why the Kazekage was missing and why Fugaku wasn't around. The Third Hokage had already tried to stop this from happening.
"Very well, nothing happened." He felt relieved when he said that and put down his arms. "Yugito, are you alright?"
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
"Then all is good. Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your help. I will never forget your actions today. Even if you can't trust my words, I will back away from this matter and won't even concern myself about it."
Now, he understood. It's simple. They were betting everything on the future with their lives on the line. That was the Will of Fire, and that was what the Third Hokage and Minato both did. But he has failed to do the same until now. But no longer. It is time he gathers courage to look up to what is to come rather than to cover from it.
…
Hiruzen was stuck, unable to say anything at the brightly smiling Raikage. He was so damn confused. He was ready to give up as he just didn't know what was even happening anymore. Everything had fallen through his fingers, and he thought that this was truly the end.
He knew he shouldn't even try to rely on the original story, but this was just crazy. Did he really change so many things that it just didn't make any sense anymore? Why was Suna attacking Kumo? Why was Kumo here? And why did the Fourth Raikage suddenly decide not to just finish Hiruzen?
Nothing made any sense. Hiruzen had already given up, as he thought that he had fucked everything up already. He resigned himself. But everything was suddenly fine? Maybe his evaluation of all of them was wrong.
Well, he just didn't know anymore. Everything worked out just fine, so he should be thankful. Though, like hell he would. After the rollercoaster they made him go through, Hiruzen couldn't control his beating heart.
Though he had to admit that he had succumbed to the pressure and the stress of the situation, he had panicked. He could have handled things better. But by the time he realized it, it was already too late, and he really was prepared to just die, as he knew there was no way he could handle a war.
He was alive. The Fourth Raikage accepted his outrageous proposition to pretend like nothing happened. How could someone agree to something stupid like this? It was ridiculous, and how did the Fourth Raikage dare to smile and act all relieved? It made Hiruzen angry since it was partly the Raikage who put him in this situation to begin with.
"Hokage-sama, what are your orders?"
"Clean it all up. Detain the Suna shinobi and tell everyone awake to keep what they saw to themselves, and make sure that they understand that that's not a request, but an order."
After finishing healing up his wound as much as he could, Hiruzen was finally able to breathe once again. Just how did things come to this? So many questions he had, yet he just didn't know anymore and gave up on ever learning them.
As everyone returned to their seats and positions, Hiruzen was the only one left in the arena. All of this shit that went down lasted only a couple of minutes, yet it felt like years of his life were just shaved off.
"Ahem." Hiruzen released his genjutsu the moment he gathered himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, apologies for the disturbance. You all were caught up in a genjutsu that one of the participants couldn't contain. If you feel unwell or have other side effects, please report to the medical team. They will take care of you. Again, our apologies for not being able to block the influence of the genjutsu better. But it won't leave any lasting effects, and with that, we shall continue the Chunin Exams."
Hiruzen jumped back to his seat after his speech. The people looked around, confused, but Hiruzen's words should have cleared up their confusion. And it seemed they had paid full attention to him.
Still, he was way too tired to explain things any better, and hopefully, it was enough for them. Hopefully, none of them would try to sue the village for what just happened. Well, he could always push the blame to Suna since it was their fault to begin with.
His heart was still pounding in his chest. It was still hard to calm down, especially when the man who was about to kill him was sitting next to him. Was the Raikage playing around with him?
That made sense, since from the beginning, he suggested the best deal ever and then took his words back. Hiruzen would never forgive him for that. And now, he was going to kill him, but then decided not to. Well, he wasn't going to thank him for that either.
As Hiruzen relaxed in his seat, he felt two soft hands on his back. He carefully turned his eyes to see Tsunade standing behind him, using her medical ninjutsu to help him heal the injury. Yet it looked like she was about to kill him.
"Tsunade…"
"Just sit tight and don't move, or I will hit you," she interrupted Hiruzen's words.
All Hiruzen could do was listen to her. The last thing he wanted was to be hit by her. He knew too well how terrifying her fists were. He wouldn't be able to defend against them in any way at all. And her skill was too good for Hiruzen to refuse her help.
"I am surprised, though. I thought you wouldn't trust my words anymore," the Raikage said, ignoring Tsunade, who stood behind them.
Of course, Hiruzen didn't trust his words. Hiruzen didn't trust anything that came from that bastard since he had already been played by him with a promise of retirement. But it wasn't the time to get angry; he could smile and say what the Fourth Raikage wanted to hear.
"Your actions speak louder and clearer than your words."
"Thank you for your evaluation." It made Hiruzen irritated at how relaxed the Fourth Raikage seemed to be as he spoke. "And I am ashamed to not see how terrifying your planning is. To be able to see so far into the future and plan accordingly, I can only admire your ability, Hokage-sama. I almost missed it, but I noticed that Fugaku Uchiha isn't around, and everything fell into place."
What the hell is he talking about? Fugaku was at home taking care of his children. He didn't have any time to waste on the Chunin Exams. Even if Hiruzen wanted the man around, one look from Mikoto made Hiruzen give up on that. What kind of realization did the Raikage arrive at with that information?
At this point, Hiruzen didn't even try to understand what was going on. Most importantly, everything worked out in the end, and there was no need to complicate the situation anymore. Even if nothing really changed from the moment the Raikage entered the village.
"Iruka Umino and Hayate Gekko, please enter the arena."
Finally, the proctor announced the next match. Though he had no desire to see another pair of children fight, Hiruzen could use a bit of distraction from everything else. It surely didn't help that Tsunade still looked like she wanted to hit him in the head.
A.N. As always. Thanks for reading and supporting me. If you want 7 more chapters of this story and 42 chapters in total with all my current stories, please consider supporting me on pa treon ironworlf852. Thanks in advance.