"What can you see from here, Minato Namikaze?"
"See what? I'm not sure if Lord Haseo's words carry any hidden meaning, but for me, the answer is always the same... it's just 'Konoha'."
Minato Namikaze walked to Lord Haseo's side and said this.
Many years ago, two great men had once stood right here, gazing at the scenery below from the same perspective. Back then, there had only been forest beneath them, while now it had become a considerably sized town.
"Lord Haseo, do you ever feel lost?"
"Lost? That description isn't quite accurate. I'm simply feeling a bit idle.
It's the very weight of existence itself that constantly pushes people upward toward higher positions, yet different individuals ultimately reach different places... People keep climbing upwards, but what does such 'progress' bring? Probably nothing more than infinite emptiness.
Those who step back early find fulfillment; those who wait too long remain empty.
That aligns perfectly with the deep loneliness that defines us all."
"This kind of question doesn't fall within ordinary people's scope of thought, Lord Haseo," Minato Namikaze seemed to understand what Lord Haseo was saying. "Twenty years apart—do you feel that this village has changed too drastically? Beyond your expectations?"
However, this thought missed the point entirely.
Lord Haseo simply felt like he could already see his own 'ending.'
"No, exactly the opposite.
So much time has passed, and Konoha hasn't changed at all—while I've changed far more than I expected."
"..."
Haseo believed he should care more about this village, but in reality, after returning to Konoha, he found himself indifferent to it completely.
Looking down from here, it felt like an ancient, endless tomb spread beneath him.
Minato still felt that Lord Haseo had gotten things reversed. He believed Konoha was continuously evolving rapidly; clearly, Haseo himself was still the same old person.
"Anyway, let's not talk about these empty ideas anymore. Have you handled the rebellion situation yet?"
"Not yet. The internal investigation throughout the village is mostly complete, but tracking down the rogue ninja remains troubling and exhausting.
I didn't come forward to meet with Lord Haseo immediately because one, I figured you might not be in the mood to see me before, and secondly, I've been occupied with this work.
Such serious chaos erupting inside the village… This is my fault."
Lord Haseo smiled, naturally believing Minato's explanation.
A Hokage explaining things from the Hokage's perspective—who would think there's anything wrong with that?
"So, Lord Haseo agreeing to return to the village during this period truly is a great help."
"Minato, do you know what makes us different?
Although over these many years I seem to have accomplished quite a lot, none of it was true 'dedication.' Fundamentally, it was merely a kind of transaction or exchange... So where we differ is that I never once sacrificed parts of myself for the benefit of this village."
There never was one before, and there won't be one after.
Truthfully, I've never had any thoughts along those lines."
As he spoke, Haseo glanced toward Naruto, who had been quiet just moments ago but now couldn't sit still anymore, fidgeting restlessly. He didn't look like the type of "well-behaved child" either.
If Haseo hadn't survived until today and instead had died on the battlefield during previous wars, it could barely qualify as a sacrifice for the village, yet it still wouldn't amount to love or devotion.
Compared to that kind of "greater cause," the nature of his sacrifice would actually be closer to death from overwork—an unexpected misfortune occurring suddenly during work hours.
"Ideas and beliefs often sound hollow compared to actions and achievements. The things Lord Haseo has done for Konoha... are certainly far beyond what I've accomplished myself. When assessing significance and determining value, a person's actual deeds are ultimately the most important."
It sounded like flattery—technically accurate too—but it still didn't match Minato Namikaze's true feelings. Calling it insincere would be too strong, but in the end, it just wasn't genuine either.
"Still, ideals and thoughts are very important too, aren't they? The Hokage should embody the spirit of dedication and even sacrifice—something which seems true of the First, Second, and Third."
From this perspective, it almost seemed as though Haseo wasn't refusing to become Hokage, but rather incapable of becoming one, making his decision quite self-aware indeed.
"Well, regarding the First and Second Hokages, I've only heard stories without ever meeting them. As for what the Third Hokage has done… yes, it truly deserves admiration."
See? This further proves how unique Haseo truly is—other people are the real Hokages.
However, the Third Hokage possessed both selflessness and human personal desires.
Haseo naturally acknowledged the life of the Third Hokage as a whole—his career as a ninja was indeed commendable—but he also didn't think the man deserved such great admiration.
They simply weren't the same kind of people.
"There's another thing too, Lord Haseo… Because of what happened previously, Kushina worries you're still angry, so she hasn't dared come see you recently."
"Oh, that? Tell her it's fine.
She didn't do anything wrong in the first place—just went against my opinion slightly. She's not a child anymore; of course, she'll have independent judgments, and those will lead to her own actions. As for me losing control of my emotions earlier—I'm the one who should apologize."
"No, no, that doesn't make sense… After all, Kushina grew up under Lord Haseo's watchful eye. If you could forgive her small mistake, that would be best."
Even if they're your own flesh and blood, once they reach a certain age, distance can grow naturally anyway.
"I told you, she did nothing wrong, so there's no question of forgiveness at all."
Haseo turned around, casting a calm gaze toward Minato Namikaze. You know, if you really listen to how Minato speaks, it's kinda fascinating.
Minato gave an awkward smile.
In truth, he understood that if Haseo no longer cared much about Konoha and the title of Hokage, then how deeply could he care about the Uzumaki clan?
Was it really important to Haseo who would become the next Uzumaki clan leader under such circumstances, with Uzumaki Shikou on the verge of death? Would he even care that much?
Ultimately, it was just Kushina Uzumaki's behavior at that moment which slightly irritated him.
If only they could have avoided that incident, perhaps Kushina Uzumaki might already be the clan leader by now.
Moreover, fundamentally speaking, what real difference was there between Uzumaki Yayoi becoming clan leader and Kushina Uzumaki taking the position? The Uzumaki clan had always been part of the Ninja Sect (the structured ninja system) within Konoha anyway.
In comparison, the return of Hokage authority from Uzumaki Shikou was far more significant. Holding the title of Uzumaki clan leader was merely an additional honor—something nice to have, but ultimately expendable.
To upset Lord Haseo over such a trivial matter—by any measure, it seemed hardly worth the trouble.
"So let's just forget about this whole thing. I won't be staying in the village for long either. Once the influence of this event fades and the ripples calm down..."
Changing the subject, he asked, "Namikaze Minato, how old are you exactly?"
"Thirty-four years old, Lord Haseo."
Looks like he'd easily tacked on another decade. By all accounts, that should definitely be considered good news.
"What's this child's name?"
"This child is exactly ten years old."
"Oh, what's his name?"
"Namikaze Naruto."
...It just doesn't flow quite as nicely as 'Naruto Uzumaki.'
(End of chapter)
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