"The personal sword of Second Hokage-sama..."
Ren raised the Thunder God Sword, staring blankly at its blade.
"How about this reward?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat there calmly, puffing on his pipe, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
"I really didn't expect it."
Ren gave a wry smile, averted his gaze from the sword, and scratched his hair with his left hand, excitement evident on his face.
"What? You don't like it? Then give it back."
"No, no, no, I like it, I like it very much!"
Ren quickly responded, coming to his senses, and simultaneously hid the Thunder God Sword behind him, afraid that Hiruzen Sarutobi would take it back.
"That's good. Haven't you always wanted a good weapon? This Thunder God Sword... use it well."
"Yes!"
Ren dispelled the sword's body, carefully putting away the hilt. Then Ren's gaze shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Then Hokage-sama, what are my next arrangements?"
"Your next mission is to rest in the Village for a day, then return to the battlefield tomorrow afternoon."
"Eh? Is that all?"
Ren looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in confusion. In his opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoning him back to Konoha should be to assign a mission, right? Was it just to present him with the Thunder God Sword?
"Hahaha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly burst out laughing, which only confused Ren further. He stood rooted to the spot, somewhat at a loss.
"Ren, would you harm your comrades in the Village?"
"Of course not."
Ren said without hesitation.
"Then would you protect everyone in the Village, including your teachers, friends, or me?"
"Yes!"
"That's enough."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Ren kindly and said softly.
"The Thunder God Sword is the personal sword of my teacher, Second Hokage-sama. It accompanied Second Hokage-sama in slaying countless invading enemies, until Second Hokage-sama's sacrifice, and the Thunder God Sword was kept by the Village until today."
Speaking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone carried a hint of melancholy. It had been over thirty years since his teacher's sacrifice, and in the blink of an eye, he himself had grown old, becoming the Hokage he had always yearned for, and raising three excellent disciples. Only now did he truly begin to understand the fire will that his teacher had always taught them.
Where Konoha dances, fire will continue to burn. The light of the fire will continue to illuminate the Village and allow new leaves to sprout.
The scene of his teacher appointing him as Third Hokage before his sacrifice was still vivid in his mind.
And in Ren, he saw the shadow of his teacher, Senju Tobirama—the same exceptional talent, always calmly analysing and bravely facing whatever came his way.
Coupled with Ren's active performance on the battlefield, it further solidified his idea of bestowing the Thunder God Sword upon him.
"I hope you can, like First and Second Hokage-sama, uphold and adhere to your ninja way. Use unwavering belief to support your fire will... and continue forward!"
"Understood!"
Looking at Ren bowing before him, a hint of reminiscence appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
Teacher, I am protecting the Village according to your wishes, and I have raised children who can be entrusted with the next era. If you saw this, you would surely be pleased...
...
Even after walking out of the Hokage Building, Ren still felt a bit dizzy. Recalling what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said earlier, Ren subconsciously tightened his grip on the Thunder God Sword in his hand, his emotions somewhat complex.
The fire will...
To be honest, the former Ren didn't have much feeling for the so-called fire will, as its essence was a selfless spirit.
And the Hokage was a crucial promoter of the fire will; every Hokage had successfully embodied this spirit.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju broke ties with his best friend for the sake of the Village.
Second Hokage Tobirama Senju sacrificed himself as a decoy to protect the younger generation.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, to protect the Village, used a forbidden jutsu that cost him his soul to fight Orochimaru, who was attacking, successfully repelling Orochimaru. He also died as a result.
Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, to protect the Village and his family, resolutely used the same forbidden jutsu as the Third to seal the Nine-Tailed inside his beloved son.
Fifth Hokage Tsunade fought the Six Paths Pain who invaded Konoha to protect the Village, although it ended with her severely injured and unconscious, her will was also undeniable.
There were also many other inheritors of the fire will, such as Might Guy, who opened all Eight Gates to fight Six Paths Madara for the sake of his juniors, friends, and the Village. And Shirayuki Sōken and Maruboshi Kosuke, who voluntarily stayed behind to cover their comrades for the sake of protecting the Village. They all embodied the fiery will in their respective ninja ways.
Although Ren's impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't particularly good in the past, he felt that his inaction in the Naruto incident and his various indulgences of Danzo led to severe consequences such as the Uchiha Clan massacre.
But over these past few years, Hiruzen Sarutobi's kindness and care towards Ren had indeed been considerable, allowing Kosuke to teach him the Second's secret Water Release, giving him access to the Hokage Building library, and now the Thunder God Sword.
No matter how you looked at it, Hiruzen Sarutobi had indeed given him everything he needed. Without these things, he would absolutely not have been able to achieve his current accomplishments and heights in such a short time.
Therefore, Ren could not deny Hiruzen Sarutobi's fire will.
Because he had indeed done what he said, sacrificing himself to protect the Village from the invasion of the Sand and Orochimaru.
He fought to his last breath with his ageing body.
The sacrifice of the older generation was to protect the younger generation; their sacrifice was not meaningless but would inspire the young people to become pillars capable of being entrusted with the Village.
Since that's the case, I'll try to inherit it...
Looking at the Hokage Rock in the distance, a faint smile appeared on Ren's face.
My Hokage Rock must be very handsome.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Ren felt as if something had been added to his pant leg. He looked down and saw a young child tugging at his pant leg, with black hair and black eyes, staring at him.
"...This is..."
While Ren was still in a daze, two beautiful women approached from a distance, their clothes bearing the Uchiha Clan crest. One of the beautiful women stepped forward and apologised to Ren.
"Excuse me for disturbing you..."
Before she could finish, Ren said in surprise.
"Aunt Mikoto, Aunt Akito!"
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Akito were both startled. After looking up and seeing Ren's appearance, they both exclaimed in unison after a moment of stunned silence.
"Ren!"
"Ah, long time no see, Aunts."
Ren greeted the two and then squatted down, looking at the young child in front of him. Ren extended two fingers and tapped the child's forehead, smiling.
"Long time no see, Itachi!"