"The seed of the dream planted by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, after eighty years of wind and rain, has already taken deep root in the blood and soul of every Konoha citizen!"
"It has never faded, never withered, and will be defended by our generation, with our lives, our passion, everything we have, to protect it and every piece of ordinary happiness it has nurtured!"
"We fight not for the thrill of conquest, nor to plunder others' wealth!"
"We fight so that the flowers of Konoha may continue to bloom next spring!"
"So that the laughter of children returning home from school will remain clear forever, untainted by war and wails!"
"So that the lights of family reunions will continue to burn bright, warming every loved one who returns!"
"It is so that the ordinary days we cherish, these hard-won, lively days filled with the warmth of life, can continue!"
"It is precisely because we have them that we understand the pain of loss even more deeply, and thus our will to protect is more resolute than anyone else's!"
"It is precisely because we love that we understand the cost of hatred more clearly, and thus the blade of our counterattack is sharper than anyone else's!"
"The prosperity of the Land of Fire was cultivated by our predecessors with sweat and managed with wisdom! The peace of Konoha was seized by our martyrs with their lives and reinforced with their faith! Every inch of this land, every bit of this peace, is soaked with the blood, sweat, and prayers of our ancestors!"
"If someone insists on imposing war upon us! If someone insists on using iron and fire to trample everything we hold dear!"
"Then this is my answer, our answer, the answer of everyone in Konoha!"
"We will fight on the borders! We will fight among forests and rivers! We will fight across mountains and plains!"
"We will never surrender! We will never yield!"
"No matter how long and arduous the road! No matter how brutal and cruel the battles! No matter what price must be paid!"
"We will fight to the very end!"
"Until the dawn of victory shines once more upon our homeland!"
"Until the bells of peace ring again across the skies of the Shinobi World!"
"Because behind us lies our home, there is no retreat!"
"Konoha will never fall!"
"The Will of Fire will endure forever!"
As the final word fell, Shinichi lowered his outstretched arms and stood quietly.
On the high platform, only the sound of the cold wind brushing past the flagpole remained.
On the plaza below, there was deathly silence.
Tens of thousands of people seemed to have their breath caught at the same time, staring blankly up at the figure on the platform.
After a brief moment of emptiness, it was as if all emotions, passion, anger, and determination had been compressed to the extreme, needing a single crack to burst through.
Boom!!!
The dam of silence was completely shattered! The emotions suppressed to the limit erupted like a mountain flood and tsunami!
"Long live Konoha!!"
"Long live the Land of Fire!!"
"Fight to the end!!"
"Protect our homeland!!"
"The Will of Fire endures forever!!"
"Long live Konoha! Long live the Land of Fire!!"
At first, the shouts were uneven, but they quickly merged into a unified, rhythmic wave, crashing against the heavens again and again.
"Long live!!"
"Long live!!"
"Long live!!!"
The sound shook the land and surged into the sky.
Men's roars, women's screams, the hoarse cries of the elderly, the sharp shouts of the young, tens of thousands of voices gathered into one, forming a violent wave of sound carrying the same will, soaring into the sky!
The sound was so fierce that even the platform seemed to tremble slightly, as if even the leaden gray clouds above would be driven away by this boiling public will and battle intent!
Within this boiling ocean, Obito Uchiha opened his mouth wide, shouting desperately along with the crowd, his face flushed with excitement. He didn't know why he was shouting, nor what he was shouting; he only knew he had to shout, had to shout with all his strength!
Rin Nohara clutched the clothes at her chest tightly, tears in her eyes, her lips trembling as she shouted along with the crowd.
Kakashi quietly watched the figure on the platform, then looked at the surging crowd around him, his eyes flickering with a complex and bright light.
Behind the platform, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gazed at the boiling sea of public sentiment below, at the boy standing alone at the front of the platform, bearing all the cheers and attention.
He slowly, deeply took a puff of his pipe, then exhaled. Amid the curling smoke, his gaze was incredibly deep and complex; there was relief, there was resolve, and there was also a trace of sighing emotion.
And at this moment, the boy who had caused all of this, Shinichi Higashino, still stood before the microphone.
The thunderous waves of cheers crashed toward him, nearly swallowing him whole, the wind whipping his clothes and hair.
He narrowed his eyes slightly while facing the tens of thousands of burning gazes like flames.
There was not much excitement on his face, only a deep calm.
But deep within his consciousness, a tremor far more real than the cheers was taking place.
The text representing the [Charming (Green)] talent wavered, then shattered with a crash.
A pure, profound azure light burst forth, like butterfly wings emerging from a cocoon, unfolding as it replaced the original green glow, steadily floating within the sequence of talent traits.
[Demeanor (Blue): You have begun to condense an intangible leader's presence. Your words and actions naturally carry convincing authority and persuasive power, making others feel at ease and trusting in your presence, and inclined to agree with your views and follow your guidance and arrangements.]
No one knew what had happened, but at that instant, everyone looking at the platform felt a sudden jolt in their hearts.
The boy's figure still stood there, his posture still upright, yet in everyone's eyes, something subtle and profound had changed.
As if he had become a natural focal point, a natural convergence of will.
As if it were only natural for him to stand there.
As if what he said was the truth that should be followed.
"Long… live!!"
After that brief tremor, the roaring cheers sweeping the entire scene not only did not weaken but seemed to be fueled by something purer and more intense, surging to a new peak!
more fervent!
More unified!
And more resolute!
On the platform, the three closest to Shinichi, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, were stunned almost simultaneously.
Looking at the boy's still youthful yet resolute profile, they felt as if time had reversed.
As if they saw, decades ago, another man who had stood in the same place and made the entire village boil with fervor.
And farther away, in a concealed corner, Danzo Shimura stood quietly.
His gaze pierced through the crowd, through the cold wind, through all the noise, landing on the boy's face.
There was no expression on that gloomy face.
But within those eyes, something was trembling slightly.