Naruto: Five Lives, Five Times the Excitement

Chapter 230 The Third Hokage Leaves Konoha

"Kyosuke, you have basically mastered the cultivation method of Sage Arts. As long as you continue to cultivate diligently, you will be able to completely master Sage Arts."

At Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku gave Kyōsuke, who was about to leave, his tone filled with anticipation.

A few days ago, even though Kyosuke deliberately slowed down his studies in order to keep his secret.

But in Fukasaku's eyes, Kyosuke was the person with the most talent for magic he had ever seen.

Although he never praised her directly, the admiration in Fukasaku's eyes was overflowing.

Kyosuke grinned and clenched his fist. "Grandpa Fukasaku, don't worry, I will definitely not slack off. I will not only master Sage Mode, but also innovate and make Sage Mode reach the pinnacle of the ninja world."

Fukasaku nodded: "If it's you, I believe you can do it."

After speaking, Fukasaku glanced at Jiraiya next to Kyosuke with dissatisfaction, and especially when he saw that Jiraiya's hands were empty, he snorted slightly.

Compared to Kyosuke, Jiraiya is really not cute at all!

Jiraiya came to pick up Kyosuke, and seeing Fukasaku's innocent expression, he felt very wronged.

He manages so many Konoha ninja on the front lines, with countless matters large and small. He goes to bed late and gets up early every day, he's exhausted. It's normal that he forgot to bring Fukasaku a gift.

Of course, Fukasaku was Jiraiya's Sage Mode teacher, so Jiraiya could only smile awkwardly and then slap Kyosuke on the head.

"You brat, you're already so arrogant after just learning immortal techniques. You'd better be more humble."

Seeing his despicable disciple strike his beloved student, Fukasaku immediately jumped up and slammed his iron bar down on Jiraiya's head with a loud bang.

"You bastard, you need to take good care of Kyosuke, understand?!"

"Okay, okay, we're leaving now, Master Fukasaku."

Jiraiya, unable to afford to offend Fukasaku, left Mount Myōboku with Kyōsuke.

Before leaving, Kyosuke waved to Fukasaku: "Grandpa Fukasaku, in a few days, I'll take you to an insect restaurant~"

"What a good child."

Only after Kyosuke disappeared did Fukasaku reveal a kind smile.

Back at the Konoha camp, Kyosuke wanted to find Minato Namikaze, but Jiraiya told him that Minato had already returned to Konoha.

"Not only water gate, but you also have to go back. The old man has a mission for you."

Being in the ninja world, I'm not in control of my own destiny. I really wish I could stay and train on Mount Myōboku forever.

Kyosuke sighed inwardly, and then returned to Konoha.

In the past year or two, the intensity of the war has decreased significantly, and Konoha Village seems to have more vitality than before.

The Uchiha clan ninjas became even more active. Before Kyosuke even entered Konoha, he was stopped by a group of Uchiha ninjas and thoroughly examined.

Kyosuke had no complaints about this; he had no prejudice against the Uchiha.

Now that it's wartime, strengthening Konoha's vigilance is naturally a good thing.

Upon entering the village, Kyosuke went straight to the Third Hokage.

"Lord Hokage, Kyosuke Uesugi is here to report for duty."

Upon seeing Kyosuke, the Third Hokage smiled.

"Kyosuke, how's your cultivation of immortal techniques going?"

Seeing that the Third Generation didn't seem to blame him, Kyosuke breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In any case, Asuma's death was related to Kyosuke.

Although it is common for ninjas to die on missions, Asuma was, after all, the Third Hokage's son, and Kyosuke was somewhat worried that the Third Hokage would take his anger out on him.

Of course, since the Third Hokage didn't mention Asuma, Kyosuke naturally wouldn't either, lest he upset the Third Hokage.

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's question, Kyosuke replied with a slightly respectful tone, "Thank you for your concern. My cultivation of Sage Arts is progressing quite smoothly."

Seeing that Kyosuke, who used to be so disrespectful, was now somewhat distant from him, the Third Generation sighed inwardly.

Asma's death brought him immense pain.

However, as Hokage, he had to suppress his grief and continue to work hard for Konoha.

He didn't resent Kyosuke because of this; on the contrary, he was somewhat worried about whether Kyosuke would be affected by it.

It is very common for ninjas to have their lives completely altered by the death of a comrade.

For example, his disciples, such as Sakumo Hatake...

Kyosuke is an outstanding member of the new generation and a pillar of Konoha's future. The Third Hokage does not want Kyosuke to become decadent or go down the wrong path because of this.

Seeing Kyosuke become reserved, the Third Hokage wanted to comfort him, but then he thought of his three disciples.

The third generation suddenly realized that his teaching abilities were terrible, so he said something else entirely.

"Kyosuke, I'm going out tomorrow. You and Minato are responsible for protecting me. This is an S-class mission, so you can't tell anyone."

"Yes!"

Kyosuke accepted the order, but inwardly he wondered who the Third Hokage was going to meet; it seemed to be someone important.

As for protecting the third generation, Kyosuke completely ignored it.

Not to mention the Third Hokage's own formidable strength, nor the secret ANBU that followed him, Minato Namikaze alone was enough to guarantee the Third Hokage's safety.

If they were both defeated, then the enemy was simply too powerful, and the Third Generation would have no choice but to die; Kyosuke had no power to change the course of the battle.

"The reason they sent me must not be because of my fighting ability; there must be another reason. And the reason I am valued by the Hokage is because of my relationship with Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze."

"Could it be that the Third Hokage is already preparing to let Minato Namikaze become Hokage, and is now starting the process of handing over the position?"

Kyosuke's guess was half right.

This time, the Hokage went to meet with the Mizukage to negotiate for peace between the two sides.

Some time ago, Konoha learned through Mori-kun's channels that Kirigakure intended to negotiate.

The third generation is quite looking forward to this.

On one hand, the prolonged war has caused Konoha to lose a lot of strength, and there are still many enemies eyeing Konoha covetously.

On the other hand, problems have also arisen within Konoha itself.

As time went by, the Third Hokage's body gradually aged, and many people in the village set their sights on the position of Hokage.

In order for a smooth transition of power to the Hokage position, the Third Hokage needed to clean up the internal affairs, which required a relatively peaceful external environment.

Of course, even though he longed for peace, the cunning Third Hokage concealed his thoughts, deliberately keeping the Kirigakure waiting for a long time, and acting as if he didn't care about peace.

The Third Hokage hoped to secure more benefits for Konoha through this method.

Just two days ago, the Third Hokage sent people to contact the Mist Ninja. After initial exchanges, the Hokage and Mizukage decided to meet and resolve the war issue between the two sides completely.

The Third Hokage took Minato Namikaze with him not so much to protect himself, but more importantly, to expose him to the power struggles at the top and give him experience to prepare for becoming Hokage.

As for bringing Kyosuke along, it was purely for the purpose of training the younger generation.

In the eyes of the Third Hokage, Kyosuke was Minato Namikaze's confidant. By nurturing him, Minato would have a powerful assistant by his side, enabling him to better lead Konoha.

The third generation did not want to rule from behind the curtain and had no intention of making Minato Namikaze a puppet.

He was old and lacked the energy to wield power. Coupled with the blow of Asma's death, he was truly disheartened.

Moreover, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage might die in battle at any time, so he wouldn't have time to think about things too far in the future.

The next day, the Third Hokage secretly left the village, followed by Minato Namikaze and Kyosuke Uesugi.