Konoha had seen great development under the Third Hokage's leadership.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was carefree on the surface but in reality a violent man who could not tolerate any threats, especially threats to the village. Even if it was his beloved Madara Uchiha, he wouldn't hesitate to fight.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was cautious and vengeful to the core. You didn't even need to threaten him; if something seemed off, he would be the first to threaten you, targeting you immediately.
Only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been tough during his early reign, especially during the First Great Ninja War. However, once he settled into his position, his personality began to show flaws.
"I'll handle this matter. For now, let's keep the information sealed. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist haven't been around for long, and for Samehada to be taken already, news of this would be harmful to the village."
"And what about Lord Mizukage...?"
"We'll keep it hidden from him for now. Otherwise, Lord Mizukage won't let this go so easily."
In the past, the Third Mizukage might have been able to calmly deal with such matters. But now, he was more likely to fly into a rage, demanding bloodshed at every turn like a complete madman.
If not for his overwhelming strength and long-standing authority, he would have been ousted long ago. After all, he had been around since the First Hokage's era. Despite his brutal policies, no one dared challenge his rule.
In fact, it wasn't until after the Third Great Ninja War that the Third Mizukage was finally removed from power.
That alone showed how much influence he wielded in Mist Village.
If this had been Konoha, there would have been an uproar.
"Genji, I'll go and prepare a replacement for Samehada."
"Go ahead, sigh... internal strife and external threats..."
"Yagami Takuya? It seems we'll need to start gathering more intelligence quickly. Mist Village has been isolated for far too long."
As he gazed out the window at the thick fog surrounding the village, Genji couldn't help but wonder when Mist Village would finally recover. The village was sick, and the problem had begun at the source. Unfortunately, this sickness seemed beyond healing.
"Takuya, why do you think the Land of Water chose to isolate itself? Surely this has greatly hindered the country and the village's growth?"
"Mist Village's isolation and the Land of Water's closure seem to have started after the Blood Mist era began. It's been many years since then," Minato said, recalling this basic information. As a scholar, he remembered these details well.
Casting his line into the sea, Takuya leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hat and propping his feet up to relax under the sun.
"With a temperamental, ancient relic like the Mizukage in charge, Mist Village must be in despair. Not everyone enjoys the Blood Mist policy."
"I heard the Third Mizukage used to be the First Mizukage's bodyguard?"
"Well, that explains how old he is."
No wonder Mist Village had been suffering for so long. The Third Mizukage remained comfortably in power, even though the village was practically on its last legs. Despite turning Mist Village into a shell of its former self, there was no risk of him losing his position.
Under the Third Mizukage's leadership, Mist Village's military strength had diminished to the point where it was arguably weaker than even Sand Village.
Sand Village wasn't faring much better, though. The Third Kazekage was still struggling in the desert, flying around trying to find rare minerals to pay off debts.
The war reparations and the debts owed to the Daimyō of the Land of Wind were enough to keep the Third Kazekage busy for a long time.
That's the price of overestimating your strength and recklessly starting a war, only to end up defeated.
The Third Kazekage had been too young. If only he had waited another decade or so until the Third Hokage was older before launching a war. Even if he lost, he wouldn't have had to pay so much.
But, of course, there's no medicine for regret in this world.
Besides, the Third Kazekage wouldn't live much longer.
Soon, Sasori would target him. The death of Sakumo Hatake had been the signal.
Sakumo and the Third Kazekage were the two people Sasori hated the most. One had directly killed his parents, and the other had indirectly caused their deaths.
After Sakumo's death, the Third Kazekage would be next, and then Sasori would strike.
In the end, the Third Kazekage would die, and the Third Great Ninja War would break out.
Konoha, having lost many of its strongest shinobi, would be left struggling.
In this lifetime, though, Tsunade hadn't developed hemophobia, Orochimaru was conducting research but hadn't fully turned rogue, and while Jiraiya enjoyed traveling, he wouldn't stay away for long.
If the Third Great Ninja War still broke out, Konoha wouldn't suffer as badly as it did in the original story.
As for Sakumo's fate, that remained a question mark.
Takuya had no idea if Sakumo would follow the same path as in the original story.
The most frustrating part was that Sakumo's personality meant that any criticism or blame would push him toward an extreme decision.
In Takuya's mind, the problem was this destructive "samurai spirit."
The Hatake clan had descended from a samurai family, but now they were a clan of ninjas. Somehow, they hadn't inherited the good parts of their samurai heritage—only the rigid, stubborn ideals.
Sakumo might seem cheerful and easygoing on the surface, but he was incredibly stubborn on the inside. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
This stubbornness, combined with the Hatake clan's traditions, ultimately led to Sakumo choosing the most disgraceful and frustrating way to leave the world.
He left behind a completely broken Kakashi to grow up alone.
For someone like Sakumo, even if you knew his fate in advance and tried to help him, it wouldn't necessarily prevent him from falling into that pit.
It was like Orochimaru. Even though people knew he would eventually turn to forbidden experiments, no amount of reasoning or persuasion could stop him.
"What are you staring at?"
Takuya, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally spoke up after noticing Nawaki staring at him for a long time.
Unable to take it any longer, Takuya lifted the hat from his face and glared at him.
Sure, I'm handsome, but I'm not into guys. Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?
"Takuya, I..."
Nawaki's face flushed red as he stammered, unsure of how to ask for help.
He wanted Takuya's assistance, but he felt embarrassed, unable to bring himself to speak his mind.
"I want to ask for your help in asking Meiko out."
Minato pinched his nose and imitated Nawaki's tone and mannerisms.
"Shut up! Go to hell!"
Nawaki's face turned beet red with anger, and Takuya burst into laughter while Minato snickered, moving away to avoid getting hit.
"Nawaki, if you're going to ask for help, you need to be direct. You've been stammering, and Takuya's running out of patience. Careful, or he might kick you into the sea."
"You bastard."
Flustered and furious, Nawaki wanted to punch Minato, but he knew he couldn't catch him.
All he could do was stand there, grinding his teeth and glaring, trying to kill Minato with his eyes.
Takuya shook his head, both amused and exasperated. "Nawaki, are you sure you've thought this through?"
"You know how complicated things are with the Hyūga clan. And besides, there's no guarantee she'll even accept you."
Being the grandson of the First Hokage brought Nawaki a lot of advantages, but it also came with complications. Chasing after a girl with a special status wasn't as easy as relying on his family background. After all, Nawaki was the one doing the pursuing, not Hashirama Senju.
Come to think of it, Hashirama hadn't been great with relationships either. He had just gotten lucky with an arranged marriage, ending up with a princess from the Uzumaki clan.
Nawaki wasn't likely to have that kind of luck.
"I want to give it a try, no matter what happens."
After wrestling with his thoughts for a long time, Nawaki finally gritted his teeth and said, "So I want your help. After all, you're the one who always says happiness has to be fought for. If I don't even try, then I'll have failed at life."
Takuya chuckled as he watched Minato laugh. "What's so funny? You're no better."
"Ugh..."
How did this end up involving me?
Minato scratched his head awkwardly, realizing he was no different.
He had once liked Kushina but hadn't dared express his feelings.
Luckily, time had passed, and all those feelings from his youth had faded away.
Now, his affection for Kushina had become a distant memory, lost to the past.
**************
Bonus Chapter ヽ༼◥▶ل͜◀◤༽ﾉ
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Next Bonus: 2500 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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