Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 423 Arrival at the Border of the Land of Lightning

Jiraiya's three former disciples, now trusted new forces in Konoha, the Akatsuki team, are moving forward side by side.

"Nagato, Konan, do you see this? This is Konoha! This is our team!"

A bright smile spread across Yahiko's face, his voice brimming with anticipation for the future. "We're not going to kill, we're going to stop the war! We're going to tell those fools who're still fighting about the word 'peace'! When Jiraiya-sensei finds out, he'll be so proud of us!"

Konan walked quietly beside him, her fingers flying across the paper. A lifelike orange paper butterfly hovered and danced above Yahiko's head. She didn't speak, but her gentle smile said it all.

Nagato followed half a step behind them, his gaze sweeping over the noisy Obito and Kakashi ahead, over the Might and Might father and son sweating profusely beside them, and finally landing on Yahiko's radiant back.

He silently clenched his fist.

This feeling is very warm.

This feeling of having companions around him, moving forward towards a common goal, is what he wants to protect with his whole life.

The team, composed of Konoha's Golden Generation, was like a clear, energetic, yet incredibly sharp torrent, rushing towards the war-torn border.

They were so young, so radiant, as if the shadow of war would dissipate on its own before them.

However, when the group crossed another hill and a wide plain came into view, everyone's pace slowed down instinctively.

A faint scent drifted on the wind and into everyone's noses.

That wasn't the fragrance of soil and vegetation from the forest.

It smells burnt.

It smells like metal being burned and twisted.

There was also a very faint smell of blood.

Minato Namikaze, at the very front of the group, suddenly raised his hand.

Swish-!

The hundreds of ninjas, who were just moments before full of youthful energy, stopped in their tracks at the same time.

All sounds ceased abruptly, and the entire forest fell into a deathly silence.

The smile on his face had vanished, replaced by a razor-sharp solemnity.

The smell of war is already close at hand.

At the horizon, a wisp of faint, ominous black smoke rose straight into the sky.

Minato's face appeared somewhat stern in the afterglow of the setting sun, and his usually gentle blue eyes were now as sharp as unsheathed blades.

"Everyone, maintain maximum alert."

Minato Namikaze's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

He didn't turn around; his ever-smiling blue eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, as cold as the surface of a lake in early winter.

No further explanation is needed; everything before our eyes is the cruelest instruction manual.

This is a buffer zone on the border of the Land of Lightning, an area that doesn't even have an official name on the map.

The land was scorched black, as if it had been repeatedly licked by a great fire.

The village that once stood there is now nothing but ruins, with black charcoal telling tales of the flames' brutality.

The air was thick with the smell of despair, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

This is a completely different world from the prosperous, warm Konoha behind them, where even the streets are filled with the aroma of barbecue.

"How...could this be...?"

As a medical ninja, Nohara Rin is most sensitive to the signs of life, but here, there is only deathly silence.

Obito's lips moved, but he said nothing.

He subconsciously took off his goggles, as if wanting to see more clearly and confirm that the hellish scene was not an illusion.

"Everyone, check your gear and get some water."

Minato's voice rang out again, calm and methodical: "Yamano Inoichi."

"exist!"

Yamanaka Inoichi had already formed hand seals and closed his eyes.

"With you at the center, conduct the widest possible sensory exploration."

"yes!"

"Also," Minato turned to the two squads in the group, "I need more precise intelligence."

His gaze first fell on a pair of brothers with calm demeanor.

"Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hizashi, your squad will infiltrate the left flank fan-shaped area and investigate anything unusual. Remember, your mission is reconnaissance, not combat."

"clear."

Hiashi Hyuga nodded, his expression as serious as ever, but deep within his white pupils, the distant black smoke was also reflected. He and his brother exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and with their clansmen, their figures flickered a few times before silently disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

Then, Minato's gaze shifted to the three young men on the other side.

"Yahiko."

"arrive!"

Yahiko stepped forward, his smile gone, his orange hair losing its usual vibrancy in the dim light. His fists clenched slightly at his sides.

"You, Nagato, and Konan, advance from the right flank. Your target is the central area of ​​those ruins; you are more familiar with this environment."

The water gate's voice slowed for a moment, "Be careful, stay in touch."

"Leave it to us, Captain Minato!"

Yahiko's voice was firm and powerful. He turned around and nodded vigorously to Nagato and Konan.

Xiao Nan twitched her fingertips, and several paper butterflies appeared out of thin air, silently flying towards the ruins, like ghosts scouting ahead.

Nagato silently followed behind Yahiko, his quiet eyes scrutinizing the devastated land before him. No one knew what he was thinking.

The three figures quickly disappeared behind the sparse woods.

"team leader,"

Kakashi walked over to Minato and lowered his voice, "The situation here is worse than expected."

"I know."

Minato didn't look at him, still gazing into the distance. "War never chooses where it comes from. Now, we are the rules. Obito, Rin, be ready to provide support at any time."

"yes!"

Obito and Rin responded in unison, their voices already carrying the solemnity that could only be forged on the battlefield.

……

Amidst the ruins, the three members of Xiao's team moved nimbly among the collapsed houses and charred wooden beams, like three silent shadows.

The air here gave Yahiko a familiar feeling of suffocation.

It looks so much like it, so incredibly like it.

It smelled just like the towns in the Land of Rain that were ravaged by war when they were children.

The rusty smell of rainwater that Mito Uzumaki described in class seemed to surge up from the depths of his memory once again, soaking his entire body.

Xiao Nan walked to the side, with several paper butterflies constantly sending back messages as she explored the path. Her steps were very light, as if she was afraid of disturbing the spirits of the dead here.