Chapter 67 – Sarutobi Hiruzen Through Hatake Yusuke's Eyes
Tsunade let out a soft yawn.
"He really slept soundly last night…"
A delicious aroma drifted into her nose, prompting her to follow it to the kitchen. On the table, she found a full breakfast neatly prepared. She instantly knew who the chef was.
"Make sure to eat breakfast when you wake up. I have a mission outside the village today, so I left early. — Hatake Yusuke."
Reading the note, Tsunade smiled like a girl in love. Memories of the night before warmed her heart.
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Elsewhere…
"Oi, bro. Why are you here too?" Kakashi asked as Yusuke approached.
"This time, we need Yusuke's strength," Minato replied.
"Minato-sensei, what exactly is our mission?" Rin asked curiously.
"Lately, Iwagakure and Amegakure have been stirring up trouble along Konoha's borders. We're also tasked with delivering supplies during this operation," Minato explained calmly.
"Hmph. Hanzo's getting too ambitious… And with the other nations watching for an opening, these supplies are vital to us," he added.
"In that case, let's head out already, Minato-nii," Yusuke said with a grin.
"Uh, wait… Where are the supplies?" Obito asked, looking around.
"They're already stored away. Just one of my little tricks. Let's go," Yusuke replied with a smirk.
Without wasting another moment, the five shinobi left Konoha.
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As they moved through the forest, Minato turned to Yusuke.
"What do you think Hanzo's goal is?"
The others—Kakashi, Rin, and Obito—turned their attention to him as well.
"My guess? Hanzo's just testing Konoha's reaction. If he truly wanted to strike, we wouldn't have heard about it so soon," Yusuke said calmly.
"But why test us at all? Isn't he just making things worse for himself? Now we'll be more alert," Kakashi replied, clearly puzzled.
"That's because of our Hokage…" Yusuke said, his gaze locked forward.
"Our Hokage?" the three of them echoed in surprise.
"Honestly, he's too soft. He fears war," Yusuke stated flatly.
"Yusuke…" Minato tried to stop him. To him, the Hokage was a revered figure.
"Minato-nii, you're too idealistic," Yusuke said, shaking his head.
Kakashi frowned. He respected Minato deeply and didn't want conflict between them.
Obito also looked uncomfortable. Being Hokage was his dream.
But Yusuke didn't care.
"I'm not saying anything wrong. The truth hurts sometimes. You think I'm disrespecting the Hokage, but I'm only stating facts. This mindset… is what Konoha needs."
"I see…" Minato muttered, lost in thought.
"A Hokage is still human. And every human has flaws. If you believe the Hokage is always right, you're being naive. You think I'm insulting your hero, but really, I'm analyzing from a broader perspective. Meanwhile, you're just excusing everything because of his title."
"…You make a point," Minato eventually admitted.
"If the Hokage can't face his own weakness, then he's unfit to lead. Only the weak are afraid to confront their flaws," Yusuke added coldly.
Silence fell. A chill ran down everyone's spine. No one else would dare speak about the Hokage that way—but Yusuke did, without hesitation.
"Don't say things like that out loud," Minato warned, worried about the consequences.
"I won't. But let me remind you, Minato-nii…" Yusuke paused, then said solemnly,
"Behind every victorious general… lies a mountain of fallen soldiers."
"…What does that mean?" Obito asked, scratching his head.
"It means… a leader's glory is often built on the sacrifices of thousands. And the Hokage you admire will one day stand atop corpses too," Yusuke replied coldly.
"That's not true!" Obito shouted, defiant.
But Minato remained silent. He was more mature—and more aware. He knew the stories. The First Hokage, Hashirama, had forged peace by forming Konoha—through war. The Second, Tobirama, laid the foundation with iron-fisted policies. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage, had led through two ninja wars—his hands soaked in blood.
The title of Hokage sounded noble, but how many had died to protect that illusion?
— — —
"Back to the topic," Yusuke said, breaking the silence. "Because the Hokage fears war, other nations act with impunity. Even Hanzo dares to test our limits."
"That makes sense…" Kakashi nodded slightly. Even Obito seemed to understand now. As a Uchiha, he knew how the world really worked.
"And what if the Hokage weren't so weak?" Yusuke asked, throwing the question back.
If that were the case, no one would dare touch Konoha.
They all had the same thought.
Obito was the most shaken. Ever since Yusuke had killed Uchiha Gaku and defeated the clan head, the Uchiha held a secret council. The result? A strict rule: Do not provoke the Hatake clan. That had never happened before. Not even White Fang had forced their respect. But Yusuke? They bowed—because he wasn't just powerful… he was uncompromising.
— — —
After that, the team fell into silence. Yusuke's words lingered in their hearts, echoing with uncomfortable truth.
As evening came, they stopped to camp under the stars.
"I'll keep watch tonight," Yusuke offered.
"Alright. We'll rest up. It's a long trip tomorrow," Minato agreed.
Yusuke leapt up to a tree branch and lay on his back. The full moon above bathed him in silver light. His thoughts wandered—back to a life long gone, to family and friends he could never return to.
"Yusuke," Minato called, suddenly jumping up beside him.
"Minato-nii? Can't sleep?"
"…No. Your words earlier… they got me thinking. I didn't expect someone your age to see things so clearly."
"Is it that hard to understand?" Yusuke said softly. "You've been fed the dream of becoming Hokage since you were a kid."
Yusuke chuckled dryly.
"I remember a boy at the Academy once said, 'I just want to live a peaceful, ordinary life.' He was laughed at—looked down on by classmates, ignored by teachers."
"…What do you think about that?" Yusuke asked.
Minato didn't answer. He didn't judge people easily, but even he had trouble accepting a dream so… small.
"I know what you're thinking. You see him as lacking ambition. But from his point of view, living a peaceful life is far more precious than chasing the title of Hokage."
"To him… the Hokage means nothing."
Yusuke sat up, looking at the stars.
"You think people in other nations admire our Hokage? They don't. You've idolized that title so much, you've trampled over other people's dreams to uphold it."
"And if you still believe in Jiraiya's dream of peace through understanding… then ask yourself—how can you expect the world to understand you… when you can't even understand others?"
Minato froze.
He realized then… he had judged others too quickly. Just like he'd been frustrated with Yusuke for criticizing the Hokage… he'd dismissed that boy's simple wish.
If he couldn't respect someone else's dream… how could he ever bring peace to the world?
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