chapter 78 part 1
Chapter 78: I'm a Sharingan Ninja Too
Units returned to the Village one after another.
The pride of being the ultimate victors reached its peak. Every Ninja was treated with deference, enjoying countless cheers and applause.
But not every Ninja who returned alive would ultimately remain in the Hidden Leaf Village.
As the Land of Fire's highest military authority, the Hidden Leaf Village could forcibly conscript Ninja from all over the country. Many Ninja were originally garrison Ninja in various towns throughout the Land of Fire, or even private soldiers of Daimyo and nobles, all of whom were commandeered by Konoha and sent to the battlefield.
The war ended. Among those who survived, only a small fraction of the most outstanding individuals, due to their exceptional performance, received an invitation from the Hidden Leaf Village to truly join it. Most others eventually returned to their original homes with their rewards.
This gave some people the illusion that everything had returned to its original state, but in reality, nothing was the same.
Tsukasa Kaede, as part of the third batch of personnel to return to the Village, kept an extremely low profile amidst the crowd. With the war over and peace restored, a Ninja like him might not always be welcomed.
"Such enthusiasm," Tsukasa Kaede thought. "I firmly believe these people's excitement and gratitude are genuine, but sincerity is the easiest thing to fade with time."
Tsukasa Kaede watched the cheering people, observing the exquisite decorations on the Village's buildings and roads. Everything seemed so harmonious, as if the Shinobi World's most beautiful aspects had gathered here.
However, for Tsukasa Kaede, all of this was ultimately an illusion.
A few individuals recognized Tsukasa Kaede in the crowd, shouting his name loudly.
Tsukasa Kaede showed no surprise. Instead, he calmly smiled and waved at the crowd.
From beginning to end, he stood amidst a group of Ninja, not deliberately moving to attract more admiring gazes like others.
Until he achieved his goal of changing bodies, Tsukasa Kaede intended to remain humble, keeping as far away as possible from negative public opinion related to himself. Excessive public attention would attract the notice of the Higher-ups, forcing Tsukasa Kaede to expend unnecessary energy dealing with it.
Soon, as one of the war heroes, Tsukasa Kaede had the opportunity to listen to the Third Hokage's speech.
The Third Hokage delivered a passionate victory speech from the Hokage's Office. His writing style was rigorous, his tone spirited, and his charisma radiated, stirring great excitement among many Ninja.
After that, the Third Hokage began to call people in one by one. By the time it was Tsukasa Kaede's turn, it was already dusk.
"Tsukasa Kaede, you did very well. Although you went to the Front Line without permission, it's not a big problem. Just be more careful next time," the Third Hokage said with a smile. "However, if anyone asks, I'll say I've already reprimanded you and deducted some of your merits."
"Yes, you've been troubled. I will do whatever the Hokage commands."
"It's not troubling. I'm just pleased to see such an excellent young person like you emerge in the Village. This indicates that the Village's efforts are headed in the right direction."
The Third Hokage displayed a kindly smile, then chatted casually with Tsukasa Kaede. It hardly seemed like a work report between a superior and subordinate, but rather an everyday conversation between two generations.
As Tsukasa Kaede answered the Third Hokage's questions, maintaining his usual humility, his thoughts drifted far away, recalling the life trajectory of the man before him in the original Timeline.
Hiruzen Sarutobi. It couldn't be said that this "Strongest Hokage" was someone who enjoyed schemes, nor was he an utterly evil schemer. In Tsukasa Kaede's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi was more like the type who, when uncertain of the true situation, would rather do nothing than risk making a mistake.
A normal person's logic is to make a mistake rather than waver and do nothing. The Third Hokage, however, was the opposite. This led to him giving the impression of negligent governance in various subsequent events, causing an inevitable decline in the Hidden Leaf Village's overall strength.
Whether it was Sakumo Hatake's suicide, the Senju Clan's decline, the Uchiha Clan's extermination, or Hiashi being almost forced to his death by the Hidden Cloud Village... in all these incidents, the Third Hokage consistently played the same role:
Inaction, spectating, observing the individuals' actions without providing any directional guidance, only stepping in to clean up the mess after a definitive outcome. This way, the wise and mighty Hokage would bear no fault, all errors being committed by his subordinates, whom he had already severely criticized and punished.
The most classic example was when Hiashi proposed sacrificing himself to appease the Hidden Cloud Village's discontent, and Hizashi resolutely volunteered to die in his place. The Third Hokage never exercised his authority as Hokage throughout the entire process, simply watching these people act on their own.
Kaedelent observation, to some extent, was actually a terrifying form of political suppression, forcing those below to resort to self-destructive self-preservation.
Tsukasa Kaede found it difficult to definitively judge the Third Hokage's governing style. Still, at least for the present, it was an undeniable fact that the Third Hokage was leading the Hidden Leaf Village to prosperity.
"Kaede, I imagine you've already prepared yourself, so I'll be direct. Does the Corpse Release Secret Technique you developed have any further room for improvement?" the Third Hokage asked, filling his pipe with tobacco and taking a puff.
Tsukasa Kaede's attitude would determine the Third Hokage's view of him.
"Theoretically, yes. According to my vision, there's still considerable developmental potential, whether it's the casting efficiency of the Zombification Jutsu, the number of Zombies that can be controlled, the derivative combination Ninjutsu that utilizes Zombies for combat, or the supplementary Ninjutsu designed to work with Corpse Release," Tsukasa Kaede replied respectfully.
"Is that so? Just as I thought. Other Ninja Villages have already put bounties on your head and your Secret Technique in the Black Market. They want everything you possess right now."
The Third Hokage chuckled, "However, the Village will provide you with strong protection. I will absolutely not allow enemies to harm my comrades."
Any Konoha Shinobi who had received formal education would have been utterly moved at this moment, wishing they could cut open their heads to display their Will of Fire to the Hokage.
"This is also my creed, Hokage. People always die, but I believe that before death, one should strive to see the world's scenery and fight with all their might for the beliefs in their heart. Even in death, one should die with a smile. I suppose this is probably why I was able to develop the Corpse Release Secret Technique... People and Jutsu are never disconnected; there must be some subtle, underlying connection."