Falling into the hands of Konoha's ninja could only be described as fortunate.
Not merely because Yuusuke Ame's destination had always been Konohagakure, but because compared to the consequences of falling into the hands of Iwagakure, the current situation was unimaginably better.
If, at the moment Yuusuke collapsed, the ninja squad that surrounded him had been from Iwagakure, then things truly would have been disastrous. For one, an Iwagakure ninja had died by Yuusuke's hand. For another, there would have been no possible way for him to explain why he was carrying a confidential message meant for Konoha.
And to think—it had been the Hokage of Konoha himself.
Who could possibly have imagined that?
Yuusuke's thoughts were in complete turmoil, yet he did not hesitate. With extreme care, he recounted everything he had experienced with the Hokage from beginning to end.
"Yes… that day, it happened like this…"
Who could have guessed that the Third Hokage would appear before him in such a youthful form? The Sarutobi Hiruzen standing there now looked no more than a man in his early twenties.
Too young—almost shockingly so.
From his encounter with the Hokage, to his confrontation with the Iwagakure ninja, Yuusuke's narration was steady and meticulous, striving for complete accuracy. The matter itself was far too serious for embellishment or falsehood; he made sure every word was necessary.
"Can you confirm that you cremated the Second Hokage's remains?"
After Yuusuke finished speaking, someone asked in a voice heavy with grief.
"Yes," Yuusuke replied firmly. "According to his wishes, I burned his body."
He spoke with certainty. Konoha would never hold him responsible for such an act—strictly speaking, it was a meritorious deed, not a crime.
At the same time the sealed letter was received, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already confirmed its authenticity. The handwriting, the seals, the coded markings—none of it was problematic. The cipher, written in a special form of code, was deciphered with almost no delay.
The contents were astonishingly simple.
First: the appointment of Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Hokage's successor.Second: an explicit entrustment of the village's future to the new Hokage.
A life lived without regret, and heartfelt expectations for those who would follow—both were vividly etched into the page.
When Yuusuke finished his account, Sarutobi lowered his head and said nothing. He remained silent for a long time, his eyes clearly brimming with tears. Meanwhile, Yuusuke—already in terrible physical condition and forcibly awakened—had exhausted the last of his strength during the explanation. His body swayed unsteadily, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing this, the medical ninja hurried to his side and gently pressed the back of Yuusuke's neck.
He fell unconscious once more.
There was no longer any need for the narrator.
The medical ninja prepared to escort Yuusuke away, but a cold, restrained voice stopped him.
"Wait. This isn't over yet… Yamanaka, confirm whether what he said is true."
"Lord Danzō, given the child's current physical condition, I'm afraid—" the medical ninja tried to protest, but his words died the moment his gaze met Shimura Danzō's icy expression.
There was no room for refusal.
The ninja named Yamanaka stepped forward.
Words could deceive. Memories could not.
Yamanaka placed his palm against Yuusuke's forehead. Unconscious, Yuusuke had no idea that an unprecedented crisis had just descended upon him.
Yet no one present was paying attention to him anymore. Danzō's actions were excessive—unnecessarily cautious. Subjectively speaking, everyone in the room already believed Yuusuke's account.
Still, the examination of his memories was standard procedure.
What Sarutobi and the others were concerned with now was the aftermath of the Second Hokage's death—and the future direction of Konoha itself.
There was no longer any room for wishful thinking. Some things could not be undone.
The younger brother of the Senju siblings—the man who had helped pacify the chaotic era, a towering contributor to the founding of Konohagakure—was gone.
As a ninja, Senju Tobirama had been immensely powerful, developing countless formidable techniques and forbidden jutsu. As a ruler, he had meticulously established the village's systems and institutions, leaving little to criticize.
And yet—
There was no such thing as an immortal ninja.
For Konohagakure, after consecutively losing the unparalleled First Hokage Senju Hashirama, the peerless Uchiha Madara, and now the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, the overwhelming might that once cowed the entire ninja world had nearly vanished.
An era had ended.
The Second Hokage's sacrifice was undoubtedly tragic. But over the past few days, everyone had more or less prepared themselves mentally for this outcome. No one lost control.
After losing the Hokage, the most important task was to stabilize Konoha.
After all, the war was still ongoing.
From the standpoint of maintaining Konoha's stability, the Second Hokage's final instructions brought back by Yuusuke Ame carried enormous significance.
Tobirama's death had been sudden. What was meant to be a simple alliance ceremony with Kumogakure had somehow resulted in both villages losing their leaders. Naturally, the Hokage had not arranged his succession beforehand—much less formally named an heir.
It was only moments before his sacrifice that he appointed his disciple Sarutobi Hiruzen as successor. To the rest of the village, this was an extremely last-minute decision. Furthermore, the only witnesses were the Hokage's personal guard squad, which alone was not enough to convince everyone.
Not everyone was willing to see a man barely in his early twenties become the village's leader.
However, with the Second Hokage's written, explicit appointment now in hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen's legitimacy as successor was no longer open to question—at least on the surface.
"Although Lady Uzumaki Mito previously expressed her support, rumors and opposition were impossible to suppress," Mitokado Homura said, looking at the bloodstained letter. "We were simply too young. But now, with the Second Hokage's final written decree, Sarutobi, your situation will improve greatly. In fact… you are already the Third Hokage."
This was the difference between spoken testimony and written authority.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, shook his head.
"It's still too early to call me the Third Hokage. But… for now, I can at least serve as Acting Hokage."
"…You're right."
Compared to immediately seizing the village's highest authority, Sarutobi preferred a stable transition. No matter what, doubts about him were unavoidable—and those doubts would persist for a long time.
Compared to the legendary First Hokage and the formidable Second Hokage, Sarutobi would inevitably be measured against his predecessors. Their brilliance was so overwhelming that it cast long shadows, making those who followed seem dim by comparison.
With war raging outside the village and internal turmoil following the Hokage's death, even the consistently steady and optimistic Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but feel the weight of the times.