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

Chapter 281 The Three Armies Meet

The next day, in the afternoon.

The wind in the central plains of the Land of Fire, carrying the fragrance of the earth after a bountiful harvest, swept across the boundless fields.

The sky was clear and bright, and the massive army, like a winding black dragon, moved slowly forward in the golden sunlight.

The flag fluttered in the wind, bearing the dual emblems of Konoha and Uzumaki, announcing the return of a great victory.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked at the front of the group, with Tsunade, Danzo Shimura, and Kagami Uchiha beside him.

"It truly tastes like peace."

Uchiha Kagami felt the warm breeze on his face and sighed softly.

Tsunade, on the other hand, seemed rather bored. She had already read through the post-war psychological counseling manuals of the military doctors three times, and her eyelids were drooping.

Just then, a thin plume of dust rose from the western horizon in the distance.

The smoke and dust were straight and sharp, like a drawn blade tearing through the peaceful field.

Immediately afterwards, a silent yet incredibly sharp aura of killing intent swept over us from a great distance.

"arrive."

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly uttered two words.

Almost simultaneously, another plume of dust rose into the sky from the northwest.

Unlike the sharp edge of the western front, this cloud of dust was thicker and more steady, like a moving mountain, slowly approaching with an overwhelming momentum that could crush everything.

At the appointed time, three streams of iron, representing Konoha's strongest fighting force, converged on the center of the plain from three different directions.

Kushina Uzumaki excitedly pointed into the distance.

"Nagato, look! There are so many more ninjas! Are they here to pick us up too?"

Nagato peeked out from behind her, quietly watching the two completely different armies, his dark eyes reflecting shock.

The Western Front Corps was the first to arrive.

The leader, with his short, silvery-white hair gleaming in the sunlight, was none other than Sakumo Hatake.

The ninjas behind him were all silent as iron. They were the eyes of the western border, a sword hanging over the heads of Konoha and Sunagakure. At this moment, the sword was sheathed, but the chill remained.

Inuzuka Tsubasa and his equally burly ninja dog, Mokuyu, strode alongside Sakumo, their faces beaming with undisguised elation.

Shirin Aburame was wrapped tightly in a high-necked trench coat, remaining silent like a shadow.

The troops from the northwest defense line arrived shortly after.

Mitokado Yan walked at the front, his steps steady, each step feeling like he was stepping on solid ground, which reassured everyone.

However, the style of the scene behind him suddenly changed.

"Oh, oh, oh! Tsunade! I'm back! Did you miss my heroic figure?!"

A loud and unserious shout shattered the solemn atmosphere. Jiraiya, waving his arms, burst out of the ranks and headed straight for Tsunade.

Behind him, Yahiko and Konan, two small figures, were speechless with amazement at the grand scene of the three armies converging before them, and simply followed their teacher instinctively.

Tsunade watched Jiraiya rush towards her, and a vein throbbed on her forehead.

next second.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, Jiraiya was sent flying back even faster than he had come, rolling several times on the ground before finally landing in a very disheveled position at Mitokado Homura's feet.

"Art... needs a little... artistic processing..."

He exhaled a puff of white smoke and said with difficulty.

Tsunade withdrew her fist and snorted coldly, "I think your face needs a little artistic embellishment!"

The entire audience burst into laughter, and even the silent ninjas on the western front couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.

Yahiko and Konan watched this scene in horror, Konan even dropped the piece of paper in her hand in fright.

Is this the gentle and beautiful Lady Tsunade that Master spoke of?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sakumo Hatake, and Homura Mitokado meet in the center.

"On the western front, Sunagakure has signed a ceasefire agreement and will be unable to invade the south for three years."

Sakumo Hatake's report was as concise as ever, but his usually stern face now showed a hint of gentleness.

"The northwest front is well-defended and has entered a period of strategic contraction."

Mitokado pushed up his glasses and added earnestly.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Looking at his two close friends who had fought side by side for many years, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of warmth in his heart. "Welcome home."

After a brief but fruitful conversation, the high-ranking officials behind the three supreme commanders finally couldn't contain themselves and gathered together.

The atmosphere instantly shifted from solemn and respectful to chaotic and disorderly.

"Jiraiya, I heard you took on a disciple in the Land of Rain?"

Tsunade appeared in front of Jiraiya in a flash and slapped him on the shoulder.

Jiraiya was knocked off balance by the punch, but he casually tossed his white hair aside, straightened his chest, and pulled the two small figures behind him to the front.

"That's it!!"

He pointed triumphantly at Yahiko and Konan, "See? The future stars of ninja are all my disciples!"

Yahiko was taken aback by the scene, but he still mustered his courage and bowed to the legendary Tsunade: "Greetings, Lady Tsunade!"

Konan quietly hid behind Yahiko, quickly folding a paper figure in her hands. The paper figure was clearly Jiraiya, who had just been punched by Tsunade and was making an exaggerated expression.

"They're back! They're all back! Good! Good!"

Akimichi Torifu walked up with a big laugh and patted Hatake Sakumo on the shoulder.

"We absolutely have to have a banquet tonight!!"

Sakumo nodded to his old friend, as always concise and to the point: "Mm."

Inuzuka Tsubasa leaned closer and said mysteriously to Akimichi Torifu, "Chief Torifu, pork is nothing compared to the spoils Captain Sakumo brought back! The taste..."

Akimichi Torifu immediately became interested: "Oh? What good stuff?"

Shuo Mao calmly took out a small notebook from his pocket, turned to a page, and on it was an anatomical diagram of a scorpion drawn with extremely precise strokes. Next to it was a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of three cooking methods: stir-frying with soy sauce, deep-frying, and grilling.

"Sand scorpion".

Shuo Mao added, "Based on preliminary taste tests, the sauce-flavored version received the highest overall score and has extremely high market promotion value."

Akimichi Torifu's smile slowly froze.

He looked at the ferocious scorpion on Sakumo's notebook, then at Sakumo's serious face, and felt that his understanding of food had been challenged like never before.

"This... is it... edible?"

"Not only is it edible, but it is also a great practice of the Will of Fire in the field of people's livelihood."

Shuo Mao solemnly closed the notebook.

On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Kagami Uchiha, and Danzo Shimura, these four former teammates, finally stood together.

"You've worked hard, Yan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted his old friend heavily on the shoulder.

Mitomon Homura shook his head, looked at the massive army that had joined together before him, and sighed, "Seeing them makes all the hardship worthwhile."

Danzo's focus was always so unique. He glanced at the ninjas on the western and northwestern fronts and said in a deep voice, "Some ninja tools need to be updated. During the post-war rest period, we can organize them to participate in the third phase of the Nakagawa Dam project, using work as training."

Uchiha Kagami smiled helplessly, already used to Danzo's ever-burning spirit of infrastructure building.

The midday sun cast a warm glow over the entire plain.

The three iron torrents have completely merged into one, forming an unprecedentedly large legion.

The joy of victory, the excitement of reunion, the anticipation of returning home—all these emotions fermented in the air, eventually transforming into a calm yet powerful force.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around at the faces, some young, some weathered, but all filled with trust.

He saw Tsunade and Jiraiya still bickering, Akimichi Torifu trying to persuade Hatake Sakumo to give up his dark cooking plan, Yahiko and Konan looking at him with admiration, and Kushina and Nagato waving vigorously at him from the crowd.

In the distance, on the horizon, the blurry outline of Konoha Village could already be seen.