bookbashuk Page 159
Page 159
……
The following night, the stars twinkled and the bright moon hung high in the sky.
In a secluded mansion in Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi lay fast asleep on his bed.
Half-asleep, the bed suddenly creaked softly, and then one side of the bed seemed to collapse, as if someone was carefully lying down on it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi groggily opened his eyes and vaguely sensed a warm body beside him!
who? !
Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly regained his senses, a chill running down his spine and straight to his head.
He sat up abruptly in bed, scanning his surroundings warily as he reached for his ninja tool pouch beside his pillow.
However, in the dim light, he found nothing.
The ninja tool pouch is gone?
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +800!]
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart pounded wildly, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Kakashi reported on information regarding "Uchiha Obito" just yesterday afternoon—
That guy is said to possess a strange eye technique that allows him to freely travel through time and space, and can appear anywhere without warning.
Could it be that, without my knowledge, that guy has already sneaked into my house?!
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his hands and feet turn ice cold.
He suppressed his fear, abruptly threw back the covers, and shouted, "Who is it?!"
As a ray of morning light shone through the window, a figure could be seen lying flat on the bed!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils constricted sharply, and he demanded in a stern voice, "You are—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, using the dim moonlight to focus his gaze, saw that the figure on the bed was a middle-aged woman with short, graying hair, wearing a plain-colored nightgown.
Her face was kind, with a few shallow wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and she was staring blankly at Hiruzen Sarutobi who had suddenly stood up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind went blank, and he blurted out the other person's name: "Biwako?!"
His voice trembled slightly with disbelief—
Lying on the bed was none other than his wife, Sarutobi Biwako, who had passed away many years ago!
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
……
auditorium.
Today's audience includes Jiraiya, Kakashi, Naruto Uzumaki, and Danzo Shimura.
At that moment, everyone stared intently at the figure that suddenly appeared on the screen, their hearts skipping a beat.
Jiraiya murmured in disbelief, "Th-that is?! The old man... he actually dreamed of Biwako-senpai?!"
Danzo Shimura snorted coldly, his face full of disdain, and said, "Hmph, Hiruzen is really getting old! When he went to that dream, instead of thinking about anything else, he dreamed about this kind of thing!"
He was secretly furious: Is that all? How dare Koharu and the others say that I am inferior to Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Every time I enter that dream, it's either about retirement or a warm bed!
How can Hiruzen Sarutobi compare to him?!
Even in his dreams, he's still striving for the title of Hokage!
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Shimura Danzo have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked in a confused tone, tugging at Kakashi's sleeve, "who's that old lady?"
Kakashi gazed at Sarutobi Biwako on the screen with a complicated expression, and explained softly, "She is the wife of the Third Hokage."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement and added, "She helped many people in her life. When you were born, she was the one who delivered you."
"What?!" Naruto was shocked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Then how come I've never seen her before?"
Kakashi sighed, his heart heavy with grief as he thought of the tragedy orchestrated by Obito: "Because in reality, she, like your parents, also sacrificed herself on the night you were born."
Upon hearing this, Naruto's previously bewildered expression immediately darkened. He clenched his fists tightly and muttered, "It's...that night again...that damn masked man!"
Kakashi lowered his gaze, his right hand unconsciously clenching, a deep sense of self-reproach and pain welling up inside him.
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
……
on the screen.
Sarutobi Biwako also sat up in bed, looking at her husband, who was covered in cold sweat, with concern.
She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead: "Hiruzen, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you sweating so much?"
The familiar touch on his forehead jolted Hiruzen Sarutobi awake.
He stared blankly at his wife, who was still gentle and virtuous, and then realized that he had entered that magical dream again!
The previous dream experience was still vivid in his mind, so Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly calmed down and realized that what he was seeing was not reality.
His throat tightened, and he suppressed his surging emotions, staring intently at his wife's face, which he had longed for day and night. He felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears.
The trauma caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage was also heart-wrenching for him.
Not only Minato and his wife, but also his wife Biwako died that night!
When he arrived at the scene, he saw Biwako's body lying silently in a pool of blood...
This scene remains etched in his memory to this day, and Hiruzen Sarutobi still feels a pang of heartache whenever he recalls it.
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He reached out and covered Biwako with the blanket he had just pulled off, and chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "Hehe, I'm getting old. I can't sleep well anymore. I just had a nightmare."
Sarutobi Biwako smiled upon hearing this, her eyes filled with relief: "What else could possibly frighten you like this? You haven't been Hokage for years, yet you still worry about these things all the time."
Looking at his wife's considerate and gentle appearance, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt both gratified and wistful.
He was looking forward to taking this opportunity to catch up with his wife, but just then—
"Knock! Knock! Knock!" A series of urgent knocks suddenly broke the quiet of the morning, interrupting the cozy atmosphere inside the house.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply: "Why did it have to be at this time!"
Biwako patted his hand considerately and said softly, "Coming to see you so early in the morning, I'm afraid something really important has happened. You should go and take a look."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded helplessly, quickly picked up the shirt hanging by the bedside and put it on. He turned back and looked at his wife deeply, his eyes filled with both apology and a hint of reluctance.
Biwako smiled gently at him, her eyes full of understanding and support.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, trying to calm himself down from the excitement of reuniting with his wife.
He gently stroked Biwako's hand and whispered, "I'll be right back."
She immediately got up, grabbed the light brown kimono hanging by the bedside, and quickly put it on.
"Knock! Knock! Knock—" The knocking on the door became more urgent than before.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed open the door and saw an Anbu member kneeling under the porch—wearing a white cat mask and with a white sash representing the Hokage's direct forces wrapped around his right arm.
"What is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
Why would the Anbu, who belong to the current Hokage Minato Namikaze, come looking for someone who has already retired, so early in the morning?
The ANBU member knelt on one knee and said urgently, "Third Hokage, something terrible has happened! Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga main family, has killed the leader of the Kumogakure delegation! The Kumogakure delegation has started a disturbance, and the Fourth Hokage summons you to the Hyuga clan immediately to discuss and resolve the matter!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly astonished: "It's at this time?!"
[Ding! An emotional fluctuation from Hiruzen Sarutobi has been detected! Emotional value +500!]
Chapter 153 Can one person save the entire village?
When Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Hyuga main family mansion, it was the dead of night.
The spacious reception room was brightly lit.
Minato Namikaze was already waiting there, and several high-ranking members of the Hyuga clan were also gathered together, their expressions solemn.
Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, sat in the center of the room, his face resolute, his fists clenched, his heart in turmoil.
His younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, stood to the side, his expression equally tense, his eyes flashing with a complex light.
Several Hyuga elders, dressed in long robes, sat around the perimeter, all silent, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.
"Third Hokage! You've arrived!" As the door opened, everyone's eyes turned to the newcomer.
Upon seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi enter the room, several Hyuga elders immediately stood up and bowed.
Hiashi and Hishi also quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to greet them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and walked straight into the room.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze was sitting next to the Hyuga clan leader, his divine robes standing out prominently.
"The Third Hokage is here. Please continue."
Minato said softly, a hint of relief in his voice.
He dismissed the crowd who were about to bow, and turned his gaze back to the Hyuga clan chief and his brother. "Clan chief Hiashi, you just said... that as long as you sacrifice yourself, the whole village can be saved?"
Hiashi Hyuga took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "That's right. Since sacrificing my life is enough to save the whole village, then there's nothing we can do about it!"
"Hiashi! Don't talk nonsense!" A Hyuga elder interrupted sharply, slamming his cane down heavily.
His eyebrows furrowed, his face filled with urgency and dissatisfaction. "The Byakugan bloodline limit of the Hyuga clan is an extremely important trump card for Konoha! The main family's responsibility is to protect this bloodline forever..."
Upon hearing this, Riji paused, a look of pain appearing on his handsome face.
He certainly understood the elder's meaning—the Hyuga main family bears the heavy responsibility of passing on the Byakugan, and they must not allow the main family's bloodline to fall into the hands of another village.
The Hidden Cloud Village has been eyeing the Byakugan for a long time. This time, they feigned an alliance but secretly kidnapped Hinata, their purpose is obvious.
If we hand over the patriarch's corpse now, it would be tantamount to offering up our white eyes!