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

Chapter 434 Arbiters of Order

Minato Namikaze's demeanor underwent a subtle change at this moment. The warm, sun-like feeling gradually subsided, replaced by a sharpness and focus like a drawn blade.

"On the front lines, you are indeed at a huge disadvantage. Onoki and Retsumon are both experienced Kage. If they join forces, in your current state, a head-on confrontation will only lead to your death."

Kirabi nodded silently; it was an undeniable fact.

The crackling of the campfire was exceptionally clear in the quiet, rainy night.

Minato Namikaze's gentle voice, like a scalpel, precisely dissected the bloody reality of Kumogakure, without a trace of superfluous emotion, yet more penetrating than any angry roar.

Minato Namikaze's gentle demeanor never changed.

There wasn't a ripple in those pure blue eyes.

"What we need to do now is to prevent more of those sacrifices from happening."

Minato slowly swept his gaze over every Cloud Village ninja present, then returned to the map, his finger lightly tapping the border between the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Fire.

"..."

"Before we cooperate, I need to know what Konoha's peacekeeping forces actually want to gain from this war."

This question, like a scalpel, precisely pierced the very core of this fragile alliance.

The crackling of the campfire seemed to fall silent for a moment.

The Cloud Village ninjas behind Killer Bee involuntarily tensed up again.

They can accept tactical cooperation, but they absolutely cannot accept the village being divided up as spoils of war.

Even Obito Uchiha and Yahiko Uchiha, who were on the other side of the camp, stopped their whispered discussion and turned their attention over.

They also wanted to know what the Third Hokage and Minato were really up to.

The name of this unit sounded so grand that it was somewhat incomprehensible to them.

Faced with Killer Bee's probing eyes, which were no longer joking, Minato Namikaze did not give a direct answer.

Instead, he raised a question.

"Lord Killer Bee, do you believe the future of Kumogakure is in our own hands, or in the hands of Iwagakure and Sunagakure?"

In one sentence, all of Kirabi's prepared follow-up questions were left stuck in his throat.

Yes, the future?

Does the Hidden Cloud Village have a future?

This question struck like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of all the Cloud Village ninjas hard.

Their future was no longer entirely in their own hands when the three-village allied forces besieged the city and the fourth Raikage Ai painfully wrote that letter pleading for help.

Seeing Killer Bee fall silent, Minato continued speaking, his voice steady and clear, each word sounding as if it had been precisely calculated.

"What Konoha wants is not land, nor resources."

He paused for a moment, allowing his words enough time to resonate in everyone's minds.

"What we want is order."

"order?"

Killer Bee repeated the word, his face full of bewilderment. War is meant to disrupt order, yet Konoha claims to want order? What kind of logic is that?

"The Third Hokage believed that a chaotic war would only spread like an unquenchable wildfire, eventually burning everyone. Today it could burn down Kumogakure, tomorrow it could burn down Amegakure, and the day after tomorrow it would burn down to the borders of the Land of Fire."

Minato's finger traced the map slowly, from the Land of Lightning, through the small country in the middle, and finally stopped at the border of the Land of Fire.

"Instead of passively waiting for the fire to spread, we should proactively establish rules that can control the source of the fire."

Minato's eyes shone brilliantly in the firelight.

"The purpose of Konoha's trip is to establish and demonstrate this rule to the entire ninja world."

"Any attempt to destabilize the region through war of aggression will be punished by Konoha."

"boom!"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in the minds of all the Cloud Village ninjas.

They stared in shock at Minato Namikaze, the blond youth who always wore a gentle smile, now exuding an unprecedented and chilling "dominance" in their eyes.

What is this?

This is not aid, this is a trial!

Konoha actually wants to become the arbiter of order in the entire ninja world!

That's an incredibly arrogant statement! It's downright presumptuous!

but……

But why, when these "arrogant" words came from the mouth of this young man, did they feel an absurd...sense of conviction?

Because they were the losers, while Konoha was the undisputed victor on the battlefield of the Land of Whirlpools.

The victor has the right to write the rules.

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire camp fell into a deathly silence.

Killer Bee and the Cloud Village ninjas behind him were all stunned.

Their faces betrayed their shock and absurdity.

What is this?

This is practically a declaration to the entire ninja world, using the power of a single village, that they want to be the referee for everyone!

In the centuries-long history of blood and fire in the ninja world, they had never heard of such an arrogant, yet... seemingly logical, reason for war.

"ha……"

A Cloud Village ninja couldn't help but let out a short, sarcastic laugh. "What a high-sounding excuse. In the end, this so-called order is nothing more than an order where your Konoha is the sole power!"

"shut up!"

Kirabi reprimanded his men again.

But he did not refute the ninja's words, because those were also his own thoughts.

On the other side of the camp, Obito was filled with excitement. He tugged at Kakashi's sleeve and whispered excitedly, "Did you hear that, Kakashi? That was so cool! We're not just here to fight, we're here to be referees! We're here to maintain peace!"

Kakashi glanced at him and replied in his characteristically flat voice, "Idiot, the rules for referees are determined by the people who make them."

Rin smiled helplessly beside him and gently tugged at Obito, signaling him to keep his voice down.

"so……"

Minato's voice trailed off as he looked at Killer Bee and the Cloud Village ninja behind him whose expressions had drastically changed, and gave his final answer, word by word.

"What we will gain is a stable, predictable ninja world with Konoha as its core of order."

"And the 'price' that Kumogakure paid..."

He smiled slightly.

"It means acknowledging and joining this new order."

Killer Bee suddenly stood up, his powerful chakra flashing by, forcefully suppressing the restlessness of all his subordinates.

His chest heaved violently.

Hatred and reality, pride and survival, intertwined and collided wildly in his mind.

An internal struggle is raging within me.

To bow down to the person who killed the Third Raikage—what a humiliation that would be.

But Lord Tsuchishiro's words echoed in his ears: "Lord Raikage, the survival of the village is the real issue..."

After smashing countless tables and chairs in the command post, his brother Ai faced a painful and helpless choice...

And then there are those young, vibrant names on the list of the fallen…

If they refuse, Kumogakure will be besieged and destroyed by the three villages.

This was an incredibly difficult decision.

But do they even have a choice?