"The Fourth Hokage unfortunately sacrificed himself in the efforts to combat the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. I will temporarily assume the position of Hokage until the Fifth Hokage appears."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the Hokage platform, the wind blowing his Hokage robe.
Everyone was in a heavy mood.
The Fourth Hokage had been in power for less than a year, and his passing, at such a vibrant age, unsettled all residents and Ninja.
They hadn't expected that war wouldn't claim the Fourth Hokage, but he would sacrifice himself facing the Nine-Tailed.
Satoru was also in the team.
Standing with Dokuro and others, he looked at the Third Hokage, who was now an old man.
He wondered why it wasn't the Third Hokage who sacrificed himself; the forbidden Ninjutsu left by the Second Hokage, and other Ninjutsu developed by others, should have corresponding handling methods.
The Nine-Tailed had existed for thousands of years; there was no reason it was only controlled now.
Perhaps the Third Hokage was not skilled in Sealing Technique and couldn't seal the Nine-Tailed into Naruto's body.
This might be a bit far-fetched, as the original work never mentioned it, and even with his clever mind, he couldn't figure it out.
"Sigh, we just managed to end the war, and now it might be chaotic for a while again!" Seishimon sighed.
"Yes, it's going to be difficult from now on!" Satoru agreed.
The Fourth Hokage's death had a huge impact.
Just like the deaths of the Third Kazekage, the Third Raikage, or other Kage.
They would all have a significant impact on the Ninja World's balance of power.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage led to the Third Ninja World War.
The death of the Third Raikage led to Kumogakure's defeat in the war.
The next time will be the death of the Third Hokage, leading to Konoha's internal emptiness.
With Minato Namikaze's death this time, the resources invested by the Land of Fire or other countries in Konoha will definitely be snatched by other Villages.
The most direct impact is the reduction in mission volume, which is what most affects Konoha's foundation.
According to Satoru's judgment, the Land of Fire and other countries, seeing the Fourth Hokage die less than a year after taking office, would lose trust in Konoha, leading to a decrease in mission volume.
A decrease in mission volume would lead to less growth for Konoha's Ninja, creating a chain reaction.
To stabilize Konoha's situation, the higher-ups did not risk choosing another Hokage, but instead let the Third Hokage continue to contribute and stabilize Konoha's situation.
With the Third Hokage back in power, the next step was to comfort the fallen.
The Fourth Hokage's death, along with a large number of Jonin who died in Konoha to combat the Nine-Tailed, left the people in front of the memorial stone filled with grief and indignation.
Among them, Kakashi, Iruka, and others were most affected.
And Satoru had already participated in many comforting procedures for the fallen; it happened after every war.
Thankfully, his family was safe.
So he was mainly comforting the spirit of the Fourth Hokage.
He respected this sunny Fourth Hokage.
And his wife.
Their character was noble.
…
A long time had passed since the Nine-Tailed incident.
The living continued on.
"Satoru, Hokage-sama has ordered you to go to the Hokage Office."
Just as Satoru was holding a book titled "Theoretical Research on Barrier Ninjutsu" and studying it intently, an Anbu suddenly appeared.
"Do I need to prepare anything?" he asked, closing the book.
By this time, a year and a half had passed since the Third Hokage resumed his position, and Satoru's height had also increased significantly. He had been diligent in the Analysis Team, never slacking off.
He didn't understand why the Hokage suddenly wanted to see him.
Anbu: "No."
Satoru walked out of his house. The sun was high in the sky, indicating no clouds.
In his mind, he kept pondering the possible reasons why the Third Hokage would seek him out.
He was an elite of the Analysis Team, and his abilities were outstanding within the team, leading to his promotion to Special Jonin. The reason he achieved this position was his Mind Reading Technique, which had already surpassed Inoichi Yamanaka's.
Since the Analysis Team rarely engaged in combat, their other abilities were seldom displayed, so it was highly likely to be some kind of escort mission.
Some missions also required going out to read intelligence in the shortest possible time, just like in the original work when he and his comrades read Kisame.
Knock knock!
Satoru arrived at the Hokage Office and knocked on the door.
"Hokage-sama, Satoru has come to see you."
"Come in."
Creak!
He opened the door and saw the Third Hokage looking over. There was a large pile of documents in front of him, and two Ninja were assisting him.
"Hokage-sama."
"Hmm, it seems you've cultivated well these past few years. You're getting more and more robust." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.
"Hokage-sama, allow me to correct you. This is handsome and tall, but definitely not robust."
Satoru was slender, so he certainly couldn't be described as robust.
"Haha, indeed, my old eyes must be failing me." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled.
This child, he really doesn't give me any face!
"I called you here to give you a mission."
"Yes."
"You know, don't you? The war and the Nine-Tailed incident caused huge losses to Konoha's core strength, and it hasn't recovered in over a year."
"Yes." Satoru certainly understood.
He just didn't know what he wanted to express.
"It's like this: your abilities have been recognized by me and the Advisors, and you are also someone who has experienced the battlefield, with rich experience.
So, for the new Genin graduating from the Ninja School, I would like you to lead a team. What are your thoughts?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked inquiringly.
"Lead a team?"
Satoru hadn't expected this, he had been guessing for so long.
Although he wanted to develop quietly in the Analysis Team, his character was that of a man who inherited the Will of Fire, so how could he refuse such a thing?
And he hadn't been out for a long time, so leading a team didn't seem bad either.
To appreciate the splendor of the Ninja World.
"No problem. It is my duty to add new flames to Konoha."
Satoru vowed solemnly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to his powerful words and was very satisfied. He had indeed not misjudged him.
Over a year ago, he already felt that this child had inherited the Will of Fire, and it was still true now.
"Very good, this is the list of the team you will lead."
Hiruzen Sarutobi handed over a list, and Satoru took it.
He opened it and saw: "Iruka Umino, Mibu Shinobi, Iron Wire of the Thorns System."
He knew the first one, then looked at their profiles.
Iruka Umino: Excellent in theoretical scores, average in practical combat, excellent in Clone Technique, average in Taijutsu.
Mibu Shinobi: Good in theoretical scores, average in practical combat, excellent in Clone Technique, average in Taijutsu.
The photo showed someone with a head wrapped like his, unique and independent, with only a few hairs sticking out from the top of his head, and his facial features visible.
Iron Wire of the Thorns System: Excellent in theoretical scores, excellent in practical combat, excellent in Clone Technique, excellent in Taijutsu, proficient in Spatial-Temporal Ninjutsu and manipulating Ninja tools.
Hmm, the photo was of a young man with his hair covered, and he looked quite like a protagonist.
"Oh, it seems I'm going to be Naruto's teacher's teacher. But it seems Iruka is still more suitable for teaching, based on his profile!
Why does Mibu Shinobi wrap his head? Doesn't he think it's ugly? You don't have my kind of good looks.
Iron Wire of the Thorns System, he gives off a vibe of Tenten from the future Twelve Strongest Ninja!
He's not even graduated yet, and he's already proficient in Spatial-Temporal Ninjutsu and Ninja tool manipulation. It seems his family is also wealthy, and his parents' strength won't be too low."
Satoru made his judgments about his three disciples in his mind.