Reborn as the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen

With a loud bang, Ohnoki was sent flying through the shattered wall.

As dust filled the air, a red chakra flared up, Roshi's and Han's presence becoming overwhelming. Sensing danger, Kagami immediately activated his Sharingan, while Torifu entered combat mode, his body swelling in preparation.

"Relax, Kagami, Torifu," a voice called out, breaking the tension. At that moment, a translucent panel appeared in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Roshi — Status

Body: 11/11

Spirit: 13/13

Element: 22/22 (4000)

Skills:

Advanced physical mastery

Advanced combat mastery

Mastery:

Advanced earth mastery

Advanced fire mastery

Advanced chakra mastery....

Kekkei Genkai : Primary fire and earth fusion - Lava escape

Danger: Medium

Hiruzen furrowed his brows.

"Lava Release? So his fire and earth fusion resulted in this technique? How did mine develop differently? Can it be replicated?"

His thoughts drifted to his own fusion of fire and earth—Meteor Release, which dealt impact damage. Lava Release, on the other hand, focused on burning damage. Then his eyes shifted to Han's panel.

Han — Status

Body: 11/11

Spirit: 10/10

Element: 18/18 (5000)

Skills:

Intermediate physical mastery

Intermediate combat mastery

Mastery:

Advanced earth mastery

Intermediate chakra mastery....

"This Jinchūriki seems weaker than expected."

The moment of analysis passed as the dust settled. From the rubble, Ohnoki emerged, his body covered in a hardened rock armor. Slowly, he dusted himself off and walked back inside through the gaping hole in the wall.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, rolling his shoulders. "Just a misunderstanding with the Raikage."

Without missing a beat, he formed a series of hand seals. The cracked wall mended itself, and from the ground, a three-sided stone table along with three chairs emerged. Taking his seat, Ohnoki steeped his fingers.

"Now, what I'm about to say must remain highly confidential."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Ohnoki, made a seal with his hands, and then stretched them out in all directions. "Sealing Barrier: Round Sky and Square Earth (Kekkai Fuin: Enten Hōchi )" This was a variant of the sealing technique that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been studying hard.

A ray of light slowly grew larger and spread like a cover, quickly merging into the walls of the conference room.

"Alright." Ohnoki put his hands on the table and whispered, "The Second Hokage and the Second Raikage are dead, but our Second Tsuchikage also died with the Second Mizukage. Four Kage died at the same time in a short period. Don't you find that suspicious?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, "This barrier is very strong. It's soundproof, you can speak louder."

Ohnoki, "Think about it, the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage died at the same time, Kinkaku and Ginkaku also showed signs of being manipulated, and our Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage perished together. I found that decision-making ninjas in Iwagakure were being manipulated. They were controlled by genjutsu. The strongest genjutsu… I thought of Uchiha Madara, but he was already dead, so I suspected that it was Konoha's Uchiha clan. That led me to believe that Konoha was responsible, which made me hostile toward you."

"It's fine, after all Kinkaku and Ginkaku also seem to have traces of genjutsu manipulation on their bodies. Their mental state is very weird. Whether there are traces of genjutsu manipulation or not, it will have to be checked in the village." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

"Only the Second Kazekage, Shamon, is still alive, and the Sand Village withdrew from the battlefield early. It must be them who incite this chaos let's unite and destroy them." The Third Raikage waved his hand.

At this point, Hiruzen probably the only one who knew who was behind it, and it had to be Uchiha Madara. Everyone believed that he was dead, but only Hiruzen who has watched the anime, knew he was alive.

Hiruzen said, "Not necessarily. He might have discovered something, so he definitely knows something. Let's test them tomorrow."

Ohnoki, responded "So there is an unknown force in the ninja world trying to manipulate the war between the five hidden villages. The ancestors who were tired of war and built the villages suddenly started a war? It makes no sense."

"Think deeply who benefits from war in the ninja world? Rather, who benefits from war between the five great nations? The war broke out after our First Hokage died. That means the mastermind fears Lord Hashirama. If you think deeper, this is an old man who was the remnant from the past—no, an old monster." Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to guide the discussion.

The Third Raikage, Ay, scoffed, "The small nations benefit from war so let's wipe them out. I've always disliked them."

Ohnoki was speechless, "Raikage, stop thinking about war all the time. The mastermind wants us to start a war and cause destruction towards each other. Besides, why should we pay attention to those small nations? They're the buffer zones we left behind to maintain the balance."

He continued, "I think the most urgent task is to strengthen communication. Look, if the Hokage hadn't mentioned that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had signs of being manipulated, I wouldn't have revealed that Iwagakure had the same issue.

Otherwise, I would have assumed that Konoha was behind the war. Even if the war didn't escalate, we would still target Konoha in every possible way and at the same time Kumogakure and Konoha would've suspecting the other villages. What would Kirigakure think? What about the Sunagakure? Eventually, another war would occur and become inevitable.

That is why I support the Five Kage Summit proposed by the Hokage. Strengthening communication is the way forward."

The Third Raikage, Ay, calmed down, "That makes sense. Did the Hokage find something out ahead of time? Is that why he wants a Five Kage Summit now?"

Hiruzen smirked. He had simply chosen the Land of Iron for safety reasons. But since he was already there, he figured he might as well propose a Five Kage Summit. It was a gamble that worked out.

"Before meeting Kinkaku and Ginkaku, I really didn't notice anything. I just felt that this war seemed unnatural, so I wanted to talk with you all to see if it could be avoided. Now, it seems that the Five Kage Summit is necessary. I wonder if we can make it a regular event and have a meeting every once in a while," Hiruzen responded.

Ohnoki frowned, "We'll discuss that after the Kazekage and Mizukage arrive. What if the mastermind is Sand Village?"

"If it's Sand Village, we destroy them." The Third Raikage, Ay, was angry again.

"Stop thinking about destruction all the time, war breeds hatred," Hiruzen shook his head. "Tsuchikage, please repair the meeting room with Earth Release and reshape the table into the Five Kage Summit style. Since secrecy is crucial, we need a barrier for the room."

Ohnoki performed a few seals and the meeting room returned to its original state.

The next day, Danzo brought the bodies of Kinkaku and Ginkaku to the Land of Iron.

In the rest room, Hiruzen asked, "Danzo, how is it?"

"Kinkaku and Ginkaku have traces of being controlled by illusions, and there are talismans on their bodies. In the world, only Uchiha can manipulate Kinkaku and Ginkaku to this level of illusion..." Danzo glanced at Uchiha Kagami.

"Hiruzen, Uchiha is absolutely loyal and have no evil intention towards Konoha. This matter..." Kagami quickly explained.

"Danzo, don't say such things that could affect our unity in the future. I have already spoken with the Raikage and Tsuchikage. There are also people in their villages who were controlled, which led to the deaths of the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage. This is no longer just a matter of one country or one village." Sarutobi Hiruzen scolded.

Danzo was furious. "I wasn't talking about Kagami, I was referring to the other Uchiha! Kagami is our comrade!"

"You shouldn't say 'Uchiha' either. The Uchiha are part of Konoha." Hiruzen said firmly.

"Fine, let's not argue about this but why would the Raikage and Tsuchikage reveal such top-secret information to us?" Danzo asked while looking skeptical.

At this moment, Torifu spoke up, "The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki attacked Hiruzen, and then the Raikage and his guards fought with us. In the end the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki was sealed, and Kagami and I captured two of the Raikage's guards alive. Hiruzen's jutsu buried the Raikage, and Ohnoki flew into the sky to avoid the attack. In the end, the Raikage admit defeat to Hiruzen and he even end up punching the Tsuchikage at the conference hall."

"I didn't mean to laugh at Kumogakure and Iwagakure," Torifu added, suppressing a grin. "I just thought of something funny... haha..."

"Alright, let's not be like this because all of them are one of the Five Great Nations. Kumogakure is just . . being straightforward," Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. "Now, let's get down to business. The Mizukage and the Kazekage have already arrived, and the Five Kage Summit will begin tomorrow.

Danzo, you will discuss the barrier arrangements with the representatives from other villages. Since someone is manipulating this war, we need a barrier for tomorrow's summit. Additionally, I plan to bring up the matter of Kinkaku and Ginkaku during the discussions where their bodies will eventually be returned to Kumogakure."

"Isn't that just giving them a free advantage? At least ask for financial compensation," Danzo argued.

Hiruzen replied, "We will request compensation, but it likely won't be much. After all, Kumogakure already paid 80 million for the Eight-Tails. If we demand too much, they might turn hostile. Besides, if we want Konoha to be the strongest hidden village in the ninja world, we need to show generosity and not be petty over minor matters."

"But don't neglect our own interests. Friendships are friendships, but business is business," Danzo countered.

"Danzo, you're right, but our top priority now is ensuring the success of the Five Kage Summit. If the summit goes smoothly, Konoha will gain more than it loses. You must think beyond the immediate gains," Hiruzen explained.

Danzo, Kagami, and Torifu were still confused. Hiruzen sighed and explained further,

"The last Five Kage Summit was proposed by our First Hokage, Lord Hashirama, and now this one is also proposed by Konoha.

For the sake of the ninja world's peace, Konoha has taken the lead in organizing these summits, resolving many disputes along the way. Subconsciously, people will see us as a peace-loving village. They will believe that Konoha is not the cause of wars but rather, a messenger of peace..."

He stopped and looked at the three of them, their expressions still puzzled. Sigh... It seems the ninja world still needs nine years of compulsory education...

"Alright, just follow my instructions for now. If you don't understand, I'll explain again when the time comes. You'll see the results in a few years."