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

Chapter 445 The Hidden Message

As the suffocating pressure gradually receded, some breathing sounds finally echoed in the dense forest.

"call…………"

"Brother..."

Hyuga Hizashi approached Hyuga Hiashi, whose face was also somewhat pale.

"He... let us go?"

"No."

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head, stood up, and his pure white eyes were filled with solemnity and confusion.

"He didn't let us go."

"He never intended to attack us from the beginning."

Hizashi was taken aback: "Why? We are Konoha ninjas, his enemies..."

"Perhaps, in his eyes, we are not yet enemies. Or... he has more important things to do."

"This is a good thing for us."

The information given to him by the Hokage flashed rapidly through Hiashi Hyuga's mind.

Amegakure and Hanzo the Salamander joined the three-village alliance only under duress from Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

This man was never anyone's ally; he only trusted himself.

Therefore, he didn't want to offend Konoha, which was currently at its peak, in this place and at this time, for the sake of two "allies" he couldn't trust at all.

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these distracting thoughts.

"Regardless, this is not a place to stay for long."

He ordered in a deep voice, "We must evacuate immediately and report the intelligence here to Watergate."

"yes!"

The tribespeople immediately resumed their activities.

Hiashi Hyuga himself did not leave immediately.

Out of the caution of a top-notch reconnaissance ninja, he activated his Byakugan once again, scanning the surrounding environment within hundreds of meters in great detail to ensure that nothing was missed.

His gaze slowly swept over the path that Hanzo the Salamander had taken.

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

Beside that path, on the trunk of an inconspicuous century-old tree, there seemed to be something extra.

Just now, as I was half-hidden away from the tree, I inadvertently touched it with my hand.

Hiashi Hyuga appeared silently in front of the old tree in a flash.

His gaze fell on the middle of the tree trunk.

There, there was a brand new symbol, freshly etched by a sharp tool.

The symbols were deeply engraved, with precise and powerful lines, and even retained a trace of almost imperceptible chakra belonging to Hanzo the Salamander.

It was an extremely complex graphic composed of several spirals and intersecting lines.

It does not belong to the common code system of any ninja village.

A glint of light flashed in Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan.

His brain was working at lightning speed, a vast amount of knowledge churning within him.

As the heir to the main branch of the Hyuga clan, he was required to read extensively from a young age, including scrolls containing secrets and ancient codes of various clans during the Warring States period.

This symbol...

He seems familiar...

Fragments of memory are rapidly pieced together.

Finally, an ancient term perfectly overlapped with the symbol before them.

Hiashi Hyuga's body suddenly froze.

He stared intently at the symbol, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his calm and composed demeanor.

In the Warring States period, a time of blood and fire, this symbol had only one meaning.

It does not represent a threat, a warning, or a declaration of war.

Rather, it is a kind of...desire.

—A desire for dialogue.

Hanzo the Salamander was sending a secret... peace negotiation request to them, or rather, to Konoha behind them?

A thought as powerful as a tidal wave exploded in Hiashi Hyuga's mind.

The central front.

Dead silence.

The humidity enveloped the entire forest, and even the light was filtered and dimmed by the layers of tree canopy.

Minato Namikaze stood silently atop the tree canopy.

Despite possessing the most dazzling blond hair in the ninja world, he now resembled a withered leaf dampened by dew, his aura completely dissolving into the environment, devoid of any trace of human presence.

Bring your index and middle fingers together and gently press them against the miniature communication device near your ear.

The faint hum of electricity was like the whisper of insects in the forest.

"The pig, deer, and butterfly are in position."

Yamanaka Inoichi's voice was as calm as ice: "The encirclement has been completed on the east, south, and west wings."

"Xiao, we have arrived at the north exit."

Yahiko's voice held a hint of youthful sharpness, "We will take care of the fish that escape from here."

Two lines of blockade, two layers of despair.

This means that the inescapable net that had been laid for Yan Yin has now been completely tightened.

"very good."

Minato Namikaze's response was brief and gentle, yet carried an undeniable sense of finality.

He lowered his hand, his gaze passing through the wet branches and leaves, landing on the three disciples lurking not far away.

Kakashi Hatake crouched on a thick tree branch, his body pressed low, like a silver wolf poised to pounce.

He gripped the short sword at his waist, the one that bore the name White Fang, its hilt icy cold to the touch, just like the look in his eyes.

Nohara Rin stood beside him, her hands clenched tightly together, her palms sweating profusely.

But her breathing was steady, her gaze fixed on the direction she was about to rush in, and her medical ninja skills allowed her to suppress all her unease.

And Obito Uchiha...

He was like a spring that had been squeezed to its limit, his muscles trembling slightly, and behind his goggles, his black eyes burned with a flame of excitement and desire.

Minato gently raised his hand, his five fingers slightly spread, giving a silent command.

He turned his head, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and that composure instantly dispelled the disciples' tension.

"Are you ready to play the opening prelude for them?"

"Anytime is fine, Minato-sensei!"

Obito's voice was full of eager excitement, like a young tiger whose chains had finally been broken.

"Um."

Minato nodded, his smile fading and replaced by absolute calm.

"Remember our objective: eliminate this Iwagakure advance demolition unit that is harassing the flank of Kumogakure."

"Quick battle, quick victory."

The moment he finished speaking, he made a simple yet powerful attack gesture.

—Now!

Almost at the same instant the gesture was made, a black afterimage tore through the dim forest!

"Oh, it's my turn, the future Hokage—Uchiha Obito, to make my grand entrance!"

"Fool!"

A silver-white shadow almost chased after the black afterimage. Kakashi's low shout carried a hint of helpless anger, but his speed was several times faster than the loud and boisterous Obito.

While cursing, his body instinctively cut into Obito's left blind spot, adjusting to the perfect support position.

Obito had already leaped into the air, his hands flying in front of his chest, forming a dazzling series of hand seals.

Si—Wei—Shen—Hai—Wu—Yin!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"