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

Chapter 497 is titled "Considerations of Respect"

The Fourth Raikage, Ai, his eyes, which had just dimmed, contracted violently once more as he stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his gaze filled with incomprehensible shock and absurdity.

Even Hanzo the Salamander, who had been hiding behind his mask and observing everything with a cold eye, showed a hint of disbelief on his face for the first time.

A joint... memorial service?

This is no longer the logic of war, no longer the logic of ninjas, and no longer even the logic of humanity.

This is... a kind of arrogant condescension, a self-righteous pity for all living beings.

Hiruzen Sarutobi offered no explanation, simply standing there calmly, letting the boulder he had thrown create towering waves in everyone's hearts.

He looked around, taking in everyone's reactions, and then turned to Minato Namikaze.

"Watergate".

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Minato Namikaze stepped forward, his face also bearing the lingering shock, but his trust in his teacher had transcended mere understanding.

"The preparations for the memorial service are now in your hands."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's instruction was clear and simple: "Remember, everyone deserves respect."

"yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Minato readily agreed.

This simple instruction is like a command, but more like a watershed moment.

It signaled the end of the standoff and the beginning of a new era.

Minato immediately turned around, his gentle blue eyes becoming sharp and focused at that moment, and a powerful aura emanated from him, quickly pulling all the Konoha ninjas who were still in shock back to reality.

"The Hyuga clan!"

"exist!"

The Hyuga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi, stepped forward together.

"Search all areas within a three-kilometer radius of the memorial monument."

Shuimen's voice was clear, calm, and carried an undeniable decisiveness: "Use your eyes to find every single one of the victims. Remember, every single one. Don't miss a single corner, a single body, no matter which village's headband they were wearing."

Hiashi's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the Hokage not far away, then at Minato in front of him, deeply understanding the weight of this order. He nodded solemnly: "Understood!"

"Medical team!"

"exist!"

Nohara Rin arrived with several equally exhausted medical ninjas.

"Your task is to clean and organize all the bodies you find."

Minato looked at the strong girl and softened his voice, "I know this is hard, but it's the last thing we can do for them. Let them... embark on their journey home cleanly."

Lin's eyes reddened, but she nodded vigorously without saying a word, expressing her determination through her actions.

"Everyone else, listen to my instructions! Divide into groups! Clean up the area, collect all leftover ninja tools and personal belongings, and register them!"

With each order issued by Minato, the Konoha ninjas, who had been lost and saddened by the end of the war, quickly found a new pillar of support.

They were no longer bewildered victors, but rather became the executors of an unprecedented ritual.

After a brief period of deathly silence, the entire canyon has come back to life.

However, this time it was no longer the roar of ninjutsu and the clash of weapons, but a heavy, solemn, yet strangely hopeful sense of order.

The Cloud Village ninjas stared blankly at all of this.

They watched as the Konoha ninjas who had fought to the death on the battlefield just yesterday were now meticulously cleaning up the battlefield, placing the bodies of their comrades alongside those of ninjas from other villages.

This intense visual impact caused a dramatic shift in their worldview.

The Fourth Raikage, A, stood motionless, watching Minato calmly direct everything and the young Konoha ninja carrying out orders without any hesitation.

He suddenly realized that Konoha was far more terrifying than just Hiruzen Sarutobi or the Yellow Flash.

This absolute sense of execution and identity, ingrained in the very bones of every ordinary ninja, is what truly sends chills down one's spine.

Tsuchishiro walked to Ai's side and whispered, "Lord Raikage... our people are also on the battlefield."

Ai's body trembled; he understood what Tushiro meant.

He closed his sore eyes and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "...Let them go help."

……

Preparations for the memorial service began in this solemn and respectful atmosphere.

There were no elaborate decorations, only the ninjas spontaneously using earth-escape techniques to build a simple, ten-meter-high memorial stone in the center of the canyon, its structure consisting only of lines.

Obito Uchiha was carrying a stretcher covered with a white sheet, walking step by step towards the area where the bodies were temporarily placed. His whole body ached, and his mind was numb from the continuous battles and the scene before him.

"Seriously... why do we even have to deal with the Sand Village guys...?"

He muttered under his breath, half complaining and half venting.

My foot slipped, and the stretcher tilted.

The Sand Village ninja's personal ninja tool bag rolled off the stretcher, scattering its contents all over the ground.

"Tsk, troublesome."

Obito impatiently bent down to pick it up.

A few kunai, a few explosive tags, and a deflated water bottle.

Just as he was about to stuff everything back in, a neatly folded, slightly yellowed piece of paper caught his attention.

He picked it up instinctively and unfolded it.

On the paper were crooked patterns drawn with children's crayons.

A tall, muscular man is holding the hand of a gentle woman, with a little girl with pigtails in the middle.

The three of them were laughing, with a few simple clouds in the background.

Next to the painting, there was another line of equally childish handwriting: Welcome Daddy home.

Obito's movements froze instantly.

He stiffly raised his head and looked at the body covered with a white sheet on the stretcher.

He remembered this ninja; he was exceptionally brave in battle, and his chest was pierced by Kakashi's Lightning Blade.

A loud boom went through my mind, as if something had exploded.

enemy.

Intruders.

An ordinary ninja who is arbitrarily controlled by those in power.