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

Chapter 58 The Caged Bird

Konoha Village is experiencing an unprecedented construction boom.

Since the Second Shinobi World War ended with Konoha's complete victory, the entire village has been immersed in a spirited and inspiring atmosphere.

And the ones leading this trend are none other than the two most awe-inspiring figures who are now... both laughable and pathetic.

Danzo Shimura, the head of the Konoha construction team.

Hatake Sakumo, General Manager of Muye Ecological Farm.

One is infrastructure, the other is farming.

These two men, who should have shone brightly in the shadows or on the battlefield, have now reached new heights in their respective "little corners of the world".

"Reporting to the Hokage! Advisor Danzo worked through the night yesterday and successfully completed the paving of the southern section of Hokage Avenue three days ahead of schedule! The entire avenue is now fully open, with a flatness error of no more than three centimeters!"

"Reporting to Hokage! Farm Manager Sakumo also assisted in the farrowing of a sow last night. The large black piglet in Zone A of the farm successfully gave birth to twelve healthy piglets, setting a new record for the number of piglets born in a single litter in this village!"

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the reports of victory handed to him by the two Anbu members, feeling his temples throbbing.

He put down his calligraphy brush, rubbed his temples wearily, and felt utterly powerless.

"Is this the Hokage's office or the production team headquarters?"

He couldn't help but complain inwardly, "One report says how many meters of road were paved, another says how many babies were born... What am I even worrying about?"

However, despite the complaints, seeing the village getting better day by day and the villagers smiling more and more, I still feel very satisfied.

"Okay, I got it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Tell Danzo that the road is well-built, but be careful during construction. Also tell Sakumo that the sows need proper postpartum care to prevent them from developing health problems."

"Yes!" The two secret agents accepted the order and disappeared instantly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply and picked up the file again.

Although the process went a bit off track, the result was good.

Konoha is steadily progressing towards his ideal ninja utopia—a place that is both powerful and happy.

Danzo Shimura has been in a very good mood lately, one could even say he's a little smug.

Since Hiruzen entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of building the Konoha team, he felt as if a brand new door had opened in his life.

Watching wide, smooth roads emerge from your hands, and seeing brand-new houses rise from the ground, the sense of accomplishment from turning ruins into prosperous neighborhoods is far more real and more... addictive than planning a successful assassination in the dark.

He, Danzo Shimura, is using his own hands to build the most solid foundation for the great tree of Konoha.

This feeling gave him boundless energy every day, and he even felt that sleeping was a waste of time.

However, this pleasant mood was completely shattered today by a report from Muye Ecological Farm.

"What? The first batch of specially supplied pigs has already been born? And because they were fed the Akimichi clan's secret feed and the Inuzuka clan's carefree free-range method, the Hokage has already named them Konoha's Number One Pig?"

Danzo held the report in his hand, his face full of black lines.

Sakumo Hatake!

Ever since Hiruzen gave him the S-rank mission at the farm, this white-haired guy has been acting like he's on steroids.

He simply transplanted the entire management model of the secret service to the farm.

There are all sorts of things like "Postpartum Care Manual for Sows (Hidden Version)" and "Commonality Analysis Report on Rice Growth Cycle and Latent Tasks". They even came up with a "Pigpen KPI Assessment System", and it is said that pigs that fail to meet the targets will have their feed deducted for the next day.

Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!

But what's even more outrageous is that his method actually works!

The farm is being built at a rapid pace, and the first batch of results is already out.

On their side, although the Hokage Avenue has been fully opened, most of the subsequent modifications are still in the blueprint stage.

A strong competitive spirit burned brightly in Danzo's heart.

He felt as if he had returned to the days when he and Hiruzen were competing for the position under the Second Hokage.

"Someone come here!" Danzo shouted towards the door.

A Root ninja appeared silently in front of him.

"Summon all construction team leaders immediately! Everyone work overtime tonight! I need to see the foundation of the West District Commercial Street completed by dawn tomorrow! Anyone who delays will have their bonus for this month forfeited!"

"yes!"

Just as Danzo was preparing to make a big splash and compete with Sakumo's farm, an accident occurred.

"Lord Danzo! Something terrible has happened!" A Root ninja responsible for the daily patrol of the Hokage Road rushed in with a panicked expression.

"What's the panic! Is the sky falling down?"

Danzo snapped irritably.

"No...no, it's...it's on the Hokage Road..."

"..."

Danzo's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Hokage Avenue, which he personally supervised the construction of, was a landmark project for Konoha Village that had only been open to traffic for a few days.

Now, someone has actually died?

Without saying a word, he vanished from the office in a flash.

When he arrived at the scene, it had already been surrounded by Uchiha ninjas from the security forces.

He spotted the corpse lying on the ground in the crowd at a glance.

The deceased was a young ninja, dressed in the attire of the Hyuga clan.

His death was gruesome, clearly indicating that he had endured immense suffering.

"What happened?"

Danzo's voice was cold.

A Uchiha captain from the security force rushed forward and respectfully reported, "Lord Danzo, according to preliminary investigations, the deceased was a branch family member of the Hyuga clan named Hyuga Kumo. According to witnesses, he had an argument with a member of the main family today, after which the other party used a cursed seal to activate the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, ultimately causing him to die in agony due to the destruction of his brain tissue."

"Where is that member of the main family?" Danzo's expression grew increasingly grim.

"They've been brought under our control; they're over there."

Danzo looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a young Hyuga main clan ninja being pinned to the ground by two Uchiha ninjas, looking terrified and bewildered.

Danzo clenched his fists tightly.

An uncontrollable rage exploded from his chest.

Hokage Avenue!

To build this road, he stayed up countless nights, scolded countless lazy workers, and even personally reinforced the foundation using earth magic.

This is his contribution to Hiruzen and to Konoha; it is the pioneering work of his Konoha-building team.

Now, it has been defiled by the Hyuga clan!

A vibrant life was tragically cut short on the very path he had built, a path that symbolized the rebirth of Konoha, because of that ridiculous and outdated system of branching into main and branch families.

This is more than just a human life.

This is a slap in his face! A slap in Hiruzen's face!

This is a slap in the face to the entire Hidden Leaf Village!

"Okay, okay, okay."

Danzo squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.

"So this is the Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal? It's terrifying..."

"Sigh, the lives of those who have separated from their families are truly worthless."

These comments were like needles pricking Danzo's heart.

The united village atmosphere that Hiruzen had worked so hard to build was cracked because of the Hyuga main family's foolishness.

"I won't trouble Hiruzen with this matter."

The thought flashed through Danzo's mind in an instant.

He glanced in the direction of the Hokage Building; Hiruzen was probably still preoccupied with various important matters concerning the village.

We shouldn't use this dirty, shameful family scandal to upset him anymore.

This darkness, this filth, should be dealt with by me, by the roots!

"Take that murderer back to the garrison and keep him under strict guard!"

Danzo gave an order to the Uchiha guards standing nearby.

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

"As for the body..."

Danzo glanced at the already cold corpse on the ground, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "Notify the Hyuga clan and let them come and take him away themselves."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the underground base at the root.

His silhouette, stretched long in the afterglow of the setting sun, appeared incredibly somber.

He was going to see someone.

Uchiha Kagami.

Because Jing's identity is too special.

He understands the stubbornness of the large family, yet he agrees with Hiruzen's ideals.

The two of them appearing together, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, couldn't be more suitable.

"The Hyuga clan..." A cold glint flashed in Danzo's eyes.

"The problem our teacher couldn't solve back then, I will solve it for Hiruzen today!"

He has already made up his mind.

This fire, started by the Hyuga clan themselves, will completely burn down their corrupt main family system.

And he will be the one to add the most powerful fuel to the fire.