"Lord Third Hokage…"
"Mm… yeah…"
Inside the Sarutobi Clan compound, Namikaze Minato came alone to visit the paralyzed Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Kushina didn't even want to look at the Third Hokage anymore, much less visit him.
As for Naruto—
He completely ignored the old man's existence.
Only Minato, out of the last remaining bit of respect from the past, came to see his former teacher.
Today, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat paralyzed in a wheelchair.
He could barely speak anymore.
Even his words had become slurred and unclear.
His entire body had shrunk thin and frail, almost like a child's.
His eyes were clouded and dazed, as though he had fallen into dementia.
Looking at Hiruzen's current appearance, Minato's emotions became extremely complicated.
There was hatred in his eyes.
But more than hatred—
There was helplessness and pity.
From Kushina, Minato had already learned everything Naruto experienced growing up.
Even the fragment of chakra consciousness he left inside Naruto's seal had shown him scenes from Naruto's childhood.
Every memory filled Minato with rage.
He wanted nothing more than to explode on the spot and drag Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō out to settle accounts personally.
After all—
Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
The son of heroes.
Yet not only was he never protected—
He became an outlet for the villagers' hatred and resentment.
Those cold eyes…
Those discriminatory gazes…
Those vicious insults…
Even Minato, as an adult, found them unbearable to watch.
How much worse must it have been for Naruto as a child?
Minato wasn't stupid.
Without anyone saying it aloud, he could already guess what the Third Hokage had secretly allowed behind the scenes.
Before coming here, Minato had originally planned to confront Hiruzen directly.
He wanted to ask him if a donkey had kicked his brain.
How could he possibly do something like that?
But after seeing the Third Hokage's current state—
Minato's anger gradually faded away.
Because Hiruzen had already been punished.
Naruto hadn't done anything excessive.
He still ensured the old man received proper food and care.
He never stopped Tsunade from treating him either.
The only thing Naruto did—
Was stop caring.
And Konoha's people weren't fools.
In fact, many of them were extremely perceptive.
The Fifth Hokage's attitude naturally influenced everyone beneath him.
When Naruto treated the former Hokage with polite indifference, the entire village unconsciously followed suit.
Little by little—
The once glorious Third Hokage was forgotten.
Ignored.
Overlooked.
And for Sarutobi Hiruzen—
That was the cruelest punishment possible.
The Konoha he loved most no longer needed him.
"Why?!"
"Why won't Lord Hokage save Grandpa Third Hokage?"
"During that moonlit night, Lord Hokage resurrected countless people across the ninja world!"
"He could obviously heal Grandpa too! It'd be effortless for him!"
Konohamaru shouted unwillingly.
"Konohamaru, calm down."
"This is your grandfather's own choice."
"And it's also the will of the clan."
"Unless Lord Hokage personally wishes to act…"
"Your grandfather can only remain this way."
The Sarutobi Clan had worked desperately during the unification of the ninja world.
They had practically thrown everything they had into the cause.
Even Sarutobi Asuma, who was now vaguely becoming the clan's new leader, worked tirelessly for Naruto's reforms.
He even turned against former comrades when necessary.
All of it—
Simply to earn Naruto's acknowledgment.
To hopefully soften Naruto's cold indifference toward the Third Hokage.
Looking at the old man now, Minato's anger finally disappeared completely.
What remained was only a faint sense of sadness.
Naruto had already taken revenge in his own way.
As a father—
Minato no longer needed to do anything.
He quietly turned to leave.
At that moment, the Third Hokage's cloudy eyes suddenly regained a trace of clarity.
He looked toward Minato's departing back.
His lips trembled slightly, wanting to speak.
But no words came out.
What else could he possibly say now?
Nothing.
On the television screen nearby, the news continued broadcasting nonstop.
The entire ninja world was undergoing earth-shattering transformation.
Every major reform became breaking news played repeatedly across Red Sun TV.
Even simply watching the broadcasts allowed people to feel the unstoppable momentum of the new era.
"Our great Hokage-sama is currently meeting with Lord Nagato of Rain Village!"
"This time, Lord Hokage displayed unbelievable ninjutsu and directly removed the mountain range separating Rain Village from the Land of Wind!"
"From now on, there will no longer be barriers between the two regions!"
"According to experts, the humid air currents from Rain Village will now flow directly into the Land of Wind."
"The endless rainy climate of Rain Village will improve dramatically."
"Sunny weather may soon become normal there."
"At the same time, the environment of the Land of Wind will gradually improve as well!"
The TV host spoke excitedly like a fanatical believer praising a god.
Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.
Tears rolled down his wrinkled cheeks.
If only he had known things would end this way…
"Lord President, can the climate of Rain Village really be changed?"
Nagato asked in disbelief.
Naruto glanced at him calmly.
"Have you never thought about why Rain Village's climate is so extreme?"
"Climate and geography follow natural laws."
"As long as you identify the patterns and change the environment accordingly, it isn't difficult for powerful ninjas at all."
Nagato immediately looked embarrassed.
"Cough… Lord President…"
"I don't study much…"
"My knowledge is shallow…"
"Please forgive me."
Konan covered her mouth and laughed softly nearby.
The three of them were currently touring Rain Village together while Naruto explained his plans for the future.
Ever since reuniting with his parents and experiencing true family warmth again, Naruto seemed to have undergone another transformation.
Even his motivation for work had increased noticeably.
The political restructuring of the ninja world had already been delegated to others.
Naruto had no interest in wasting time on endless administrative schemes and arguments.
So now—
He planned to directly reshape the geography of the ninja world itself.
After traveling through multiple parallel worlds, Naruto had gained a thorough understanding of every nation's environment.
And in his eyes—
The geography of the ninja world was an absolute mess.
The Land of Fire was naturally beautiful and fertile.
No issues there.
But the Land of Wind?
It was nothing but endless desert and sandstorms.
An entire nation surviving in conditions where even greenery was rare.
Completely absurd.
The Land of Earth was mostly barren mountains and rocky terrain.
Not much better.
The Lands of Lightning and Water were at least relatively normal.
But Rain Village?
Endless rainfall all year long.
That made even less sense.
Especially since Rain Village bordered the Land of Wind directly.
One side flooded endlessly.
The other completely dry.
It felt like whoever designed the ninja world forgot basic common sense.
So Naruto's first goal was simple:
Fix the environment itself.
Turn the ninja world into an actual world that followed logical climate patterns.
"Nagato."
"Your ideal has basically become reality already."
"Now you need to think about the future."
"Yahiko still has a relatively normal worldview."
"But you two especially need to study more and think more deeply."
"Stop acting so stubborn all the time."
"In an era of peace, the existence of ninjas becomes awkward."
"With fewer wars, missions like assassination, spying, reconnaissance, and combat naturally decline."
"So what happens to all those ninjas afterward?"
"Ninjas are essentially weapons."
"They're tools of violence."
"If those weapons aren't properly guided after peace arrives…"
"They'll inevitably become hidden dangers."
"Ninjas need new jobs."
"New ideals."
"New outlets."
"Otherwise everything they learned will eventually turn rotten."
The revived Yahiko was furiously taking notes beside Naruto, recording every single word with near-religious devotion.
Nagato listened with glowing eyes.
The more he listened, the more admiration filled his heart.
Nagato had never truly submitted to Naruto solely because of strength.
But everything Naruto taught through the Red Sun Society completely changed his worldview.
Naruto wasn't just powerful.
He could see through the future itself.
Like a beacon lighting the road ahead.
To Nagato—
Naruto had already become something close to a living god.
Eventually, the group arrived before the massive mountain range separating Rain Village and the Land of Wind.
Naruto pointed calmly ahead.
"Look."
"This mountain blocks the warm humid airflow."
"So the moisture gets trapped around Rain Village instead of continuing westward."
"That's why Rain Village rains endlessly."
"Meanwhile, all the rainfall continues flowing eastward into the Land of Rivers."
"That's why the Land of Rivers has abundant water resources."
Naruto suddenly looked annoyed.
"And the people of the Land of Wind are complete idiots."
"There's endless rainfall right beside them, yet none of them ever thought about redirecting the water."
"With water comes vegetation."
"With vegetation comes improved climate."
"And with improved climate comes better living conditions."
"It's such a simple concept!"
"How could nobody figure this out?!"
Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko all became embarrassed.
Nearby, the reporters from Red Sun TV quietly gestured to the cameraman.
Delete that part later.
Anything damaging Lord Hokage's perfect image absolutely could not air publicly.
"This mountain needs to be removed."
"Once the airflow passes through naturally, both Rain Village and the Land of Wind will improve."
Naruto finally concluded.
Nagato immediately began calculating how many Earth Style users Rain Village would need to tunnel through the mountain manually.
Yahiko and Konan joined the discussion enthusiastically as well.
After all, changing Rain Village's endless storms had always been their dream.
Naruto stared at them for a moment before suddenly asking:
"What are you guys doing?"
"Lord President, we're discussing how to open a passage through the mountain."
Naruto blinked.
Then casually cracked his knuckles.
"Perfect timing."
"My hands were itching anyway."
"I'll handle it myself."
Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan froze.
The TV crew immediately aimed every camera directly at Naruto.
Naruto smiled faintly.
Placed both hands behind his back.
Then stepped forward.
Cool.
Stylish.
Full of presence.
BOOM!!!
The earth trembled violently.
The gigantic mountain—
A mountain that had stood unmoving for countless years—
Suddenly lifted into the air.
As if grabbed by an invisible hand.
Everyone's scalps went numb.
Naruto casually raised one fist.
Then punched forward.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire mountain instantly exploded into dust.
Countless tons of debris scattered into the horizon before gradually settling across the distant desert.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone stood frozen in place.
Ahead of them—
The previously blocked world had become completely open.
"What strong wind all of a sudden…"
"Look at the sky!"
"The clouds got split perfectly in half!"
"Why is there so much dust?"
Inside Sunagakure, countless people stared upward in confusion.
None of them understood what had happened.
But subconsciously—
They suddenly felt happy.
Because for the first time in countless years—
The dry air carried the faint scent of moisture.
Even if it was only a trace…
For the people of the desert—
That tiny trace felt like hope itself.
The world…
Had changed.
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