Master, Please Become a Hokage

Then, something even Sarutobi Ryo couldn't have predicted happened...

"Not enough fire? Then I'll use my hand as firewood... to make it enough!"

The next second, in the astonished gaze of Namikaze Minato, Senju Nawaki plunged his right hand into the stove...

"Nawaki-senpai!"

Namikaze Minato exclaimed, his reflexes were incredibly fast.

In less than a second, he pulled Senju Nawaki's arm out.

Looking at Senju Nawaki's appearance of enduring the pain, Namikaze Minato advised, "Nawaki-senpai, everyone has their own ambitions, why bother..."

Perhaps Namikaze Minato failed to understand the deeper meaning in the interaction between Sarutobi Ryo and Senju Nawaki.

Or perhaps... Namikaze Minato understood, but felt that Sarutobi Ryo and he were not the same kind of people.

"Ryo-kun."

Senju Nawaki looked towards Sarutobi Ryo, whose expression was different, his gaze extremely sincere.

"A single spark... can start a prairie fire..."

......

Afterwards, Senju Nawaki lied and claimed that he accidentally burned his hand, and was scolded by Tsunade. Her younger brother's "accident" made her feel both heartache and anger.

After all, burn scars are not so easily removed.

And since this incident, Sarutobi Ryo slightly changed his mind and decided to follow Senju Nawaki and see.

Could this world become any brighter?

From then on, the three of them often gathered together.

Sarutobi Ryo, due to his personality, didn't like to talk much.

He was only close to Senju Nawaki, and didn't have a deep relationship with Namikaze Minato.

Through the symbolism of burning oneself, Senju Nawaki expressed his deep desire to change the village.

One day.

The three of them stood at the entrance of Konoha, gazing at the Hokage Rock at the end.

"Minato, look, what does the Hokage Rock look like from afar?" Senju Nawaki asked.

"It looks like a milestone, on which will be recorded the great things the three of us will do in the future," Namikaze Minato, whose dream was also to become Hokage, said without hesitation.

"Yes. Then Ryo-kun, what do you say?" Senju Nawaki looked at Sarutobi Ryo again.

Sarutobi Ryo's expression was solemn, his gaze far-reaching. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It looks like a tombstone. 'One general succeeds, ten thousand bones wither.' I wonder how many people's dreams and lives are buried here..."

Chapter 57: Inheritors of the Will of Fire

Later.

The three of them weathered storms together and performed excellently in the Ninja Academy.

They encountered some setbacks, but they were all overcome.

"Grandpa and Uchiha Madara-sama's original intention in building Konoha was to prevent children from going to the battlefield again, but now Konoha is actually..."

At the graduation ceremony, Senju Nawaki said with emotion.

"But even though the road ahead is full of hardships, I believe there will always be a day when the sun shines brightly."

As a senior student, Senju Nawaki naturally graduated one year earlier.

At the moment of Senju Nawaki's graduation, the Second Shinobi World War broke out.

At the beginning of the war, each village sent ninjas to the front lines.

Konoha even sent many children.

Senju Nawaki learned about this from his sister, Tsunade.

Many children had already died.

For example, a senior student named Katō who graduated last year [Katō Dan's younger sister].

"I have become a formal ninja."

After finishing his感慨, Senju Nawaki looked at his two juniors.

Sarutobi Ryo took a step forward and advised.

The years of getting along had completely made Sarutobi Ryo understand Senju Nawaki's character.

He was upright and completely different from the current high-level officials of Konoha.

If his fate could be changed, allowing him to live and become Hokage... perhaps Konoha, or even the entire shinobi world, would usher in a different change.

Sarutobi Ryo: "Don't you think it's absurd to send children to the battlefield?"

Namikaze Minato: "!"

Namikaze Minato saw Sarutobi Ryo's persuasion.

But at that time, Namikaze Minato was just silent.

Because not everyone would question the problems of Konoha's high-level officials, and not everyone would resist.

"Nawaki-senpai, think again... there's a possibility that someone at the top is deliberately trying to harm you..."

Sarutobi Ryo continued to persuade, seeing that Senju Nawaki was unmoved.

In the Naruto work, Senju Nawaki's death makes it hard not to associate it with conspiracy theories.

The grandson of the God of Shinobi was casually sent to his death, which didn't make sense no matter how you looked at it.

"Maybe..."

Senju Nawaki nodded.

He probably also knew the possibility that it was full of traps.

"If that's the case, why..." Sarutobi Ryo didn't say the following words.

Even the grandson of the God of Shinobi was just a Genin who had just graduated and could easily die on the battlefield.

Senju Nawaki shook his head: "To do great things, you either succeed greatly or fail greatly. There's never a middle ground... Some risks must be taken."

......

That night.

Sarutobi Ryo faced the wall and couldn't sleep for a long time.

After a while, a figure broke in.

"Young master, it's not good! As you said, Nawaki-senpai is going to the battlefield!" Yamanaka Kei rushed in, groping in the dark. She entered Senju Nawaki's house and found Senju Nawaki packing his bags, possibly leaving tonight.

"Let's go."

Sarutobi Ryo immediately decided to go and find Senju Nawaki, even if he had to knock him out and hide him.

But when Sarutobi Ryo arrived at Senju Nawaki's house, Senju Nawaki, who was ready, was already waiting for Sarutobi Ryo.

"Ryo-kun, I knew you would come."

"Nawaki-senpai, let's go," Sarutobi Ryo invited, intending to prevent Senju Nawaki from going to the battlefield.

Senju Nawaki shook his head: "You can leave Konoha, but you can't leave the shinobi world..."

Sarutobi Ryo frowned slightly, understanding Senju Nawaki's meaning, but still decided to try to save him: "If we can get through tonight, we'll have tomorrow."

Senju Nawaki shook his head: "Grandpa [Senju Hashirama] once said, 'Each generation has things that it can do'... Tomorrow's matters should be left to the people of tomorrow to do. What I can do is to generously go to my death and burn myself to inspire everyone..."

Human power sometimes runs out.

A person's dream and reality are often different.

Senju Nawaki understood the limitations of each person in these years of growth.

He... was not the one who could completely change Konoha, or even change the shinobi world.

Neither was Namikaze Minato.

But there was someone!

"A single spark can start a prairie fire..."

Senju Nawaki turned his back, leaving Sarutobi Ryo with a back view.

"Tomorrow's matters, I'll leave them to Ryo-kun..."

"......"

Sarutobi Ryo was silent.

Senju Nawaki's self-sacrificing觉悟 to practice the true Will of Fire shocked Sarutobi Ryo's mind.

"Nawaki-senpai... you're right, to do great things, you either succeed greatly or fail greatly. There's never a middle ground. Konoha or the shinobi world... will definitely change. I promise you that Konoha will always follow your path... the path of the true... Will of Fire..."

Burning oneself to illuminate others and protect cherished people or things.

Not a distorted fire cultivator.

In this process, one naturally needs to be brave and forge ahead, even recklessly, rather than compromising, let alone flattering.

"Konoha will always... follow my path?"

Senju Nawaki turned around, his eyes full of tears.

It's human nature to be afraid of death, and who doesn't cherish their own life?

But... he was already prepared to burn himself and illuminate others.

Because that was the true Will of Fire.

Senju Nawaki had always been practicing the beliefs he adhered to with his life.

"Ryo-kun..."

Senju Nawaki smiled slightly.

"I want to sleep for a while... I haven't had a good rest in a long time..."

After saying that, he slowly sat back on the bed, lay down, and finally closed his eyes.

Since the Will of Fire had already been inherited, then... after a road full of hardships, there would inevitably be a day when the sun shines brightly.

"Ryo-kun... the Will of Fire... and the village, I entrust them to you!"

......

"!"

Sarutobi Ryo suddenly opened his eyes.

Everything around him had already frozen into ice.

After several more days of cultivation, Sarutobi Ryo had completely mastered the essence of the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.

"Ice Release!"

As Sarutobi Ryo formed the hand seals, frost climbed and condensed into an ice blade.

Holding the weapon, Sarutobi Ryo was not frostbitten by the low temperature at all.

The Ice Release Kekkei Genkai had subtly changed Sarutobi Ryo's body in the past few days.

Making Sarutobi Ryo no longer afraid of wind, snow, and low temperatures.

Even in the cold winter, he could be bare-chested as if a spring breeze was blowing.

Of course, this was just a side effect.