"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 140: Return to Everyday Life
A month after returning from the Kirigakure battlefield.
Feng Bai walked with Kabuto holding his left hand, Yamato his right, and Itachi trailing behind—the four of them arrived together at the dango shop.
"Yo, Feng Bai, become a kindergarten principal now?"
As soon as he entered, Feng Bai heard Asuma's teasing voice.
Following the sound, Asuma was leaning against the doorframe, grinning as he looked at Feng Bai and the children in his care.
"Well, sometimes you have to enjoy the peaceful, quiet life, don't you?"
Feng Bai smiled, leading the group inside: "Quick, call him Asuma-nii-chan. If you do, he'll treat you to something delicious."
Kabuto & Yamato & Itachi: "..."
This guy really was treating them like little kids!
But under Feng Bai's intimidating presence, the three weakly spoke up: "Asuma-nii-chan."
"You little—"
Asuma rolled his eyes, but facing his juniors, he could only obediently pull out his wallet: "Order whatever you want."
"Asuma-nii-chan, I want something delicious too~"
Seeing Asuma actually take out his wallet, Feng Bai's eyes lit up as he put on an affected voice, also hoping to mooch some benefits.
"Get lost! You're way too old for that—hurry up and move before I beat you up."
Though he said this, Asuma still turned to call out to the shop owner: "Auntie, put Feng Bai and the others' bill on my tab."
"Truly my original teammate, Asuma!"
Releasing the two little ones' hands, Feng Bai patted Asuma's shoulder, very satisfied with his performance.
Asuma responded with yet another eye roll.
Soon, under the shop owner's enthusiastic service, Feng Bai and the others all received their respective dango.
Picking up the soy sauce-flavored dango before him, years of life in Konoha had already accustomed Feng Bai to this peculiar taste.
"How was the Kirigakure battlefield?"
Taking a sip of red bean soup, Asuma asked in a muffled voice.
"Better than the Kumogakure front. Though the Kirigakure shinobi's overall quality wasn't low, they lacked top-tier combat power."
Recalling the Kirigakure shinobi's performance, Feng Bai gave a measured assessment.
The Bloody Mist policy had indeed greatly improved ordinary Kirigakure shinobi quality, but it had also eroded their spirit of teamwork.
Simultaneously, persecution of Kekkei Genkai users meant they couldn't field enough high-level shinobi on the front lines to face the Uchiha clan.
"Your return from there means the Kumogakure battlefield has been decided?"
Not fond of sweet drinks, Feng Bai ordered tea. Finding it a bit too hot, he lifted and set down the cup, then began inquiring about Asuma's battle situation.
"The Fourth Raikage withdrew, but apparently they haven't agreed to sign a peace treaty—they're probably gathering strength for the next attack."
Asuma's face showed a hint of longing: "Minato-sama's strength is truly formidable. He fought the Fourth Raikage multiple times without falling behind, and single-handedly annihilated a large Kumogakure force, forcing the Raikage to retreat."
"The Yellow Flash isn't a reputation earned in vain."
Knowing Minato's capabilities, Feng Bai wasn't surprised.
"What about you, the so-called White Reaper?"
Asuma's tone carried some mockery.
"Don't mention it—it's quite embarrassing."
Being called by his title by his own people always felt strange to Feng Bai, so he decided to change the subject: "Not easy, but this great war has finally drawn to a close."
Feng Bai was very satisfied with the current results—Obito hadn't had half his body crushed by falling rocks, Rin was alive and well, Kakashi remained his usual reserved self, and unlike in the original story, hadn't fallen into despair.
Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.
"Yeah, I heard sensei went out early this morning with my old man—no idea where, probably to discuss peace negotiations with the Daimyō." Asuma nodded, casually taking a skewer of dango from Feng Bai's plate.
...
Land of Fire Daimyō's residence.
The Daimyō, wearing his peculiar headpiece, waved his fan and expressed regret over Hiruzen Sarutobi's resignation.
"Such a pity—the Third was doing quite well..."
But before he could finish, a single glance from Danzō, seated in the second-to-last position, frightened him into silence.
Using his fan to hide half his face, the Daimyō always felt a chill when facing Danzō.
"To trace the root cause, it was precisely the Third Hokage's overly naive thinking that pushed the village to that state. Currently, we need someone who can uphold the shinobi code to lead Konoha forward."
After hearing Danzō's words, the Daimyō mustered courage to look at him: "Do you have a suitable candidate?"
Everyone present turned their attention to Danzō.
"I recommend Sakumo Hatake."
Danzō stated.
"What does the Third Hokage think?" Hearing this name, the Daimyō showed no strong reaction, instead turning to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Daimyō's officials began whispering among themselves.
Several who remembered that Sakumo had once brought shame to the Daimyō's house were about to speak up in reminder, but were interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi's next words.
"Sakumo Hatake is an excellent jōnin in the village who defeated the Sand shinobi during the Second Shinobi World War—he's indeed a suitable candidate for Hokage."
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi also support him, the Daimyō's officials didn't want to invite trouble and all fell silent, awaiting the Daimyō's decision.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were somewhat surprised—they hadn't expected the two to rarely think alike this time.
The scene quieted momentarily.
"What do the others think?"
Seeing the atmosphere grow cold, the Daimyō finally sought his officials' opinions.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the Daimyō also nodded, approving Sakumo Hatake as the Fourth Hokage.
...
"Konoha is entrusted to you, Sakumo."
Sitting before the great characters reading "Will of Fire," looking at Sakumo half-kneeling before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was gentle.
He informed Sakumo that the Daimyō had agreed. Facing the Hokage position, Sakumo was very calm: "I will not disappoint your and the Daimyō's trust."
"It's regrettable—I had hoped to complete your inauguration ceremony in a more stable environment, but unfortunately, as you know the current situation, Konoha's surroundings remain fraught with danger."
Facing the mature Sakumo Hatake, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he didn't need to explain much—Sakumo had sufficient vision and judgment to handle the current situation.
Indeed, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi expected, Sakumo raised his head, his eyes full of determination: "I will drive out all of Konoha's enemies and uphold the will of our predecessors to protect Konoha!"
"Good, I believe you can certainly accomplish this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled: "Since you've become Hokage, you'll also need your own team. The village happens to have an excellent candidate I'd like to recommend to you."
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]