You're helping me promote myself; I couldn't ask for more.
Shinichi withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.
The night wind blew past, carrying a trace of chill.
Strange.
Shinichi thought again of that inexplicable shiver earlier.
He shook his head, cast the thought aside, and quickened his pace toward home.
How should he deliver the speech three days later?
As he walked, Shinichi continued to ponder in his mind.
...
In Konoha's winter, the sky was a pale gray-blue.
Sunlight fell thinly, carrying little warmth. The wind blew from the north, bringing a piercing chill as it swept across the streets, over the eaves, and across the people who had begun gathering since early morning.
The square in front of the Hokage building had been filled with people since dawn.
They came from every corner of Konoha, passing through familiar streets, converging on this usually empty square.
Very quickly, the square in front of the Hokage building was completely submerged by the crowd. A sea of people stretched from the center of the square to the edge of sight, packed shoulder to shoulder, with no space to move.
Those who could not find a place to stand climbed onto nearby rooftops, platforms, and even thick tree trunks. Every place that could support a person was crowded.
It seemed that, aside from those who had to remain at their posts, everyone in Konoha had gathered here.
Men, women, the elderly, children, ninjas, civilians.
There were even monks, as well as some people who were clearly ninjas but were not wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
Those with broader knowledge would recognize these monks as ninja monks from the Fire Temple, and those ninjas without Konoha forehead protectors as representatives of ninja clans from various regions of the Land of Fire.
The fact that they were gathered here today, many people understood what it meant!
It meant that today's speech by Hiruzen Sarutobi was not only in his capacity as the Hokage of Konoha, but also as the supreme military commander of the Land of Fire!
In the square, there was none of the usual noise or chatter of gatherings.
Instead, an almost suffocating silence enveloped the massive crowd. Only the wailing of the cold wind passing through the streets and the occasional suppressed cough could be heard.
Hundreds of thousands of gazes, filled with confusion, unease, anxiety, and a faint glimmer of hope, were uniformly and heavily fixed in one direction.
The solemn high platform of the Hokage building.
At this moment, the platform was still empty. Only Konoha's flag fluttered loudly in the cold wind, the bright red flame emblem standing out vividly against the gray-blue sky.
In a forward area on the right side of the square, Obito Uchiha stood there. Blown by the cold wind, he shrank his neck slightly. He looked around, then lowered his head, then looked up again after a while.
Finally, he couldn't help but lower his voice and say: "Minato-sensei…"
Minato Namikaze stood in front of him and slightly turned his head.
"Is the village going to war?"
He asked very softly, as if afraid of being overheard, and also as if afraid that asking too directly would make the answer real.
Three days ago, notices had been posted all over Konoha. From that moment, Obito felt that the entire village had changed.
The air of the whole village seemed to carry a sense of tension. There were fewer people on the streets, and those he occasionally encountered walked hurriedly, no longer stopping to chat as before.
Even at his favorite dango shop, the always cheerful owner had far fewer smiles, and when she spoke, she seemed distracted.
It was the first time Obito realized that the words "something big is about to happen" could truly be written on everyone's face.
After a few seconds of silence, Minato Namikaze gently nodded.
"Yes."
"Then will our Team 7 also go to the battlefield?"
Obito swallowed, lowering his voice even further. His heart began pounding rapidly, and he himself couldn't tell whether it was fear or something else.
"Of course, Minato-sensei, I'm not… afraid, it's just…"
Obito quickly added, but halfway through, he didn't know how to continue.
Minato Namikaze smiled, his expression warm like winter sunlight.
"You are still a child, still a Genin. Right now, your primary task is to continue training and keep growing."
"Oh…"
Obito Uchiha let out a drawn-out sound that was unclear whether it was disappointment or relief.
Then he suddenly remembered something and abruptly raised his head: "Then Kakashi has to—"
As he spoke, he looked toward Kakashi beside him.
Then he froze.
Kakashi's gaze was not on them at all. He had turned his head, his line of sight passing over the crowd, looking toward another direction of the square, as if searching for someone.
Obito Uchiha followed his gaze.
That was where Team 10 was located.
Tsunade-sensei stood there with her arms crossed, staring expressionlessly at the platform.
Shizune and Kurenai stood beside her. The two girls looked somewhat nervous, occasionally whispering to each other.
But Shinichi was not there.
Obito blinked and looked more carefully. He really wasn't there.
For some reason, a surge of irritation suddenly rose in his heart, and his voice grew louder unconsciously: "Hey, Kakashi!"
"Hm?"
Kakashi turned back and raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you—"
"Silence!"
At that moment, a powerful voice came from the platform, interrupting Obito's words.
The scene immediately fell quiet.
No one spoke anymore. Hundreds of thousands of gazes turned in unison toward the platform.
Obito opened his mouth, but the unfinished words could only be swallowed back.
On the platform, a formally dressed staff member stepped up to the microphone, his loud voice carrying to every corner of the square: "Next, we invite the respected third Hokage to deliver an important speech!"
As the words fell, the figure of the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly appeared at the front of the platform. His ceremonial robe moved slightly in the wind as his calm gaze swept over the densely packed crowd below.
After scanning the crowd for a moment, the third Hokage slowly began to speak: "People of Konoha! I believe that during this period, you have all felt that the atmosphere of the Shinobi World has changed."
"In your hearts, more or less, there are guesses, concerns, and things you do not want to think about, yet cannot help but think about."
The crowd below was silent, with only the occasional wail of the cold wind passing through.
At this point, the third Hokage paused briefly, his gaze sweeping the crowd again.
"Today, standing here, what I must tell you is…"
"Unfortunately, those guesses and concerns are all true."
"The days of peace are about to leave us."
"War is coming."
"The dark clouds of war are about to press down upon our homeland."
At the moment his words fell, a wave of suppressed gasps and shocked murmurs rose from the crowd.
Some covered their mouths. Some instinctively grabbed the arms of those beside them. Some turned pale instantly.
But the commotion lasted only a few seconds before returning to an even more tense silence.
Everyone stared at the figure on the platform, waiting for what he would say next.
"I know what this news means to you."
"It means your husbands, your wives, your parents, even your children may have to leave home and head to the battlefield."
"It means your lives will be affected by war, shrouded in fear, and torn by an uncertain future."
"It means that Konoha will once again face the trial of war."
His gaze grew deeper, as if piercing through time to see the coming bloodshed.
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