Half-sleeved Hokage

Chapter 38 Half-sleeved Hokage

On the high platform at the entrance of Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is holding Sakumo Hatake's left hand high above his head!

Seeing this, the cheers from the people below the platform grew even louder!

At the same time, the smiles on the faces of several high-ranking Konoha officials standing nearby suddenly became somewhat stiff.

The three ninjas, who were also standing on the stage and right next to the two, felt somewhat awkward.

Jiraiya, being the more cheerful one, quickly smiled and gave Sakumo Hatake a thumbs-up after his initial embarrassment.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed involuntarily, but he quickly regained his indifferent expression.

Tsunade, however, always seemed distracted.

Sakumo Hatake wasn't stupid. No matter how little he understood politics, he knew that something was wrong with the current situation.

But looking at the enthusiastic cheers of the many Konoha villagers below the stage, he didn't know how to get out of the predicament.

As the cheers grew louder and more enthusiastic, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile became increasingly amiable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been warned by Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, among others, beforehand.

They say that Sakumo Hatake's prestige is now too great!

Their contributions to Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War were immense!

Most importantly, this White Fang's strength is also quite alarming!

Hiruzen Sarutobi once thought that none of that mattered. It was a good thing that Konoha had this White Fang, and it was even more gratifying that he, as the Hokage, had someone like Sakumo Hatake under his command.

But now...

He found himself still not very happy.

His own disciples also had outstanding military achievements, so why was no one cheering for them?

I was quite diligent as the Hokage during World War II, so why does it seem like I've been forgotten?

As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the villagers' cheers grow louder and louder, a feeling of dissatisfaction with Sakumo Hatake arose in his heart for the first time.

His old friends were right!

If, if this White Fang wants to become the Fourth Hokage, what should he do?

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi released his hand from holding up Sakumo Hatake and gestured to the crowd below, signaling them to stop cheering for a moment.

Embarrassingly, the cheers continued.

Even so, the Third Hokage did not appear angry.

He was different from his old friends.

Even now, his feelings towards Sakumo Hatake are still just a mixture of dissatisfaction and apprehension.

But he also knew in his heart that Hatake Sakumo's contributions deserved his current treatment.

However, the position of Hokage should be chosen with some caution.

Thinking this way, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer had the idea of ​​stopping the cheers from the crowd below.

In full view of everyone, he decisively tore off his Hokage robe!

Then he tied half of the sleeve to Sakumo Hatake's arm.

At this moment, White Fang felt both excited and somewhat panicked.

What excited him was that the Hokage recognized him so much that he even tore half of his Hokage robe sleeve to give it to him.

What terrified him was precisely this: this half of the Hokage's sleeve inexplicably made him feel immense pressure!

But Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of taking it back at this point.

The Third Hokage, known as the "Hero of the Ninja World," raised Sakumo Hatake's hand again without the slightest hesitation!

Then he shouted loudly to the villagers below the stage:

"Yes!"

"Because of Sakumo's immense contributions, and because of his boundless love for the village!"

"So, today!"

"In my capacity as the Third Hokage of Konoha, I bestow upon Hokage Sakumo Hatake the half-sleeve!"

"I'm not young anymore, so I hope that Sakumo can continue to work hard and contribute to the village."

"My position of Hokage is also waiting for someone like Sakumo to inherit it!"

Upon hearing the Hokage's declaration, the cheers from the audience paused for a moment, and many villagers from Konoha were stunned. Then, the cheers became even more intense!

The three legendary ninjas on the stage and several high-ranking officials of Konoha also watched this scene with expressions of shock.

None of them expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi would suddenly pull such a stunt.

Among them, Shimura Danzo's face visibly showed a gloomy expression, but when he realized that this was a public place, he quickly returned to his expressionless state.

At this moment, Hatake Sakumo's expression changed drastically. He knew that he had made a great contribution, but he did not expect the Hokage to be so generous!

In truth, he didn't want any honors or tangible rewards; serving Konoha was simply what he, as a member of the Hatake clan, should do.

But now that things have come to this, the villagers below the stage and the high-ranking officials of Konoha Village on the stage have already started to applaud.

Sakumo Hatake glanced down at the audience and saw his son Kakashi clapping happily. A strange sense of sadness welled up in his heart.

Helpless, he could only show a look of shame and bow deeply to the many villagers below the stage.

Then, he bowed deeply once more to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Yoshihisa

Only then did the cheers of the three legendary ninjas erupt.

At this point, the Third Hokage began another long and rambling speech.

Suzuki stood below the stage watching this scene, knowing that White Fang's death was not far off.

Suicide is not a sudden event; it is always the result of long-term repression and anguish.

It was from this time that the renowned White Fang of Konoha, who was famous in the ninja world, began to bear immense pressure after taking on honors and responsibilities that he did not want to bear!

The hero-welcoming ceremony in Konoha Village lasted for more than three hours.

Seeing the tired looks on people's faces, the Third Hokage ended his speech and announced the end of the conference!

The students of the ninja academy no longer needed to follow their teachers back to school; they could simply disperse and go home.

Having no intention of staying any longer at the now bustling village entrance, Suzuki and Hanako prepared to return home.

The place was still quite crowded, so he pulled Hanako to stand in the corner and waited for a while until the crowd thinned out before they started to head home.

Coincidentally, Minato Namikaze thought the same thing.

The future Golden Flash was pulling Kushina Uzumaki against the corner of the wall, and only now did he begin to leave.

Not far away, Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, stood together and saw his beloved student.

Jiraiya, who had been eager to show off his apprentice to his two teammates, touched their arms with a broad smile and then pointed in their direction:

"Hehe, see that? That's my apprentice! Hahahaha..."

Jiraiya pointed at Minato Namikaze not far away, laughing smugly.

Tsunade showed little expression to Jiraiya's boasting, still appearing absent-minded.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, taking in Minato Namikaze, Kushina, Suzuki, and Hanako at the same time, and scrutinized them for a while.

He looked at Jiraiya with some confusion, then pointed towards Suzuki and Hanako:

"Your apprentice is that ordinary-looking kid?"

Jiraiya was somewhat displeased with Orochimaru's mistake. He pointed at Minato Namikaze to Suzuki's right and roared at Orochimaru:

"See that? It's that one, that one! The one with the blond hair is my apprentice! Don't mistake him for someone else."

Orochimaru scoffed, somewhat skeptical of Jiraiya's nonsense.

That blond kid looks quite outstanding, completely out of place with Jiraiya's foolish demeanor!

But he didn't say anything, he just prepared to leave with Tsunade.

Jiraiya was somewhat displeased to see that the two of them were about to leave.

So he forcibly pulled Tsunade and Orochimaru, who were about to leave, towards Minato Namikaze and Suzuki.

Thank you to Dancing Salty Fish for the monthly ticket, and thank you to the Supreme Jade Emperor for the generous donation!

(End of this chapter)