Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 617 The Art of One Second, The Silence of Blood

The bone blade sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by the hysterical roar of the young Kaguya clansman, and pierced towards Shisui's neck, just an inch away.

Then, the blade sliced ​​through the air.

There was only air.

The boy's body lurched forward half a step due to inertia, and his eyes widened—the young man in black in front of him had vanished.

"Varied……"

He hadn't even uttered the second syllable.

A very light breeze swept past from behind.

No, it's not the wind.

What was it that slid past him at a speed far beyond his comprehension?

It happened so fast that his eyes couldn't move, so fast that his brain was still processing the information that the knife had missed, so fast that he only had time to feel a cool, almost gentle touch on his neck.

It felt like a mosquito bite.

The entire dock fell silent at that moment.

The dark shadow moved among the dozens of Kaguya clan members, its path untraceable.

The footsteps and breathing gradually faded away, leaving only a series of extremely faint sounds.

"puff--"

Like a sewing machine needle piercing silk fabric.

One, two, three...

Hozuki Kaigetsu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing repeatedly.

There are so many that I can't even count them all.

Then, the shadowy figure stopped.

Uchiha Shisui stood still.

In the same position and posture, his right hand rested on the hilt of the knife, with no sign of his fingers being closed.

There were no wrinkles on the hem of his clothes, and not a single strand of his hair was ruffled by the wind; only a few more red marks appeared on the scabbard.

The question about Hozuki Kaigetsu hadn't even had time to take shape in his mind.

The boy who initiated the attack, Kaguya, was still in the stance of swinging his sword, his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly agape.

He looked like a sculpture.

All the Kaguya clan members are like statues.

The solidification lasted for about a fraction of a second.

The first drop of blood seeped from the boy's neck.

It's a very thin line.

Extending from below the left ear to below the right ear, the curve is perfect and the depth is consistent, as if it were drawn with a compass.

Then came the second person, the third, and the fourth.

On everyone's neck, the same line appeared simultaneously.

The sound of gushing blood rang out, a sound made simultaneously by dozens of people, converging like a sudden downpour hitting a stone slab.

"thump."

The first body fell down.

"thump."

Like a domino that has been pushed over.

Dozens of bodies, still in a charging posture, buckled at the knees and fell backward in unison.

The bone blade slipped from his hand and clattered as it rolled onto the wet dock.

The sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

Yagura's coral staff touched the ground without him even noticing—his hands were trembling, and it was the staff that was supporting him.

Mei Terumi gripped her right wrist tightly with her left hand, needing the pain to confirm that she wasn't under a genjutsu.

And Hozuki Kaigetsu—

He stared intently at Shisui's right hand, which was resting on the hilt of his sword.

I didn't see the knife-drawing motion clearly; it felt like my five fingers were resting on it from beginning to end.

What happened in those few seconds?

The fact that he drew his sword and killed dozens of people was itself something that his own eyes could not perceive.

This is what it says——

He merely used the speed of drawing the sword to make the blade cut an inch across the scabbard before retracting it.

That one-inch blade, combined with his lightning-fast movement, was enough.

One inch.

Only one inch is needed.

Haiyue's back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Clan Chief Kaguya."

The sound of still water arose, gentle and calm, like the tone of chatting with an old friend in a teahouse.

He raised his eyes and looked at Kaguya Honebami.

The corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Those who cross the line will die.

Kaguya Honebami stood still.

His mind is empty.

Before me lay my people lying on the ground, blood spreading through the cracks in the stone slabs like an ever-expanding red spider web.

The air was filled with the smell of rust.

Those clansmen—the Kaguya elite he had personally trained, whose highest creed was fearlessness in the face of death—lay quietly on the ground, each bearing the same neat wound on their neck.

They were all still alive, their chests still rising and falling, but the depth of the incision had been precisely controlled to the point of "bleeding but not causing rapid death".

This realization terrified Kaguya Honebami even more than if they had all died.

Because it means that the other party wasn't even seriously trying to kill.

The other party is putting on a show.

It's like a child drawing horizontal lines on paper with a calligraphy brush, one stroke at a time.

Relaxed, casual, and too lazy to even vary the intensity.

His clansmen, whom Kaguya Honebami was so proud of, were not even considered serious enemies in this Uchiha's eyes.

My teeth started chattering, my knees were shaking, and the shaking that came from deep within my bones was uncontrollable.

He tried to raise his hand, but found that his arm felt like it was filled with lead.

A very incongruous smacking sound came from the side.

Ghost Dengxi: "...hiss."

Her gaze remained fixed on the pool of blood on the ground, unable to be pulled away.

Hiruzen Sarutobi dusted off non-existent dust from his robe and strode toward Kaguya Honebami.

As he passed by Zhishui, he casually patted the young man on the shoulder, like an elder praising a junior for doing something insignificant.

"Good, you've held back."

Zhi Shui bowed slightly: "My teacher once taught me that sometimes living a short life can be more painful than dying."

"Good memory."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and continued walking forward.

He stopped in front of Kaguya Honebami.

The current state of this tall Kaguya clan chief can be described in one word—fallen apart.

His eyes were bloodshot, his lips were bloodless, and he looked like a pile of building blocks that could collapse at any moment, with only the instinct to not kneel supporting his last shred of dignity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at him.

After all, the other person is 1.9 meters tall, so I have to look up.

"Clan Chief Kaguya,"

His tone was extremely sincere. "Were those the welcoming etiquette of nobles? I apologize, we Konoha are not very familiar with the customs of Kirigakure. Please forgive us if we were impolite."

Kaguya Honebami's lips moved slightly. No sound came out.

"Oh, by the way,"

As if remembering something, Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to him. "You seem to be sweating a lot. It's windy on the shore, don't catch a cold."

Haiyue watched this scene from the boat. The cold sweat on her back had dried, and what followed was an absurd urge to laugh.

This is hardly a Hokage visit.

This is clearly a cat catching a mouse, then licking its paws while asking, "Why did you run away?"

Before Kaguya Honebami could take the handkerchief, Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his hand, turned around, and turned his gaze to the other side of the dock.

Yagura and Mei Terumi were standing there.

One clutched a coral stick, his knuckles turning blue; the other crossed his arms over his chest, his green eyes reflecting the crimson stains on the ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at them.

"Alright, that welcome was a bit too enthusiastic."

He took a step forward, casually putting his hands behind his back, his tone light and cheerful as if he were going to visit the neighbors.

"Now, can we talk about the future of Kirigakure?"

Yagura's Adam's apple bobbed once. He released one hand from the coral staff, raised it, and gestured for him to proceed.

His voice was hoarser than he had expected: "...Third Hokage, this way please."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile deepened.

He started walking, and paused as he passed Mei Terumi.

"Oh, right, Mei Terumi."

Mei Terumi's body tensed up.

"I heard your 'melting technique' can turn rocks into mud?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tilted his head, looking curious. "If you have time later, could you help us try it out—I want to know if that thing can be used to fire a kiln?"

"...Firing a kiln?"

Mei Terumi's voice was clearly filled with confusion.

"Hmm, making ceramics." Hiruzen Sarutobi had already walked over, his voice drifting back from ahead, "The Land of Water has such great conditions, it would be a shame not to export some porcelain."

Mei Terumi stood there, stunned, her emerald green eyes filled with the thought, "What on earth is this person thinking?"

Behind him, Uchiha Shisui silently followed the Hokage's steps. As he passed the Kaguya clan members lying on the ground, he didn't even glance down at them.

Hozuki Shio finally finished chewing the squid strip and swallowed it.

She tugged at her brother's sleeve, her voice low: "Brother, I think I know why the Hokage told us to bring more snacks."

"...Why?"

"He just wanted me to feed him so that others could see that hanging out with him meant you'd never lack snacks."

Haiyue remained silent for three seconds.

"Shut up and keep up."