Chapter 240: Forgotten
Konoha. Training Ground.
"Konohamaru..." Moegi looked at him with concern. Opposite them stood Tianyu's squad.
"When is that guy coming over?" Konohamaru asked, his voice thick with anger. His grandfather had only been dead for a short time, and already someone else had taken the position of Hokage. Even if it was just "Acting," he couldn't accept it.
Tianyu's temper flared upon hearing that tone. "Konohamaru, what do you mean by that? You should address him as Lord Hokage! We called you here to help you get stronger."
"He's not the Hokage! My grandpa is the Hokage!" Konohamaru roared.
"Yes, your grandpa was the Hokage, and my dad is the Hokage too," Maki added.
"He's not! He's just a proxy!"
"Then why are you so angry? Do you not want Konoha to recover quickly? Or do you have rebellious thoughts? Do you want to become a rogue ninja?" Tianyu was relentless. The current Konohamaru was nothing like the one he knew; he was radiating negative energy.
"You're the one who wants to be a rogue!" Konohamaru stammered, momentarily speechless.
"Then work hard to get strong and protect Konoha! You spend all day idling and complaining—who do you think is going to indulge you?" Tianyu barked.
Konohamaru clenched his fists. "You don't have to tell me. I'll work hard." He just didn't understand. His grandfather had barely passed away, yet a new Hokage was already in place. It felt as though no one cared about his grandfather anymore; no one even talked about him.
"If you want to reach that level, you need resolve," a voice said as Tonbo Tobitake descended from the sky, landing before them.
"Dad!"
"Captain Tonbo... Lord Hokage."
"Mhm, not bad. You're all improving fast. I'll have to give you some 'harsh medicine' for this training session." Tonbo sensed their chakra and spirits. The sensory nerve tentacles he had left on them relayed their physical data back to him. During his absence, his children, Wataribe Kodu, and the Konohamaru Corps had made significant progress—though he hadn't planted nerves on the latter three yet.
"So, Konohamaru? I heard you've been quite dejected lately. Want to join the training?" Tonbo asked.
"Why did you take the position of Acting Hokage so soon after my grandpa died?" Konohamaru became agitated again. He didn't understand why the world kept moving.
"If you want to be Hokage, you have to realize something," Tonbo said seriously. "This is the world of ninjas. Once you die, besides your family, no one will dwell on it for long. The dead are gone; the living must continue to live."
"You're only saying that because you got the position! You're just making excuses to brush me off because you wanted the seat for yourself!" Konohamaru wouldn't listen.
Tonbo laughed and pointed toward Hokage Rock. "Hey, kid, Lord Third's face is still up there watching you. How can you say such things? You wouldn't want Lord Third to see you acting like you have no upbringing, would you?"
"Grandpa wouldn't see me that way... he would... he'd call me brave..." Konohamaru looked at the stone faces, tears threatening to fall. Moegi and Udon watched him stubbornly, terrified that the new Hokage might punish him.
"Is that so? Well, in the Scroll of Seals guarded by the Hokage, there is a technique called Reanimation. Since you miss him so much and claim he'd call you brave, how about I summon Lord Third back so you can talk to him?" Tonbo said, feigning seriousness.
"Summon him back?" The children were stunned. Konohamaru was incredulous.
"Nonsense! Dead people can't be brought back to life!" Konohamaru shouted.
"You underestimate the power of a ninja. That's a resurrection jutsu created by the Second Hokage. If you, as his family, agree, I'll summon him back right now without a moment's hesitation. I just wonder what Lord Third would think when he sees his grandson acting like this. Hehe," Tonbo chuckled.
A jutsu that could revive the dead sounded incredible. The kids were wide-eyed, looking at Konohamaru. Moegi was happy for him: "Konohamaru, didn't you miss Lord Third? Lord Tonbo is going to revive him! That's wonderful!"
Udon wiped his nose. "Moegi... Lord Third is dead. Wouldn't it be bad to disturb his peace?"
"As expected of Dad! He can even bring people back!"
"Captain Tonbo is truly my idol. Amazing!"
Konohamaru was initially shocked and excited, but hearing his friends' words, he fell silent. He knew his grandfather wouldn't want to be revived, and disturbing his rest in the Pure Land was...
Tonbo waited quietly for his response. In traditional ninja culture, toying with the deceased was a grave act of disrespect—unless you were someone who transcended tradition. If it were Tonbo's own family, he would say "Revive them!" without a second thought. He wanted to see what Konohamaru would choose.
"I... I just don't want Grandpa to be forgotten by the people of Konoha... I'm afraid that once a new Hokage appears, everyone will forget him..." Konohamaru's clenched fists slowly relaxed as he whispered. "Will he be forgotten?" He looked at Tonbo with tearful, hopeful eyes. In his heart, he feared it was inevitable, just as he rarely heard stories of the First, Second, or Fourth Hokages.
"Hey, kid. Will you forget Lord Third?"
"Never!" Konohamaru shouted.
"There you go. Look at Hokage Rock again. If you don't want him to be forgotten, it depends on whether you work hard, train well, and protect Konoha. As long as the village isn't destroyed and the rock faces aren't chiseled away, the Third will never be forgotten."
Tonbo looked toward the mountain. Konohamaru followed his gaze. The distant statue of the Third stood tall, and for a moment, it felt as though the stone was smiling at him.
"Konohamaru, named after the village... you must protect Konoha well. That is my hope for you. Inherit my Will of Fire..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's gentle voice from long ago echoed in his mind.
Konohamaru finally burst into tears, feeling his grandfather's will.
"Konohamaru," Moegi and Udon murmured.
"I'm going to train hard! I'll get stronger and protect Konoha! You're the new Hokage—you can make me stronger, right?" Konohamaru's eyes were now determined.
"Of course. Under my training, you'll build the foundation to become the pillars of Konoha. But remember, I'm only a proxy. The Fifth Hokage is someone else. Watch your phrasing in the future," Tonbo emphasized.
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