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

"Obito, the humidity in area B is still too high. Dry it for three seconds!"

Kakashi's voice came from under his mask, as calmly as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"Okay, okay! Leave it to me!"

Not far away, Obito Uchiha was full of energy. He took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A small fireball, clearly controlled in its power, shot out, rolling across the damp ground and kicking up a cloud of white steam.

After the fireball passed, the earth visibly darkened in color and emitted the smell of baked soil.

"Lin! How's the seed viability of this batch?"

"no problem!"

Rin Nohara was squatting by the edge of the paddy field, her palm radiating a soft green light, covering a handful of rice seeds she had just brought from Konoha. "The reaction is very active; we can start cultivating the first batch!"

The ninjutsu farming here is full of the harmonious beauty of science and nature, leaving a group of Kirigakure ninjas dumbfounded.

They never imagined that ninjutsu, a technique for killing, could be used in this way.

Sarutobi Asuma moves between the two very different teams like a happy monkey.

He first ran over to Shinnosuke, trying to strike up a conversation: "Brother, your Explosion Release technique was so cool! When are you going to teach me?"

Shinnosuke's gaze never left the construction site for a second, and he managed to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth: "Busy."

Asuma, despite being snubbed, wasn't discouraged. He cheerfully ran over to Kakashi and saw Obito showing off his fire control skills, so he immediately joined in.

"Hey, Obito, your fireball technique isn't working well. The temperature is uneven. Look, there's still a wet patch over there."

"Nonsense! I call this differentiated heating!"

Obito immediately retorted, his face turning bright red.

"That's called poor technique."

Kakashi delivered the final blow without even looking up.

Asuma and Obito immediately started arguing like two fighting cocks, while Rin Nohara stood by helplessly smiling and trying to calm them down.

This lively atmosphere unexpectedly diluted the cold and aloof competitive spirit between the two teams, and even made some of the young Kirigakure ninjas watching from the sidelines burst into laughter.

Asuma quickly became one of them, putting his arm around their shoulders and introducing them to interesting stories about Konoha, essentially becoming a temporary diplomatic ambassador.

Lunch break time has arrived.

On the construction team's side, the foreman brought out Konoha's latest "Soldier Rations Plus - Beef Flavor" and gave one to each person. These soldier rations are high in energy and easy to carry, but the taste is just so-so, almost like chewing wax.

The laborers of the Kaguya clan, upon receiving the rations, didn't even care about the taste, wolfing them down. They were exhausted from their work and needed to replenish their strength.

Just then, a strong fragrance wafted over from the agricultural team's direction on the wind.

Everyone, including Shinnosuke, instinctively looked in the direction of the scent.

Over at the agricultural team's location, a small pot was set up, simmering soup. The soup was milky white, with bright green, fast-growing vegetables, freshly picked from the constant-temperature ship, floating in it. Rin was using a large ladle to serve soup to everyone, while Kakashi and Obito were enjoying rice balls brought from Konoha.

The delicious aroma of vegetables and broth was the cruelest torture for these Kirigakure ninjas who ate only seafood and dry rations year-round.

On the construction site of the infrastructure team, the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard everywhere.

A young Kaguya clansman dropped his ration pills to the ground with a "thud." His eyes were fixed on the steaming soup in the agricultural team's pot, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"What are you looking at!" A Konoha supervisor, who was also swallowing hard, slapped him on the back of the head. "Want some soup?"

The Kaguya clansman nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

"If you want soup, dig two more cubic meters of stone this afternoon! Teams that meet today's work targets will get an extra meal tonight: a bowl of vegetable soup each!" the foreman yelled.

"roar!"

His response was a labor chant, unlike anything the Kaguya clan had ever heard before, filled with longing.

At the highest point of the mine, on a wooden stake.

Kaguya Honebami was firmly bound to it and forced to watch all of this from a high vantage point.

He saw his people, who lived for battle and glory, unleash a power even more astonishing than in battle, just to get a sip of the enemy's vegetable soup. He heard the deafening chants from the construction site, not for killing, but for food.

His once unwavering belief in the supremacy of strength was washed away and crushed in the face of this bowl of steaming hot food, leaving not even a trace.

At this moment, his spirit collapsed for the second time.

"Hokage, Shinnosuke's engineering management model focuses on finding the optimal solution for a task, and uses data to coordinate the consumption of manpower, resources, and ninjutsu to maximize efficiency. Kakashi's ecological cycle concept, on the other hand, treats every bit of chakra as a link in the ecological chain, pursuing sustainable development... This goes beyond the simple application of ninjutsu; it's a crushing superiority of thought systems."

Hozuki Kaigetsu followed behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, his notebook filled with notes, his voice brimming with awe.

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply smiled and remained silent. He led the Hozuki siblings, leisurely "inspecting" the two construction sites.

Hozuki Shio, on the other hand, was a completely different person. She stayed by Rin's side the whole time, her eyes shining as she looked at the lush green vegetables, muttering to herself, "These leaves look so crisp, perfect for hot pot... That melon smells so good, it would be delicious as a dessert..."

Mei Terumi's attention, however, was drawn to Kakashi's "special project".

"Kakashi-kun," she mustered her courage and walked up to the silver-haired boy who was gesturing at blueprints, a hint of expectation in her emerald eyes, "I heard you're trying to cultivate a type of melon suitable for growing by the sea?"

Kakashi looked up from the blueprints, glanced at her, then pointed to a line of small print on the blueprints and explained in his usual calm tone: "Red Jade Melon, Konoha's No. 3 improved variety. Theoretically, in the improved sandy soil, with the help of Water Release for humidity control, the survival rate can reach 70%. However, to reach the sweetness standard of Konoha's native soil, the problem of salt erosion brought by the sea breeze at night needs to be solved."

A barrage of data she couldn't understand left Mei Terumi somewhat bewildered. But she didn't care; all she heard was the word "melon."

Within the blood mist, there is nothing but slaughter. Yet this young man and his team are diligently researching how to grow sweet things here.

This contrast filled her with sweet longing for the future.

In the evening, Hiruzen Sarutobi found his two sons resting under a large tree.

Asuma was enthusiastically practicing his Wind Release hand seals in the air, imitating the sound of the wind.

"Father!"

Upon seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi approaching, he immediately ran over excitedly.

Instead of discussing work, Hiruzen Sarutobi, like an ordinary father, took Asuma's hand, examined his hand seals carefully, and then reached out to slightly adjust his index and middle fingers.

"The wind moves not by brute force, but by guidance."

He said gently, "If your chakra stays here for half a second longer, the trajectory of the wind blade will be more stable."

"Oh! I see!"

Asuma suddenly realized what was happening and started practicing again.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke stood not far away, leaning against a tree trunk, silently wiping his short sword. He watched the warm and natural interaction between his father and younger brother, paused in his sword-wiping motion, and a hint of emotion, which even he himself had not noticed, flashed in his eyes.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to him, he quickly concealed that emotion and resumed his cold expression.

"Father."

He stood up straight.

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply nodded and didn't say anything more.

Just then.

"Boom—!"

Deep within the mining area, a muffled boom, completely different from the previous explosions, resounded, causing the entire ground to tremble.

A ninja in charge of exploration came running over, his face full of panic.

"Shin-nosuke-sama! Something terrible has happened! In Mine B-7, the demolition team accidentally blasted open a rock wall, and below... below is an underground river! Water... water is gushing out!"

Shinnosuke's face darkened, and he disappeared from the spot.

When everyone arrived, they saw a huge breach, from which a torrent of murky water was gushing out. The water pressure was so great that it caused boulders to tumble and roll. The surging water instantly submerged a large section of the newly dug mine tunnel.

"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"

Shinnosuke formed hand seals, and a thick earthen wall rose from the ground in an attempt to seal the breach.

However, the earthen wall only lasted for less than three seconds before it shattered under the immense water pressure.

"No! The water pressure is too high!!"

"A seasoned Earth Release ninja shouted, his face pale."

Shinnosuke's brows furrowed deeply. This was the first time he had encountered an unexpected situation since taking over the project. The perfectly planned project schedule had been forced to a halt.

He was lost in thought.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Kakashi walked over unhurriedly. He went to the murky water, squatted down, dipped his finger in the water, smelled it, and then stuck out his tongue to taste it.

Everyone looked at him like he was a monster.

Kakashi stood up and walked to Shinnosuke, who was frowning. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, shone brightly, as if he had discovered some unparalleled treasure.

He calmly asked, "The road is impassable?"

Before Shinnosuke could answer, he continued in a tone that announced a result:

"Perfect, I'll borrow your mine tunnel to raise fish."