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

A boy from Kirigakure, about six or seven years old, rode on his father's shoulders, his eyes wide with curiosity.

Just a few days ago, he was hiding in the crack of the door, watching those pale bones pierce out of the ground and listening to the heart-wrenching screams.

He thought that's what the world was like: cold, bloody, and like the fishy smell, it would never dissipate.

But now, those Konoha ninjas wearing green vests conjured up mountains and giants as if by magic.

They wore smiles he couldn't understand. The air no longer smelled of blood, but rather a fragrance he had never smelled before, one that made his stomach rumble.

He unconsciously sucked his fingers and whispered, "Dad, are they... fighting a war?"

His father didn't answer, but just swallowed hard.

In the center of the square, the battle had already begun.

"Obito, turn the fire down a bit! Are you trying to send it straight to cremation?!"

Kakashi's voice remained as monotone as ever, but his disdain was unmistakable.

"I understand, I understand! Art is passion, it's an explosion! My Fire Release technique must have a soul!"

Obito Uchiha puffed out his cheeks and spat a powerful fireball at the stove. Orange-red flames roared up, and the heat wave rolled in, startling the surrounding Hidden Mist ninja who all took a step back.

The flames licked at the massive iron plate, sometimes too fierce, sometimes too weak, looking as if they would go out at any moment.

Kakashi shook his head and formed a hand seal with one hand.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk".

A slender blue arc of electricity flicked from his fingertip, like a nimble snake, silently burrowing into the bottom of the charcoal fire.

The originally raging flames seemed to have been choked by an invisible hand, immediately calming down and steadily outputting scorching energy, turning the iron plate red-hot.

"Temperature control is fundamental, you idiot."

Kakashi added casually, picking up a specially made short sword.

The blade hummed softly, transforming into a hazy moonlight in his hand.

The tough chunk of flesh, cut from the giant octopus and as tall as half a person, seemed to turn into the softest tofu under his knife.

With each flash of the blade, a slice of flesh as thin as a cicada's wing was sliced ​​up. These slices of flesh drew elegant arcs in the air, falling in layers, almost transparent, reflecting a pearly luster in the sunlight.

The thickness and size of each piece are as if they have been measured with a ruler, with no difference whatsoever.

This knife skill made the Hidden Mist medical ninja, who was treating the wounded not far away, subconsciously touch his own scalpel, his throat tightening.

Meanwhile, their companion, Nohara Rin, was grinding a sauce using secret spices brought from Konoha, mixed with sea salt, a specialty of Kirigakure.

Her movements were gentle and her expression focused. In addition to the aroma of meat, there was a complex fragrance of spice and sweetness in the air.

On the judges' panel, Hozuki Shio and Karatachi Yagura sat side by side, their expressions more serious than ever before.

The first dish was finally served—the Akimichi clan's secret recipe for grilled octopus tentacles on a hot plate!

The huge chunks of octopus meat were grilled until the outer skin was slightly charred, giving them an enticing caramel color.

The rich sauce boils at high temperature, bubbling and gurgling. With each burst, it pushes the domineering aroma of sweet and salty flavors even deeper into everyone's nostrils.

Hozuki Shio could no longer resist. She grabbed a piece of roasted meat bigger than her face and stuffed it into her mouth without any regard for her image.

"Ugh—!"

The scalding hot meat made her stomp her feet, but she just couldn't bear to spit it out. Oil and sauce dripped down the corners of her mouth, but she was completely unaware, her eyes squinting into crescent moons of happiness.

Yagura, on the other hand, appeared much more restrained.

He picked up the metal fork specially provided by Konoha, elegantly forked a small piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

His brows were furrowed, as if he were trying to crack some S-level encrypted scroll.

In his mental world, however, a tsunami had already erupted.

"Hmm... the grilling of this sauce is done well, the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce are just right, but the ingredients are a bit too strong, slightly masking the natural sweetness of the ingredients." Yagura analyzed calmly, trying to maintain the professionalism of a judge.

【Delicious! Delicious! It's just so delicious! Who cares about umami or not, sweetness is king! Nine points! This has to be nine points!】 Mitsuo Isobu roared with deafening energy.

[No, judging from the completeness and layering of the dish, it would be a maximum of 8.5 points.]

Nine out of ten! It has to be nine out of ten!

[8.6, this is a friendly score based on the fact that it didn't waste any ingredients; it can't be higher.]

8.9! That's my bottom line! Even 0.1 less and I'm not done with you today!

【……make a deal.】

Outside, Yagura slowly put down his fork.

Meeting the expectant gaze of Akimichi Takafumi, he cleared his throat and, in a steady, unquestionable tone, gave his final judgment:

"Eight seventy-five."

The entire audience was speechless.

Elder, are you serious? How did you type such a fraction accurate to two decimal places?

Just as everyone was still puzzled by this bizarre score, Kakashi walked over carrying a huge white jade plate.

The contents of the dish are crystal clear, as if they were sculpted from the purest ice crystals.

It was the octopus sashimi he had just cut.

"Octopus sashimi, served with a special wasabi and sea salt sauce."

He put the plate down, his voice remaining calm.

Hozuki Shio's gaze, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, instantly clung to the plate of sashimi.

In Yagura's mind, Isobu had already let out a wildly joyful cheer that could overturn the sea.

[Sashimi! It's sashimi!!!]

If the spiritual world had a physical form, the current scene would probably be a giant tortoise, as large as a mountain, holding an empty, equally enormous porcelain bowl, frantically banging on the rim of the bowl with its two hind claws, making a clanging, urging sound.

And in its single eye, all that could be seen was the plate of crystal-clear octopus slices, arranged like a work of art.

[It's so noisy!!]

A vein throbbed uncontrollably on Yagura's forehead.

He tried his best to maintain his dignity and composure as a high-ranking elder of Kirigakure, placing his hands steadily on his knees, his face calm and composed, as if the grilled octopus tentacles that Akimichi Torifu had just served were merely an insignificant appetizer.

But only he knows how much effort it took to maintain that expression.

His jaw even started to ache from clenching it.

"Calm down, Isoobu."

In the spiritual world, Yagura communicated in an almost weary tone, "Mind your manners. You are now a tailed beast residing in the body of a high-ranking member of Kirigakure, not a stray cat stealing fish in a market."

[What is "body"? Is it edible? Is it tasty? Is it sweet or salty?]

The three rhetorical questions from Mitsuo Isobu, full of childlike innocence and purity, caused Yagura's blood pressure to rise again.

Hurry! Try it! With your mouth! Now! Right now!

From the outside, all that could be seen was this mature-beyond-his-years elder falling into a long silence behind the plate of octopus skewer that Kakashi had served him, which resembled an ice sculpture.

His gaze fell on the slices of meat, his eyes filled with complex emotions, as if he were engaged in some profound philosophical contemplation.

Hozuki Shio didn't care about anything else anymore.

Her gaze was glued to the plate, never leaving it from the moment it was served. She even swallowed unconsciously, the sound particularly clear on the quiet deck.

"that……"

She nudged Yagura gently with her elbow. "Why aren't you eating? Is... is it not to your liking? If it's not to your liking, I'll help you..."

Before she could finish speaking, she received a warning glare from her brother, Hozuki Kaigetsu.

After Kakashi put down the white jade plate, he stepped aside, put his hands in his pockets, and looked like it was none of his business.

His eyes were calm, as if the person who had just displayed such superb knife skills was not himself.

Obito, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He stood tall with his chest out, arms crossed, and chin held high, looking smug with an expression that said, "See? This is all thanks to me."

"Cough cough,"

Obito cleared his throat, trying to get Rin's attention. "Rin, look, this is our Minato team's teamwork! I'm in charge of igniting the foundation with the passion of Fire Release, and Kakashi finishes it off with his icy swordsmanship. Hot and cold, a perfect combination!"

"Teppanyaki and sashimi are two different dishes, both with soil."

Kakashi didn't turn his head, his voice completely calm.

Nohara Rin smiled helplessly, her gaze fixed on the plate of sashimi, filled with curiosity.