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

Lunch was more plentiful than expected.

The Akimichi family's ship's cook cleaned the tuna caught the night before, slicing the belly into thick pieces and arranging them on crushed ice, accompanied by freshly ground wasabi and a dish of soy sauce.

In addition, there was miso soup, shrimp tempura, and a large pot of stew made with cured meats and vegetables from the ship's stock.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at a low table in the cabin, Shisui sat to his right, and the four members of Yoruzen's squad sat opposite him.

Sota Shimura stared at the plate of tuna sashimi, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

"Sit still."

Sarutobi Nami hooked him with the strap of her water bag.

"I'm sitting very well!"

"Your chopsticks have already reached out."

Sata looked down and saw that his chopsticks had indeed crossed the center line. He quickly pulled them back and coughed dramatically.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched this scene without saying a word, and first picked up a piece of fish belly and put it in his mouth.

I chewed it twice.

fresh.

It's really fresh.

Tuna from the cold sea is high in fat, melts in your mouth, and has a naturally sweet aftertaste.

okay.

As expected of the Akimichi family's craftsmanship, even with limited conditions on the ship, they were able to bring out the original flavor of the ingredients to the fullest.

"I'm starting to eat."

"I'm starting to eat—"

As if receiving a command to attack, Sata used his chopsticks to precisely pick up the largest piece of fish belly and stuff it into his mouth.

"Mmm—delicious!"

Xilin's movements were much more elegant. She first picked up a piece of tofu from the miso soup with her chopsticks, and then took two small sips of the soup.

Bo Cheng first scanned the portions of all the dishes on the table, mentally calculating the per capita allowance before starting to eat.

Uchiha Shisui sat to the side, quietly drinking his soup.

He never ate much, focusing more on observing the sea outside the cabin.

"Still water".

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up another piece of fish and said, "Just eat, stop staring out the window."

"Yes."

Shisui looked away, and Bo Cheng, who was sitting opposite him, looked up and met his gaze.

The two nodded to each other without saying a word.

But there was a subtle understanding in that nod—a silent confirmation of each other's professional abilities between a ninja who controls the situation and a Kage-level assassin.

"By the way, Third Hokage,"

With food in his mouth, Shimura Sota mumbled, "I just saw Shinnosuke-sama standing alone at the bow of the infrastructure ship for over two hours... Doesn't he eat breakfast?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment as he picked up the fried shrimp.

"He ate it."

"But I see him—"

"He was inspecting the safety of the flight path, and he ate before going up."

Shisui casually chimed in, "Shinnosuke-sama's habit is to get up at five, finish breakfast at 5:05, and start working at 5:10."

Sata's eyes widened: "You can finish breakfast in five minutes?"

"He eats very quickly."

Shisui took a sip of soup. "It's a habit of the Anbu."

There was a moment of silence on the table.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curved slightly, as if he were thinking of some distant and harmless family matter. He didn't continue speaking, but instead looked at Nami.

"Hazumi, have you made contact with the Land of Hot Springs yet?"

"We've made contact. Squad Leader Koga said the port can accommodate three ships, but there are only two large berths. We need one ship to anchor in the outer anchorage."

"Let the agricultural ships stop on the outskirts."

"Also, Squad Leader Koga asked...whether we should arrange an intelligence briefing?"

"unnecessary."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shoveled the last bite of rice into his mouth.

"Arrange a bathhouse."

Bo Cheng nodded: "It's all arranged. The largest public hot spring in Yu-no-Kuni, Sensen-yu, has been booked out by Koga Squad Leader."

"A private event?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, thought for a couple of seconds, and then asked, "...How big is the bag?"

"The whole building."

"..."

He put down his chopsticks, took out a cigarette, twirled it between his fingers twice without lighting it.

"Inform the two ships on either side that once we arrive in the Land of Hot Springs, allow those who need to take a bath to soak in the water and those who need to go shopping to enjoy themselves. This is the Hokage's order."

Zhi Shui, holding an empty bowl, glanced at him sideways.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that look.

"Don't worry, you can arrange the security. The hidden sentries will be deployed in shifts."

He pushed back his chair, stood up, walked to the porthole, and gazed at the thin line where the sea and sky met in the distance.

"We've been at sea for over half a month now, and everyone who came out of Kirigakure is going stir-crazy. Let's relax in a hot spring, we still have important business to attend to in the Land of Lightning."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"Tell Asuma—"

"Tell him not to try and hold his breath with Obito in the hot spring. He choked on water for ages in Kirigakure last time."

Zhi Shui's facial muscles remained completely still: "I will relay the message."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and sat back down on the recliner.

The sea outside the window shimmered in the afternoon sun, breaking into countless dappled patterns. Three large ships steadily cleaved through the waves, propelling northward.

On the distant horizon, a pale gray outline of land is slowly emerging from the fog.

-

On the deck of the infrastructure ship, Sarutobi Shinnosuke lowered his binoculars.

He stared at that gray shadow for a long time.

The messenger from behind spoke softly: "Lord Shinnosuke, the flagship has received orders from the Hokage—everyone is given leave upon arrival in the Land of Hot Springs."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke didn't turn around.

"Security plan?"

"Lord Shisui is currently drafting it."

"Send me a copy once it's drafted."

"yes!"

The ninja who gave the order responded and turned to leave.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke put the binoculars into the leather case at his waist. The sea breeze blew his neat black short hair to his forehead. He reached up and smoothed it, revealing his pale forehead and dark eyes that resembled his father's.

Have a holiday.

He looked down at his hands.

There is a thin, almost invisible old scar on the back of his hand, left from an assassination mission two years ago.

The mission report was four pages long, and the scar remained for a lifetime.