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

Yes, the Land of Hot Springs is a place where even the air is filled with the scent of sulfur and a lazy atmosphere.

"Da, da—"

On the street, men and women wearing loose yukatas and wooden clogs made a slow, unhurried sound.

The children chased and played, holding colorful windmills.

The vendors' cries, the lovers' soft laughter, and the rushing sound of the hot spring water intertwined to create a soothing melody called peace.

And that man was like a hard rest that had been mistakenly thrown into this piece of music.

His impeccably tailored black suit stood out like a white dot on a blackboard amidst the crowd of people in yukatas scattered everywhere.

A pair of sunglasses covered most of his face, but couldn't hide the cold, hard aura that seemed to seep from his very bones, a coldness that seemed to freeze the air. His hands were behind his back, and he stood like a javelin, as if he were about to pull out a kunai from his suit at any moment and perform purification on any creature that dared to make a suspicious sound within three meters.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi still wore a gentle smile, but his eyes were dead.

Yes, that's the taste.

It's the kind of presentation that, even if the world is destroyed, you have to submit a PowerPoint presentation analyzing the causes of the destruction and outlining subsequent countermeasures.

It's the kind of smell where even when you go to a public bathhouse, you have to undergo three rounds of cross-verification of the water temperature, water quality, and pH value, and also have to conduct a background check on the bath attendant.

It's Danzo, that guy. Even though he's already devoted himself to the massive infrastructure project, his ruthless, efficient, and utterly devoid-of-life charm still lingers in every corner of Konoha.

"Lord Hokage,"

Uchiha Shisui's voice rang out from the side, as gentle as ever, but with a hint of barely perceptible doubt, "That person on the dock... is he the welcoming officer of the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs? His etiquette seems a bit... unusual."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head and looked at his most prized disciple.

Shisui's face was full of pure curiosity; clearly, he couldn't yet connect the suit-wearing thug in front of him with the Konoha department responsible for handling dirty work in the shadows.

This is good.

This shows that he did a good job of keeping secrets, and it also shows that Zhishui's heart has not been tainted by those dark things.

"No,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a calm, factual tone, "That wasn't a greeter."

He paused, then, meeting the curious gazes of Zhishui and the group of young people around him, revealed a meaningful smile.

"Those are our own people."

"One of our own?"

It was Obito who spoke. He was leaning on the ship's railing, holding up half a melon in one hand, his face full of question marks.

"Are there really ninjas dressed like this? It looks so weird! They seem to be even more of a show-off than Kakashi!"

Kakashi, who was wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, paused. The eye that was sticking out of his mask glanced over, its expression saying, "You idiot, stay away from me."

"That's not about being cool, it's about being a loser."

Kakashi's voice was languid, yet it hit the nail on the head: "It's an aura that says, 'I'm very professional, but you'd better not ask me what my expertise is, because you won't understand even if you do, and even if you did, you wouldn't live long.' You can't learn it."

"What do you mean, Kakashi?!"

Obito immediately bristled.

"Literal meaning."

"you!"

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing."

Nohara Rin tried to smooth things over, then looked curiously at the man in the suit. "But he seems...so serious."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke had also appeared there at some point. He merely glanced at his younger brother indifferently without saying a word, but Asuma immediately shrank back, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Shinnosuke's gaze lingered on the man in the suit for a fraction of a second before shifting away, as if he had simply seen a perfectly normal road sign.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took in all of this and sighed inwardly.

See? This is the generation gap.

Shinnosuke's generation grew up under his reformed Dark Side and Root system, and they became accustomed to this style.

Asuma and Obito, on the other hand, basked in the peaceful sunlight, completely unaware of the village's shadowy side.

Also good.

"Get ready, everyone. We're about to disembark."

Instead of answering their questions directly, Hiruzen Sarutobi clapped his hands and gave an order.

The ship's final tremors ceased, and the massive Will of Fire docked steadily at the pier.

The heavy metal gangway, accompanied by the sound of gears meshing, slowly descended and landed precisely on the dock floor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi adjusted his Hokage hat and was the first to step down the gangway.

He walked slowly, yet possessed a natural sense of centrality, as if his mere presence would instantly calm all the surrounding noise and restlessness.

Shisui and the members of the Night String Squad followed him like shadows, keeping a safe distance and scanning their surroundings warily.

The man in black moved.

With robotic precision, he took three steps forward, then stopped five meters away from Hiruzen Sarutobi, bent down, and gave a perfect ninety-degree bow.

The voice came from behind the sunglasses, as if measured with a ruler—flat and devoid of any emotion.

"Welcome, Third Hokage. I am the head of the Root's liaison office in the Land of Hot Springs, codenamed 'Pendulum.' In accordance with Article 7, Section 3 of the 'Hokage Travel Reception Standards Manual,' I am here to welcome you. Now, please allow me to report to you on the detailed security plan, itinerary, and personnel for this rest period..."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

Hiruzen Sarutobi casually waved his hand, directly interrupting his long, seemingly endless report.

The pendulum's body visibly stiffened for a moment; the interrupted process seemed to have plunged him into a system malfunction for a fraction of a second. But he quickly recovered and tried to get the process back on track.

"Lord Hokage, for your safety, I believe it's necessary to first..."

"Ah, that,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, gazing with interest at the strings of red lanterns hanging deep in the town, completely ignoring the folder handed to him. "I think I smelled a really sweet aroma just now. Is that someone selling ningyo-yaki over there?"