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

pendulum:"……"

At that moment, Obito and Asuma's group also disembarked from the ship, chattering away. They clearly didn't consider the man in the black suit to be any important figure, and Obito, like a curious child, immediately approached him.

"Hey! You, the guy in the black shirt!"

He casually patted Pendulum on the shoulder, a gesture that instantly tensed all of Pendulum's muscles, as if he had been touched by some ferocious beast.

"Do you know where the most famous hot spring is here? Is it one of those big pools where you can swim? Also, where is the place that sells milk? I heard that drinking a bottle of ice-cold milk after soaking in a hot spring is a must!" Obito bombarded him with questions.

Asuma, not to be outdone, squeezed in: "Yeah, yeah, yeah! And an arcade! Is there an arcade here? You know, the kind where you can play pinball and scoop goldfish!"

The man codenamed "Pendulum" felt like his CPU was about to burn out.

His brain is a sophisticated instrument composed of countless "rules", "manuals", and "instructions".

From childhood, he was trained to survive in the harshest environments, to silently eliminate a target using a hundred different methods, and to format all his emotions and desires, leaving only absolute loyalty to "Root" and "Hokage".

He had infiltrated the fortresses of the Land of Lightning and gathered intelligence in the blood mist of the Hidden Mist. He could precisely calculate his breath-holding time when being interrogated by water torture, and he could also orient himself by the shadow of the sun in the desert.

but……

The "Root Member Emergency Behavior Guidelines" contained not a single rule teaching him how to deal with a group of brats who treated S-rank escort missions like a school trip...

Even more critically, the highest-ranking officer of this group of brats, the legendary man who single-handedly ended the war and reshaped the ninja world, seems to be far more interested in humanoid burning than in nuclear-level security plans.

arcade?

milk?

The pendulum's brain frantically searches through the massive amount of stored information, trying to find a corresponding solution.

Search keywords: arcade

Result: None.

Search keywords: milk

[Result: The risk level for dairy product allergy in the target (Hokage)'s dietary plan is "low". It is recommended to conduct a toxicology test before consumption.]

...This doesn't match the question at all!

His worldview was undergoing a violent upheaval. The "Fire AP-7 Reception Manual," which he held as a guiding principle and which had been personally revised by Danzo, a thick volume of three hundred pages, was now as fragile as a piece of toilet paper.

A bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, hidden behind his sunglasses.

This...this question is way beyond the scope of the curriculum!

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the subtle stiffness and chaos in the pendulum's movement and almost burst out laughing inside.

He understands this feeling all too well.

It's like you've prepared a perfect PowerPoint presentation and rehearsed it a hundred times, only to have your boss ask you what you want for lunch as soon as you arrive.

That was a dimensional attack from another dimension, unrelated to ability, purely a matter of being on different wavelengths.

"cough."

He cleared his throat and finally decided to rescue his poor subordinate who was on the verge of crashing.

"Alright, Obito, Asuma."

He said in a gentle yet authoritative tone, "Don't make things difficult for him. Mr. Pendulum is an important person responsible for our safety, not a tour guide."

Upon hearing this, the pendulum immediately straightened up as if grasping at a lifeline, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in its eyes (behind its sunglasses), preparing to speak again.

"Yes, Hokage-sama! So, regarding security..."

"so,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi changed the subject, a friendly smile spreading across his face. He patted Hiruzen's shoulder and said, "You, as the important person in charge of security, will take us to the best, most comfortable, and most scenic hot spring inn here. We can discuss the security plan while we soak in the bath."

"..."

The pendulum was completely petrified.

Talking while taking a bath?

The Hokage Reception Manual doesn't mention "Bathroom Meetings"! How are we supposed to take meeting minutes? With a waterproof roll?!

"besides,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seemingly oblivious to the chafing in his eyes, continued, "While you're at it, find these kids a decent yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant, one with an ocean view. Young people, they're still growing, they need to be well-fed and watered so they have the strength... to protect the village, right?"

His last sentence was delivered with righteous indignation, brimming with the lofty theoretical height of the Will of Fire.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Obito and Asuma immediately cheered.

Kakashi silently rubbed his forehead, unable to bear watching any longer.

As for Shinnosuke, who had been silent all along, watching his father tease an elite ninja to the point of system crashing with just a few words, his icy lips seemed to curl upwards very slightly for a fleeting moment.

In the end, the pendulum gave up thinking.

He took a deep breath and bowed again, this time with a hoarse voice that sounded like he had given up hope.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Please... come with me."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the depths of the town with his still standard but somehow somewhat desolate steps.

A group of people followed behind him, laughing and joking, like a flock of noisy ducks.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked at the back, watching the black-suited figure disappear into the afterglow of the setting sun and the laughter of the boys. He could no longer suppress the smile on his lips.

so good.

This peaceful life allows one to "skip work" with a clear conscience and even take the opportunity to tease one's elite subordinates.

…………

The man codenamed Pendulum was leading the group of creatures completely devoid of words like silence and secrecy through the bustling streets of the Land of Hot Water with an almost tragic air.

He walked at the front, his black suit like a hard shell, trying to carve out an invisible, absolutely safe passage exclusively for the Hokage in the surging crowd.

However, the significance of this passageway appears particularly comical when contrasted with the group of people behind him.

"Wow! Look! That mask is so cool!"

Obito Uchiha was like a husky just released from its cage, bursting with boundless energy, pointing at a tengu mask on a roadside stall and yelling.

"Idiot, that's a tengu!"

Asma, with an air of knowledge and experience, put his hands in his pockets and tried to imitate his father's usual calm demeanor. "I've heard my dad say that he's a mountain deity."

"What's wrong with gods? Can't gods be cool?"

Obito retorted defiantly, then grabbed Asuma's neck, "Come on! Let's go see! Maybe wearing it will allow us to use the power of the gods!"

"Idiot, that's just for kids..."

The two of them, arm in arm, deviated from their planned route and, like two marbles that had broken their strings, rushed towards the stall full of masks and toys.

The pendulum, which was at the very front, paused for a moment.

His built-in program issued a red alert: [Queue member has left! Threat level: Low. Action: Recall immediately!]

However, just as he was about to turn around and give those two arrogant fools a look that could make even ordinary genin's legs go weak, he heard the Hokage's gentle voice sound behind him.

"It's a good thing that young people are energetic."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a hint of laughter.

The pendulum's body froze instantly; the turning motion, halfway through, became an extremely bizarre, twisted posture. Slowly, frame by frame, it turned its head back, continuing to gaze straight ahead.

The program instructions were overridden by the highest privileges, and the alarm was deactivated.