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

Two pairs of chopsticks collided with a snap in mid-air.

The target was the top-grade Wagyu beef on the plate, cut extremely thick with marbling that resembled marble.

Obito stared intently at the piece of meat, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets: "Let go! I aimed first!"

Asma didn't back down, straining his wrist until the wooden chopsticks creaked under the weight: "Call it and see if it answers! Whoever grabs it gets to keep it!"

"You big-foreheaded jerk, you have no sportsmanship!"

"You don't know anything about 'striking first'!"

The two were locked in a fierce battle, their chakra surging within them, threatening to escalate from a physical fight for food to a clash of ninjutsu.

"cough."

A cough, neither too loud nor too soft, came from the head of the table.

The two, who were just about to use their chakra to snatch the meat, immediately stopped and used only their arm strength to compete.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, and the beef was about to be torn in two, a pair of silver chopsticks cut in from the side like a ghost.

An extremely tricky angle. Not a single unnecessary movement.

With a flick of the wrist, the tip of the chopstick precisely touched the point of equilibrium where the forces were applied to both of them.

The deadlock was broken.

The Wagyu beef soared into the air, tracing a beautiful parabola in mid-air.

Kakashi caught it steadily, and with a flick of his wrist, the piece of flesh disappeared into the gap under his mask.

Chew. Swallow.

"Well, it's a bit undercooked, but barely edible."

Kakashi lowered his eyelids and gave his evaluation.

Obito stared at the empty chopsticks, then at Kakashi's smug, deadpan expression, and jumped up: "Kakashi! You attacked me from behind!"

Kakashi didn't even look up; his chopsticks reached for another piece of tamagoyaki.

"Ninja rule number three: Never turn your back to the enemy. If you're slow, whose fault is it?"

"Damn it! I challenge you to a duel!"

Obito bared his teeth and brandished his claws.

Taking advantage of Obito's madness, Asuma swiftly swept away the last three fried shrimp tempura pieces on the plate with his chopsticks.

"Thanks, Obito!"

Asma stuffed the fried shrimp into his mouth and mumbled a sarcastic remark.

Beside them, the Night String Squad had a completely different style.

Sota, holding his bowl, shoveled rice into his mouth while urging Obito, "Go, Obito! Use the Leaf Whirlwind to get it back! Don't back down!"

Bo Cheng slowly sipped his miso soup, analyzing the situation rationally.

"The angle was wrong. Kakashi's angle when he used the chopsticks just now blocked their point of attack. That's called tactical suppression. His physical skills are too solid."

tide Lin ignored the group of boys and was neatly stacking the small paper packets next to her.

"What is this?"

Lin curiously leaned closer.

"Powerful Hawthorn Stomach-Strengthening and Digestive Powder"

tide Lin answered earnestly, "At their rate of eating, they'll experience acute indigestion symptoms within fifteen minutes at most. It's better to be prepared than not. Protecting everyone is the mission of medical ninjas."

Lin looked at the pile of medicine packets and nodded in deep agreement.

At the head of the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi held a small sake cup and sipped the sake.

The chaotic scene before him didn't bother him; instead, he felt a rare sense of comfort.

The only problem was that the cost of this meal was a bit too high.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, his mind racing with calculations.

Top-grade Wagyu beef and premium tuna belly—these young boys were practically force-fed; this money couldn't be spent on their own private accounts.

We need to come up with a name for it.

"Special Fund for Cross-Border Terrain Adaptability Survey and Nutritional Supplementation"

This name is good; it has enough characters and looks professional. The deer antlers shouldn't reveal any flaws.

Go back and have Shinnosuke stamp it.

Thinking of his eldest son, Hiruzen turned to look at him, and the smile on his lips faded slightly, replaced by a hint of helplessness.

Shinnosuke's sitting posture is exactly the same as when he's soaking in the hot spring—a standard upright posture.

The tableware in front of him was neatly arranged, but the bowl of white rice and chopsticks had not been touched since the start of the banquet.

That cold, gritty mask, belonging to the underworld, seemed to be etched into his very bones, making him completely out of place amidst the lively atmosphere of the room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

Some things can't be rushed.

"Shinnosuke,"

He spoke in a gentle voice, "Try this, a specialty of the Land of Hot Springs, hot spring tamago."

He personally picked up a soft-boiled egg from a small porcelain bowl. The yolk was half-solidified and half-hardened, displaying an enticing golden color under the light, and gently placed it in front of Shinnosuke.

Obito and Asuma, who were frantically grabbing food, also stopped eating and looked over curiously.

Shinnosuke's body stiffened for a moment.

He looked at the steaming, soy-sauce-scented soft-boiled egg in front of him, then at the gentle smile on his father's face. A subtle struggle flickered across his pale face.

For him, receiving special treatment from his father in public was more uncomfortable than carrying out a mission.

I've grown accustomed to standing in the shadows, accustomed to being the sharpest, most unknown knife in my father's hand.

But now, his father has personally pulled him out of the shadows and placed him in the spotlight.

Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui, who was standing to the side, put on his usual gentle smile. He picked up the sake bottle and naturally refilled the empty cup in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Lord Hokage, Captain Shinnosuke probably can't get used to this food, so perhaps..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shinnosuke moved.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he silently picked up his chopsticks and, with almost anatomical precision, gently sliced ​​open the shell of the soft-boiled egg. The golden, runny yolk slowly flowed out, mixing with the special soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Then, expressionless, he ate the entire onsen egg in one bite.

Chewing and swallowing.

The entire sequence of movements was executed meticulously, so fast that one couldn't even see the expression on the face.

"……tasty."

He put down his chopsticks and resumed his standard upright sitting posture, as if nothing had happened.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Looking at his eldest son's slightly reddened ears, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The laughter seemed to break the deadlock, and the atmosphere in the room became lively again.

Obito and Asuma exchanged a glance, seeing the words "utterly unappetizing" in each other's eyes, before throwing themselves back into the next round of the food battle.

"Boss lady! Another tempura platter, please!"

Obito shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Three more servings of the roast beef over here, please!"

Meanwhile, Pendulum, the elite member of the Roots who had been sitting quietly in the corner, trying to keep his presence to himself, was now facing an unprecedented challenge in his career.

In front of him was a small mountain of various foods piled on his plate.

Kakashi gave him fried shrimp tempura because he thought it was too greasy.

There was a grilled squid that Obito had taken too much of and couldn't finish, so he secretly threw it to him.

Asma forced him to eat a vegetable salad so he could have room for meat.

There was even a large bowl of rice that Nohara Rin specially served him because she was worried that he hadn't eaten enough.

As Zhong Bian looked at the food in front of him and felt the "enthusiastic" concern of the Konoha high-ranking officials (reserve members) around him, his heart, which had been rigorously trained by the Root organization and was already calm, was now beating violently at an unprecedented frequency.

His action manual details how to deal with more than 170 emergencies, including being tortured by the enemy or surviving for 30 days in extreme environments.

But what it doesn't mention is what to do when your target and his family are feeding you like a glutton.

Should we firmly refuse, or should we eat all of these things in order to fit in with the group?

But if they finish eating, won't they think they have a big appetite and then take more food?

The brain of the pendulum, that intricate CPU composed of countless rules and instructions, is now groaning in despair due to overload.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took in all of this, and his smile deepened.

"pendulum,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke again, his voice carrying a gentle tone that left no room for refusal, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home. You can't refuse these children's kindness."

The pendulum jolted violently, as if it had received a top command.

He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and in the Third Hokage's smiling eyes, he read something called a command.

So, to everyone's astonishment, this cold and aloof elite from the Roots silently picked up his chopsticks and began to devour the food on his plate with the precision and efficiency of someone executing a mission.

His movements were precise, fast, and emotionless, as if he were not eating delicious food, but a confidential document that needed to be disposed of.

The sight made Obito and Asuma stop their playful fighting and look at each other with awe.

"This guy... is amazing..."

Obito murmured.

"Doesn't he feel full?" Asma asked, his face full of disbelief.

Kakashi pushed up his non-existent glasses and, in his characteristically lazy voice, gave his conclusion:

"No, look at his expression."

Everyone turned to look at the pendulum.

He remained expressionless, but the fine beads of sweat on his forehead and the slight twitching of his lips betrayed his inner turmoil.

"puff--"

Nohara Rin was the first to burst out laughing, and then, as if it were contagious, Shisui, Kakashi, and even Shinnosuke all had a faint smile on their lips.

The entire Japanese-style room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.