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

Kakashi saw through Hiruzen's strategy in the third round and decisively chose to preserve his strength and withdraw from the battle, watching the show from the sidelines.

"I refuse to accept this! Let's play another round!" Obito gritted his teeth.

Just then, Shinnosuke, who had been resting with his eyes closed, stood up.

"I'm going to patrol the outer perimeter." The voice was cold and hard, with a businesslike rigidity.

He couldn't stand the atmosphere. It was too noisy, too relaxed, too unguarded. The survival rule of the underworld was to always be vigilant, and everything here was eroding his sanity, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Shinnosuke turned around, his hand just touching the sliding door.

"Wait a moment."

A steaming cup of tea was handed to him.

It was Rin. The little girl held up a teacup, smiling sweetly: "Shinnosuke-senpai, please have a cup of tea before you go."

Shinnosuke looked at the cup of tea but didn't take it. The Anbu don't accept food offered by others.

"Big brother!"

Asuma, his face covered in white patches, turned around and shouted incoherently, "Dad's bullying me! You've been in the ANBU for so long, your counter-surveillance skills must be strong, come help me find his weaknesses!"

Obito chimed in, "That's right! Shinnosuke-nii, come quick!"

Shinnosuke's hands clenched tightly at his sides.

He oscillated wildly between refusing and joining.

The feeling of being needed by my companions and treated like an ordinary person entered my nostrils along with the aroma of a cup of hot tea.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his eldest son's retreating figure, he flipped his wrist and spread the remaining cards on the table.

"Come and take my place."

Hiruzen clapped his hands. "Shinnosuke, the outer perimeter's warning pendulum has been set up. Sit down."

The father's order.

Shinnosuke turned around, stiffly took the tea from Rin's hand, and sat down in the empty seat next to Hiruzen.

"Tch, Dad's afraid of losing."

Asma muttered.

"Uncle, you're running away!"

The atmosphere in the room became lively again, and even the pendulum was pulled over by Sota, who seriously discussed which shuriken's paint job had the lowest reflectivity under the moonlight.

Shisui watched as Shinnosuke's tense profile gradually relaxed, then poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.

……

The game ended amidst laughter and cheers.

Obito and Asuma lay on the tatami mat like two turtles lying on their shells, humming and moaning.

Zhongbai left the scene immediately, citing the need to check the outer perimeter security, his departing figure carrying a hint of relief.

Hiruzen Sarutobi strolled leisurely to the wooden corridor outside the room.

The night breeze was cool, carrying the unique moisture of the hot spring water, and it brushed against my face, invigorating me.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, its gentle light spilling into the hotel's exquisite Japanese garden, casting long shadows of the trees, making everything appear so tranquil and beautiful.

He stood with his hands behind his back, leaning against the railing, quietly appreciating the moonlight.

I heard soft footsteps behind me.

He didn't turn around, but he knew who it was.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked calmly.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke stopped a few steps behind him, still standing ramrod straight.

"Shinnosuke."

He turned around, and in the moonlight, he looked at his eldest son's face, which bore a resemblance to his own.

"Was dinner good tonight?"

Shinnosuke was stunned.

Tasty?

He recalled for a moment.

That onsen egg was smooth and tender, and the soy sauce was perfectly seasoned; it was indeed...not bad.

"It has never been so wonderful."

"..."

Shinnosuke Sarutobi had never been so out of control.

He stood stiffly behind his father, the moonlight casting long shadows of the two men on the wooden corridor—one relaxed, the other tense.

The phrase that slipped out—"Never before has it been so wonderful"—exploded repeatedly in his mind like an out-of-control ninja technique.

As the captain of the Dark Guard, the Falcon of Konoha, he is accustomed to describing missions with the most precise vocabulary and analyzing intelligence with the coldest logic.

But just now, when faced with his father's mundane question, he gave a purely emotional answer without any logical support.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't turn around, he just chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, yet like a feather, it precisely tickled Shinnosuke's most taut nerve.

"That's good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried the coolness of the night breeze, but also a hint of barely perceptible warmth. "Go back and rest. We need to get up early to travel tomorrow."

Shinnosuke breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon.

"Yes, Father."

He bowed deeply, his movements textbook perfect, then turned and disappeared silently into the darkness.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the almost imperceptible footsteps fade into the distance, his smile grew even wider.

His eldest son was good in every way, but he lived like a drawn sword—sharp, precise, yet cold and lonely.

Tonight, it seems that a touch of human warmth has finally seeped into the scabbard of this knife.

This is enough.