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

The ninjas, who were busy at their respective posts, suddenly seemed to have a switch flipped.

Several members of the Qiudao tribe responded immediately. They formed hand seals, their bodies instantly expanding, and together they moved a huge, flat basalt rock down from the mountainside, which landed heavily on the open ground.

The Uchiha clan ninjas followed closely behind, and several of them simultaneously formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

This time, however, it spewed out not a raging fireball, but a finely controlled, even flame, licking the bottom of the basalt like a gas stove.

Soon, the rock became scorching hot, emitting a slight sizzling sound.

Hatake Sakumo pulled out a specially made kitchen knife that was even brighter than his short sword from somewhere, and with a swift stroke, he sliced ​​the freshly picked vegetables, still fragrant with the scent of earth, into neat, thin slices.

The Inuzuka clan ninja, accompanied by several ninja dogs, quickly ran to retrieve several large pieces of pork from the Konoha Ecological Farm, which had been marinated using a secret method.

"What...what are they doing?"

Asuma stared in disbelief and whispered to Kakashi beside him.

Kakashi's lips twitched slightly beneath his mask, his voice still languid: "Can't you tell? Konoha's Agriculture Department is launching an unprecedented food culture invasion of Iwagakure."

"what?"

Obito didn't understand, but he smelled the aroma of meat, and his mouth was already watering. "Forget about the invasion, it looks so delicious..."

Rin Nohara smiled helplessly, took a handkerchief out of her pocket, and handed it to Obito.

Ōnoki stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge rock, his short figure looking somewhat comical in the face of the massive Akimichi wind and the rolling heat.

He watched the Konoha ninjas work together with such fluid efficiency, from carrying things, starting a fire, chopping vegetables to serving ingredients, all in one go. Their efficiency and teamwork were comparable to that of an elite assassination squad.

The old man's expression changed repeatedly.

His words remained disdainful, but a complex light flickered in his sharp eyes.

"Lord Tsuchikage, please!"

Akimichi Torifu used two specially made long chopsticks to pick up the first piece of pork belly that was sizzling on the rock and slightly charred at the edges, and without saying a word, stuffed it into the plate in front of Onoki.

The aroma of meat mixed with the fresh scent of vegetables forcefully fills the nostrils.

Onoki stared at the grilled meat on the plate, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He remained silent for a full three seconds, as if he were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

In the end, he still kept a straight face, picked up the piece of meat with his chopsticks, and carefully put it into his mouth as if tasting poison.

"..."

No sound.

All eyes were focused on the stubborn Tsuchikage.

Then, Onoki's eyes gradually lit up.

It was a pure radiance that couldn't be concealed after all psychological defenses were instantly shattered by the ultimate deliciousness.

He chewed faster and faster, and finally swallowed hard.

"cough!"

He cleared his throat, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity, "This... this level of thing, we in Iwagakure... with a little effort, it's not like we can't make it!"

"Yeah?"

Akimichi Torifu grinned, then picked up another potato slice that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. "Then try this one. It was grown by Sakumo himself, cultivated in sandy soil improved by Soil Release. It absorbed enough sunlight, so the starch content is just right. When roasted, it has a soft and powdery texture with a hint of sweetness!"

Ōnoki fell silent again.

Then, it silently opened its mouth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood to the side, watching this absurd yet heartwarming scene unfold before him, a genuine smile on his face.

He turned to look at Sakumo Hatake beside him and whispered, "It seems that sometimes a barbecue is more effective than a thousand peace declarations from the Tsuchikage."

Sakumo nodded seriously and wiped the kitchen knife in his hand.

"Yes, Hokage. Food is the foundation of life, and also a bridge for communication."

At first, Onoki was reserved and picky, but later he accepted everything. In the end, he even started arguing with Akimichi Torifu over the last piece of grilled mushroom.

"As I said, this needs to be roasted a bit drier to bring out the umami flavor!"

"No way! Mushrooms are all about their juicy texture! Drying them out means they lose their soul!"

Two people whose average age adds up to nearly a hundred years are arguing like three-year-olds.

Obito and Asuma were amazed.

"So... this is what it's like when adults argue?" Obito murmured.

Kakashi added quietly, "No, it's just like this when a gluttonous adult and a gluttonous little adult quarrel."

Onoki let out a satisfied burp, his face glistening with oil, and even his beard was smeared with sauce.

He glanced at Akimichi Torifu, who was also stuffed with food, and a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes.

"You fatso, you actually have some insights into food."

"Hehe, Lord Tsuchikage, you're not bad either, you know your stuff!"

The two exchanged a few words of flattery, and then they both burst into laughter.

The dinner was held in the office of the film director.

Although the conditions in Iwagakure were far inferior to those in Konoha and Kumogakure, the banquet was still quite lavish.

The table was filled with various vegetables and fruits that were considered extremely precious in the Land of Earth.

While devouring grilled meat, Onoki mumbled a complaint: "Your Konoha is certainly generous, willing to teach anything. But this land, it's all about the land. There's too little water. Even with your so-called constant-temperature barrier, many advanced crops still can't be grown. We can't keep buying water from you, can we? It's ridiculously expensive!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi leisurely picked up a slice of cucumber with garlic sauce and smiled, "The water problem is not a problem."

He put down his chopsticks and looked at Onoki: "I've already had Danzo's infrastructure team start planning the project."

"What plan?" Onoki asked warily.

"A canal."

Hiruzen Sarutobi casually remarked, "A tributary branches off from the upper reaches of the Cloud and Thunder Dam in the Land of Lightning, flows through the mountains, and is built all the way to the Land of Earth."

Onoki's chopsticks, which were holding meat, stopped in mid-air.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. A canal? From the Land of Lightning to the Land of Earth? How massive would that be? How much money would it cost? More importantly… what terrifying planning and execution capabilities of Konoha did this represent?

He wanted to say something polite, like that we at Yanyin don't care for such things, but he swallowed the words back down.

Water is the eternal pain of the land of earth. If only this problem could be solved…

The old man hesitated for a long time before finally letting out a muffled groan and lowering his head to eat voraciously.