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

Chapter 359 The First Floor of the Sinkhole

Stepping out of the Hokage Building, the morning sunlight bathed me, dispelling the slightly cool air in the command room that smelled of ink and old scrolls.

Sakumo Hatake took a deep breath, his chest filled with the freshness and energy of a new day.

He didn't head directly to the Nara clan's residence, but instead walked slowly along the Hokage Avenue.

The exhaustion from a sleepless night was replaced by an immense, unprecedented sense of satisfaction the moment the second generation received approval.

Now, he feels like he has inexhaustible energy.

The streets were already bustling with activity.

The children from the ninja academy, carrying their schoolbags, ran past in small groups, excitedly discussing the theory their teacher had taught yesterday about how to make perfect soft-boiled eggs using the principle of centrifugal force.

Several young ninjas wearing uniforms with the Uchiha fan logo were hovering next to a utility pole.

One of them conjured two slowly rotating magatama in his eyes, carefully observing the flow of chakra at the energy nodes, while the other carefully made fine adjustments using a special tool according to his instructions.

They were members of Konoha's newly established Chakra Electric Network Maintenance Department. The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan proved to be an unparalleled advantage in this kind of work that required extremely meticulous observation.

As I passed by Akimichi's barbecue restaurant, a rich aroma of meat mixed with the sweet scent of sauce wafted out.

At the shop entrance, the owner stood with his hands on his hips, directing two members of his clan to hang a huge wooden sign with the words "Wood Leaf Pig, Farm Direct Supply, Today's Special Price" in the most conspicuous position.

His face radiated a genuine love and pride for food.

Sakumo Hatake walked lightly, observing everything with a sense of peace.

I really like this feeling.

The Nara clan's residence is located in a relatively quiet corner of Konoha. There is no hustle and bustle here, only small groves of trees and meadows, and the air is filled with a faint herbal fragrance.

Several graceful deer were strolling leisurely in the forest clearing, occasionally lowering their heads to nibble on the tender grass. When they saw someone approaching, they simply raised their heads and glanced at them curiously with their gentle, bright black eyes, showing no fear whatsoever.

It's so quiet, so quiet that I just want to lie down and take a nap.

As Hatake Sakumo entered this tranquil territory, his top-tier assassin's perception allowed him to lock onto his target almost instantly.

Under a tree in the backyard of a house, in the densest shade, a figure was lying on the grass in an extremely comfortable position, sprawled out on the ground.

He rested his hands behind his head, one leg casually crossed over the other, and a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, swaying slightly with his breath.

Nara deer antlers.

Sakumo Hatake walked silently up to him, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped Nara Kagaku.

"Hmm?"

Sensing the change in light, Nara Shika lazily opened one eye, its drowsy gaze slowly focusing until it finally settled on the face before it, a face etched with seriousness.

"It's you, Sakumo."

He mumbled something indistinctly, then closed his eyes again, "The weather is really nice today, and the clouds look so unique. Why don't we lie down and take a look? It's really relaxing."

"What kind of clouds are you looking at under the shade of the tree?"

"No, don't lead me astray, Kashiwagi. I need to talk to you." Hatake Sakumo's voice was calm and direct, without any beating around the bush.

"Anything can wait until I wake up from my nap."

Nara Kaguya rolled over, turning his back to him, adopting a posture of refusing to communicate. "If it's about the farm, then there's even less of a rush. I've already finished the crop plan for next season; it's on my desk. Just go get it yourself. It's a lot of trouble, so don't bother me."

Sakumo Hatake didn't move; he simply stood there quietly and spoke slowly, as if stating a fact.

"Yesterday, the First Hokage used Wood Release to build a 100-story vertical farm on the farm."

The figure on the grass suddenly froze.

The blade of grass he was holding in his mouth fell to the ground with a thud.

The Nara deer antlers seemed to be frozen in place, remaining motionless in that back-facing position.

After a long while, he asked in a dreamlike tone, filled with a strong sense of foreboding.

"...How many floors did you say?"

"One hundred floors. The vertical height exceeds one hundred meters," Sakumo Hatake added precisely.

A deathly silence fell over the air.

Nara Shikaku slowly, extremely slowly, turned around, sat up, and his usually lazy face was now filled with blankness.

"Say it again?"

"The First Hokage used Wood Release to build a hundred-story, towering wooden building to grow vegetables."

boom--

Nara Shikano felt as if something had completely exploded in his brain.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. A hundred floors? Used for growing vegetables? Is this something out of a myth? Does the First Hokage... have some strange misunderstanding about farming?

"so,"

Seeing that he looked like he was about to lose his mind, Hatake Sakumo continued, "I need a chief planner."

Nara Shikaku jolted awake, instantly snapping back to reality. He leaped to his feet, waving his arms wildly, his entire being radiating resistance.

"No, no, no! Absolutely not! I'm just a herb grower! Why would you need me for this god-level project?! It's too much trouble! Utterly a pain!"

He said a whole bunch of things, but the core message was just one word: Don't look for me.

"Find someone else! Go find Danzo! Isn't he the one who loves doing this kind of thing the most? Let him plan it! He'll be more than happy to do it!"

Sakumo Hatake shook his head, his expression unchanged.

"This is the follow-up to an S-rank long-term mission that was approved by the Hokage and personally guided by the Second Hokage."

The sound of the Nara deer antlers abruptly stopped.

S-rank... mission... follow-up? And the Hokage was brought along?

The combination of these words was so heavy that it made him feel a little breathless.

"and,"

Sakumo Hatake looked at him and delivered the final blow, "After Tobirama-sama read my plan, he sent me to find the smartest person in the village—that is, you."

The Nara deer antlers have completely turned to stone.

It’s over.

This is a trap.

A perfect trap: using an S-rank mission as a cage, the Hokage as a chain, and finally sealing off the exit with the tall hat of the smartest person in the village.

He could refuse Sakumo, and he could try to pass the buck to Danzo, but he could not refuse the Hokage's orders, much less refuse the Second Hokage's call to action, who was known for his rigor and rationality.

Especially after being crowned with the title of the smartest person, if he refuses, it would be tantamount to saying: I can't handle it, Second Generation, you've misjudged me.

Given the Second Hokage's intolerant nature, he would probably personally visit to test whether the title of Nara clan leader was truly undeserved.

Just thinking about that scene sends chills down Nara Kazumi's spine.

That would be a million times more complicated than planning a hundred-story farm.

The color drained from his face at a visible speed, and his whole body turned ashen, as if all his life force had been drained away.

"well……"

A long, despairing sigh escaped from the mouth of the Nara deer antlers.

He knew that his peaceful life of slacking off had come to a complete end from this moment on.

"Dad, be careful on the road!"

Just then, a clear, youthful voice came from the corridor not far away.

Nara Shikaku stiffly turned his head and saw his son, Nara Shikaku, who also had a pineapple-shaped hairstyle, clinging to the door frame, peeking out with his little head and waving happily in their direction.

Those eyes, so identical to his, gleamed with schadenfreude.

That bastard!