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

Chapter 102 Soy Milk and Fried Dough Sticks on the Naruto Road

"Shikaku, you're so slow! Did you oversleep again?"

Yamanaka Inoichi was as sunny and cheerful as ever. As soon as he saw Shikaku slowly strolling over, he immediately went to greet him, skillfully stretched out his arm, hooked his neck, and ruffled the newly tied-up pigtail.

"Hey, Inoichi, my hair is going to be a mess, this is so annoying."

Lu Jiu struggled weakly, but his strength was as if he hadn't eaten.

"Hey, Lu Jiu, good morning."

The man next to him, Akimichi Choza, gave him a simple, honest smile.

Having just finished the last rice ball in his hand, his still-satisfied expression made it impossible to doubt that he could eat a billion more.

"morning."

Shikaku glanced at Choza's round belly, then at Inoichi's energetic smiling face, and sighed inwardly once again.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio have been on good terms for generations and form the most harmonious trio on the battlefield.

But Lu Jiu felt that in daily life, the combination of the three of them was simply a disaster.

One is a hot-blooded idiot who always has inexhaustible energy.

The other is a mobile granary that thinks of nothing but eating.

All I want to do is lie quietly and watch the clouds.

These three people together are simply trouble squared.

"Come on, come on, I know a great place!"

Inoichi showed no sign of letting go of Shikaku; instead, he hugged her even tighter and enthusiastically suggested, "Let's go have breakfast first, then we can go to the farm!"

"But I just ate..."

Before Shikaku could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Choza's eyes, which lit up instantly.

"Breakfast? Sure, sure! Where should we eat?"

Dingzao immediately perked up when he heard the word "eat".

"Just follow me!"

Without saying a word, Haiyi half-dragged and half-pulled Shikaku, leading Choza towards the Hokage Avenue.

Shikaku gave up struggling and let himself be dragged along like a sack by Inoichi towards the unknown "land of trouble".

Soon, they arrived at the "good place" that Hai had mentioned.

It was a newly opened breakfast shop located in the most bustling part of Hokage Avenue, next to the Akimichi family's main barbecue restaurant.

The shop's storefront is small, but it is clean and tidy.

A wooden plaque hangs at the entrance, with four large characters written in a vigorous and powerful style: "Sarutobi Breakfast".

"Sarutobi? Is that the Hokage's shop?"

Ding asked curiously.

"Of course!"

Haiyi said proudly, "I heard from my dad that this shop was opened at the suggestion of the Hokage himself. It specializes in selling simple and quick breakfasts, just to make it convenient for us ninjas who have to go on missions in the morning, as well as for students who have to rush to school."

Shikaku also looked up.

The shop was already quite full of people.

There were Uchiha ninjas in police uniforms, workers in overalls who looked like construction workers under Danzo, and many villagers in ordinary casual clothes.

Everyone sat around a simple wooden table, eating a steaming hot breakfast and chatting in a lively and harmonious atmosphere.

"Let's go inside!"

Haiyi pulled the two of them to a seat by the window.

Soon, a young man dressed in Sarutobi clan attire enthusiastically approached with a menu.

"Hey guys, what would you like to eat? Our shop has some new braised pork buns today—thin skin, lots of filling, and they taste amazing!"

The menu is very simple, with only a few items.

Soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and porridge.

These were foods that the deer had never heard of before, but which sounded very simple.

"Give me two bowls of soy milk, six fried dough sticks, and a hundred steamed buns with braised pork!"

Ding looked at the menu and ordered without hesitation.

"..."

Inoichi and Shikaku both looked at him as if he were a monster.

"Cho-zai, we're just here for breakfast, not for a buffet," Hai-yi complained.

"But I'm hungry."

Ding touched his stomach, feeling wronged.

"Give it to him."

Lu Jiu waved his hand lazily, "Anyway, if he can't finish it, we can just pack it up and take it with us."

—However... Dingza might not be able to finish the buns, but it's impossible for Dingza not to finish the buns.

"Okay!"

Breakfast was served quickly.

The steaming hot soy milk exudes a rich aroma of soybeans.

The fried dough sticks are fried until golden and crispy; one bite reveals a crispy exterior and a tender interior.

And those braised pork buns were just as the Sarutobi people had said—thin skin and generous filling; one bite and your mouth is filled with juicy goodness.

Ding Zuo devoured four fried dough sticks and eighty steamed buns all by himself, sweating profusely but completely satisfied.

Hai Yi, meanwhile, was drinking soy milk while listening with great interest to the discussions among the diners around him.

"Have you heard? Lord Danzo's reservoir dam completed its first phase of water diversion yesterday! Apparently, they used a new material called 'Chakra Concrete,' which is harder than steel! The Hyuga clan's quality control team is watching it with their Byakugan eyes every day, and they can't even find a tiny crack!"

A man who looked like a craftsman was boasting to his companion with a proud expression.

"That's nothing! Let me tell you, Lord Sakumo's farm is truly amazing! Did you see that constant temperature barrier? It's trapped the entire farm! It's all lush and green inside, so we don't have to worry about running out of vegetables in the winter."

Another diner lowered his voice, his tone full of amazement.

"Who says otherwise! My son is always saying he wants to be a ninja, that he wants to be a hero like the Hokage, someone who can protect everyone's smiles!"

"We still have to thank the Hokage! If it weren't for the Hokage, we wouldn't have the good life we ​​have today!"

"That's right! Long live the Hokage!"

The diners around them chatted amongst themselves.

Their faces radiated a genuine satisfaction with the present and a hope for the future.

Lu Jiu listened silently, dipped the fried dough stick into the soy milk in the bowl, and ate it slowly.

Although he always said "It's such a hassle," he knew better than anyone else what was going on.

It allows these ordinary villagers to discuss what to eat today and what to do tomorrow without any worries, just like they do now.

It allows those ninjas who once fought on the battlefield to now sweat and toil to build a road, a reservoir, or a vegetable garden.

This in itself is an incredibly remarkable, yet incredibly "troublesome" thing.

The person who accomplished this troublesome task was none other than the Third Hokage, who was always smiling, looked like a friendly neighbor, but possessed godlike wisdom.

"Hey, Shikaku, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat, or Choza will eat all the fried dough sticks!"

Haiyi's voice pulled him back from his reverie.

Shikaku snapped out of her daze, glanced at Choza's nearly mountain of empty plates, then looked at the half-eaten fried dough stick left in her bowl, and silently sped up her eating.

After breakfast, the three of them finally set off for Konoha Ecological Farm with great satisfaction.

Along the way, Haiyi continued to chatter excitedly, discussing whether they would see the legendary "pig that grew up listening to illusions" today.

Dingza began to seriously consider what kind of food the farm's canteen would provide at noon.

Only Shikaku remained as lazy as ever.

He walked at the back of the line with his hands behind his head, squinting his eyes.

I started silently planning which patch of grass to sleep on today, where the angle would be best, the sunlight would be warmest, and the breeze most comfortable.

Yes, this is indeed a rather troublesome problem that deserves serious consideration.

After passing through a bustling village and then across a newly cultivated field, the outline of the Muye Ecological Farm finally came into view.

Even the well-informed Haiyi and the food-obsessed Dingza were shocked by the scene before them.

A massive, semi-transparent dome-shaped barrier, like an inverted glass bowl, enveloped the vast land. Red magical runes flowed slowly across the inner walls of the barrier, radiating a soft glow.

Inside the barrier was a vibrant green world, a stark contrast to the bleak autumn outside.

"Oh My God……"

Haiyi's mouth gaped open. "This is... a constant-temperature barrier farm? This is... way too exaggerated!"

Ding was also stunned, and the bag of snacks in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. He sniffed hard, as if he could already smell the aroma of cucumbers and tomatoes in winter.

Even the most laid-back Nara Shikaku couldn't help but stop in his tracks, a look of shock flashing in his usually half-open eyes.

The trouble seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

They felt that today's task of "herding sheep" seemed... not as simple as they had imagined.