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

Chapter 598 How has life been in Konoha these past few years?

The brother and sister were on tenterhooks.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's next move caused their thoughts to freeze instantly.

He didn't discuss the mission, set conditions, or even exude the slightest bit of the aura of a victor.

He simply stood up, took three clean teacups from the cabinet next to him, poured a cup of warm barley tea for each of them, and then pointed to the sofa opposite him.

"Please sit down."

Hiruzen's voice was very calm, as if he were welcoming two guests who had come from afar.

He gently pushed the two cups of tea in front of the brother and sister, then took his own cup, sat back down in the main seat, and spoke softly.

"How have you been these past few years?"

This incredibly ordinary opening line struck the already tense nerves of the Hozuki siblings like an invisible hammer.

Both of them were stunned.

How is it?

Hozuki Shiori's mind went blank. As the warm aroma of tea wafted into her nostrils, some long-buried memories surged up uncontrollably.

It was dusk.

Having just finished a day of forced labor (turning the house upside down for the Akimichi family), she was exhausted and hungry. The ninja guarding her took her to a small shop called Ichiraku Ramen.

Then, she saw the bowl of noodles.

The rich pork bone broth simmered with milky white foam, topped with a layer of golden oil. Large slices of char siu pork, marbled with fat and lean meat, and a soft-boiled egg with an enticing orange-red yolk, were garnished with vibrant green scallions...

The domineering, warm steam, a mixture of the aromas of meat, bones, and noodles, wafted towards me.

In that instant, Hozuki Shio felt all the coldness and killing intent she had accumulated over the past ten years from the Blood Mist Village melt away with this steaming bowl of ramen.

She wolfed down the entire bowl of noodles, even drinking every last drop of the soup.

As she licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, the middle-aged man, whose eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled, chuckled and added another large spoonful to her bowl.

At that moment, she cried.

It wasn't because of humiliation or sadness, but because of a feeling of fullness called happiness that I had never experienced before.

Meanwhile, Hozuki Kaigetsu's thoughts drifted away.

He recalled the days when he was assigned to organize books in the Konoha Library.

As a water-style genius, he was filled with pride and confidence in everything related to water.

But in that place, he saw for the first time another possibility of water escape besides killing.

It was a book called "Fundamentals and Applications of Hydraulic Engineering".

There wasn't a single ninjutsu technique in it, but it used detailed blueprints and rigorous formulas to show him how to use the power of water to build dams, dig canals, drive machines, and irrigate farmland.

He saw the design blueprints for the Nanga River Reservoir. The magnificent concept and the boldness of using human power to transform nature and benefit all people made him, a so-called genius who only knew how to kill with water, feel an unprecedented sense of awe and insignificance.

So, power... can be used in this way.

Seeing the brother and sister lost in their memories, their expressions complex, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile deepened.

"Hahaha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his words flat and unreadable, "What did you see, and what did you learn?"

This question left Hozuki Kaigetsu, who had prepared a hundred different ways to respond to interrogation, speechless.

He had imagined countless possibilities: being questioned about the crimes of war, being interrogated about information about Kirigakure, or even being sentenced to death on the spot.

I never expected that the other party would ask such a casual, everyday question.

His throat bobbed as he prepared a flawless diplomatic statement.

"food!"

A crisp and loud sound broke his thoughts.

Hozuki Shio blurted it out almost without thinking, only realizing what she had said after she finished. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she still puffed out her chest confidently.

"The food in Konoha is so delicious! Ichiraku's tonkotsu ramen has a broth so rich it sticks to your tongue! Akimichi's secret-recipe grilled meat is perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat, glistening with oil, and served with lettuce and garlic slices—it's a divine gift! And the three-color dumplings sold by the Uchiha shop at the end of the shopping street are sweet but not cloying, with a soft and chewy texture..."

She rattled off the names of the dishes as if they were her own, and as she spoke, she unconsciously licked her lips, her gaze drifting uncontrollably to the plate of exquisite pastries on the Hokage's desk.

This completely untimely declaration of foodie intent instantly cracked the tense atmosphere in the office.

Hozuki Kaigetsu looked utterly hopeless, wishing he could use his water-transformation technique on the spot to turn himself into a puddle of water and flow out through the crack in the door.

How embarrassing, so incredibly embarrassing.

Even Uchiha Shisui at the door, beneath his eternally gentle mask, seemed to show a very subtle shift.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the girl with the "I'm an advocate for food" expression and couldn't help but chuckle.

As expected of you, the future King of Rice at Sea. Sometimes, using food to break a person's will is more effective than illusion. The Akimichi family and the boss deserve credit for this.

"Hmm, that's right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi actually nodded in agreement, "Food is indeed one of the cornerstones of peace. And you, Kaigetsu?"

His gaze shifted to Hozuki Kaigetsu.

With his younger sister leading the way, Hozuki Kaigetsu's tense nerves relaxed somewhat. He remained silent for a moment before answering in an almost hoarse voice:

"It is hope."

He was stunned for a moment when he uttered the word.

"Everyone in Konoha," he carefully chose his words, trying to express the complex and indescribable feelings he had accumulated over the past few years, "whether they are ninjas or civilians, they all have smiles on their faces, and a hope for tomorrow. They believe that as long as they work hard, life will get better."

"But in Kirigakure... all we have is bloodshed, slaughter, and fear of an unknown tomorrow. Numbness and despair are written on everyone's face."

As the conversation deepened, long-buried fragments of memory were constantly unearthed, becoming vivid and glaring.

"I've seen it."

Hozuki Shio also put away her playful smile and became serious for the first time. "The kids at the Ninja Academy would argue until they were red in the face and even fight over the merits of a tactic. But in Kirigakure, at our age... we were only forced to fight to the death with our best friends."

"I've seen Uchiha clan ninjas use their fire-style techniques, which are powerful enough to incinerate everything, to grill meat for the Akimichi clan, just to argue about which heat level would produce the crispiest and most fragrant pork belly."

Hozuki Kaigetsu's voice trembled slightly, without him even realizing it, "In Kirigakure, such flames are only used to burn down villages or to burn traitors to death."

All of this, which they took for granted in Konoha, now felt like red-hot steel needles, piercing through the cruel and distorted worldview they had built up in the Blood Mist.

The ninja destiny they once fought for and were proud of, the law of the supremacy of power they believed in, all seem so pale, laughable, and morbid in the face of Konoha's vibrant prosperity.

"us……"

Hozuki Kaigetsu's breathing became heavy, and he closed his eyes in pain, as if trying to expel the demons from his mind.

"We...can't go back."

He finally uttered the words that had been lingering in his heart for so long, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Our minds, our souls, have been poisoned by Konoha. We can no longer adapt to Kirigakure's disease."

He let out a desperate growl, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

Hozuki Shio stood to the side, her eyes red-rimmed, biting her lower lip tightly, without saying a word.

She could no longer make jokes about food. Because she knew her brother was right.

A life where you can eat delicious barbecue anytime is a completely different world from a life where you might be stabbed in the back by a friend at any time.

Having tasted the sweetness of honey, who would willingly go back to swallow poison?

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly until they had completely vented their inner pain and struggle.

He shook his head.

"No, that's not poison."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached the siblings' ears clearly, possessing a comforting quality.

"That's the antidote."

Hozuki Kaigetsu suddenly raised his head, his gray-blue eyes filled with bloodshot veins and confusion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was calm and profound.

"Now, I ask you,"

He leaned forward slightly and asked, word by word, "What kind of future do you want to bring to Kirigakure?"

This question, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through all the confusion and bewilderment in the hearts of the brother and sister.