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

Chapter 363 The Heartbreaking Third Generation

A warm feeling welled up in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.

He seemed to see, many years later, his son Asuma, and the children Kakashi, Obito, Naruto, and Sasuke, all working hard weeding in this sky farm to exchange for a ripe apple, with pure smiles on their faces.

The legacy of the Will of Fire should not only be passed down before the memorial tablet, but also amidst the sweet fragrance of these fruits.

He continued looking until he reached the very top floor.

Floors 81-100: Special Plants and Research Area.

[Area A: Sunflower and Herb Growing Area...]

[Area B: A new type of medical herb cultivation base. Fully entrusted to Lady Tsunade and Lady Orochimaru...]

[Sector C: Wood Release Ecological Cycle Laboratory. Exclusively for the First Hokage. Used for researching Wood Release and natural energy...]

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment.

Why put Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the First Hokage—the three most unstable top researchers—all on the highest floor, the hundredth floor?

This is clearly a quarantine zone.

"puff……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi almost burst out laughing.

Antlers, oh antlers, your aversion to trouble can be surprisingly effective in certain situations.

He forced down his smile and continued reading. The scroll's contents were all-encompassing, from the spice supply of the mountain flower shop to the Hyuga clan's remote structural quality inspection, and the Uchiha clan's maintenance... The entire Hidden Leaf Village, every clan that could be named, was meticulously and seamlessly integrated into the grand blueprint of this towering structure by this trouble-averse mind, like mortise and tenon joints.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt genuinely gratified and proud.

He himself had only initially set the gears of fate in motion, while the fierce men under his command, who had been rescued from tragic fates, had used their talent and willpower to make this machine called Konoha start running in a wilder way than he had ever imagined.

He saw the end of the scroll.

There is a list there.

A frighteningly long list of budget requests.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze followed the list downwards: seeds, specially made farming tools, chakra booster pumps, research funding for the First and Second Hokage, start-up capital for Tsunade and Orochimaru's laboratories...

His breath caught for a moment when he saw the total amount marked in red ink at the bottom.

"......."

The entire office was so quiet that you could hear the wind blowing through the window.

Hatake Sakumo sensed the change in atmosphere. He saw the Hokage squatting there, motionless, like a petrified statue.

"Lord Hokage?"

He called out tentatively.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his head. There was no particular change on his face, but in that instant, Sakumo felt as if the temperature in the office had dropped several degrees.

An indescribable sense of oppression emanated from the Hokage.

"Oh……"

A very soft, almost imperceptible sneer came from Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat.

At that very moment, he keenly sensed the chakra fluctuations outside the office door, belonging to Nara Kaguya. The chakra was languid yet tinged with guilt, like a startled cat. It trembled violently and then desperately contracted, trying to blend into the wall.

That bastard!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart felt like it had been trampled by a herd of alpacas.

You wrote a check that was enough to make a daimyo's heart stop, and then asked Sakumo, the most honest and least tactful man in the whole village, to cash it? You were hiding outside eavesdropping?

Nara deer antlers! I'll squeeze you dry while I'm handling the coordination of the Winter Festival, or I'll quit being Hokage!

His inner turmoil was raging, but in a mere second, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face underwent an astonishing transformation from a frozen hell to a spring of warmth and blooming flowers.

He stood up, the chill on his face vanished, replaced by his signature warm and gentle smile, like a spring breeze in March.

Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and patted Sakumo Hatake's shoulder forcefully.

"amazing!"

His voice was filled with sincere admiration and excitement.

"Sakumo, this is incredible! I never imagined that an agricultural project could achieve this! This isn't just a business plan; it's a grand blueprint for Konoha, a blueprint for a new era!"

Sakumo Hatake was somewhat bewildered by the sudden high praise, but a surge of intense emotion welled up uncontrollably in his chest.

"This is not just about farming, Shuomao."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with infectious energy: "This is forging the strongest shield for Konoha! It's protecting the food on every villager's table, protecting every child's right to have enough to eat! This is the highest manifestation of the Will of Fire in the realm of people's livelihood! It's a great undertaking worthy of being recorded in history!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with great passion and enthusiasm, making Sakumo feel excited and as if he were not a farm manager, but a commander of a holy war that would determine the future of the ninja world.

He even had an urge to return to the farm immediately and work for another three days and three nights without sleep.

"Lord Hokage, I..."

"Don't say anything, I understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, turned around and went back to his desk, picked up the vermilion brush that represented the highest authority of the Hokage, and dipped it in ink.

He picked up the budget list, which contained almost half of Konoha's fiscal revenue for half a year, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

The hand rises, the pen falls.

Two bold, vigorous characters, written with a powerful, flowing style, were heavily printed on the application form.

【agree】

After doing all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pen and gave Sakumo, who was completely moved, an encouraging smile.

"Go, Sakumo. The village will be your strongest support. I'll be waiting to see the day that Tower of Life truly stands on the land of Konoha."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Sakumo Hatake responded excitedly and loudly. He solemnly put away the weighty document, bowed deeply to the Hokage, then turned around and strode out of the office with unprecedented enthusiasm and a sense of mission.

"Click—"

The office door was closed gently.

The office door was gently closed.

The moment the door closed, the sacred and gentle smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face went out like a light bulb being switched off.

He felt as if his bones had been removed, and he collapsed helplessly into the large chair, letting out an extremely exhausted groan.

With a slightly trembling hand, he reached into the bottom drawer of the table and pulled out a thick ledger with worn edges.

This is the general ledger of Konoha Village.

With an almost tragic expression, he opened the ledger, found the page recording the village's total income, picked up another pen, and heavily crossed out most of the long string of numbers.

That ink mark, like a sharp blade, pierced deeply into his heart.

"...It hurts, it hurts..."

It hurts so much.

He clutched his chest, feeling a bit short of breath.

However, when Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell once again on the vibrant village outside the window, and he saw the villagers on the street beaming with happiness, the sting in his heart was strangely replaced by a sense of satisfaction.