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

Chapter 309 An Encounter on the Road to Hokage

These three words seemed to possess some kind of peculiar magic, echoing repeatedly in Kushina Uzumaki's heart.

Each response caused the girl's cheeks to heat up a degree, and her heart to beat a degree faster.

She just sat there, watching Minato Namikaze put the reel back in its place, watching him turn around, his silhouette against the light appearing soft and unreal.

Everything around us seemed to have stopped.

The dust floating in the air, the distant chimes of the clock outside the window, and the silent words on the bookshelf all became a blurred backdrop.

In the entire world, only the blond boy in front of him and his clean, clear azure eyes remained.

"Let's go, school's over."

Minato's voice rang out again, bringing Kushina back from her reverie.

"Ah... Oh! Okay!"

Kushina suddenly stood up, the movement so large that she almost tripped over herself.

She frantically rolled up the scroll about the Land of Whirlpools on the ground, the whole process made somewhat clumsy by her flustered state.

Minato didn't urge him, but waited quietly to the side with his usual gentle smile on his face.

This patience only made Kushina more flustered.

I felt like my hands and feet were not obeying my commands. It took me a lot of effort to put the scroll back on the bookshelf. My back was covered in a thin layer of sweat from the tension.

The two walked down the stairs one after the other, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty library.

Kushina kept her head down, her vision filled with her own toes moving in and out. She dared not look at the tall, straight back in front of her, afraid that her thoughts would be seen through.

Stepping out of the library, the evening breeze carried a slight chill, cooling Kushina's burning cheeks a little.

On campus, students walked in twos and threes, their laughter dispelling the subtle silence in the air.

"that……"

"that……"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, then stopped at the same time, looking at each other with some surprise.

Minato laughed first, his azure eyes curving into a beautiful arc.

"You go first."

"No, no, no, you go first!"

Kushina quickly waved her hand, feeling her cheeks starting to heat up again.

"Okay." Minato nodded, readily agreeing. "What I wanted to ask was...does what you said yesterday still stand?"

yesterday?

Kushina's mind raced for a moment before she realized what he was talking about.

Yesterday evening, before I ran away shyly, I seemed to impulsively invite him to go out for ramen together again today.

With a whoosh, the heat that had been dissipated by the evening breeze surged back.

"Of course it counts!"

Kushina straightened her back, her voice several decibels louder than usual, as if trying to hide something, "I, Uzumaki Kushina, keep my word!"

"Very good."

Minato breathed a sigh of relief, his smile now showing genuine happiness. "I thought he was just saying it casually."

Honesty instantly shattered Kushina's feigned arrogance.

It turns out he had been waiting all along.

This realization is like taking a bite of maltose—sweet and delightful.

"Then... let's go now!"

Kushina's voice trailed off, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of her clothes.

"Um."

The two walked side by side in the crowd of students leaving school. The setting sun cast their shadows long and thin, occasionally overlapping before quickly separating again.

No one spoke again, but the atmosphere was no longer as unpredictable as it had been in the library.

A quiet and comfortable understanding flowed gently between the two.

As she passed through the shopping street, a rich and overpowering aroma of sauce precisely entered Kushina's nose.

She paused subconsciously, following the aroma, and found a long queue in front of a small stall on the street corner.

At the stall, the owner skillfully flipped the golden balls, brushed them with sauce, and sprinkled them with seaweed powder and bonito flakes.

It's takoyaki.

Kushina's stomach made a soft gurgling sound at an inopportune moment.

The sound was very soft, but in the quiet air, it was enough for the boy next to him to hear.

"!!!"

Kushina's body froze instantly, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Here we go again!

However, this time, Minato did not speak up to defuse the awkward situation as he had done before.

I simply stopped naturally and looked at the stall.

"Would you like to try some?"

"Eh?"

Kushina was taken aback.

"It looks delicious."

Minato commented seriously, then walked to the end of the line and said, "Let's go, let's get in line."

Kushina stood there blankly, watching Minato's back as he joined the line. It took her a while to react before she quickly jogged after him.

"Wait, wait for me!"

The wait in line was short; it was their turn soon.

"Boss, one order of takoyaki, please," Minato said.

"Okay!"

The boss responded enthusiastically, his hands moving with practiced ease.

Kushina watched as the round, steaming little dumplings were packed into a cardboard box, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Give."

Minato handed her the freshly baked takoyaki.

"Thanks."

Kushina took it, carefully pierced one with a bamboo skewer, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.

The outer skin is slightly crispy, while the inside is piping hot and soft. Large chunks of octopus meat are chewy and bouncy, paired with a sweet and salty sauce and the fresh aroma of bonito flakes, creating an explosion of flavor in your mouth.

"tasty!"

Kushina's eyes lit up instantly, and she squinted contentedly.

Seeing her happy expression, Minato smiled too, picked one up, and savored it slowly.

The two stood on the street, sharing the delicious snack, one after the other.

The bustling crowds around them did not affect them at all.

Just then, a gentle yet somewhat weary voice came from not far behind them.

"Antlers, stop with that grumpy face. It's not like you're out for a walk all the time."

"Lord Hokage, if I may be so bold, I would rather stay at home and stare at the ceiling than report on the mountain of post-war resettlement documents."

Another voice was filled with helplessness and weariness.

Kushina and Minato turned around at the same time.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his chief assistant, Shikaku Nara, were walking towards them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi still had that gentle and approachable demeanor, while Shikanobu Nara wore a look of utter despair, as if taking even one more step would drain all his life force.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Hokage-sama!"

Kushina and Minato quickly bowed in greeting.

"It's Kushina and Minato."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping between the two men and the box of takoyaki in their hands, before giving them a meaningful look. "School's out?"

"yes!"

"Hmm, not bad."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the listless Nara shinobi beside him. "Look, shinobi, even the kids are so energetic. We should learn from them."

Nara Shikano glanced at the two of them, then spoke listlessly.

"Lord Hokage, my loss of vitality is due to work that almost killed me. If I didn't have to deal with the water supply pipeline laying plan for the Uzumaki clan's new base... I'd show you my vitality right away."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly, subtly interrupting his assistant's complaints.

He looked at the takoyaki in Kushina's hand and asked kindly, "Is it good?"

"Mmm! It's especially delicious!"

Kushina nodded vigorously, then, as if remembering something, she handed over the box like a precious treasure, "Hokage-sama, you and Shikano-sama should try some too!"

This action surprised both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shikaku Nara.