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

Chapter 602 Ready to Go

Orochimaru!

"The teacher is leaving soon, can't you at least show a little bit of farewell?"

"Huh? A farewell?"

Orochimaru raised his head, his golden vertical pupils filled with the pure bewilderment of a researcher. "I've already sent it. I wish you success in collecting tissue samples of the iridescent jellyfish, unique to the Land of Water, on your trip. The neurotoxins in that thing have extremely high research value for the development of new psychoactive drugs."

Tsunade's temple throbbed violently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the two clowns, shook his head with a smile, and stepped forward to interrupt them.

"Alright, alright, while I'm away from the village, you two keep a close eye on the lab."

He said half-jokingly, "Especially you, Orochimaru, the budget is so limited, so be careful with the spending. The finance department is still complaining to me about what happened with that kid Hiruko last time."

"Teacher, don't worry!"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately became excited. He pushed up his non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose. "The explosion in the experiment is the inevitable path to the truth! What a beautiful sight! Absolutely!"

Tsunade rubbed her forehead, giving him an expression that said, "I don't know this guy."

Just then, the clear shouts of children came from afar.

"Oh, Tosang!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and saw his wife, Biwako, walking towards him with their youngest son, Asuma.

A few steps behind them, the eldest son, Shinnosuke, was also standing quietly, dressed in an ANBU uniform.

"Come back soon! Bring me back some giant crabs from the Land of Water!"

Asuma broke free from his mother's hand, rushed over, and hugged Hiruzen Sarutobi tightly.

"it is good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and ruffled his son's soft hair.

He looked at his wife, Biwako, who simply smiled gently and straightened his slightly wrinkled collar.

Finally, the gaze fell upon Shinnosuke.

As the captain of the ANBU, Shinnosuke is often away on missions, and the father and son rarely see each other.

Unlike Asuma, who was innocent and carefree, he simply stood there silently, giving his father a perfectly standard ninja salute.

There were no words, only one action.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi understood everything his son wanted to say from that gesture—take care, and remember that he was there for the village.

He also nodded slightly to Shinnosuke.

This was a silent agreement between the father and son.

After handing Asuma back to Lake Biwa, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, turned around, and faced the twenty Anbu members who had been waiting for a long time.

He didn't say another word of nonsense, but calmly issued the instructions.

"Check the equipment."

"Ready to depart."

The moment the words fell.

Everyone present—Tsunade, Orochimaru, the two advisors, and Biwako—watched quietly.

There was no grand farewell ceremony, no earth-shaking slogans, only a secret expedition concerning the future of the ninja world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and led the silent group, without making a fuss, quietly merging into the crowd at the end of the street and soon disappearing from sight.

……

In the dense forests on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.

The team has completely broken away from Konoha's territory.

The sunlight dappled through the woods, and the air was filled with the damp scent of grass and trees.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was walking at the very front, gave a brief command without turning his head.

"Everyone, move forward at top speed!"

The next second, something unexpected happened!

Including Hiruzen Sarutobi, the figures of the Konoha ninjas all blurred at the same moment, like ink drops thrown into water, instantly disappearing.

"Whoosh—!"

The Hozuki siblings, who were right behind them, felt a strong gust of wind rush towards them, making it almost impossible for them to open their eyes.

When they regained their footing, there was no one in front of them.

Only a dozen or so faint afterimages, like ghosts, flashed past between tree trunks dozens of meters away, incredibly fast!

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"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi faced the oncoming gale and silently shed tears in his heart.

hateful!

I should have known better than to let them use their full strength!

That speed, that wind pressure!

My hair was just styled yesterday! It's completely messed up!

He was inwardly wailing, but his face remained composed and unfathomable as the Hokage.

Following behind him, or rather, being swept along by this torrent of steel, the Hozuki siblings had a completely different mindset.

"What, are you kidding me...?"

Hozuki Shio was stunned speechless by the terrifying speed.

She was putting all her strength into her feet, channeling her chakra into them. Every time she used her toes to skim across the tree trunks and branches, she used the same force she had when she was fighting for her life in the blood mist.

Even so, they could only barely stay at the back of the line.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, not from nervousness, but simply because it was about to overload.

Are these guys monsters?!

This is just a normal move, right? Why are they all rushing to get the first bowl of Ichiraku Ramen when it opens?

Wasn't your trip to the Land of Water a business trip?! Why are you acting like you're going to snatch up limited edition figurines?!

And... and the most outrageous thing is that the Hokage, who was running at the very front, even had the leisure to turn his head to avoid an oncoming, careless tree branch!

His movements were so elegant and composed, as if he were not undertaking a supersonic migration, but taking a stroll in his own backyard.

Only one thought was swirling wildly in Hozuki Shio's mind.

At this rate... is it possible... to reach the beach for lunch before noon?

seaside……

lunch……

Do you have grilled fish?