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

Chapter 377 Barbecue, Desserts, and a Young Girl

Shuimen raised his hand and lifted the heavy cotton curtain.

The chill that had accumulated along the way was completely kept out of the door.

Kushina hunched her shoulders and plunged headfirst into the white mist filled with the rich aroma of bone broth.

Behind the counter, a skilled noodle maker expertly twirled a strainer, precisely tossing the drained noodles into a bowl.

"Uncle, two extra-large bowls of tonkotsu ramen!"

Kushina brushed the snow off her cloak, the sound ringing out crisply in the steamy little shop.

"Add plenty of Naruto scrolls, make sure they cover the entire area!"

She finished speaking before settling down on the bench, satisfied.

Minato pulled two pairs of chopsticks out of the bamboo tube, carefully wiped them clean, and handed them to the girl at the same table.

He turned his head and looked through the fogged-up glass window at the Hokage Avenue.

The outside world is even more bustling than the shop.

Countless workers wearing Konoha Construction armbands moved about on the scaffolding, and the colorful lights reflected mesmerizing colors on the snow.

Across the street, a wide open space was enclosed by a red ribbon.

The head of the Akimichi clan, Tokifu, was shirtless at the moment, carrying a metal barbecue grill that was as tall as two people in one hand.

The iron frame, weighing several hundred kilograms, slammed onto the frozen ground with a dull thud.

"Move to the left, then two inches to the left!"

Yamanaka Taichi squatted by the green belt next to him, holding a pair of exquisite silver scissors in his hand.

He was gesturing towards several pots of winter jasmine that were tightly protected by the barrier.

"Torifu, your big frame is blocking out all the sunlight. If my orchid opens even one less petal, I'll have Hiruzen deduct your meat ration next month."

He stopped what he was doing and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His thick fingers gripped his belt as he turned away with a hint of helplessness.

"Tian Yi, it's nighttime, and it's still snowing outside. Where are you going to find sunshine?"

Qu Feng took out a piece of raw meat with an extremely beautiful marble pattern from the extra-large insulated food box on his back.

That's the Konoha No. 1 porpoise that the farm just delivered today.

"Besides, this barbecue grill was personally designed by Danzo, and it even has a built-in micro-airflow system."

As he spoke, he patted the cold raw meat in a defiant manner.

"The aroma will fill three streets."

Yamanaka Daichi put down the scissors, stood up, and dusted off the hem of his clothes.

"The Hokage has repeatedly emphasized that the core of this expo is style."

"Do you understand style? It's all about style."

"Just knowing about the smoky atmosphere makes you a street vendor, but when paired with the special herbal tea made by my mountain tribe to cut through the grease, that's what Konoha's food culture is all about."

As Minato listened to the daily bickering between the two clan leaders outside the window, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Previously, such a scene would have been almost unimaginable.

Those were two Jonin who could destroy a small village with a flick of their wrist, but now they were arguing heatedly over the layout of the booth.

"Minato, look at that!"

Kushina suddenly pointed to the street next door.

A strange buzzing sound came from afar; it was the chakra mapping device jointly developed by Orochimaru and the Second Hokage.

Several young men dressed in Uchiha fan-shaped clothing were solemnly measuring the dimensions of the street with a scroll.

The hand-pulled ramen bowls, each topped with a layer of pink and white Naruto rolls, were pushed in front of the two people.

"The noodles are here!"

He chuckled and pointed to the busy crowd outside the window.

"The Hokage gave me a prime booth at this expo."

"So I plan to develop a brand new soy sauce base to give back to my fellow villagers."

Kushina eagerly picked up a mouthful of noodles, scalding herself and shrinking back in pain, but still managed to mumble:

"Then I absolutely have to be the first to eat there!"

Minato smiled and nodded, but his gaze fell on the towering wooden building that reached into the clouds at the end of the street.

Even in the darkness and heavy snow, that miraculous building still exudes a faint green hue.

That is the heart of Konoha.

It is also the most powerful coordinate regarding peace that the Third Hokage planted for this era.

Outside the window, Akimichi Torifu and Yamanaka Taichi were still arguing.

But amidst this hustle and bustle, there was a sense of peace that was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

This winter is indeed not cold.

"..."

Another burst of noise came from the street.

That's the newly opened Uchiha dessert shop.

The plaque is engraved with the family crest of a round fan. It is covered with a shimmering windproof barrier.

Mikoto Uchiha was bending over. Behind the counter, she arranged a row of red and white spheres. Those were specially made Sharingan three-color balls.

The glass door of the dessert shop was pushed open. Ju Xilin walked in, wearing a neat white coat from the medical department. She placed her first-aid kit at her feet.

"Misaka-nee, get me two servings of Flame Mousse."

Ju Xilin exhaled, and the white mist quickly dissipated in the room.

Mikoto Uchiha raised her head.

She took down two pieces of red cake shaped like flames and packed them into an elegant cardboard box.

"Just came from the hospital?"

Ju Xilin nodded. She took the cake.

"Lord Orochimaru is researching some kind of chakra pump again lately, and all the test subjects sent over have abrasions. Lady Tsunade is working non-stop."

Just then, the door to the dessert shop was flung open again. Kushina burst in like a red whirlwind.

"Mikoto! I want the biggest bowl of red bean soup!"

She had just finished eating ramen with Minato, and there was still a layer of fine sweat on her forehead.

Minato followed him in.

He nodded gently to the two people inside the shop.

"Kushina, you've already eaten several bowls of noodles."

Kushina waved her hand and plopped down on a round stool by the window.

"Ramen is the main meal. Dessert is in a separate stomach."

She turned to look at Ju Xilin.

"Xilin's here too. Perfect, let's three of us decide where to go for the winter festival."

Mikoto came out from behind the counter. She untied her apron.

"Fugaku was on patrol today, so you two are already thinking about the festival?"

Kushina grabbed a tricolor dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

"Of course. I heard that Lord Danzo built a huge slide. It's over on the Naka River, and I have to go test it out with the help of the water gate."

Minato sat to the side, holding a cup of warm barley tea. Upon hearing this, his fingers trembled slightly as he held the cup.

"Kushina, that's the slope the construction team used to test the drainage ditch."

"Since it's angled, you can slide on it."

Kushina waved her hand dismissively.