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

Chapter 178 Special Products of the Land of Wind

"What?!?!"

Inuzuka Tsubasa couldn't understand it for a moment.

His usually direct and bold thinking faltered at this moment.

Sand scorpions of the Land of Wind.

The meat is firm.

It has a high protein content.

Arrest a batch of them and bring them back.

Increase the variety of livestock raised on the farm.

He heard every word of those words clearly, but hearing them now created an absurd feeling that made Inuzuka Tsubasa's brain shut down.

Several seconds passed before he seemed to finally digest the astonishing information hidden in Hatake Sakumo's seemingly calm words. His expression shifted from confusion to astonishment, and finally, he burst into suppressed laughter.

"puff--"

Inuzuka Tsubasa could no longer hold back and suddenly burst into a deafening burst of maniacal laughter.

Hahahaha!

"Sakumo, you bastard, hahahaha!"

He was laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face. He ran while clutching his stomach and almost fell off the tree because of a stitch.

"I thought it was some huge secret!"

"So, after all this time, you've been eyeing the local specialties of the Wind Kingdom!"

"I thought you were going to say... your goal was to infiltrate Sunagakure and twist the Third Kazekage's head off!"

"The result was that we went to catch scorpions!"

Inuzuka Tsubasa found the scene before him incredibly amusing.

"As expected of you, Sakumo! Even in war, you don't forget to generate revenue for the village!"

"....."

Sakumo Hatake looked at his old friend, who was always having fun, with a black line on his face.

Inuzuka Tsubasa finally stopped laughing, wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his expression becoming somewhat excited.

"but……"

He suddenly changed the subject, and a hint of anticipation actually appeared on his rugged face.

"I've actually heard that the Wind Kingdom removes the stinger from sand scorpions and deep-fries them as a snack with drinks; it's said to taste amazing."

Don't worry!

Inuzuka Tsubasa patted his muscular chest and said confidently.

"When it comes to finding the fattest and most delicious creatures, my wood oil is the expert!"

"Woof!"

A deep, confident bark rang out from at Inuzuka Tsubasa's feet.

His ninja dog companion, Mokuyu, flicked its thick tail, grinned, revealing sharp teeth, as if it too was excited about the upcoming hunt.

"My Inuzuka clan has always been a core member of the Konoha Farm. Expanding the farm's livestock breeds is a serious matter!"

Inuzuka Tsubasa spoke with righteous indignation.

"Even the Will of Fire needs a full stomach to burn brighter!"

Looking at his forthright old friend, Hatake Sakumo's usually calm face showed a slight smile.

"Um."

He nodded.

Just then.

Shirin Aburame, who had been silent all along, turned her face slightly toward Tsubasa Inuzuka, her face hidden behind sunglasses.

hum-

A small swarm of black parasites flew out from under his collar, forming a simple, upward-curving arc in the air.

A simple line drawing of a smiley face.

Inuzuka Tsubasa paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"Hey, Zhilin, you find this interesting too, right?"

The smiling face formed by the parasites lingered in the air for two seconds before disintegrating and disappearing back into Shirin Aburame's trench coat.

As the autumn wind blew by, the atmosphere among the three people became much more relaxed because of this somewhat abstract goal.

A subtle, tacit understanding between companions quietly flowed in the air.

Looking at these two partners with such different styles yet equally reliable, a faint warmth flickered in Sakumo Hatake's cold eyes.

However, this relaxed atmosphere did not last long.

As Inuzuka Tsubasa's laughter gradually subsided.

The leader, Sakumo Hatake, looked around and made a very simple gesture.

A gesture of raising a hand and then pressing it down.

No words are needed.

Inuzuka Tsubasa, who had just been looking somewhat lazy and smiling, instantly became serious and focused.

His ninja dog, Mokuyu, also stopped wagging its tail and its eyes became wary.

Across from them, the parasitic insects that had been hovering around Shirin Aburame silently disappeared into the night.

In that instant, the atmosphere of the entire team shifted from relaxed chatting to extreme professionalism and a tense atmosphere.

"We're about to leave the boundaries of Konoha Village."

"That's enough small talk."

"Everyone, conceal yourselves and enter tactical marching mode."

"yes!"

Sakumo Hatake's voice rang out again.

Followed by.

"spread!"

With a low growl, Inuzuka Tsubasa sent his Inuzuka clan members and their ninja dogs scattering in a fan-shaped formation behind him, like dozens of sharp daggers piercing into the deep forest.

Their movements were swift and agile; their footsteps landed on the branches with only the slightest sound.

There is a wonderful tacit understanding between each ninja and his ninja dog.

Every growl and twitch of the ninja dog prompts its owner to make an immediate judgment and gesture, transmitting the information to its companions.

Like a pack of wolves hunting in the night, they use their most primitive and effective sense of smell to carve out the safest and fastest path in this vast forest.

A young Inuzuka ninja, accompanied by his ninja dog Wangcai, was speeding through a dense forest on the left flank of the group.

His breathing was steady, and his steps were as light as a feline's.

Almost at the same time.

The front of the team.

Aburame Shirin's gaze, hidden behind her sunglasses, flickered slightly.

One by one, jet-black parasitic insects silently flew out of my body.

The Aburame clan ninjas act almost simultaneously, but their methods are completely different from those of the Inuzuka clan.

They did not disperse in large numbers, but followed closely around Hatake Sakumo and the other two, like silent shadows.

Parasites, invisible to the naked eye, flew out from each person's body.

These tiny lives, as if endowed with a unified will, spread out in all directions of the team.

They burrow into the soil, climb tree trunks, and blend into the wind.

Within minutes, a vast and invisible reconnaissance network was established around the marching column.

This network is three-dimensional.

Every flap of a bird's wings in the sky.

Every wriggling movement of the underground insects.

The wind carried a strange scent that didn't belong to this forest.

Nothing can escape the network's surveillance.

An olfactory network responsible for early warning.

A chakra-sensing network responsible for precise detection.

Two intelligence reports from different directions came together at this moment.

Together, they constitute this force.

At the very heart of this unit were those three figures moving at high speed through the treetops.

Sakumo Hatake's brain was working at high speed like a sophisticated instrument.

Macro-level intelligence regarding wind direction, scent, and tracks, transmitted from the Inuzuka clan ahead.

Microscopic information from the surrounding Aburame clan regarding traps, chakra residue, and suspicious traces.

Countless streams of intelligence converged, were analyzed, and processed in his mind.

Then, make the most accurate judgment.

A subtle gesture, a slight turn.

The entire team will then behave like a precisely controlled entity, silently changing direction and avoiding all unnecessary trouble.

Inuzuka Tsubasa followed on his left, his face devoid of any smile, displaying only the composure befitting a clan leader.

Shirin Aburame was on the right, his entire being seemingly blending into the darkness, so quiet that one could almost ignore his presence.

"I said, Shuo Mao."

After nearly an hour of continuous running, Inuzuka Tsubasa finally broke the silence.

He turned his head to look at the expressionless profile of the white-haired man beside him.

"Is the mission the Hokage assigned us really just to intimidate Sunagakure?"

Sakumo Hatake's gaze did not waver at all; he remained looking straight ahead.

"Perhaps."

His voice was calm as he slowly uttered three words.

"Tsk."

Inuzuka Tsubasa pursed his lips and glanced at the figure wearing a hat.

"You, once you enter mission mode, why are you as silent as Zhilin?"

"I'm so frustrated by having to hold back my chatter."

Shirin Aburame ignored Tsubasa Inuzuka's teasing, or rather, he probably wasn't even listening.

Sakumo's lips curled up slightly.

He simply placed his right hand on the hilt of the knife behind his back.

The cold touch from my fingertips brought my somewhat chaotic thoughts back to focus.

Since taking over the farm, he has spent far more time holding a hoe than a knife.

I've grown accustomed to the fragrance of the soil, and to watching seeds sprout, grow, and bear fruit in my own hands.

The sense of accomplishment he felt from protecting and creating brought him far more inner peace than from mere killing.

but.

A knife is, after all, just a knife.

Protecting also requires strength.

They wanted to protect that farm and the smiles on the faces of the villagers because of the harvest.

We must pick up this sword again and mercilessly cut down all enemies who dare to covet this peace.

The light brought by dusk grew dimmer and dimmer.

Sakumo Hatake raised his head and looked at the familiar western sky.

He didn't speak.

But his right hand, gripping the hilt of the knife, tightened its grip even more.