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

Chapter 357 A Touch of Green in the Morning

In the early morning, Konoha was full of vitality.

Shops along the street have gradually opened. In front of the Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant, several young apprentices are diligently cleaning the signboard. The girl from the mountain flower shop carries pots of flowers covered in dew to the door, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

Not far away, a newly built residential building, overseen by Danzo, was taking shape. Hyuga clan ninjas stood on high ground, carefully inspecting every detail of the building structure with their Byakugan to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Everything was in good order and thriving.

That towering wooden building, visible from any corner of the village, is like a miracle, reminding everyone of the earth-shaking changes taking place in this village.

Sakumo, carrying a massive scroll, walked steadily along the wide Hokage Avenue. He didn't walk in a straight line, but habitually chose the route that offered the best overall view—an instinct honed through years of assassination missions.

Just as he was about to turn a corner, a striking green blur suddenly darted out from the alley.

"Ohhhhh! Burn, my youth!"

The sound was so loud that all the birds on half the street fluttered and took flight.

Shuo Mao paused, his body instinctively shifting half a step to the side as if to evade.

A boy with a watermelon-shaped haircut and wearing a green bodysuit charged forward in an extremely exaggerated manner, his arms swinging behind him as if in flight, his entire body radiating an inexhaustible heat.

It's Matt Day.

Sakumo recognized the eccentric ninja in the village.

Just as the other person was about to crash into him, Matt Day finally saw the person in front of him clearly. He slammed on the brakes, his feet leaving two clear marks on the ground.

"Oh! It's Lord White Fang! Good morning!"

He grinned, revealing a set of teeth so white they gleamed, gave a thumbs-up, and struck a classic bodybuilding pose.

Shuo Mao looked at him, and the fatigue from not sleeping all night seemed to be somewhat diluted by this overwhelming energy.

"Are you training?" Sakumo asked calmly.

"Yes! To live up to the Hokage's expectations! To protect this beautiful village! My youth is burning brightly every second!" Might Guy's answer was powerful and resounding, every word firm and clear.

"Good luck." Sakumo waved goodbye as a greeting and prepared to continue on his way.

However, this simple word of encouragement was like pouring a bucket of oil on Matt Daly's youthful passion.

"Aaaaaah! It's White Fang's encouragement! I felt it! This power! I'll work even harder! This is youth, aaaaaah—"

With an even louder shout, Might Guy seemed to unleash an invisible wave of energy, and in a flash, he transformed into a green lightning bolt at more than twice the speed of before, disappearing at the end of the street.

Shuo Mao stood there, a gentle breeze ruffling his silver-white hair, and he shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

This village is becoming more and more vibrant.

Hokage Building.

It wasn't the Hokage's office, but a strategic command room closer to the interior, typically used for top-level military meetings.

At this moment, this huge room is filled with all kinds of blueprints and scrolls.

Hanging on the wall are not only maps of the ninja world, but also structural breakdown diagrams of the Naga River Reservoir, route maps of Konoha's underground pipe network, and energy conduction design drafts covered with complex runes.

There are two people in the room.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was standing in front of a huge table, rapidly marking something on a cross-sectional diagram of a reservoir dam with a red pen, his expression focused and stern.

"No, there's a problem with the load-bearing structure at this location. The long-term scouring of the water flow will create stress concentration points, so four sets of composite stabilization techniques must be added."

His words were brief, precise, and devoid of any emotion.

Standing beside him was Orochimaru, whose face was equally fanatical. He stuck out his tongue and lightly licked his lips, his golden snake eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Lord Tobirama, what if we added a miniature chakra turbine here to recover energy using the water pressure difference? Although the efficiency would only be three percent, it would still amount to a considerable amount of energy over the years. Moreover, the data from this recovery system could provide valuable reference for our next step: miniaturizing the chakra engine."

"It's unnecessary. It will affect the flow rate of the main pipeline and increase the complexity of maintenance. Our primary goal is stability, and then efficiency." Tobirama Senju rejected Orochimaru's suggestion without even looking up, his pen moving without pausing.

Instead of disappointment, Orochimaru's face showed even greater excitement, as if he was enjoying this extremely rigorous scientific exploration.

"Thump, thump, thump."

A knock came at the door.

Tobirama Senju paused in his actions, looked up, and a hint of displeasure at being disturbed showed in his sharp red eyes.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open, and Sakumo Hatake walked in, carrying the huge scroll on his back.

The dark circles under his eyes were very obvious, but he stood straight and had a calm and composed demeanor.

"Nidaime-sama."

Shuo Mao bowed slightly in greeting.

Tobirama Senju looked at him, and at the enormous scroll behind him that was almost as tall as him.

"It's you, Sakumo."