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

Chapter 287 Red-haired girl, welcome to Konoha

The takoyaki sauce was still warm, and the wonderfully salty-sweet flavor melted on her tongue. Nagato chewed it in small bites, savoring a satisfaction she had never experienced before.

Meanwhile, Kushina Uzumaki, who was beside him, had already finished her own portion in no time. She was now holding his hand as they weaved through the crowded but orderly stream of people, her purple eyes curiously taking in everything around them.

"Nagato, look! That's really interesting!"

She suddenly stopped and pointed to a stall covered with colorful masks and toys.

In front of the stall, a group of children were gathered around a large basin of water, making shouts of excitement or frustration.

It's about catching goldfish.

In the basin, dozens of small, orange-red goldfish leisurely swayed their tails, drawing elegant arcs in the clear water, completely unaware of their impending fate.

Kushina's curiosity was instantly ignited.

She pulled Changmen through the crowd and watched as a boy about her age carefully dipped a paper net into the water. Just as he was about to scoop up a fish, the net burst open in the center, and the goldfish swam away happily.

The boy let out a sigh, while the children around him laughed good-naturedly.

"It doesn't seem difficult."

Kushina muttered something under her breath, hands on her hips, her face radiating confidence.

In the Land of Whirlpools, she was renowned for her skillful hands; whether it was weaving straw ropes or making small gifts, no one could match her.

How could catching goldfish be a challenge for Kushina Uzumaki?

"Boss! Give me a net!"

She boldly snapped up a coin.

The stall owner, a kind middle-aged man, smiled and handed her a brand-new paper net.

Kushina took the paper net, took a deep breath, and, imitating the boy from before, held her breath and focused on the goldfish that looked the fattest and swam the slowest.

She calculated the angle and speed, and then—suddenly thrust the paper net vertically down!

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

The moment the paper net touched the water's surface, the center of the fish was tragically destroyed, without even touching the goldfish's scales.

"..."

The surrounding air was quiet for a moment, then burst into laughter even louder than before.

Nagato tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Sister, you're being too rough..."

Kushina's cheeks instantly heated up, becoming even hotter than her own hair.

She glared defiantly at the basin and then slapped down a coin.

"Again!"

This time, she learned her lesson and moved much more gently.

The paper net slowly sank into the water, and she waited patiently. Finally, a little goldfish swam foolishly to the front of the net.

It's now!

She suddenly raised her wrist!

"puff."

The paper netting is torn again.

Startled, the goldfish flicked its tail, splashing water onto her face.

Cool water droplets slid down her cheeks, but the heat on her face did not subside at all.

The series of failures made the usually proud red-haired girl feel a little embarrassed.

With her cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish, she stubbornly tried again and again, resulting in more and more discarded paper nets in front of the stall owner.

The laughter around them had shifted from simple snickers to playful teasing. Everyone could see that this energetic redhead was actually having a contest with the goldfish.

"Um, shall we... shall we go play something else?"

Nagato looked at her speechlessly, the toad doll in his hand deformed from his squeezing.

"No!"

Kushina gritted her teeth; this was a battle for her dignity as a genius girl. "I'm going to get one today!"

Just as she was preparing for her Nth challenge, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, holding a perfectly intact paper net.

"that……"

A gentle, clear boyish voice rang out amidst the noisy celebration, strangely calming her agitated mood.

Kushina turned her head and saw a boy who was about her age.

He had short, golden hair as bright as sunshine, and his azure eyes were as clear as a sky washed clean by rain.

He had a faint smile on his face, without a hint of mockery, but rather radiating a comfortable kindness.

It was the boy in the crowd who was holding the welcome knot and making eye contact with the Hokage.

Minato Namikaze.

"Hold it at a slight angle so that the paper net slides sideways into the water."

He spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing the goldfish in the water, "This way, we can use the surface tension of the water so that the paper won't tear so easily."

Minato Namikaze paused for a moment, then added, "Also, don't chase after fast-swimming goldfish directly. Observe its direction, place the net a little in front of it, wait for it to swim over on its own, and then gently bring it to the surface following the force of its movement."

"..."

Kushina stared blankly at him, then at the paper net in his hand.

The boy's words were clear, concise, and easy to understand, just like his personality, giving people a very reliable feeling.

She hesitated for a moment, but still took the paper net, her face still showing a hint of unyielding pride.

"I understand, you don't need to teach me!"

Although she said that, her actions unconsciously mimicked Minato's description.

The paper net slid silently into the water at a beautiful angle.

This time, the paper was intact.

Kushina's heart skipped a beat.

She held her breath, her gaze fixed on a small goldfish circling at the edge of the basin. Instead of chasing it, she calmly assessed its movement and then gently placed a paper net in its path.

The little goldfish ran headfirst into the ambush without any warning.

Kushina lifted her wrist with an incredibly gentle movement.

The water flow carries the paper net, and the paper net carries the goldfish.

Amidst the exclamations of "Wow!" from the surrounding children, she steadily scooped up the lively little goldfish and placed it into a small bag filled with water that the stall owner had prepared.

It worked!

Kushina looked at the orange-red glint swimming inside the transparent bag, and an unprecedented sense of accomplishment welled up inside her. She couldn't help but grin, revealing a radiant smile.

She turned her head, wanting to show off to the blond boy beside her, but instead met his smiling blue eyes.

The boy simply watched her quietly, as if her success made him happier than if he had caught a goldfish himself.

For some reason, Kushina felt her cheeks start to burn again.

She quickly suppressed her smile, gave a haughty snort, and shoved the bag of goldfish into Minato's arms.

"Here, it's for you!"

Minato was taken aback by this sudden action and instinctively caught the bag.

"Consider it...consider it your tuition fee!"

After Kushina finished speaking, she turned her head to the side, not daring to look at him again.

Minato looked down at the goldfish swimming happily in the bag, then at the girl in front of him whose ears were completely red, and his smile deepened.

He did not refuse, but carefully picked up the goldfish bag in his hand, then turned around and picked up something from the mask stall next to him.

It was an exquisitely crafted fox mask, with a white background, red patterns, and a pair of eyes painted so lifelike that they carried a hint of cunning and mystery.

"I'll give it to you."

He stepped forward and handed the mask to Kushina.

"Welcome to Konoha, red-haired girl."

His words were soft, yet each one struck Kushina's heart with clarity.

Kushina was stunned.

She held the still-warm fox mask in her hands, its smooth wood texture touching her skin. She opened her mouth, but found that the usually eloquent and talkative woman was now completely speechless.

The surrounding noise of people, the aroma of food, and the clamor of the celebration all seemed to fade away from her at this moment.

In her world, all that remained was the gentle smile of the blond boy before her and his eyes, clearer than the sky.

Not far behind them, Nagato, who had been quietly holding the toad doll, raised his head.

He looked at Minato Namikaze, and the innate keen senses within his small body made him feel something very special from this blond boy.

A warm and dazzling light, similar to that of the Naruto.

Further out at the edge of the crowd, a white-haired man leaned against a streetlamp, a candied apple he had just bought dangling from his mouth, watching everything that was happening around him with great interest.

He crunched the candied apple loudly, stroked his chin, and gave a malicious smile.

"Oh my, this kid has a lot of my style back in the day!"