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

Chapter 266 Bonfire by the Sea

Night fell quickly.

On the beach, several huge bonfires were lit, and the flames rose, illuminating half the sky in a warm red.

The Uchiha clansmen in charge of lighting the fires even showed off their skills by precisely igniting each pile of firewood with the Great Fireball Technique, drawing gasps of amazement from the children.

A powerful and irresistible aroma quickly filled the air.

Akimichi Torifu and his Akimichi clan naturally became the head chefs for this banquet. They set up a huge grill and neatly arranged the cleaned sea fish and specially supplied pork that had been urgently transported from the Konoha farm.

Chief Qu Feng personally took charge, holding a huge brush in his hand, repeatedly brushing the Qiu Dao family's secret sauce onto the roasted meat. The oil dripped into the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma became several times more intense.

"Oh! Burn, youth of barbecue!"

Not far away, Mighty was carrying a whole barrel of sake, walking steadily through the crowd, his signature thick eyebrows standing out in the firelight.

"Ninth generation, come and have a taste!"

"Is it to your liking?"

Holding the skewer of grilled fish that was longer than his forearm, Uzumaki Kyudai looked somewhat dazed.

Around him, his clansmen, young and old, sat with the Konoha ninjas, eating meat heartily, laughing and talking loudly, their faces beaming with a long-lost sense of relaxation and joy.

He took a big bite of the grilled fish, the scalding hot flesh making him gasp for breath, but Jiudai felt a warm current rush from his stomach to his heart.

"It suits my taste perfectly, it suits my taste so well..."

Not far away, the atmosphere of the banquet had already reached its first climax.

One corner of the beach has long since been transformed into a sea of ​​joy.

"Lady Tsunade! Your sake is here!"

With her hands on her hips and an empty sake barrel at her feet, Tsunade was drinking with several equally boisterous female ninjas from the Uzumaki clan, displaying a spirited and unrestrained attitude.

Those female ninjas in the vortex, with their innate optimism and resilience, drank their fill, drawing cheers from those around them.

"Lady Tsunade has a great capacity for alcohol!"

"Another one! Drink! Another bowl!"

Tsunade wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth and slammed a large bowl heavily onto the beach with a dull thud.

"Of course! We'll drink until we drop tonight!"

A red-haired woman with a whirlpool of hair, not to be outdone, tilted her head back and finished another bowl.

Their hearty laughter echoed across the beach, making the atmosphere even more lively.

The children, meanwhile, had already eagerly gathered around the grill.

"Uncle, is mine done yet? My fish's tail is all burnt!"

Kushina held up a small wooden plate, stood on tiptoe, and gazed longingly at the fish that belonged to her on the grill.

Nagato followed quietly behind her, holding a freshly grilled skewer of meat in his hands, eating it in small bites.

Its eyes weren't on the food, but rather it was curiously observing everything around it.

Not far away, they saw the serious-looking young man named Hyuga Hiashi, who was leading his clansmen to inspect the structure of the makeshift tent with his Byakugan eyes, muttering to himself as if he were calculating the load-bearing capacity.

He also saw the young security officer named Uchiha Fugaku, leading a squad of Uchiha ninjas, standing silently in the shadows outside the banquet, his three-tomoe Sharingan glowing faintly in the darkness, vigilantly guarding this place of laughter and joy.

Each person, each fulfilling their duties with composure and reliability, instilled in him an unprecedented sense of security.

"Little guy, your fish!"

Akimichi Torifu smiled and placed a golden-brown, crispy, and fragrant sea fish on Kushina's plate.

"Thank you, sir!"

Kushina thanked her sweetly, then eagerly blew on it and carefully tore off a piece of fish and put it in her mouth.

In that instant, her eyes widened in shock.

The outer skin is crispy, with a slight char from the charcoal fire and the savory aroma of the sauce, while the fish inside is tender and juicy, melting in your mouth. The ultimate freshness from the sea, combined with the sweetness of the meat, explodes on your taste buds.

"So...so delicious!"

She mumbled a praise, then immediately tore off a large piece and stuffed it into Nagato's mouth.

Nagato shuddered from the heat, but couldn't bear to spit it out. She just kept fanning herself with her hand, and her dark eyes also shone with surprise.

Unlike the lively atmosphere on this side of the beach, the atmosphere on the other side was rather... subtle.

Danzo Shimura sat upright on a rock, his serious expression contrasting sharply with the joyful atmosphere around him.

He neither ate nor drank; he simply observed everyone with a cold expression.

"Danzo, try this. Your wind-summoning skills have improved again."

Uchiha Kagami walked over carrying a plate full of grilled meat and fish and gently handed it to him.

Danzo glanced at it and coldly refused, "No need, I'm thinking about something."

"What are you thinking about?" Jing asked with a smile as she sat down beside him.

"I'm evaluating it."

Danzo said in a deep voice, "After the Uzumaki clan was incorporated into Konoha, the distribution of the village's food and meat reserves... These children... they have a good appetite and an astonishing amount of chakra, so their energy consumption cannot be neglected."

Jing was both amused and exasperated. Just as she was about to offer some words of advice, Akimichi Tokifumi's figure, as large as a small mountain, had already enveloped them.

"Danzo! We've been waiting for you!"

Without a word, Akimichi Torifu shoved two large skewers of sizzling, oily meat into Danzo and Kagami's hands. "Replenish your strength! This is a strategic mission! You two lost weight in Uzushio Village, you have to make up for it!"

"..."

Danzo's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he still held back, despite his expression of "If you don't eat, I'll use a human bomb tank to kill you."

He took a stiff bite.

The meat is tender, with a rich, savory sauce and a hint of fruitwood aroma.

Hmm... it tastes really good.

Danzo chewed expressionlessly, but his brain was working at a rapid pace.

Watching his old friend eat barbecue while still working, Jing shook his head helplessly and turned to look at the joyful crowd.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Having eaten and drunk his fill, a member of the Uzumaki clan was bursting with energy and had nowhere to vent it. After playing around with the children of Konoha for a while, he was encouraged by the crowd to perform a show.

"Give us a performance! Give us a performance!"

"Kyuu, show us your Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques!"

Despite her small stature, Uzumaki Kyuu was incredibly shrewd and showed no stage fright whatsoever in this high-profile setting. She gave a smug snort, jumped onto an empty wooden crate, and cleared her throat.

"Then I'll show you what I've got! Watch closely! This is something I've been honing my skills for a long time!"