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

Chapter 384 Elevator

Nagato's black eyes were fixed intently on the flow of people coming and going.

I saw a mother handing a candied apple she had just bought to her child, and the child smiled, revealing his missing front tooth.

He saw a young ninja couple snuggling together, sharing a skewer of takoyaki.

Several elderly women sat on a bench by the roadside, chatting and laughing, without a trace of worry about the future on their faces.

These scenes are ordinary and mundane.

The smiles of these people touched his heart more than any magnificent building or ninjutsu.

……

On the other side, Miko Hatake and Biwako Sarutobi held hands, but the two little ones beside them, Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi, had already broken free of their reins and rushed ahead.

Kakashi wore his signature black mask, while Asuma wore a thick red cotton-padded coat. The two moved freely through the crowd.

"Kakashi! Asuma! Slow down!" Biwako's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"It's alright, Lake Biwa, you won't get lost."

Miko responded with a smile.

The two little ones were indeed captivated by the Inuzuka clan's performance. In a huge training field, several imposing ninja dogs were performing various high-difficulty maneuvers under the command of Inuzuka Kiba's father, Inuzuka Tsubame: jumping over obstacles, tracking scents, and even simulating combat.

Kakashi and Asuma clapped their hands excitedly, especially when they saw the ninja dog nimbly leap over the ring of fire, Asuma cheered loudly.

"Kakashi, do you think I could raise a puppy and end up like that?" Asuma asked Kakashi.

"Of course. But first, it requires a precise training plan, including diet and rest time. I've seen a copy of the Inuzuka clan's training manual before."

"Huh? Is training a puppy really that complicated?"

Asma's excitement subsided a little.

Then, they were drawn to the Hyuga clan's booth. It was a huge screen that projected live footage of Hyuga clan members using their Byakugan to conduct quality inspections.

On the screen, the internal texture and structure of a piece of wood were clearly displayed, even the smallest insect damage and cracks were clearly visible. Hiashi Hyuga was explaining it to him personally.

"This is the Byakugan of our Hyuga clan; it can see everything. Now, we're applying it to the construction of the village, ensuring the quality of every brick and every piece of timber!"

Kakashi stared intently at the screen, his eyes unblinking. He reached out, trying to touch the virtual wood texture.

"Giant slide! We want to go play on the giant slide!"

Asuma suddenly became excited again, grabbed Kakashi's hand, and forcibly dragged him away.

Mikoto watched the two children run away and chuckled softly, covering her mouth.

The entire Hidden Leaf Village was immersed in a sea of ​​joy, with laughter filling every corner, and all the previous construction achievements were on full display at this moment.

The villagers' faces were full of smiles, children chased and played in the crowd, and the vendors' shouts and the ninjas' explanations intertwined to form a vibrant symphony.

Just then, a gasp erupted from the crowd, louder than ever before.

Everyone, including Kushina and Minato who were arguing about what to eat, Yahiko and Nagato who were contemplating the true meaning of peace, and Asuma and Kakashi who had just been startled, all looked up at the newly completed tower in the center of the expo.

At the base of the tower, in front of a metal platform shimmering with blue runes, stood the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and his disciple, Orochimaru.

Tobirama remained expressionless, while Orochimaru, with a hint of excitement in his smile, introduced the groundbreaking invention before them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the high-speed elevator, the latest achievement of Konoha technology. Its speed and stability surpass those of previous eras, and it will completely change our understanding of height."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, filled with skepticism about the rather strange-looking iron box.

Tobirama seemed too lazy to explain, and simply stated his position concisely.

"Who wants to be the first to experience the feeling of flying?"

The crowd fell silent instantly, exchanging bewildered glances, no one daring to step forward.

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

"I'll do it!"

Everyone turned around and saw Akimichi Torifu patting his chest and striding out.

"It won't break even if it falls!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qu Feng nervously stepped into the metal box.

Orochimaru smiled slightly at him and pressed a button on the control panel.

hum-

With a soft click, the metal door slowly closed.

The next second, to everyone's disbelief, the metal box, without a sound, shot straight up into the sky at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

"oh----!"

The crowd erupted in uproar. Everyone craned their necks, mouths agape, watching the tiny black dot rapidly ascend the exterior of the tower, dozens of meters high, before finally coming to a steady stop on the platform at the top.

After a brief silence, the metal door slid open again.

Akimichi Torifu stood on the edge of the platform, waving his arms vigorously at the crowd below, his face full of excitement and ecstasy at surviving the ordeal.

At this moment, the entire expo site fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's minds went blank from the shock of this unimaginable scene before them.

At the top of the tower, Tobirama Senju stood with his arms crossed, facing the gazes of the crowd looking up at him, his red eyes utterly calm.

He simply uttered two words.

"Next."

The three words from Tobirama Senju, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, completely ignited the already boiling crowd.

Fanaticism, worship, disbelief.

Countless emotions intertwined on everyone's faces. They tilted their heads back, their gazes fixed on the top of the towering building and on Akimichi Torifu, who had just returned from his "flight" experience and was excitedly waving his arms.

"Oh my god! It really flew up there!"

"Faster than the Body Flicker Technique! And...and it looks so stable!"

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Kushina Uzumaki, her long, fiery red hair almost standing on end, excitedly grabbed Minato Namikaze's arm and shook it vigorously: "Minato! Minato! I want to play that too! Let's go line up!"

Minato was a little dizzy from being shaken, but he still smiled and gently agreed, "Okay, okay, we'll go when there are fewer people."