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

Chapter 393 An Embrace Amidst Laughter

Night fell quietly amidst laughter and chatter, painting the sky a deep, dark blue. The expo's excitement, however, remained undiminished, growing even more vibrant with the dazzling lights.

In the busiest area of ​​the expo, a game booth with a sign that read "100% Accuracy: The Trial of a Genius Ninja" was crowded with eager villagers and young ninjas.

"Minato, I want that one! The biggest one!"

Kushina Uzumaki's eyes sparkled as she pointed to the prize hanging at the very top—a colorful cotton candy bigger than her head. The fluffy, dreamlike sugar strands held a fatal attraction for her.

Minato Namikaze smiled gently and took ten kunai from the stall owner.

The rules of the game at the stall were simple: hit the balloon in the bullseye. But the balloons were cleverly placed on a constantly rotating wooden target and would occasionally move up and down, making them extremely difficult to hit.

"Watch me!"

Kushina took the initiative, picked up three kunai, struck what she thought was a cool pose, and threw them out.

The three kunai traced three random paths. One landed on the wooden board at the edge of the target, while the other two flew cleanly into the distance without even touching the edge of the target.

A burst of good-natured laughter came from the surrounding area.

Kushina's cheeks puffed up instantly, turning as red as ripe tomatoes.

"It's...it's just too windy, ugh, ugh!"

She stubbornly argued, and picked up a few more sticks, still unconvinced.

Minato didn't speak, but stood quietly beside her, watching her fight again and again, her azure eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"I'm not playing anymore!"

After another kunai failed, Kushina angrily shoved the remaining kunai back into Minato's hand, looking utterly defeated.

Minato smiled and shook his head, casually weighing the remaining four kunai in his hand.

He didn't strike any pose; he just stood there casually, flicking his wrist slightly.

call out--

The sound of something cutting through the air was almost inaudible.

Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and the red balloon, which was the most cunning and had the most irregular movement on the wooden target, burst with a sound.

"Bang!"

The crisp sound silenced everyone for a moment.

The stall owner was an elderly man. He paused for a moment, adjusted his reading glasses, and then realized that it was Minato who had made the move.

Before anyone could react, Minato subtly moved his wrist again.

call out!call out!call out!

Three more soft sounds, almost forming a single sound.

Three balloons, located at different positions and moving at different speeds, burst at the same precise moment.

The entire firing range fell silent instantly.

If the first shot could be attributed to luck, then the following three shots were undeniably a display of skill.

That's not just a simple throw; it's an almost supernatural calculation and control of timing, angle, and force.

Kushina stared blankly at Minato, the blond boy who always smiled gently, who now seemed to be enveloped in a dazzling light in her eyes.

Here, it's yours.

Minato took the giant cotton candy from the admiring stall owner and handed it to Kushina with a smile.

"Whoaaaaah—!!"

Kushina let out a huge cheer, snatched the cotton candy, and without thinking, opened her arms and pounced on Minato, hugging him tightly.

The soft touch and the faint fragrance emanating from the girl made Minato's body stiffen slightly.

The surrounding crowd was silent at first, then erupted into even more enthusiastic, well-intentioned cheers and whistles.

Kushina's head went blank for a second, as if a bucket of hot water had been poured over it, turning her face instantly red from head to toe. She abruptly released her grip, jumped back a step, and waved her arms incoherently.

"I...I didn't mean that! It's...it's just that this marshmallow is too big! Yes! It's too big! I'm so happy! Thank you for the big marshmallow, dattebane!"

After saying that, she hugged the cotton candy that was even more conspicuous than herself, and rushed into the crowd without looking back, her back view as hurried as a frightened little rabbit.

Minato stood there, watching her fiery red hair disappear into the crowd, his smile growing even brighter.

……

The food street next door presents a completely different, bustling scene.

"Teacher! Teacher! This! This thing called takoyaki is so delicious!"

With his mouth stuffed full and a box of freshly baked takoyaki in his hand, Yahiko mumbled something to Jiraiya behind him.

Jiraiya patted his chest with an air of pride: "Of course! This is the taste of Konoha! As long as you follow me, I guarantee you'll eat all the best food imaginable!"

Konan quietly followed beside him, carefully taking out a few folded tissues with cute patterns from her pocket and handing them to Yahiko, whose mouth was covered in sauce.

"Hey, hurry up, there's even more fun ahead!"

Jiraiya's loud voice interrupted Nagato's thoughts. Pointing to a stall surrounded by people not far away, he excitedly shouted, "Let's go! Let's go scoop goldfish!"