Wanting to Help Grandma Tanaka

In the western part of Konoha, near the back mountain, the houses gradually become sparse.

Maruboshi Kosuke stopped in House Door, referring to the map.

The courtyard gate was half-open, and rustling sounds could be heard from inside.

Maruboshi Kosuke knocked on the doorframe. "Is Mr. Tanaka in?"

After a while, an elderly woman with gray hair came out of the house. Her apron was still covered in flour, so she looked like she had been cooking something.

She squinted at the four people at the door, her gaze lingering on Maruboshi Kosuke for a moment, then at the three little ones behind him.

"Were they sent by the village?" Grandma Tanaka smiled. "Come in quickly, it's hot outside."

Maruboshi Kosuke bowed slightly. "Excuse me, the Third Hokage sent us to help you water your vegetable garden."

"Alright, alright." Grandma Tanaka chuckled as she opened the courtyard gate. "How old are these kids? Why are they out doing missions at such a young age?"

Shin-chan was the first to approach, looking up at her. "Grandma, I'm five years old."

"Five years old?" Grandma Tanaka bent down and reached out to pat his head. "So capable at five years old, truly remarkable."

She then looked at Kakashi and Uchiha Toru: "Come on in, let's go inside and have some water."

"No need, no need, let's get to work first, task::"

Maruboshi Kosuke hadn't finished speaking.

"What work are you doing?" Grandma Tanaka was already pulling Shin-chan- chan into the house. "The sun is so strong, what if the child gets heatstroke? Have some tea and rest first."

Shin-chan was being pulled along, and he turned back to wink at Maruboshi Kosuke with a "look, look" expression.

Maruboshi Kosuke smiled helplessly and followed Kakashi and Uchiha Toru inside.

The house wasn't big, but it was very clean.

Grandma Tanaka helped the three of them sit down at the low table, then turned and went to the kitchen.

"No need to trouble yourself."

"No trouble at all." The sound of dishes being placed came from the kitchen. "The Old Man went to the clinic to get his medicine, and there was no one to talk to. I'm so happy you've come."

A short while later, Grandma Tanaka came out carrying a large tray.

On the tray were four cups of tea and several small saucers containing various kinds of snacks.

Shin-chan's eyes lit up immediately. "Grandma, are all these for us to eat?"

"Of course." Grandma Tanaka placed plates of snacks on the table. "Eat more; you children are growing rapidly."

Shin-chan reached out to grab the mochi ball, but Uchiha Toru gently patted him.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Shin-chan immediately withdrew his hand and sat up straight. "Thank you, Grandma."

97

Grandma Tanaka smiled so much her eyes narrowed into slits, "Oh, my dear."

Kakashi and Uchiha Toru also thanked them, and then each took a piece of pastry.

Grandma Tanaka sat beside them watching them eat, her smile never fading.

She watched as Shin-chan ate with his mouth full of food, and reached out to wipe it from the corner of his mouth. "Eat slowly, don't choke."

After finishing his snack, Shin-chan patted his stomach and stood up contentedly.

"Grandma, we're going to water the vegetable garden!"

Grandma Tanaka quickly waved her hand. "No rush, we just finished eating, let's rest for a while before we go."

"It's alright." Uchiha Toru. "Don't worry, we'll get it done quickly."

Grandma Tanaka watched the three little ones walk out, then suddenly followed them. "Watering that vegetable patch is tiring. If you're tired, take a break. You don't have to water it all."

"But isn't the task to finish watering?" Shin-chan blinked.

"I'll just tell the Third Hokage," Grandma Tanaka said earnestly. "You're all so young, what if you get exhausted?"

Upon hearing this, Maruboshi Kosuke turned and looked at Grandma Tanaka.

Grandma Tanaka's expression wasn't just polite; she genuinely felt sorry for these children.

Shin-chan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No."

Why not?

"Because we promised our Grandpa Hokage we'd complete the mission." Shin-chan looked up, "If you promise, you have to keep your word."

Grandma Tanaka paused for a moment, then her eyes suddenly reddened. She reached out and patted Shin-chan's head: "You silly child—"

Maruboshi Kosuke stood to the side, watching this scene without saying a word, but the smile on his lips deepened.

The vegetable garden was behind the house, next to a well with a wooden bucket beside it.

Shin-chan tried carrying the wooden bucket, spilling water all the way. By the time he reached the edge of the vegetable garden, only half the bucket remained. "How do Tanaka and the others usually water their plants?" he asked.

"They can't water much," Maruboshi Kosuke shook his head, "That's why they issued the mission."

Shin-chan thought for a moment and asked, "Why can't there be a river here?"

Maruboshi Kosuke's eyebrows twitched. "What? You want to divert the river here?"

"Is it okay?" Shin-chan's eyes lit up.

"Dig a ditch, from the riverbank all the way to the vegetable garden."

"Then why don't we dig?"

Maruboshi Kosuke looked at the river in the distance. "It will take a long time to dig, but the mission only lasts a day, and it's a D-rank mission, so it doesn't require changing the terrain."

Shin-chan ran to the riverbank, checked the height of the bank, and then Hand Seals.

"Earth Release · Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

The ground shook, and the soil on the riverbank bulged upwards.

Shin-chan looked at the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and scratched his head.

No, this isn't digging a trench, it's building a wall.

So he began Hand Seals again. "Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"

The ground beneath my feet loosened, and I sank a bit, up to my knees.

Before they could get out of the ditch, they went down first. Shin-chan looked down at his buried legs, struggled to crawl out of the dirt, and patted the dirt off his legs. "Why couldn't we dig this out?"

"The Earth Release you know aren't for digging trenches," Maruboshi Kosuke shook his head. "Let's finish the mission first."

"Okay." Shin-chan's face fell, and he obediently went to water the plants.

They watered the plants until the sun was setting, and finally finished. All three of them were exhausted.

Tanaka brought out a tray from inside the house, on which were placed tea and snacks. "Have something to eat to tide you over. You can have dinner here."

"Thank you for your kindness, but we need to go back and turn in our mission, so we won't bother you any longer."

Maruboshi Kosuke led them back, with Shin-chan at the very back, head down, lost in thought.

I returned to the Hokage Building and turned in the mission.

The Third Hokage accepted the mission assignment. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Grandpa Hokage." Shin-chan raised his hand.

"Explain."

"I want to learn Earth Release a type of martial arts technique)."

The Third Hokage paused for a moment. "Earth Release?"

"Hmm." Shin-chan -chan nodded, "The kind that can dig ditches."

Why do you want to learn Earth Release is a type of martial arts technique)?

"Because watering the vegetable garden is too tiring," Shin-chan said earnestly. "If there were a ditch, it would be easier for Tanaka to water the vegetables."

The Third Hokage looked at him, a smile appearing on his face, "Then you shall learn."

"But I don't know which Ninjutsu is suitable for digging trenches." Shin-chan scratched his head.

When Shin-chan got home that evening, he found a bunch of Earth Release Scrolls in his house.