Over these past three years, Naruto hadn't simply been stubbornly clashing with the Nine-Tails' chakra.
If he had spent all that time doing nothing but wrestling with the Nine-Tails, then Jiraiya would have been a truly incompetent master.
"Hmph..."
"Is that so...?"
The black-haired youth on the roof flickered, and in the next second, he appeared beside Naruto without any warning. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder; Naruto seemed to have no time to react.
"How strong are you now? Why don't you show me..."
Watching this world-class show-off, Sakura Haruno couldn't help but cover her face with her hand. She admitted Sasuke was powerful, but did he really have to be this dramatic? Believe it or not, the harder you try to look cool now, the more embarrassing it'll be in a moment...
"Ah... sure thing."
Naruto turned to look at the Sasuke beside him. Orange eye shadow surfaced around the corners of his eyes, and his blue pupils shifted into horizontal bars like those of a toad. To show off back at Sasuke, Naruto immediately triggered one of the clones he kept at Mount Myoboku to absorb natural energy.
Perfect Sage Mode!
Done! A mode that Jiraiya hadn't been able to perfect in a lifetime, Naruto had mastered in just half a month.
"Heh, not bad."
Leaning against a nearby structure with his arms crossed, Jiraiya looked at Sasuke with a smile.
"Ah, isn't using Sage Mode just to say hello a bit overkill...?"
At some point, Kakashi had crouched down next to Jiraiya. Looking at the squaring-off between Naruto and Sasuke, he was somewhat speechless. As the disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, he naturally recognized the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku.
"Hmph, it seems you haven't been standing still either." Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smirk as he felt Naruto's surging aura, which was now on par with his own. "That's fine. At least you won't drag me down in the future."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Naruto, whose momentum had just been soaring, blinked in confusion. He looked at Sasuke with a foolishly cute expression, his explosive aura instantly deflating.
"You'll understand later."
The cold-faced youth no longer hid his smile. He patted Naruto's shoulder, sounding quite mysterious. As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, how could Naruto not be by the Hokage's side? Now that Sasuke and Karin were confirmed for the Fifth Hokage's Guard Platoon, the final member would most likely be the Naruto standing before him.
"This is getting lively..."
Shikamaru's mouth twitched as he watched the two. Sasuke's Body Flicker Technique was so fast he could barely track it, and Naruto's surging Sage Mode was the real deal. It felt like he had wandered into a den of monsters. Not to mention the pink-haired girl nearby who hadn't said a word yet.
Was Team 7 really this ridiculous? He felt like they lived in a different world entirely.
"Wow! Counting Neji and the others in the village, our whole class is finally back together!" Ino, always one for excitement, suggested on a whim, "Let's all go to the hot springs tonight!"
"Hell yeah!" Needless to say, Naruto was the first to agree.
"Hmph, something like that..." Sasuke's lip curled as he prepared to refuse.
"I'm in, though I might be a little late," Sakura nodded. She was planning to go back to the Hokage's office first to fire that useless waste of space. Then, she needed to check the records of other departments to see if there were any more "dead weight" officials like that guy. She'd mark them all down in her little notebook and kick them out one by one.
"Something like what?" Naruto asked, keeping a close eye on Sasuke.
"Nothing. I'll be there," Sasuke shook his head.
"Na... Naruto-kun..." Beside them, Hinata, who hadn't spoken, gripped the edge of her shirt while staring at the blonde boy.
"Alright! A super class reunion!" Naruto cheered.
"Hm? Hot springs?!" Jiraiya's ears perked up instantly. "And sixteen-year-old girls!"
Whoosh!
A kunai grazed Jiraiya's ear!
"Jiraiya and dogs are not allowed within 500 meters," Sakura said with a cold sneer as Jiraiya froze. "If discovered, your survival is not guaranteed."
Sakura's words sent cold sweat pouring down the Toad Sage's face. He swallowed hard. If Sakura catches me... I'll definitely die!
After agreeing on a meeting place, Sakura bid farewell to her peers and headed to the Hokage's office alone. Inside, only Senju Tobirama—clad in ANBU attire—sat on the sofa, silently processing government affairs. The old man (Hiruzen) was in poor health, and Tobirama didn't want Hiruzen to have to drag his sick body through paperwork at his age, even though Konohagakure's workload was significantly lighter than it had been three years ago.
"You're back. How is the Naka River area?" Tobirama asked without looking up, sensing her arrival.
"Naka River is back to normal." Sakura sat in the Hokage's chair and began to explain the situation regarding Shimura Mie's incompetence and corruption.
Tobirama frowned upon hearing this. "The Police Force's authority has grown too large."
Too large? It was absurd. If you split the Police Force, you could fill four departments and still have room to spare! Sakura looked at Tobirama with an unfriendly gaze. Why was their authority so large? The culprit was sitting right there!
"Don't look at me like that. That department was originally given to the Uchiha clan," Tobirama coughed into his hand. "As co-founders of Konohagakure, they deserved that level of power."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at his hand. Do Reanimated people even need to cough?
"I don't care about those old stories right now," Sakura said, ignoring his defensive gesture to give the Second Hokage some face. "The priority is to find all these people who are 'occupying the latrine without pooping' and replace them one by one with people who actually work. Then, I'll solve the Police Force issue."
"Mm, not bad. As expected of the successor Sarutobi chose." Tobirama exhaled a sigh of relief, glad she didn't press him further on the Police Force. His original intent... well, those who know, know. He just didn't expect his students to be even more ruthless than he was. Such a fine blade, and they just snapped it.
Tobirama watched Sakura bury herself in personnel lists and had a sudden thought. "By the way, Homura should have departed, right?" He was referring to Mitokado Homura taking Hiruzen's letter nominating Sakura as Hokage to the capital of the Land of Fire.
"Yes, he left yesterday. He should be back within five days." Sakura looked up at the "old fox," wondering what he was plotting.
"Sakura... how do you plan to handle Danzo?" Tobirama hesitated before finally asking. As the Second Hokage (and the one who practically ran things during the First's era), he could see Sakura and Danzo were at odds.
"Why? Do you want to protect him? If you do, after all, Danzo is..."
But Tobirama interrupted her. A cold light flickered in his crimson eyes.
"As Hokage, you must never be indecisive or soft-hearted. A Hokage's mercy is for the villagers, the shinobi under their command, and the people of the Land of Fire. Not for enemies." Tobirama stood up and looked directly at Sakura. "For enemies, the only right path is to pull them up by the roots. Anyone who dares oppose Konoha or the Hokage should be sent to the Pure Land."
Sakura's mouth twitched. She finally understood why Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo were so ruthless toward the Uchiha. Tobirama ultimately hadn't viewed the Uchiha as "the enemy," but Koharu and Danzo—who carried out his will—certainly did. They had driven the Uchiha into the ground.
"Even if Danzo is your disciple?"
"Even if he is my disciple." Tobirama closed his eyes. As the man who built Konoha alongside Hashirama, his love for the village was no less than his brother's.
"I understand." Sakura lowered her head back to the personnel lists. She knew most of these people; they were the ones she had screened over the last three years.
"Danzo is obsessed with becoming Hokage. He is seventy now. If he misses this chance, he will never have another. Sakura, do you understand what I mean?"
Sakura didn't look up, responding while she read, "I know. Strike first or be struck." She slowly closed the file and leaned back in the chair—the seat Danzo dreamed of. Crossing her hands over her stomach, she looked at Tobirama with a mocking smile. "But wouldn't it be too boring to just take him down like that?"
Against Danzo, you didn't even need to invent charges. He was already filthy enough; no need to throw extra mud. If she really wanted to settle old scores, the fact that Danzo and the Foundation didn't fight the Nine-Tails sixteen years ago—and instead blocked the Uchiha from helping—was more than enough. And that was just a tiny drop in the bucket of his crimes.
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. He felt Sakura's mindset was a bit dangerous. A Hokage shouldn't risk the village's stability for their own amusement. But considering she was young and could be guided, he didn't say much. Young people... if they aren't a bit arrogant, are they even young? Especially a talented, powerful one with a proven track record.
"As long as you're confident." Tobirama stopped questioning the Danzo matter.
Seeing him back down, Sakura became interested. She asked as if casually, "By the way, what do you think of the Daimyo?"
She didn't believe for a second that this "evil Senju ghost" was a goody-two-shoes shinobi like Hashirama.
"What do you mean?" Tobirama sat on the sofa, flipping through files, but a sharp glint flashed in the corner of his eye.
"You don't understand?"
"I don't."
"I don't believe you don't."
"I really don't."
"Don't you know whether you understand or not?"
"How would I not know if I understand or not?"
"You're being no fun."
"What do you mean by 'no fun'?"
"'No fun' means 'no fun'."
"If you don't say it, how will I know what you mean?"
"Even if I don't say it, you should know what I mean."
"How would I know what you mean?"
"You should know exactly what I mean."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Can I punch you across the room right now?"
"No, and as a Reanimation, I can't die."
"Fine. Pretend I never said anything."
"What did you say at the start?"
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