The joyous cheers could be heard clearly even outside Konoha. Amidst the cheers of all the villagers, Torifu smiled.
"Hello, everyone. I am Kumotsuru Torifu. We've all lived in Konoha for so many years and have witnessed its journey from its founding to its current prosperity. In the future, there will be even more changes for us to witness together."
Torifu raised the Hokage hat high in his hand, its vibrant red color reflecting in the heart of every Konoha villager. "Starting today, I will be in charge of Konoha!"
As soon as he spoke, the prepared ceremonial cannons were fired, and countless flower petals fluttered in the sky. A look of unbridled joy spread across every villager's face. Some even shed tears of excitement.
"Long live Torifu-sama! Long live Hokage-sama!" Everyone was shouting Torifu's name.
Torifu gazed at the villagers below. Every face was familiar—maybe someone he had greeted on a street corner or the owner of the breakfast shop. It could also have been someone he had said good morning to on the street. Their faces were filled with sincerity. Many of them had witnessed Torifu's growth from a young boy to the person he was today. They felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. The child who used to train with Hashirama-sama every morning on the top of the Hokage Rock had now become the true pillar of the entire village.
On the rooftop, Hashirama and Mito looked at Torifu's tall figure, and smiles appeared on their faces. Hashirama nodded in satisfaction. This represented his affirmation of Torifu and proved that he hadn't chosen the wrong person. "He is indeed my disciple. He has the same youthful charm as I did in my younger days."
Mito said, "This is the vitality that belongs to the youth. Even if our bodies were to return to their younger selves, our minds could never go back."
"That's true. I remember how ambitious Madara and I were when we built Konoha here. It's a shame that things have changed."
Mito turned to look at Hashirama. "Why are you bringing him up for no reason? People change. Just as you no longer have the same passion as back then, Uchiha Madara has probably long abandoned his feelings for the village."
Hashirama looked at Torifu's back and didn't deny what Mito said. Back then, when Madara attacked Konoha with the Nine-Tails, wanting to destroy it at all costs, Hashirama had already understood this principle. Now, he was just sighing about it. Torifu hadn't even been ten years old back then. It had been so long, and he couldn't even remember. In a blink of an eye, the child had grown so much.
While Hashirama and Mito were lamenting the passing of time, Naori was completely focused on Torifu's back. A smile was on her face. It was no exaggeration to say that they were true childhood friends. Because of her status, Naori shouldn't have gone to the ninja academy. But to truly integrate her clan into the village, Naori decided to enter the world of ordinary villagers to find the answer. She didn't expect to meet Torifu by chance and then be taken in as a disciple by the Hokage. The two of them had walked side by side all this way. They were more than family, and perhaps soon, they would become true family.
Naori was genuinely happy that Torifu had become the Hokage and didn't feel a single ounce of jealousy. Although they were both disciples of the same master, Naori had a clear understanding of her own strength. Although she wasn't as strong as Torifu, she was working hard and improving every day. She had now awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan and would soon break through to the Kage level and become a true powerhouse. This was enough for Naori. Although her strength wasn't as good as Torifu's, she would work hard to keep up with him and make sure she didn't fall too far behind.
Minato looked at the expressions on his grandmaster and Naori's faces, and then he looked at the cheering villagers below the rooftop. He was completely in awe. In the month or so he had been in Konoha, he had a rough understanding of the basic situation in the village. He no longer got lost when he went out. At school, his teacher also said what kind of position the Hokage was: a person who had to protect all the villagers and sacrifice everything for the village, even their own life.
To be honest, Minato didn't quite understand at first why he should sacrifice his life for people he had no blood relation with. He felt that in this village, there was nothing worth sacrificing for except his big brother. But as he lived in Konoha longer and met more people, he gradually began to understand. Most of the villagers were very friendly and didn't exclude him because he was an outsider. It might have also been because he was with his big brother. He felt that the villagers seemed to like him. Every time he went out with his big brother, many people would greet them. Minato just felt that his big brother was very popular in the village. But today, when he saw his big brother become the Hokage, the uncles he had greeted on the street and the aunties who sold fruit were all screaming his big brother's name as if they were crazy.
This made a small change in Minato's heart, and a small seed took root. His big brother was an orphan just like him, and he survived in Konoha all by himself. But even though it was so hard, he endured it and was recognized by the entire village. Now that he was the Hokage, everyone was shouting his name.
Can I be recognized by the villagers?
Minato asked himself this question. His second brother was also an orphan his big brother had taken in, and he had now become a great inventor renowned throughout the shinobi world. If his second brother could do it, then he could definitely do it too!
Minato Namikaze. This was the name his parents gave him and the surname his big brother gave him. It carried the expectations of his family. This name would definitely resonate throughout the entire shinobi world in the future!
Gradually, the flying flower petals stopped, and the villagers' cheers slowly ceased. But their flushed faces still recorded the carnival that had just occurred.
Then Torifu took out the Cloud Palace from his ring, which was a glass ball-like object containing a huge white cloud palace. The villagers were curious about what this object in the Hokage's hand was, when they saw the glass ball suddenly shatter. An endless sea-like amount of white clouds gushed out! For a moment, the entire rooftop of the Hokage's Office was covered in clouds. But soon, the clouds rose into the sky and gathered together, forming a massive palace. The edges of every brick and tile were clearly visible, but they were all made of white clouds. Even the feudal lord's mansion in the capital city couldn't be as exquisite as this Cloud Palace.
Ryūfū and Aokumo just happened to be flying by in the sky with four little cranes and were immediately attracted to the Cloud Palace. They circled around it and then dove right in.