"Hey, hey, hey, why is it just the four of us this time?"
In a small town in the Land of Grass, Naruto looked at Jiraiya, their team leader, and Kitagawa Minamoto, who seemed utterly indifferent. Unable to contain himself, he muttered softly.
Sasuke, standing nearby, snorted in response.
"The four of us are enough. What more do you want?"
"It's not that I want more; it's just that traveling with Minamoto and Pervy Sage without Kakashi-sensei feels unreliable."
Naruto pursed his lips and whispered to Sasuke, who nodded in agreement but instinctively shook his head right after.
"Don't talk nonsense. If you want to die, don't drag me into it. When has Minamoto-senpai ever been unreliable?"
"Tch, coward."
Naruto shot Sasuke a disdainful look, but seeing Sasuke's "you're an idiot" expression, he decided to drop the subject.
This time, it was just the four of them on the mission, and Naruto understood its purpose. While excited, he also felt a bit worried. After all, that "big fox" had caused Konohagakure plenty of trouble!
"Although that jerk Minamoto said it's just collecting rent, I can't help but feel uneasy..."
Naruto muttered softly. Apart from worrying about the Nine-Tails, he was also concerned about the Chakra of his parents. After all, it was thanks to the Nine-Tails' Chakra that his parents could continue existing within him.
"Don't worry, Naruto."
At that moment, Kushina's voice echoed inside Naruto.
"Jiraiya-sensei may be unreliable at times, but he'll definitely have everything prepared for something as important as this."
"That's right, Naruto."
Minato's gentle voice joined in, his tone as warm as ever.
"This is precisely why I sealed the Nine-Tails within you back then. I believe you'll be able to manage this."
"But honestly, it's frustrating that Konohagakure hasn't repaired the damage from back then, forcing Naruto to go to Iwagakure to train. Truly..."
Kushina grumbled, prompting Minato to try calming her down.
"Perhaps the village simply doesn't have enough resources. After all, we're all..."
"Tch, I know, I'm not being unreasonable. But I heard that Iwagakure's Jinchūriki once blasted you with a Bijūdama?"
"Uh, that was a long time ago. Times have changed, Kushina..."
"I know, I know. It's just irritating. What's even more irritating is Jiraiya-sensei making Naruto pay for everything!"
"..."
"And trying to lure Minamoto to those kinds of places—such an old pervert!"
"..."
"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you used to follow him there?"
"Of course not!"
Listening to his parents' playful bickering in his mind, Naruto couldn't help but smile. Although their presence occasionally brought him trouble, and they often scolded him in his spiritual world, he cherished these moments deeply.
"I mustn't let them down."
Naruto silently vowed to himself, then glanced at Kitagawa Minamoto.
"And I can't let that jerk down either. If it weren't for him..."
Just as he was lost in thought, he saw Kitagawa Minamoto beckoning to him.
"Naruto, settle the bill for the items. Thanks."
"..."
Naruto clenched his fists, feeling like he could never see the good in this guy. Every time he tried, it ended up backfiring!
"Hey, squeezing your subordinates like this isn't right, you know?"
Jiraiya, watching Naruto begrudgingly hand over his last coins, couldn't help but comment while munching on his food.
"If you keep this up, your subordinates will start hating you."
"Then stop eating."
Kitagawa Minamoto shot him a disdainful look and replied indifferently.
"Besides, this kid's already a qualified ninja. What's wrong with treating his future superior to a meal? Shows a lack of foresight if you ask me."
"Is this how you plan to be Hokage?"
Jiraiya, although enjoying his food, couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"You better not mess up and ruin Konohagakure!"
"Tch, as if. Konohagakure is full of talent."
Kitagawa Minamoto said casually while munching on snacks.
"Think about it. I'll have Kakashi-sensei oversee the Jōnin squad. The ANBU is doing well, so they just need to keep up the good work. The medical department has Tsunade, the administrative department has Shikaku Nara, and his son will definitely take over in the future. As for intelligence, isn't Inoichi around? I don't have to worry about anything. When I take office, I'll just have Shikamaru leave his team and join the administrative department. He'll feed me information, and I'll just stamp approvals all day."
"Hiss..."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. Could being Hokage really be this simple?
"Wait, you're really going to run things like this?"
"Why not? Do you expect me to micromanage like the Third Hokage? Come on, leave specialized tasks to specialized people."
"..."
"At worst, I'll set up a last-place elimination system. If someone doesn't perform, they're out. Konohagakure has plenty of capable people—if one fails, there's always another to take their place."
"..."
"Hmm, maybe I should have Tobirama oversee Root. That might work out well too."
Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin, pondering whether he should pull off a dramatic scene with Tobirama Senju in the future—something along the lines of:
"Tobirama, I'm the Hokage now! You will regret this!"
"You little rascal..."
Jiraiya rubbed his temples, feeling that Kitagawa Minamoto's ideas were unreliable. Yet, he couldn't find a way to refute them. After all, delegating tasks to experts did seem like the most logical approach.
"Then what will you do? If you're passing everything to others, won't you..."
"I'll be Hokage, of course!"
Kitagawa Minamoto shrugged with a grin.
"The Hokage's job is to guide the village in the right direction, ensuring it stays on the proper path. Do you expect me to hand out missions personally?"
"That... does make sense."
Jiraiya felt conflicted, but he couldn't deny that Kitagawa Minamoto's reasoning was sound. The Hokage's primary role was to steer the village toward a bright future. Everything else could be delegated to subordinates.
"Are you secretly criticizing the Third Hokage?"
"Got any proof?"
Kitagawa Minamoto snorted lightly, then stroked his chin again.
"But honestly, I think I could also serve as the principal of the Ninja Academy."
"?"
"After all, Konohagakure's education system is in shambles!"
"..."
"If I take over as principal, maybe I can set things straight."
"..."
"I'll definitely hit those students hard!"
Jiraiya didn't want to respond anymore. Naruto and Sasuke, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't hold back their reactions either.
If Kitagawa Minamoto's earlier ideas about being Hokage had been inspiring, they had genuinely captivated both of them.
Naruto naturally didn't need much explanation—he was deeply passionate about becoming Hokage. Sasuke, though he had never openly expressed it, had started to consider the possibility after conversations with his parents.
Perhaps he could give it a try?
The thought wasn't fully formed, and he wouldn't voice it yet, but it didn't stop him from listening intently.
However, when Kitagawa Minamoto mentioned becoming the principal of the Ninja Academy, both of them were dumbfounded.
"The collapse of Konohagakure's education system—isn't that because of you?"
"Alright, we should pick up the pace."
Kitagawa Minamoto seemed oblivious to their thoughts. After glancing at the sky, he spoke again.
"For some reason, I have a bad feeling. And based on past experiences..."
"Whenever I go on missions with Pervy Sage and Kakashi-sensei, trouble always seems to find us!"
"..."
Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth, inside Iwagakure.
Ōnoki couldn't shake an uneasy feeling, leaving him unable to focus on his work.
"What's going on? Why do I feel this way?"
Ōnoki couldn't figure it out. He suspected Deidara might have caused trouble again. But ever since Deidara returned from Konohagakure, though still eccentric, Ōnoki had grown accustomed to his antics. In fact, Deidara's "eccentricity" now seemed perfectly normal to him—at least he wasn't wreaking havoc in the village.
"Seriously, what's going on?"
Ōnoki stood by the window, gazing into the distance. He had no desire to work at the moment. As he stood there, he let out a sigh.
"If only Deidara could be more like Kitagawa Minamoto—someone who inspires confidence."
Kitagawa Minamoto was immensely powerful, and not just in strength; his overall demeanor was exemplary. A person like that becoming Tsuchikage would be ideal—Ōnoki wouldn't have to worry about a thing!
Deidara was indeed talented, but his personality made Ōnoki's head ache. If only Deidara could learn from Kitagawa Minamoto, Ōnoki wouldn't have to be so concerned.
"But speaking of Konohagakure, information has been scarce lately. They caused quite a stir in Takigakure, and it seems they were attacked themselves..."
Ōnoki had access to plenty of intelligence, but since Konohagakure hadn't shared much, he didn't feel it was appropriate to pry further. Though allies, each village still needed to maintain some boundaries.
"Still, we must remain vigilant. The Akatsuki are far too dangerous, and then there's Ōtsutsuki Isshiki..."
Ōnoki muttered to himself, when suddenly, he felt an ominous presence spreading. The sensation froze him in place. In the next instant, he spun around abruptly, only to see the space behind him twisting. From the distortion emerged a figure.
"Obito Uchiha!"
Ōnoki immediately recognized the intruder, his gaze turning sharp and dangerous.
"No wonder I felt uneasy. You dare come here?"
"There's nowhere I wouldn't dare go, and no place I cannot reach."
Obito's voice was calm and cold, his orange spiral mask concealing his expression.
"Hand over the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, and we'll leave peacefully. Otherwise..."
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki had no intention of wasting words. In an instant, his hands were enveloped in white light, and the diamond-shaped beam shot straight at Obito!
"So you've chosen the latter."
Unfortunately, the beam passed harmlessly through Obito, who merely nodded slightly.
"Predictable. But this works out even better."
"Better?"
Ōnoki was puzzled, but in the next moment, he saw blue Chakra radiating from Obito's body. The Chakra expanded rapidly, forming a towering half-body Chakra giant! The giant smashed through the Tsuchikage's office, sending dust and debris scattering everywhere.
"Susano'o?!"
Ōnoki instantly recognized it. In that moment, a terrifying figure flashed through his mind—a lone, imposing silhouette under the moonlight, the person who had once made him tremble with fear!
"Indeed, better."
At that moment, Obito's icy voice rang out again.
"I can finally test my strength properly."
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