After Shinju dragged that gigantic steel castle back to the village, Konoha immediately dispatched the research division to study both the castle and the Stone of Gelel.
Before long, they came to a conclusion: to activate the steel castle, the power of the Stone of Gelel was essential.
Thus, the village decided not to touch the castle for now and instead focused their efforts on further researching the Stone of Gelel.
As for Shinju — who had somehow brought back an entire steel castle from who-knows-where — he instantly became the center of gossip again.
...
That day, while training inside his room, Naruto suddenly asked Shinju:
"They say in the village you're about to become the Sixth Hokage. Is that true? (‧_‧?)"
Shinju blinked.
"Where the hell did you hear such a ridiculous rumor?! (ー_ー)!!"
Naruto continued, "And some people are saying that once you come of age, you're gonna marry Granny Tsunade."
"They say because Granny Tsunade is the First Hokage's granddaughter, if you marry her, you'd secure your position in the village as a war orphan..."
A vein popped on Shinju's forehead as several black lines metaphorically dropped over his head.
"What the hell — that's even more absurd!! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ) "
Sure, Tsunade-sensei could freely control her appearance and looked like she was in her twenties — young, beautiful, and… well, generously endowed...
But Shinju would never have any improper thoughts about her!
After all, Tsunade the old hag was technically old enough to be his grandmother.
"The next time you hear someone spreading nonsense like that, report them to the Konoha Police Force immediately! Have them arrest every single one of these rumor-mongers! This is straight-up slander against my personal image!"
Shinju gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Naruto nodded earnestly and went back to his meditation practice.
After a moment, though, something else came to mind, and he asked,
"You're really popular in the village right now… you might actually become the future Sixth Hokage."
"If you become Hokage, and since we're the same age… doesn't that mean I won't get to be Hokage?!"
Shinju's expression went completely blank.
"I have zero interest in becoming Hokage!"
"What are you even worrying about?"
Naruto frowned, deep in thought, before asking again:
"But what if the village elders force you to become Hokage, like how we dragged Granny Tsunade back to be Hokage?"
"Then I'll take the job for two days, then step down and let you have it," Shinju replied casually.
Being Hokage was exhausting — endless responsibilities, resolving all sorts of internal issues, maintaining alliances with the other Hidden Villages… it was a nightmare.
Tsunade-sensei had only been Hokage for a few months, and Shinju could already tell her mental state had taken a huge hit.
Honestly, being like Jiraiya-sensei sounded way better — traveling around, writing, enjoying life… occasionally sneaking a peek at women bathing. That was the good life.
Naruto finally looked relieved after hearing Shinju's answer.
A few minutes later, he clenched his fists and declared with burning determination:
"You don't have to consider my feelings, Shinju! I'll prove with my own strength that I am the best candidate for Hokage!!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the greatest. Now shut up and focus on your training," Shinju said offhandedly before heading out to buy groceries.
...
On the way to the market, Shinju tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes at a black crow circling high above.
He wasn't sure when it started, but this same crow had been following him for quite a while.
With his heightened sensitivity, Shinju could feel a distinct, unfamiliar Uchiha chakra from the bird.
"All the Uchiha are supposed to be dead… so who the hell sent this crow?"
He frowned, puzzled.
Ever since the Uchiha clan massacre, only Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke had survived.
Shinju was extremely familiar with both their chakras.
This crow's chakra was similar… but not the same.
Then suddenly, like a spark lighting up his brain, Shinju remembered another person who possessed Uchiha chakra — Danzo!
Shinju's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced subtly at the crow.
Could Danzo have sent it to spy on him?
But what was his real purpose?
Uncertain of the enemy's intentions, Shinju decided not to act rashly for now. Better to avoid alerting whoever was behind it.
...
After buying groceries, Shinju teleported home instantly using Flying Thunder God and started cooking.
Later, he began his research on the Stone of Gelel.
Just like Haido had said, the Stone of Gelel contained a power similar in nature to chakra.
Through his experiments, Shinju discovered numerous potential applications for this energy.
It could power sealing arrays, serve as chakra supplements, and even enhance medical ninjutsu.
However, there was a problem — despite its versatility, the Stone of Gelel was extremely limited in quantity!
Relying solely on it to power the steel castle would eventually drain their reserves dry.
So Shinju thought to himself:
Could I replace the Stone of Gelel with chakra to power the castle instead...?
That night, inspiration struck.
Shinju immediately left his house and headed alone toward the steel castle.
...
Two days later.
Shinju successfully completed modifications to the castle's energy absorption system!
Now, chakra could be used to replace the Stone of Gelel's power — enabling the castle to move, fire its cannons, run scans, and more.
This drastically reduced the operational cost of the castle.
The freed-up Stones of Gelel could now be allocated to other research.
At that moment, Shinju stood in the castle's main control room, continuously channeling chakra into the system.
The next second—
Clunk—!
The sound of gears grinding echoed as the castle's instrument panels lit up one by one!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Beneath the castle, dozens of massive mechanical legs trembled into motion.
Moments later, the colossal steel beast — nearly three hundred meters tall — began to move!
The villagers of Konoha poured out of their homes, staring in awe.
"The steel castle… it's moving on its own!"
"Incredible! Konoha's scientists are amazing!"
"With this mobile castle, I'd like to see which other Hidden Village dares to mess with us now!"
"All thanks to Shinju, that boy's a genius! ୧⍢⃝୨"
"Boy? He's practically the confirmed Sixth Hokage already! Show some respect when you talk about him! (ㅎ‸ㅎ)"
...
Hokage's Office.
Tsunade stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the moving castle outside the village.
"I thought I told you all — research the stone first before touching the castle."
"Why the hell is it moving now?" she demanded.
One of the research staff in the office lowered his head and said,
"Exactly, Hokage-sama… we've been focusing on studying the stone. No one from the research division entered the castle today…"
Tsunade blinked.
"Huh? (꒪⌓꒪) "
"Then who the hell is piloting it right now?"
...
Meanwhile, Shinju had already made the castle circle Konoha several times.
During the test run, he discovered an internal control system that allowed him to adjust speed and cannon output simply by regulating his chakra input.
"Not bad… pretty user-friendly," Shinju commented in satisfaction.
Now that the experiment was successful, he decided it was time to report to the Hokage.
After all, the castle had been parked in the village for days without moving even once.
However, the moment Shinju stepped out from beneath the castle, he froze.
Surrounding him was a massive crowd.
ANBU, the Police Force — practically all of Konoha's combat units had assembled.
"...Why are you all surrounding me?" Shinju asked, bewildered.
Suddenly, Tsunade emerged from the crowd, arms folded across her chest.
"What the hell did you just do?! ￣へ￣"