Naruto wasn't sure what would happen to Konoha in the future, but for now, both the Hokage and the Anbu Commander had close ties to him, so at the very least, he could walk around without a care.
As for who would become Hokage later, maybe it'd be Shikamaru, or maybe it'd be those old conservative factions, he didn't dwell on it.
But he knew full well that even if Shikamaru became Hokage, he wouldn't unconditionally side with him.
Although Shikamaru usually hates trouble, deep down, he was an extremely serious and proud person. Whether it was shogi or life, he took things very seriously.
Perhaps because smart people overthink things, they also consider every angle more thoroughly, making their decisions more rational. To outsiders, that might come off as cold or unfeeling.
But none of that was within Naruto's scope of concern. By that time, he'd have long since left Konoha anyway. Whoever wanted to be Hokage could be Hokage. After all, the Shinobi World didn't revolve around one village alone.
In other words, when Tsunade was in office, it was his golden era. Now that Tsunade has abdicated and the Rokudaime Hokage, Kakashi, has taken over, it is already a period of decline.
By the time the Nanadaime Hokage came into power, the advantage of two consecutive golden eras would slowly fade away.
It is even possible that things will turn around, and the conservative factions who once supported Danzo and Sandaime will rise up again. At that point, their attitude toward Naruto would undoubtedly do a complete 180.
Naruto had never truly trusted Konoha, he only trusted Tsunade and Kakashi. While the golden age hadn't completely passed, and while he still had room to maneuver, he needed to prepare some backup plans.
The technologically advanced Land of Snow was one such backup, and the now-leaderless Land of Rain was another fallback option. With Nagato dead, his legacy naturally passed to his fellow disciple, Naruto.
After all, they are brothers from the same school and bonded by shared struggles.
Compared to the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the Land of Snow and the Land of Rain were smaller but had solid technological and industrial foundations. Their advantages boiled down to two things: compact efficiency and low maintenance.
Naruto likes all things that are not troublesome. He looked forward to the day when all his loose ends were tied up, and he could wash his hands of everything, leisurely embarking on his infinite vacation.
Tentatively named… Naruto's Infinite Vacation Plan.
…
Noon.
Naruto was drinking and eating with Choji in the store. As they were chatting, Naruto suddenly stopped. He suddenly remembered that there was a former angel of the Akatsuki living at his place.
'Damn it!'
He slapped his thigh, as he had forgotten to leave her any food, 'I wonder if angels eat food of the mortal?'
"Why are you suddenly so jumpy? You almost scared me to death." Choji yelped and his chopsticks fell to the ground. His chubby cheeks jiggled in alarm.
"I suddenly remembered I left the gas on at home, so I have to pack some food to go and head back." Naruto stood up and turned to get the takeaway box.
This utterly shameless move instantly pissed Choji off, 'This guy is getting more and more insufferable. Skipping out on the bill was one thing, but making up such a ridiculous excuse and then packing food?'
"I haven't even eaten much yet!" Choji protested.
"It's a good opportunity for you to lose weight. Didn't your wife literally drag you home last time?" Naruto said, but his hands did not slow down at all.
"Damn it, so what if I made you pay once? You're still holding a grudge? You're really the worst!" Choji cursed, utterly exasperated.
"With your status and strength, how are you still this broke? Uzumaki Naruto, you've genuinely mastered the art of being perpetually poor!"
"Stop making so much noise, what's so great about a little money?" Naruto snapped the lid shut, "If you're so great, why not give me all of it? Let me experience what it's like to not worry about cash for once."
Choji: "..."
"Hey, at least leave me a couple pieces of meat!"
"Not a chance!"
While Choji ordered another round of dishes, Naruto hurried home.
Unlocking the door and kicking off his shoes, he found Konan still sitting on the couch, exactly as she had been when he left that morning. It was as if she'd spent the entire day there.
"What were you doing this morning?" After changing his shoes, he walked to the edge of the dining table with the takeout in his hand, then reached out and took out all the packed boxes one by one.
"Sitting." She replied.
"Are you hungry? I brought you some food, but I don't know if it suits your taste." As he spoke, he turned and went into the kitchen to get some water.
"I can last until the day after tomorrow." Konan said.
"Huh?" He leaned against the kitchen doorway, holding a glass.
"Without eating, I can hold out until the day after tomorrow." She turned to look at him and repeated.
Hearing this, Naruto was a little speechless and thought to himself, 'I'm asking if you're hungry, not asking about your survival limit…'
'If I don't come back, she probably would've sat on that couch until nightfall.'
"Did you do this often in Amegakure too? Like not eating or something like that." He asked.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"But you guys had control over Amegakure, right? How does an entire village end up with no food? It's too strange, isn't it?" Naruto was a little surprised.
"There are many children who don't have enough to eat, and I don't want to consume too much food." Konan said.
She had grown up in an era of war, so she knew what it was like to go days without food, desperately searching for scraps. Even after the wars ended, she had kept her habit of eating sparingly.
"You don't need to starve here. Your body isn't just yours anymore. You still need to help me with things." Naruto looked at her and said in a somewhat tough attitude.
"So you'll eat on time and match my routine. Understood?"
"Yeah." Konan nodded obediently.
She is very clear about her current situation and knew what was expected of her. Naturally, she will not say anything willful or do anything radical.
"Good. Then eat up." Naruto placed the glass of water casually on the windowsill and said with a smile.
At night.
After taking a shower, Naruto went straight back to his room, giving Konan plenty of space to adjust. He didn't pry or lecture, and just let her figure things out at her own pace.
Obito wouldn't drag his feet for long and would definitely come knocking, begging to resurrect Rin. The real show would only begin then.