One day before the Fifth Hokage's succession ceremony, the delegations from Cloud Village and Sunagakure arrived in Konoha at the same time.
The moment they entered the village, countless eyes locked onto them—cold, strange, contemptuous. It was the kind of look people gave to pests.
During the incident itself, Konoha's civilians had been terrified—but in the end, the village was completely unharmed. It felt unreal, like a bad dream that ended before anything was lost.
Because of that, their hostility toward Sand and Cloud wasn't born from pain or loss.
It came from something else.
After Red Sun TV replayed the events again and again, public opinion had solidified.
Sunagakure: treacherous, despicable, shameless.
Cloud Village: arrogant, belligerent, obsessed with war.
These labels were now burned into the minds of Konoha's people—and not just here. Across the entire ninja world, civilians held the same views. Contempt. Disdain. No sympathy at all.
Inside the embassy, Chiyo and Tutai exchanged a look, then silently separated, each heading to their own assigned courtyard.
Both felt the pressure.
"Negotiations can only begin after the new Hokage takes office."
"…Understood."
They wanted talks immediately, but Konoha made them wait.
And it made sense. With the Third Hokage still in a coma and the Fifth not yet officially inaugurated, major negotiations would be premature.
---
Red Sun Town
Naruto sat at the head of the conference room, tapping the table lightly, lost in thought.
Tomorrow, he would become the Fifth Hokage.
A childhood dream—about to become reality.
To be honest, he didn't know how he felt.
Happy? A little.
Bored? Also a little.
His strength had grown to the point where the entire ninja world felt fragile. He had to restrain himself constantly, afraid he might accidentally break it.
At that level, becoming Hokage didn't feel exhilarating.
It felt… inevitable.
Even in the original future, he would've become Hokage eventually—Seventh, if not Fifth.
This position was never in doubt.
"When I become Hokage, reforms in the Land of Fire can finally begin. The Uchiha clan should return to Konoha and stand openly in the light again."
"Kazekage, Raikage, and the other village leaders—it's easy to destroy their bodies. Much harder to reshape their minds. Killing their ambitions, changing what they want to see… that's the real challenge."
Naruto suddenly stopped tapping the table. A spark of excitement lit his eyes.
"Hard? Good. If it were easy, this world would be boring."
He reviewed recent events, future plans, and long-term goals.
There was so much to do.
Twelve years old was old enough.
Once he became Hokage, he'd have the authority and the height to stop worrying about petty constraints.
It was time to lift the veil.
"Call in everyone in charge. We're holding a meeting."
He pressed the button and issued the order.
---
The Red Sun headquarters was now fully electrified. Cool air from the AC filled the conference room.
The door opened.
The first to enter was Uchiha Itachi
He'd been stationed at headquarters the whole time, immersed in research. Being closest, he arrived first.
"Itachi—any progress?"
"President, using the Sharingan for genjutsu is simple. But transferring this kind of illusion to machines… I haven't found a clear path yet. Mental-wave fluctuations, frequency modulation, simulated illusionary worlds—there's a massive amount of data to research and verify. It won't happen quickly."
Naruto nodded calmly.
"That's fine. We'll bring in more genjutsu specialists. Work together. I don't believe Infinite Tsukuyomi can't be studied."
The project name alone carried enormous weight.
Infinite Tsukuyomi.
With Sasuke's burden gone, Itachi could finally devote himself fully—and now he truly felt how massive the task was.
Still, his fighting spirit burned bright.
For peace.
For the future of the ninja world.
He looked at Naruto with genuine respect.
Unifying the ninja world wasn't just a slogan. Naruto thought beyond unification—he planned for what came after.
A people-based solution.
That vision moved Itachi deeply.
---
The next to enter was Uchiha Shisui , tablet in hand.
"Itachi. President."
"Mm."
"Mm."
They greeted each other and Shisui took the seat to Naruto's left, his tablet displaying Red Sun TV content.
"That's a tablet ?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Incredible."
"It's just a prototype. Signal coverage is limited—only works within the town. But it's extremely useful. File management, data archives—my workload is much lighter now."
Naruto had provided the principles and documentation: TVs, refrigerators, computers—everything.
The issue wasn't how to make them.
It was manpower.
Knowledge needed people to digest it and turn it into industry.
For now, prototypes were enough.
As Red Sun's chief administrator, Shisui benefited the most.
"Kabuto is recruiting craftsmen and accelerating research. New products should hit the shelves soon. Our income will rise sharply."
Shisui's face glowed with excitement.
The organization was thriving.
---
The third arrival was Karin, head of Red Sun TV.
She sat down quietly, stealing glances at Naruto—surprised, stunned, hesitant. Her expression was complicated.
"Do I have flowers on my face?" Naruto sighed. "You've been staring for a while now."
She coughed and quickly opened her notebook.
"President, I'm reporting on the TV station. Workflow efficiency has improved, and we now have spare manpower to prepare new programs."
"New shows?" Naruto waved it off. "You decide. As long as the theme doesn't stray from the core idea—bridging ninjas and civilians—you're free."
He set direction. Others filled in details.
That was his style.
He was already planning how to avoid drowning in Hokage paperwork.
Even with Shadow Clones, living like a bureaucratic beast of burden wasn't his dream.
No time for Hinata.
No time for life.
That was hell.
He wanted power—not to become an old ox dragging carts forever.
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"Reform. Konoha's system has to be restructured. Even C-rank missions go through the Hokage—what kind of garbage system is that?"
"It has to be overturned."
He was already drafting the next transformation.
And this time—he wouldn't be pulling the plow himself.
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