Kakashi Hatake couldn't change Naruto's mind.
Sasuke Uchiha also couldn't resist the temptation of the Flying Raijin Jutsu. He knew that once he learned it, he would have a much greater advantage against his brother. One could only wonder what Itachi, far away in the Land of Sound, would think. He was diligently carrying out the mission Naruto gave him—tracking Orochimaru—yet his superior wasn't rewarding him, but was instead causing him trouble.
"How has Sakura been lately?" Naruto asked.
"Sakura and Karin are still studying in the medical department," Kakashi replied.
He glanced at Sasuke, who was eyeing the Scroll of Seals, and couldn't help but feel emotional. It had been less than a few months since these kids graduated, yet they had already experienced so much. While other teams were still busy with low-level missions, the members of Team 7 had long since gone their separate ways, each pursuing their own path.
Kakashi thought it was amazing. He really did have a talent for being a Jonin leader, to have even taught a Hokage...
"Grandma Tsunade should take Sakura and Karin as her disciples, right?"
When Naruto mentioned Tsunade, he couldn't help but recall a certain… softness… he'd seen in the Hokage's office. He quickly shook his head to clear the thought.
According to the original timeline, Tsunade was supposed to take Sakura as her disciple. And Karin, with her Uzumaki lineage, had a natural talent for medical ninjutsu. Now that Tsunade was head of the medical department again, she probably wouldn't let that talent go to waste.
"I mentioned it to Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said, considering his words as he looked at Naruto's expression. "But she'd rather have you as her disciple..."
"What kind of joke is that? I'm not good at medical ninjutsu!"
"But your jutsu has a stronger healing effect..."
"..."
That was precious Yang Power! If he used it for simple medical ninjutsu, the Nine-Tails sealed inside him would go berserk. But after witnessing the miracle of Yang Power, Tsunade seemed to have lost interest in Sakura's precise chakra control and Karin's Uzumaki heritage. If Yang Power was that amazing, what was the point of learning medicine?
This whole thing was a real headache.
"Forget it, I'll go ask her myself," the young Hokage sighed. Once the succession ceremony was over and things settled down, he would try to persuade Tsunade.
After returning to Konoha, time had suddenly become tight. Even though Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were wary of him making irrational decisions, he still had to attend the elders' small meetings to learn about village politics.
This wasn't a problem for a hundred-year-old Hokage, and occasionally, he would even offer some surprisingly constructive suggestions. This was enough to make the elders understand his stance: Konoha's Fifth Hokage was a hardliner, much like the Second.
Besides that, there were other matters to deal with, both big and small. For instance, the question of whether to start carving his face on the Hokage Rock was a major topic in Konoha. The problem was simple: Naruto had become Hokage too early. If they started carving now, it would take a year or two to complete, and by then, their Fifth Hokage would have grown up a bit more.
Isn't that a waste of time! And a waste of money...
However, it wasn't a time of war. They couldn't just keep delaying the carving, waiting for Naruto to grow up, could they? It would become a joke if word got out.
Sitting in the Hokage's office, Naruto complained to Tsunade about these troubles. "If I had known, I would have let you be the Fifth, Grandma Tsunade. It wouldn't be too late for me to become Hokage at thirty..."
"Brat, a thirteen-year-old Hokage and a thirty-year-old Hokage are different. Many people will be proud of you..."
"Hahaha, why not just carve it as a thirteen-year-old!" Jiraiya proposed with great interest. "In the future, it will show the children of the village that you can become Hokage even at thirteen!"
The unreliable man had come up with a reliable suggestion for once. It had to be said that Jiraiya's idea appealed to everyone.
Even Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had a moment of realization. It seemed a young Hokage wasn't all bad. At the very least, it was an inspiration for the children in the Konoha Ninja Academy.
"Alright, let's get to business," Koharu Utatane said, placing a battle report on the desk. "A few days ago, Jonin Hayama Shirakumo, Tekuno, and Kosuke were leading patrols when they killed several squads of Stone ninjas who had infiltrated near the village..."
"Don't worry," Naruto said, glancing down. He remembered the old genin who carried a large pot on his back. It was Kosuke's existence that had taught Naruto that there didn't seem to be much difference between a genin and a jonin. In his previous life, he had participated in this patrol mission and witnessed Kosuke Maruboshi's strength firsthand.
This small skirmish between Stone and Konoha ninjas didn't escalate, and there was no follow-up from the Stone Village.
Koharu Utatane shook her head and said softly, "Although our two countries have been in a long-term state of hostility, the Third Tsuchikage might not miss the opportunity of Sarutobi's death to launch a small-scale surprise attack to probe us..."
The Stone Village was known for its large numbers. Back in the Great Ninja War, the Third Tsuchikage, while fighting on multiple fronts, had still managed to gather ten thousand ninjas to attack the Land of Lightning, ultimately killing the Third Raikage.
Just thinking about it felt extravagant. As the ninja village with the largest number of ninjas, it wouldn't be strange at all for the Stone Village to organize a thousand-man unit to start a war.
"The Rain Village will stop them," Naruto said, shaking his head. A major war breaking out... was simply impossible. The Land of Rain was located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
If the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, sent a ninja force into the Land of Rain, that would be a real show to watch. The current Tendo Pain couldn't defeat Naruto, but dealing with the Stone Village should be relatively easy.
Moreover, Naruto clearly remembered that after Hayama Shirakumo and Kosuke Maruboshi returned, there didn't seem to be any follow-up from the Stone Village. There shouldn't be any major trouble.
But as it turned out, some things couldn't be taken for granted.
If Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage, Onoki might have thought the situation in Konoha had stabilized and wouldn't have dared to make a move. However, the one who succeeded the Third was a brat named Naruto Uzumaki.
Even though Onoki knew Naruto was a genius, he didn't believe a thirteen-year-old could balance the situation in Konoha. He sent a large number of Stone ninjas to infiltrate the Land of Rain, preparing to provoke a major war with Konoha. Onoki was probably feeling a bit of sorrow for a fallen comrade after his old rival Hiruzen's death, and wanted to make the Stone Village the strongest of the five great nations in his later years.
However, the next two pieces of news made Onoki stop his actions.
The first was that the Fifth Kazekage went to Konoha for the ceremony, and the Sand and Konoha signed a deeper cooperation treaty.
The second was that the Stone ninja force he sent to the Land of Rain was slaughtered, suffering heavy losses.
And so, the ninja world settled back into peace.
The succession ceremony of the Fifth Hokage of Konoha was held under these circumstances. The youngest Hokage in history officially began his era.
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Bonus: Tsuchikage's Report
Onoki: What's the situation?
Kitsuchi: You want the truth or a lie?
Onoki: I'm the Tsuchikage, I'm your father, and you're asking if you should lie to me?
Kitsuchi: Fine. We can't beat the Rain Village.
Onoki: Are you kidding me? I sent you so many people!
Kitsuchi: We can't beat them. We just can't. But I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?
Onoki: The good news.
Kitsuchi: I found that kid Deidara.
Onoki: And the bad news?
Kitsuchi: He defected.
Onoki: ...