Read advance chapters of all my works or want to support me.
https/www.p.a.t.r.e.on/Adamo_Amet
Join us on discord:
https://di..scord.gg/h3kDw7ma
••••••••••••••••••
Chapter 212 Naruto Uzumaki: A Storm Approaches the Leaf
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Hiruzen Sarutobi had worn the title of Hokage for forty three years, yet the past month felt more chaotic than anything he had dealt with in years. What unsettled him was not only the weight of the problems, but the speed at which they crashed into one another. Every day felt like trying to hold back a river with his bare hands.
Danzo was the first big fracture. Hiruzen had believed he solved that problem years ago. After the Uchiha massacre, when Danzo's growing ambition finally crossed a line, Hiruzen cast him into banishment under guard. No Root, no council maneuvering, and no influence. At least, that had been the intention. Only when Hiruzen prepared to finish what he had delayed and deliver judgement once and for all did the truth surface.
Danzo had slipped from the leash long ago.
The man had never honored his exile, and had instead rebuilt his reach in silence. The Root Anbu network was alive and his objectives were unknown.
The moment that realization landed, Hiruzen felt older than his years.
Then came the Wave mission. On paper it was the sort of escort assignment a fresh genin team could handle without breaking a sweat. Instead it turned into a diplomatic nightmare that spread through the nations faster than fire through dry grass. Even now Hiruzen struggled to understand how one C rank escort unraveled into a dispute that tugged at every major power in the world.
At least Kakashi and Kurenai had managed to erase Konoha's fingerprints from the mess. Small mercy, but Hiruzen counted every mercy he could get.
Even that looked insignificant next to the crisis that followed.
Naruto's lineage leaked. Hiruzen still remembered the night Anbu burst into his office, Bingo Book pages in hand, their masks unable to hide the shock. Someone had packaged fragments of information into a neat narrative and hurled it into the world.
And the world had believed it.
Even if he tried denying the information, every hidden village now carried suspicion that Konoha's jinchuriki was not only Minato's son, but a twelve year old genin who had barely started real missions.
An inexperienced jinchuriki was bait for anyone who wanted a weapon they could mold. One with a bloodline like Naruto's was an even bigger prize, since killing him satisfied old grudges and gutted Konoha's strength in one move.
Reports from the other villages were already reaching Hiruzen's desk. None said it aloud, but their intent was clear. Naruto's existence was a point of great interest.
And Konoha itself refused to stay silent. Shinobi, civilians, even noble clans sent letters demanding answers. Some asked how the truth stayed hidden. Others demanded protection for the boy. A stupider minority refused to believe Naruto was anyone's child, claiming he was simply the Kyuubi itself pretending to be human.
Hiruzen spent a long night with Shikaku Nara. They went through every option, weighed every risk, and came to the same conclusion.
Denying the truth would do nothing.
Every village, even the ones that did not fully accept the leak, now carried enough suspicion to put a mark on Naruto. They would hunt him regardless. If the leak was true, killing him would weaken Konoha. If it was false, then the death of a single genin meant nothing to the shinobi world.
That concern only grew sharper when Kurenai delivered her report. The Kyuubi was gone from Naruto. Konoha was already weaker than anyone realized, and the rest of the world still believed the fox was sealed safely inside Naruto.
So what now?
What could he possibly do that would keep Naruto alive and keep the other villages from learning that the Kyuubi was gone?
Hiruzen gathered the Yamanaka clan at once and requested the Mind Transmission Jutsu.
The Mind Body Transmission Technique is a hidden jutsu utilised by members of the Yamanaka clan to telepathically communicate with entire groups at once. It was not a jutsu only used in moments of crisis or village wide defense ever called for it, and the announcement alone sent ripples of unease across Konoha.
Merchants shuttered their stalls. Civilians hurried toward the square. Shinobi leapt across rooftops to take their places among the crowd. Clans assembled in rows. Soon the space before the Hokage Tower brimmed with people, waiting in an uneasy silence that stretched from one street to the next.
When the jutsu activated, Hiruzen felt thousands of minds brush against his own in a single collective breath. He drew in a slow one of his own and began.
"Rumors have been spreading across our village this week. Many of you have wondered if they are true. As the Third Hokage of Konoha, I speak now to our citizens, to every shinobi here, and to the world beyond our walls." He paused only long enough for the silence to settle deeper. "Uzumaki Naruto is the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."
Hiruzen held steady as the shock rippled through the crowd.
If there is any hope of protecting this child, it must begin here, he thought, letting the emotion slip through the link. The world will turn on him now. And without the Kyuubi inside him, they will have even more reason to strike. But within Konoha, he can still be safe. Within these walls, he can be honored as a hero, protected as a child of this village. That much, at least, I can give him.
He continued aloud.
"Minato Namikaze was a hero of Konoha. He laid down his life on the night of the Kyuubi's attack. To protect our young, we told the next generation that he killed the beast. But that was a story meant to keep them from fear. The truth is one all shinobi know. The Kyuubi cannot be killed. It can only be sealed. And the only prison capable of holding it is a human."
A weight settled over the square.
"Through Minato's sacrifice, we survived. Through Kushina's strength, the seal endured. And through their newborn child, the Kyuubi remained contained. His small body held the monster that would have destroyed every one of us. It protected us from the beast and from the ambitions of other nations. That is what it means to be a hero."
For a moment, even the wind fell silent.
"Minato wished for his son to be honored. He wished for Naruto to grow knowing that he carried the gratitude of this village. Yet Konoha failed to uphold those wishes. We allowed fear to blind us. We allowed ignorance to speak louder than truth. We failed to see the child who walked alone. We failed to recognize the burden he carried for all of us while suffering hatred that should never have been his."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, letting shame flow through the link, honest and unfiltered.
"The First Hokage taught us that the foundation of this village is the Will of Fire. The Will of Fire is the belief that the entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them. But we forgot these ideals."
The crowd listened in a thick, heavy silence.
"When we should have protected our hero, we turned away. When we should have loved a child of Konoha, we let our fear speak louder. When we should have upheld the Will of Fire, we let it falter."
He straightened, letting his voice drop into a deeper register.
"And now, beyond these walls, other villages aim to erase the legacy of the Fourth. They seek to strike down the boy who kept this village safe. They hope we will look away a second time. I ask you now… will we let it happen?"
The village held its breath.
Then Hiruzen's voice rang out, carried by both the jutsu and the sheer force of his will.
"No."
The word struck every mind like a hammer. It rang across the rooftops, echoed through the streets, and rippled back in a cry from the people below.
"Konoha will not abandon Naruto Uzumaki. We will defend him. We will raise him. We will honor him as the child of two of our greatest heroes. From this day forward, he will face the world with Konoha at his side."
His voice swelled with a fire the shinobi had not heard from him in years.
"Konoha will shield him from every hand raised against him. Konoha will stand united against any nation that seeks to harm him. We will protect him not because he is a weapon, but because he is ours. This is our duty. This is our promise. And this is the Will of Fire."
And the roar that erupted from the crowd seemed to shake the stone beneath the Hokage Tower.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Hiruzen had hoped that the hatred for the Kyuubi had faded over the last decade. Enough years had passed that he believed Konoha could finally think rationally instead of reacting out of fear. To his relief, it seemed he had not been completely wrong. The majority of civilians and shinobi responded to the announcement with something close to celebration. They spoke Minato's name with pride again. They shared stories of Kushina, memories once whispered in private, now said freely. Many even lit small lanterns outside their homes in honor of the child of the Fourth.
Hiruzen watched all of it unfold over the next few days, quietly observing the shift in the air. Shops hung banners with Minato's likeness. Retired shinobi who once served under the Fourth visited the memorial stone to pay respects. Academy instructors began retelling the night of the Kyuubi with a different tone, one that no longer painted Naruto as the shadow of a monster but as the child of heroes.
But nothing in Konoha had ever been simple.
There were still civilians who could not let go of the hatred they had carried for years. Some glared at the boy's empty apartment whenever they passed it. A few families packed their belongings and requested permission to leave the village altogether. Hiruzen approved every request without hesitation. Better that they leave than stay and fester.
Others reacted in stranger ways. Within the first two days, Hiruzen received no fewer than sixteen letters from individuals begging to commit seppuku to atone for having dishonored the memory of the Fourth by treating his son poorly. Some were dramatic, others frighteningly sincere.
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead as he read them.
Konoha could be reasonable. Konoha could also be impossibly dramatic. He denied every request outright, and to ensure none of them took it upon themselves to make a public spectacle, he added a line stating that any such matter would be decided by Naruto himself upon his return.
Miraculously, that put an end to the worst of the foolishness.
Children in the Academy and the Genin Reserves were divided, some boasting that they were the future teammates of the Fourth's son, others suddenly intimidated by the boy they used to shove aside. A few restaurants that had once refused him now offered free meals in advance, though Hiruzen was certain Naruto would throw those gestures back in their faces when he learned the truth.
Among the shinobi, the shift was the strongest. Many who had served under Minato placed flowers at the Hokage Monument. Several veterans submitted reports offering personal protection assignments and apprenticeships for the boy. Others wrote apologies addressed to Naruto himself, which Hiruzen stored away, unsure how or when the boy should receive them.
But beneath it all, tension remained. Fear of what the other villages would do as Naruto's lineage was confirmed.
By the end of the week, Hiruzen sat in his office as the last of the paperwork settled. He looked out the window, fingers steepled.
Where is Team Seven… and where is Jiraiya? Did they figure out what happened to the Kyuubi? Did Jiraiya tell Naruto about his parents? A knock broke his thoughts. His secretary's voice followed. "Hokage sama, your twelve o'clock meeting with the Daimyo is ready."
"Ah."
Hiruzen composed himself as the chunins wheeled in the Communications Apparatus. A massive metallic construct resembling a polished vault fused with wires and panels. The device had been gifted by the Daimyo, engineered for long distance state communications. Though it was a marvel, Hiruzen was cautious of this tech and what it could mean for the shinobi world in the future.
The screen hummed, static flickering to life until the image sharpened; grainy, black and white, but clear enough.
Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
He was not a man given to extravagance but his eyes gleamed. He was no fool. He didn't need a sword. He had coin, armies, and the weight of the Fire Court behind him.
"Old friend, looks like this warless era has not been kind to your hair."
Hiruzen chuckled politely and gave a slow nod. "The peace may be quiet, my lord, but its silence hides many knives. I hope the season has been kind to your household."
Kaneko inclined his head. "As kind as any can hope, with the rumors flying through my court. I imagine you know the ones I speak of."
"Naruto Uzumaki," Hiruzen replied without hesitation. "The son of the Fourth."
"Confirmed by your own hand, I see. Bold."
Hiruzen let the tension settle.
Kaneko continued. "You must know what this means, Hiruzen. The nobility is already in motion. There are whispers about adoption, sponsorship, even talk of bringing the boy into the daimyo's court as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Some see a chance to claim legitimacy through his blood."
Hiruzen's fingers curled around the armrest of his chair, his knuckles pale beneath liver spotted skin. "He is still too young for the world of politics."
Across the screen, the Fire Daimyo gave a genial smile and said, "I see that you wish to protect the boy, old friend, but hiding him from the world does not serve him. Nor the Land of Fire. If he is to carry the legacy of his name, he must be prepared to wield it."
It was not a request. Underneath the silken words and cordial smiles was the weight of court expectation, veiled threat, and unspoken demand.
"Very well. What was the purpose of such a meeting, Lord Kaneko?"
"The Chunin Exams."
"Yes?"
"Alongside myself," the daimyo continued, "a few other daimyo intend to attend."
That alone made Hiruzen hesitate. Daimyo rarely involved themselves in shinobi affairs. They signed budgets, approved missions of significant political weight, and occasionally welcomed foreign envoys. But they never involved themselves directly in examinations meant for young shinobi especially due to the danger.
Kaneko did not stop there.
"And by that," he added with growing excitement, "I mean the daimyo of all five Great Nations. Along with a retinue of nobles, merchants, and diplomats. They all wish to witness this year's Chunin Exams in Konoha."
"That is unprecedented," Hiruzen said.
Kaneko smiled like a man savoring rare wine. "Indeed. It will be a spectacular affair. All five Great Shinobi Villages represented and there are whispers that even the smaller hidden villages plan to send candidates. The potential for treaties, trade, and alliances is enormous."
Hiruzen felt a chill crawl down his spine. He could already see the game the other villages were playing. The exams would become an international stage. A perfect chance to test Konoha's strength, humiliate, and weaken it publicly. And worst of all, it would be the perfect moment to target Naruto under the guise of competition.
But Kaneko continued, blissfully unaware or pretending not to be.
"This will bring great attention to the Leaf."
"And great danger," Hiruzen replied. "Never in history have this many powers gathered in one location. Such a convergence invites catastrophe."
He chose his words carefully, hoping Kaneko would understand. Konoha did not have the luxury to entertain political theatrics, not with enemies lurking in every shadow.
But the Fire Daimyo did not budge. His eyes remained bright.
"Or prosperity," Kaneko countered. "This could elevate our nation above all others. Influence is the currency of the age, Lord Third. Show them the strength of the Leaf, and we win that currency. Decline the opportunity, and we risk appearing weak."
That was a veiled threat. Not from Kaneko directly. The man was amicable enough. But behind him stood the whispering nobles, courtiers, and political leeches who circled the Fire Court like vultures. They would seize on any perceived weakness in Konoha to justify diverting funds, withdrawing support, or shifting influence to another hidden village entirely. The Leaf had enemies there too, though they wore silk instead of chakra.
"To accommodate such a large event," Hiruzen said, choosing his tone carefully, "Konoha will need significantly more time and resources. Security alone will be a nightmare. Foreign dignitaries, rival clans, hundreds of genin and chunin, spies, saboteurs. Preparing proper defenses would require pushing the exams back by at least a month. Possibly more."
He let the implication hang there and hoped it might frighten Kaneko into reconsidering.
Instead, the daimyo nodded pleasantly. "I am certain Konoha can manage. Especially with the generous support of multiple daimyo and dozens of noble families."
Hiruzen resisted the urge to bury his face into his desk.
Temptation whispered to him.
Funding from all five daimyo. Investment from wealthy nobles. Improvements to infrastructure, research, military readiness. Opportunities he had not seen… ever.
"We may be able to do it," Hiruzen admitted, though the words tasted like ash.
"Excellent. In return for our support, I want the Hidden Leaf to dominate the exams. I want to raise a cup to our supremacy in front of the other lords."
Hiruzen forced himself not to wince. "Then we will do what is necessary."
He bit his tongue before he could say anything foolish. The situation was spiraling out of his control. Still, he could find a way to keep Naruto safe. A long term mission outside the village. Something far away from the exams. It might work.
Then Kaneko leaned in, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"And of course," he said, "I will be eager to meet Minato's son. The boy has stirred much conversation among the nobles. I expect him to participate and prove himself worthy of his father's legacy."
Hiruzen felt the blood drain from his face.
Damn it.
"I am sure Naruto will surprise everyone."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
When the call ended, Hiruzen reached for his pipe with fingers that trembled. The world outside his window spun faster with each passing hour, and try as he might, he could no longer hold it still.
He turned his eyes toward the photo of Minato that sat framed on the wall.
"You should have been here dealing with this mess while I spent time with my wife in retirement."
Hiruzen muttered the words toward the empty chair across from him, but no answer came.
He took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled through his nose, the smoke curling slowly upward.
"As a father myself… I think I would want my son to be ready," he said softly.
A faint, wistful smile pulled at the corners of his lips. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine personally training Naruto for the chunin exams. Perhaps he could still do what Minato never had the chance to do.
The thought barely had time to settle before a surge of chakra slammed against his senses like a wave. Hiruzen's eyes snapped open, his head jerking to the side as his body reacted on instinct.
Did one of the other villages actually send a jinchuriki to attack us?
Hiruzen immediately reached for the crystal ball on his desk.
Ninja Art: Telescope Jutsu!
The surface of the crystal shimmered, swirling with a pale blue glow as he focused on the massive chakra signature drawing closer to Konoha's borders. The image sharpened and then the figures walking along it came into view.
Jiraiya, unmistakable as ever alongside Kakashi. Sakura carrying something in her arms. Sasuke keeping pace quietly.
Hiruzen exhaled, tension loosening from his shoulders. But then another figure stepped into frame. A tall red haired teen, clad in elite knight armor.
"That's Naruto?"
Hiruzen leaned forward, stunned.
The boy was taller now, his hair longer, and his chakra reserves surpassed those of grown Uzumaki adults.
The redhead paused as if sensing the crystal's attention. When he turned, Hiruzen saw those sapphire and blue crocodilian eyes. In that instant the old man felt that, despite all the chaos surrounding Naruto, the boy himself might be even more chaotic.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, shifting Oscar in her arms.
"I don't know," he replied, catching the crystal lizard easily as they continued walking. "Felt like someone was watching me. Maybe I'm just anxious. We're almost at Ichiraku. I've been thinking about ramen for two days."
Hiruzen could not help the smile that tugged at his lips as Kurenai's report moved through his mind.
Perhaps Naruto would surprise the world in the chunin exams.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Author Note: And that wraps up today's chapter. Now let's dive into the Q and A.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Q: Can you explain Danzo's story for this fanfic?
This question comes up a lot, so here is the full breakdown of how Danzo's storyline works in my version compared to canon.
Danzo's early history stays the same. He was part of Team Tobirama, and when the Kinkaku Force ambushed them, Tobirama sacrificed himself and appointed Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.
Here is where my fanfic diverges.
After becoming Hokage, Hiruzen tried to avenge his sensei by personally hunting down the Kinkaku Force. Team Tobirama also intervened which caused Kagami and Torifu to get killed, and Danzo suffered severe damage to the entire right side of his body. In this fanfic, that guilt made Hiruzen more lenient toward Danzo for years. (This part is purely fanfic. Canon shows Torifu alive during the Kyuubi Attack.)
Danzo later founded Root sometime before the Second Great Shinobi War, handling the dirty work required to keep Konoha safe in the shadows. Up to this point, most of his story matches canon.
The next major divergence happens during the Uchiha Massacre. In my version, Danzo goes behind Hiruzen's back, manipulates Itachi into choosing the massacre route, and causes the disaster with Shisui.
Canon never clarifies what Danzo was doing during Part 1 of Naruto, so every fanfic chooses its own path.
Here is mine:
After Danzo's role in the massacre is exposed, Hiruzen disbands Root and imprisons Danzo instead of executing him. The exact reason he was not killed will be revealed in the next chapter. If you have cool theories like Danzo using Kotoamatsukami to influence Hiruzen's judgment, feel free to share them. But if your theory is simply that Hiruzen was too soft, do not bother sharing.
Even while imprisoned, Danzo continues to operate from the shadows for the next five years. Many former Root operatives still work within Konoha. For example, Fu secretly manipulated the barrier team so the village would not notice Naruto's chakra disappearance as he teleports to Lordran.
In the present timeline of the fanfic, Danzo was scheduled for trial and execution, so he tries to assassinate Hiruzen and the council with a suicide shinobi. That brands him a traitor to Konoha.
Now, for how my Danzo compares to canon Danzo:
If the events of Naruto going to Lordran never happened and everything followed canon, my Danzo would have remained in banishment until Hiruzen died during the invasion. Then, while Jiraiya and Naruto were searching for Tsunade, he would have quietly reinstated himself. By the time Tsunade returned to take the hat, he would already be positioned to challenge or interfere with her authority. That is the direction my Danzo would have gone canon-wise.
Hope that clears things up. I still get a lot of comments about me killing Danzo, and yes, he will not survive this story. But at least let me build something interesting with his character before he goes. I promise his role as a villain will be worth reading. He will not be the type to brute force the plot. His strength will be in the shadows, in the schemes he weaves, and in the way he clashes with DS Naruto. Their dynamic is going to be a lot of fun.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Q: Should Naruto be taught by Hiruzen?
So, the Chunin Exams in this fic are going to be a big deal. A lot of heavy hitters are going to come into play, and before anyone asks, yes, the other villages absolutely would demote elite jonin if it meant slipping them into the exams as genin just to kill Naruto. They are not above that.
Which brings us to the idea of Hiruzen training Naruto personally.
There are plenty of things Naruto can learn from him. Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. Elemental releases as Naruto also has four, so there is a real opportunity for growth. Hiruzen could even teach Naruto how to weaponize Oscar the same way he uses Enma as a staff.
What kind of weapon do you think Oscar would become?
So Naruto obviously can learn a lot from him. The question is what you all think about Hiruzen being one of Naruto's teachers. And if you like the idea, what techniques should Naruto learn?
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Q: What is the tenure of each Hokage?
Since the Naruto timeline is an absolute mess and canon never gives exact dates for each Hokage's rule, here is my take:
Naruto is 32 in Boruto. Meaning he became Hokage at 25. This is because Boruto is 12 in Boruto, and 5 during the day Naruto became Hokage. So Naruto has been Hokage for around 7 years.
Kakashi became Hokage a year after the Fourth Shinobi World War, as confirmed in the Kakashi Hiden light novel. Meaning he became Hokage at 32, since he was 31 during the war. He would be 38 when Naruto is 25. So Kakashi had been Hokage for about 7 years.
Tsunade had been Hokage over the 2 and a half year time skip between Part I and Shippuden, as well as the 1 and a half years between the start of Shippuden and the war. Along with the one year after the war (when Kakashi finally takes the position). Meaning Tsunade had been Hokage for about 5 years.
Minato was the easiest to figure out. He had only been Hokage for about 1 year. He became Hokage right after the Third Shinobi World War. Itachi was 4 during the war, and Sasuke is 5 years younger than him. Meaning Sasuke was born when Itachi was 5 (which is further confirmed in the Itachi Shinden light novel). And we know that Sasuke was recently born before the Nine Tails attack on the Leaf (Sasuke's birthday is only a few months earlier than Naruto's too).
Now for Hiruzen. We know that the First and Second wars are just 20 years apart thanks to the first Naruto databook. The Second lasted at least 3 years, since that is how long Jiraiya was training the Rain orphans during that war. Nagato was 10 by the end of that. And he is 35 in the first half of Shippuden. Meaning he was 18 during the Third. The Third lasted at least 3 years since the fourth Naruto databook stated that Minato's encounter with A and Killer B happened 21 years prior to the Fourth. So if Nagato was 18 at the end of the war, he would have been 15 at the start of it. And thus means that there were 5 years between the Second and Third.
So since Hiruzen became Hokage during the First Shinobi World War, he had been Hokage for 31 years before retiring (20+3+5+3). And took the position again a year after (when Minato dies). He retained that position for 12 years (the start of the series was 12 years after the Nine Tails attack) (it was a few months close to 13 though).
So Hiruzen had been Hokage for a grand total of 43 years.
The fourth databook stated that Madara left the Hidden Leaf and became a rogue ninja 66 years prior to the Fourth Shinobi World War. And it really seemed like he left right after Hashirama became Hokage, so let us say Hashirama became Hokage around that same year. Thanks to the calculations from Hiruzen's reign, we know that the gap between the First and the Fourth wars was 49 years. Hashirama seemed to have died prior to the First. So the latest he could have been Hokage was 17 years (66 minus 49). And the earliest he could have been Hokage was 11 years, since Tsunade is 55 during the Fourth and Hashirama had seen her prior to his death.
Tobirama would have been Hokage either for 6 years (the earliest) or 1 year (the latest) thanks to the calculations for Hashirama.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
That is it for today.
Let me know what you thought of the chapter, and I will see you all in the next one.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 96, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!