While Naruto was talking with Tsunade and Jiraiya, the Konoha 12 stood in the crowd, their eyes fixed on Naruto. When they saw his black hair and brown eyes, they were all stunned.
Hinata clasped her hands in front of her, watching Naruto without blinking. "Naruto-kun's hair has turned black."
She felt that black also suited Naruto very well.
Then, realizing she had been staring at Naruto in front of so many people, her face turned red to the tips of her ears, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
"Naruto has actually become so strong, and he's even become more handsome. Damn it, doesn't that mean my rival is even harder to match now?" Kiba took Akamaru down from his head and hugged him, muttering to himself.
"Woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Kiba, you haven't been a match for Naruto since the Chunin Exams." Shino pushed up his sunglasses.
Choji looked up from his bag of chips and said, "Naruto is amazing. He beat the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki all by himself."
Ino cupped her face with both hands, completely lost in a lovesick state. "Wow! Naruto with black hair is just too handsome. He's even more charming than when he had blonde hair. If I'd known he would become this handsome, I should have been nicer to him when we were little. No, wait, it's not too late to be nice to him now."
As she said this, Ino tried to squeeze forward, but Sakura grabbed her by the collar.
"Ino, if you rush up now, you'll just cause trouble for Naruto."
Sakura looked at Naruto, who was surrounded by villagers. There was no jealousy or disappointment in her eyes, only genuine happiness from the bottom of her heart.
Naruto has become so strong now. Sasuke must be working hard to get stronger at Orochimaru's place too.
She looked down at her hands, which were covered in small cuts. She had been learning Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade lately, and the skin on her fingers was repeatedly worn through and healed by Chakra.
She had to keep working hard too, she couldn't always be left behind by the two of them.
Karin poked her head out from a gap in the crowd, staring at Naruto's black hair, her mouth slightly agape.
"What's this? I haven't seen him for just a day or two, and Naruto has actually changed his look like this. Damn it, it's all because I was too busy these past few days to go find him."
Rock Lee's eyes burned with a scorching flame as he looked at Naruto. "Neji, Tenten, look at Naruto. This is the most perfect posture of youth."
Neji looked through the crowd at Naruto, who was surrounded by everyone.
Tenten saw through Neji's expression and didn't say anything, just nudging his arm with her elbow.
Soon, amidst the cheers of the crowd, Naruto followed Tsunade and Jiraiya toward the Hokage Building.
The onlookers automatically cleared a path, and Naruto smiled as he followed Tsunade into the Hokage Building.
...
Hokage Office.
Tsunade sat down behind her desk and said, "Well done, Naruto. In this standoff with Kumogakure, every decision you made from start to finish hit them exactly where it hurt."
"That final duel with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki completely shattered any lingering delusions Kumogakure might have had."
Naruto shook his head, his tone flat. "This is what a Hokages Direct Jonin should do. But Granny Tsunade, is there any other urgent business? If there's nothing important, I'll head back first."
"There's nothing urgent. It's just that you've made such a great contribution to Konoha. I wanted to hold a celebration banquet for you. After all, you are Konoha's signboard now. Defeating the fully transformed Eight-Tails Jinchuriki head-on is a record that would make other Ninja Villages re-evaluate Konoha's combat power across the entire Ninja World. But looking at your expression, you're probably not interested."
Naruto said, "I'll pass on the celebration banquet. However, if Granny Tsunade insists on me being there, I can send a Shadow Clone to attend on my behalf."
"Fine. But you are the one who will succeed as Hokage in the future. You'll have to get used to these kinds of occasions sooner or later."
"Being Hokage isn't just about being strong on the battlefield. It's about dealing with the people in the village, making the villagers trust you, and making them willing to follow you."
"A celebration banquet might look like just eating and drinking, but in reality, it's an opportunity for the villagers to see what kind of person you are up close."
Naruto nodded and turned to leave.
"Naruto, wait."
Just then, Tsunade called out to Naruto.
She took three Sealing Scrolls from her drawer and handed them to Naruto.
"This is the reward for your mission, as well as the things you asked for."
Naruto took the three scrolls and pushed the door open to leave the Hokage Office.
After Naruto left, Jiraiya leaned against the window and sighed, "I really envy you being the Hokage. With someone like Naruto, you can do whatever you want without any worries."
"Back when the old man was the Hokage, just dealing with Danzo and the two Advisors was enough to keep him running around, and he still had to be careful about playing balance with the major powers."
"This kind of confidence is something only the First Hokage probably had among all previous Hokage."
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. "Why don't you be the Hokage? I'll step down and give you the position right now."
Jiraiya immediately shook his head, waving his hands in front of his chest. "Don't, the position of Hokage doesn't suit me at all. I don't want to be buried in the office with a pile of paperwork every day, unable to even squeeze out time for my research."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Jiraiya and her tone became a bit more emotional. "Although it doesn't sound nice, having Naruto around really makes being Hokage a breeze. It's just that I don't know when this kid will finally be willing to take over as Hokage."
"With his current strength and the reputation he's just built up, if he wanted to, I could take off the Hokage robe and put it on him right now."
Jiraiya crossed his arms. "Don't be in a rush. Since Naruto said he wants to be the Hokage, he definitely will. I suspect this kid is still focusing on getting stronger for now and doesn't want to be tied down by the Hokage position with too much time and energy."
"After all, once you sit in that chair, just approving documents and attending meetings every day could take up most of your training time."
"At his age, he's in a period of explosive growth. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be tied to an office either."
Tsunade nodded.
There are indeed too many things to worry about after becoming Hokage, and Naruto's growth is far from over. Anyway, the stronger Naruto gets, the more at ease she feels. The Hokage position isn't going anywhere.
Tsunade changed the subject, "By the way, when do you plan to teach Naruto Sage Mode? He has been looking forward to this power for a long time."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin and said, "I was originally going to teach him during this period, but it got delayed by this Kumogakure incident."
"Speaking of which, do you have any tasks to arrange for Naruto next? If not, I'll take him to Mount Myōboku for a trip."
"Learning Sage Mode requires an absolutely quiet environment, it certainly won't work in the village."
Tsunade shook her head. "There is nothing important happening during this period."
"Kumogakure has just been beaten back, and the other great nations are still watching from the sidelines. In the short term, no one will be foolish enough to provoke Konoha."
"Take Naruto with you to train properly, I will handle things here in the village."
"Alright, I'll discuss the departure time with him in a couple of days. By the way..."
Jiraiya shifted the topic, his tone carrying a hint of amusement, "I remember Naruto saying before that he was very interested in your Chakra Enhanced Strength. When do you plan to teach him?"
Tsunade crossed her arms, a smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Hmph, I won't be like you, dragging things out and waiting for so long. I already included all of my Medical Ninjutsu in the mission rewards and gave them to him just now."
"I also included a copy of the basic theory of the Yin Seal and the methods for Chakra accumulation."
Jiraiya was stunned. "You gave him everything?"
"Tsunade, other Ninjutsu are one thing, but Medical Ninjutsu isn't something you can learn just by reading scrolls. You need a teacher to guide you step-by-step through anatomical practice, identification, medicinal combinations, and so on. Aren't you afraid Naruto will learn it wrong?"
Tsunade said, "First of all, Naruto will not become a pure Medical Ninja, so the clinical diagnosis part is not the focus for him."
"That kid has his eye on my combat-oriented Medical Ninjutsu: the offensive variants of the Mystical Palm Technique, the Chakra Scalpel, Chakra Enhanced Strength, and the Yin Seal."
"The core of all these things is precise Chakra control, and you should know better than anyone just how high Naruto's Chakra control precision is. He will have absolutely no problem self-studying the contents of the scrolls."
"As for the practical side, if there's anything he really doesn't understand, he will naturally come to ask me."
Jiraiya recalled the scene of Naruto using the compressed Rasengan. That level of Chakra control indeed far exceeded the standard of an ordinary ninja.
He shook his head, his tone carrying a mix of wry amusement. "As expected of you. Even your way of teaching is as straightforward as your personality."