Today, beneath the Hokage Rock, a huge crowd had gathered. Both shinobi and civilians stood there, all looking up at the new face carved into the cliff.
And that face was none other than Kaito's.
Tsunade and the other Konoha higher-ups stood at the front of the crowd. Their expressions were complicated; some even wanted to leave. But Kaito had already issued his command—today, everyone had to be present. Disobey, and die!
Sasuke and Naruto also stood among the crowd. Sasuke stared blankly at Kaito's new stone face.
Ever since learning the truth, much of the burden in his heart had lifted. His obsession with revenge had mostly come from believing Itachi had deceived him, that all the kindness Itachi showed him was nothing but a lie.
But now he knew the truth—back then, Itachi had struck a deal with Konoha's higher-ups, and the condition he asked for… was Sasuke's life!
Because of this, Sasuke no longer clung so fiercely to revenge. What he wanted most now was to find Itachi, to hear the truth from his brother's own lips.
As Sasuke was lost in thought about how to find him, Naruto shouted excitedly from beside him,
"Kaito-senpai actually became Hokage! I've got to work even harder!"
Sasuke glanced at him and replied flatly,
"With your current strength, you still think you can become Hokage? Don't make me laugh."
"Hmph! What do you know? Do you even know what kind of relationship I have with Kaito-senpai?"
"What kind of relationship could that be? I'm from the same clan as him. What are you, his son? Then where's your Sharingan?"
As the two bickered, a thunderous boom suddenly echoed, and Kaito appeared before everyone's eyes. Today, he wore a white ceremonial robe, with five bright red characters embroidered across the back—Sixth Hokage.
He tilted his head back to admire his own stone face and commented,
"Not bad. Pretty well carved."
Then, turning to the crowd, he spoke loudly,
"Today marks the day I, Uchiha Kaito, officially take office as Hokage. There are several things I must announce."
Unlike the grand ceremonies of the previous Hokage, Kaito's inauguration felt rushed and rough, leaving the villagers bewildered, unsure how to react.
But Kaito didn't care in the slightest. He snapped his fingers, and out of nowhere, Orochimaru slithered into sight and came to stand beside him.
Orochimaru's expression was uncharacteristically respectful. He bowed slightly and said,
"Hokage-sama!"
The moment Tsunade saw him, she stepped forward angrily.
"Orochimaru! Why are you here?!"
Without even turning his head, Orochimaru replied calmly,
"I am Hokage-sama's most loyal subordinate. Why shouldn't I be here?"
"Nani? Loyal? Are you joking?!"
Tsunade's mind was in turmoil. Orochimaru—loyal? That was like saying Danzō was some bright and sunny young man. To her, Orochimaru had surely just been beaten down by Kaito, forced to bow for now while scheming in the shadows.
But this time, Tsunade was wrong. Orochimaru truly had submitted.
At the Uzumaki clan shrine, he had witnessed Kaito grievously injure the Shinigami itself. Since then, he couldn't muster even a shred of resistance against him.
In his mind, Kaito was without question the strongest in the ninja world. Now that he was Hokage, Orochimaru was genuinely curious how far Konoha could rise under his leadership.
But more than that, there was one thing that struck him deeply—Kaito had once said:
"The Edo Tensei is nothing in front of the Rinnegan."
Orochimaru's descent into darkness had begun with Nawaki's death. Witnessing life's fragility, he delved into forbidden jutsu, especially those that could transcend life and death.
Among them, Edo Tensei was his most prized technique. In his eyes, it had infinite potential. Apart from not being able to restore the dead to their full power, it was practically flawless.
Yet in Kaito's eyes, it was "nothing." That realization had dealt Orochimaru a crushing blow. Combined with the tasks Kaito had given him, he began to suspect Kaito sought to resurrect the dead through an even greater method.
So, even though Kaito had granted him freedom, Orochimaru still eagerly followed him back to Konoha—he wanted to see whether Kaito truly possessed a technique superior to Edo Tensei.
Looking at Orochimaru's submissive demeanor, Kaito spoke coolly,
"Enough. Where's the thing I told you to prepare?"
"Hokage-sama, everything is ready."
Orochimaru stepped back a few paces, then slammed his palm onto the ground.
Before everyone's astonished eyes, a coffin slowly rose from the earth.
The lid opened—inside lay the preserved body of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
His body was perfectly intact. In an instant, everyone recognized him: Konoha's Fourth Hokage!
Before the crowd could even react, Naruto suddenly bolted forward, shouting,
"Dad!!!"
Except for a handful of high-ranking officials who already knew the truth, everyone else stood dumbfounded.
"Who's he calling Dad? The Fourth Hokage?!"
Naruto stumbled to the coffin, his trembling hand reaching toward Minato's face.
Someone roared,
"Naruto! What do you think you're doing?! How dare you disrespect the Fourth Hokage!"
Kaito shot that man a glance, raised his hand, and pulled him in with a sudden force.
Clutching his throat, Kaito's voice was icy,
"Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage. Tell me, what's wrong with what he's doing?"
The crowd erupted.
"Nani?! Naruto's father is the Fourth Hokage? I thought he was the demon fox's brat!"
"This can't be real! I've never heard such a thing!"
"Impossible! How could the Hokage's child end up living like this?"
Their noise grated on Kaito's nerves. He flung the man he was holding back into the crowd and snapped coldly,
"Silence!"
An oppressive aura burst forth. Instantly, the once-clamorous crowd fell dead silent.
Sasuke, still standing in the crowd, muttered to himself,
"Naruto's father… was the Fourth Hokage?"
Thinking of all that Naruto had endured as a child, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
"Why? Why would they treat him like that? Why didn't Konoha reveal the truth sooner?!"
The answer came to him at once—an image of a bandaged figure.
"That damn Danzō again!"
Kaito ignored the crowd. He wanted Minato to see for himself—how the village he had protected had treated his own son.
Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, Kaito gazed into the coffin and activated his Rinnegan.
Though Tsunade and the others couldn't see his eyes directly, they felt an oppressive, suffocating force that froze them in place.
Purple light surged from Kaito's Rinnegan. He pressed his hands together and chanted in a deep voice,
"Rebirth!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo