Today, a vast crowd—made of both shinobi and civilians—gathered beneath Hokage Rock, their gazes fixed on the newly carved face above.
That visage belonged to Chiga.
Standing before the crowd were Tsunade and Konoha's leaders. Their expressions were tense. They wished to leave, but Chiga's edict was absolute: everyone had to attend or suffer death.
Sasuke and Naruto stood among the masses. Sasuke stared blankly at Chiga's statue overhead. A great weight had lifted from his soul upon learning the truth—his obsession with vengeance had deeply rooted in the belief that Itachi had lied about his affection. Now that he knew Itachi had fought to spare his life, his purpose had shifted. He now sought only to meet Itachi and hear the truth first-hand.
He wondered how to locate his brother when Naruto piped up excitedly.
"Chiga-senpai actually became Hokage! I need to train even harder!"
Sasuke glanced at him and replied dryly, "With your strength now, you want to be Hokage? Don't make me laugh."
Naruto bristled. "Hmph! What do you know? What's my connection to Chiga anyway?"
Sasuke smirked, "Are you his son? Then, where is your Sharingan?"
Their banter was interrupted by a clap of thunder. Chiga appeared before everyone, wearing a white Imperial God Robe with bold crimson kanji across his back reading 'Sixth Hokage.'
He glanced up at his new face, nodded approvingly, and remarked, "It's sculpted quite well."
Then, turning to address the crowd, he announced, "Today I, Uchiha Chiga, formally assume the office of Hokage. I have some announcements to make."
There was none of the pomp typically seen at handover ceremonies. His tone was abrupt, leaving many Konoha citizens confused and silent—yet Chiga didn't care.
With a snap of his fingers, Orochimaru appeared at his side, expression deferential. He bowed and quietly greeted, "Hokage-sama."
Tsunade stepped forward immediately, anger flaring. "Orochimaru! What are you doing here?"
Orochimaru did not turn. Calmly, he replied, "I am the Hokage-sama's most loyal subordinate. Why would I not be here?"
Tsunade recoiled inwardly at the word "loyal." In her mind, Orochimaru had been coerced into submission by Chiga, masks still hiding darker schemes. But she had underestimated him. He had witnessed Chiga defeat the Shinigami with such power that his defiance fell away—he finally recognized Chiga as the most potent shinobi alive.
More importantly, Chiga had once stated, "Impure World Reincarnation is insignificant before the Rinnegan." That had struck Orochimaru at the core: the forbidden jutsu he had built his career around now seemed obsolete.
Despite being granted freedom, he chose to come to Konoha—eager to see if Chiga had discovered a greater jutsu than the Impure World Reincarnation.
Chiga regarded Orochimaru's posture before calmly asking, "So—where are the things I asked you to prepare?"
"Hokage-sama, they are ready."
Orochimaru stepped back and slammed his palm on the ground. Slowly, a coffin rose into view and the lid slid open.
Inside lay the preserved body of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Murmurs rippled across the crowd—everyone recognized him.
Before reactions could erupt, Naruto dashed forward, shouting, "Dad!!!"
Most onlookers were shocked: "Who is Naruto calling father? The Fourth Hokage?"
Naruto reached the coffin and gently brushed his trembling fingers over Minato's face. One person shouted indignantly, "Naruto! What are you doing? How dare you disrespect the Fourth Hokage!"
Chiga lifted his hand and yanked the man forward. Holding his neck, Chiga spoke coldly, "Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's child. Is there a problem with that?"
The revelation sent the crowd into chaos: "What? Naruto's father is the Fourth Hokage? But wasn't he the Nine‑Tails' jinchūriki?"
"This can't be real—we've never heard of this before!"
Chiga's annoyance snapped through the herd—he flung the man back and snapped, "Everyone, quiet!"
A wave of silent authority swept over the crowd.
Sasuke, watching Naruto, murmured in disbelief, "Naruto's father is the Fourth Hokage?" Clenching his fists, he thought, Why was Naruto treated this way? Why was this hidden?
As Tsunade, Sasuke, and others looked on, Chiga knelt beside Naruto, rested a hand on his shoulder, and activated his Rinnegan. Though only Chiga could see it, the leaders felt the suffocating pressure emanating from his eyes.
A violet light pulsed steadily. Chiga pressed his palms together and quietly declared, "Netherworld Rebirth."
With that, a low roar echoed across the plaza as the jutsu began.
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