No matter how vigilant Ōnoki was, he no longer had the energy to concern himself with the affairs of Konoha.
The reason was simple: the always disagreeable Rōshi had disappeared.
As the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails in Iwagakure, Rōshi should have remained in the village. However, because he constantly butted heads with Ōnoki, neither side yielding an inch, the two stubborn men grew increasingly estranged.
This estrangement led to Rōshi keeping away from the central area of Iwagakure for years.
Ōnoki only discovered Rōshi's disappearance after hearing about the events in Kumogakure. Worried that the old man might cause him trouble, he had sent people to contact Rōshi proactively.
But the result was that there was simply no way to reach him.
"Send out troops immediately to search for Rōshi's whereabouts. Remember, it must be done in secret."
Because this matter touched on him personally, Ōnoki's good mood—born from the Fourth Raikage's misfortune—vanished instantly. He furrowed his brows and ordered Kitsuchi, to personally lead the search.
Kitsuchi said nothing and left the room straightaway.
"A turbulent season indeed."
Watching Kitsuchi leave, Ōnoki slowly hopped down from his seat, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked outside, heading straight for a fountain.
At its center lay a stone, smoothed and polished by the constant flow of water over many years.
"Will... In this shinobi world, can willpower alone really solve everything?"
Ōnoki's words seemed to question the First Tsuchikage, yet also felt like an interrogation of himself.
...
Time flew quickly.
Naruto, Karin, and the others had reached the age of enrollment.
After being busy for so long, Minato finally finished his tasks the day before the entrance ceremony. Rushing home in haste, he just managed to make it back in time for his son's big day.
Kushina's expression finally softened somewhat.
Before they left, she reminded the two children to be careful, especially about bullying in the academy. But all she got in return was Naruto's half-hearted response.
"You little kid!"
Waving her spatula, Kushina chased them out the door, but Naruto had already dragged Karin off at full speed, leaving Minato standing there awkwardly, at a loss for words.
"Honestly... Minato, keep an eye on those two troublemakers."
With a helpless sigh, Kushina shut the door behind her after saying this.
"I wonder if we'll see Takeshi-san again."
Running along the road, Naruto missed the times when they had all played together.
Though Haku was also gentle, he watched over them far too strictly. And with the always stern Kimimaro at his side, Naruto never got to play to his heart's content.
"He's the Hokage now. Calling him Takeshi-san isn't really appropriate anymore."
Karin corrected Naruto's choice of words.
"Even if he's Hokage, he'll always be my Takeshi-san. That'll never change."
Naruto lifted his head high, stubbornly refusing to change how he addressed him.
Minato, catching up to them, overheard their conversation and grabbed Naruto by the collar.
"Alright, Naruto, slow down. Be careful not to bump into anyone."
When they arrived at the entrance to the academy, they happened to run into Sasuke and his father.
"Sasuke!"
The moment Naruto saw him, he completely forgot Minato's warning and ran toward Sasuke, waving wildly.
"That idiot..."
Hearing Naruto's voice, Sasuke muttered under his breath, but still walked over to meet him.
"So he only sees Sasuke, huh. What a pain."
Shikamaru came over with Chōji, who was munching on chips, and made a small complaint about Naruto.
Their fathers were all high-ranking, so it was only natural that they were familiar with each other.
While the children chatted about topics fitting for their age, the adults didn't remain idle either.
"The shinobi world's situation is getting tense."
Nara Shikaku deliberately lowered his voice, glancing at the Hokage Rock in the distance as he shared the news he had received.
"The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning has begun rallying the major villages to march against Kumogakure, refusing to recognize this so-called Ninja Committee."
Minato nodded in agreement. Having just returned from a mission in the Land of Lightning, he had personally experienced the charged atmosphere there.
"Even so, the Ninja Committee has strong support among the common people. They are firmly against the nobles' slave system and demand that all nobility in the Land of Lightning abolish it completely."
Minato, who had personally witnessed Cloud-nin executing nobles, still vividly remembered the cheer that erupted from the civilians after witnessing that scene.
Fugaku gave no opinion. As captain of the police force, his responsibility was maintaining internal stability—nothing more.
"Our acting Hokage likely holds the same views."
Shikaku nodded. Recently, the daimyo's office had begun frantically sending letters to the clans. Relatives holding posts at court had repeatedly tried to persuade them: they wanted the Nara, Sarutobi, and Hyūga clans to unite in forcing Takeshi to abdicate.
The reason for the daimyo's agitation was simple: Hatake Sakumo, the Fourth Hokage, had awakened.
Though he was not yet able to move freely, the daimyo, already suspicious of Takeshi, regarded Sakumo as his lifeline and insisted that he return to the Hokage position.
Shikaku remembered the obvious tear marks left on the letter's seal. Without hesitation, he had refused the daimyo's request.
With the Internal Affairs Division as his shield, along with Takeshi's repeated improvements to ninja welfare and civilian benefits, Takeshi was no longer someone the old ninja clans could easily shake.
Besides...
If Takeshi truly decided to take that step, then by following him unwaveringly, Shikaku's own branch of the clan could reap unimaginable rewards—just imagining it was enough to stir excitement.
Even in failure, the Nara had kin serving in the daimyo's court; their clan would not collapse because of one gamble.
As a family famed for its cunning, Shikaku knew perfectly well what must be done to secure the greatest benefit for the clan.
"It all depends on how the acting Hokage responds this time. Ah, you've come too, Hiashi-sama."
Even before the words finished, they saw Hyūga Hiashi approaching with young Hinata.
"Hmm."
Hiashi's face was cold as his eyes swept over them, pausing only briefly on Shikaku.
From that look alone, Shikaku understood that Hiashi had already made his choice.
Before they could continue, a number of Internal Affairs Division shinobi suddenly appeared on the perimeter.
"They're here."
The moment the Internal Affairs shinobi arrived, the adults present subconsciously shivered. Straightening their posture, their eyes all turned toward the podium.