Hiashi was actually having a hard time internally.
He did want the Hyuga Clan to become Konoha's top clan, but he never expected to take such a big leap straight to the Hokage's seat.
At this time, he had overstretched himself.
As a leader of the clan, he had some experience, but suddenly having the entire village's responsibilities and authority placed in his hands was something he couldn't quite handle.
Add to that the two advisors dying in their own homes, and that willful Daimyo still trying to cause trouble for Naruto.
Even disregarding that terrifying strength beyond ordinary Ninja comprehension, just his identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, meant Konoha could never truly move against him.
They could only delay and make excuses like this.
This new Hokage didn't yet realize that his suffering might soon be over.
Because at this moment, the Jinchuriki of the various Tailed Beasts from the different great nations and villages were already on their way back.
Once the balance of power was restored, even if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted to cause more trouble, it wouldn't be easy to act immediately.
At most, he might just apply some pressure privately.
"Fifth Hokage, look at yourself. You should at least have the composure expected of a Hokage, remaining calm in the face of change."
"You say that so easily, Hiruzen-sama. How about you return as a Hokage's Advisor and continue offering strategies for the village?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen simply acted as if he hadn't heard and continued drinking his tea.
Hiashi wasn't surprised either… clearly, this wasn't the first time he had been refused.
The group sat in the Sarutobi Clan's courtyard, sipping tea intermittently and casually discussing a few matters regarding the village's future arrangements.
-By the time the news of Konohamaru leaving the village with Naruto and the others reached Hiruzen's ears, it was already afternoon.
"Pfft!"
Hiashi and Shikaku, sitting across from him, reacted quickly, picking up the tea trays in front of them to shield themselves.
"What did you say?"
Looking at Ebisu before him, Hiruzen felt the words sounded utterly surreal.
"Yes, they have already left the village."
"Go after them and bring them back!"
"Ah? But..."
Ebisu seemed at a loss upon hearing this, then described the scene where a white-haired girl in their group turned into a giant bird and soared into the sky with the others.
To be honest, if Jiraiya hadn't actively sought him out, they might not have known about Konohamaru leaving the village until a full day later.
This couldn't really be blamed on him.
After Konohamaru started training alone, his sensory abilities grew stronger, and he could always detect Ebisu hiding in the distance.
Coupled with the training locations being inside the village, over time, Hiruzen had tacitly accepted that Konohamaru no longer needed a guardian.
"This... sigh..."
Hiruzen wanted to say something more, but it ultimately turned into a helpless sigh.
He could only hope Naruto would take good care of that brat.
Initially, when Hiruzen saw Konohamaru actively training hard, he was quite pleased.
But somehow, at some point, Konohamaru stopped being like before, no longer loudly proclaiming he would 'defeat' him to gain recognition and become the new Hokage.
Later, after Hiruzen stepped down as acting Hokage, he finally had time to spend with the child.
But the child simply didn't want his company.
Sigh...
The empty-nest elder sighed again, leaving the two Ninjas across from him unsure of what to say.
They're thankful that neither Hyuga Hinata nor Nara Shikamaru had personalities that would lead them to do such bold things.
The two fathers simultaneously gave mental praise for their children's personalities.
…
On the other hand, perhaps due to improved abilities, Karin's flight speed in her Garuda Form had reached a new level.
Naruto and the others reached the Land of Whirlpools in almost no time.
The villagers of the new Uzushiogakure were initially patrolling the area with makeshift weapons, but after a brief silence upon seeing the familiar divine bird in the sky, they immediately cheered.
"It's Naruto-sama! And Karin-sama and the others! They're back!"
Looking down from above, the newborn Uzushiogakure was already taking shape.
The original building ruins had long been cleared away, and on the original land, rows of neat new houses had sprung up.
At the very least, it now looked no worse than villages in the forests of the Land of Fire.
The giant bird landed and transformed back into human form.
Sasuke and Konohamaru were here for the first time.
Yes, Sasuke had come too.
After learning that the two senior advisors connected to the night of the clan's massacre had died in their own homes, he no longer had any reason to stay in Konoha.
As the last descendant of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke was fully justified in believing that Konoha Village was not suitable for the revival of the Uchiha clan.
On the contrary, Naruto's new Uzushiogakure might be more suitable for a new Uchiha Clan… though, of course, that would take a long time.
Currently, Sasuke had no intention of pursuing a romantic relationship whatsoever.
Or rather, no woman had yet managed to catch the interest of these Sharingan eyes.
After the group stepped back onto the ground, Sachinosuke, the one Naruto had rescued earlier, actively came forward to greet them… he was now the 'acting village chief' of Uzushiogakure.
"Naruto-sama, you've finally returned."
Yukinoshita looked quite reliable now, leading the other villagers in welcoming Naruto's arrival.
It was clear that after a period of development, the village's situation was good. Even Sachinosuke, who was originally quite thin, now looked much healthier.
Uzushiogakure was located along the coast, suitable for fishing. Recently, some merchant ships had occasionally passed by.
After discovering that the Land of Whirlpools, which was originally just ruins, now had a new village, these merchants attempted to make contact with them.
Thus, while the merchants stopped to rest in the newborn Uzushiogakure, they also engaged in some trade with the villagers.
The new clothes Sachinosuke was wearing now were obtained by trading caught fish, fresh water, and other resources.
Perhaps, if this trend continued, Uzushiogakure would eventually become something like a maritime trade hub, similar to the Land of Hot Water.
"However, your appearance... has something untoward happened recently?"
Jiraiya pointed at some villagers nearby holding hayforks and simple bows, asking with some confusion.
Seeing that Naruto and the others had noticed, Sachinosuke didn't plan to hide it and explained what had happened afterwards.
After those merchants marked the newborn Uzushiogakure on their nautical charts, news of the village gradually spread. Many merchant ships learned they could stop here for a break or even directly sell small amounts of goods here.
The newborn Uzushiogakure could barely handle these goods.
However, once their reputation spread, naturally, some ill-intentioned individuals set their sights on the place.
At first, it was just scattered water bandits trying to loot and plunder.
But for the villagers of Uzushiogakure, who had endured hardships and survived the Southern Hideout, this number of bandits wasn't enough to make them fearful.
Even without proper weapons, the villagers managed to drive them off using farming tools or even construction waste.
But the matter didn't end there.