The grand Hokage succession ceremony—followed by the unprecedented summit of the Five Daimyo and Five Kage—finally came to an end.
The daimyo left Konoha with their entourages, unwilling to stay a moment longer.
The Kage of the Four Great Ninja Villages departed as well.
Kazekage Rasa and Raikage A were released by Naruto and allowed to leave with their respective envoys, after paying what could only be called a symbolic ransom.
This left Chiyo and C—each leading their own delegation—completely baffled.
They had been prepared for days of grueling negotiations, for exhausting concessions, for painful losses just to redeem their leaders.
They never imagined it would be settled so easily.
Inside the Hokage Building, in a large conference hall, Konoha's jōnin gathered.
At last, someone couldn't hold back.
"Lord Hokage, why did you let the Kazekage and Raikage go? We worked so hard to capture them—and the ransom was far too small."
Many voices echoed the sentiment. Criticism spread through the room.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Then what?" he asked calmly.
"Kill the Kazekage and Raikage, and then have me lead you to wipe out Sunagakure and Cloud Village? While we're at it, should we conquer the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning too?"
The jōnin who had spoken earlier instantly lost his nerve and sat down.
Naruto's presence carried an invisible pressure. Even seasoned jōnin felt short of breath.
Only now did they fully understand—
The boy before them was not the gentle, conciliatory Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He was the Fifth Hokage.
"Enough chatter," Naruto continued. "This time, Konoha stood at the center of the world and displayed its strength to every corner of the ninja realm. That's undeniable."
"But it also means we've become the focus of everyone's attention."
"The other four great villages will feel threatened. They may even band together to counter Konoha."
"This is both bad news—and good news."
"The bad news is that too many eyes are on us. People with ulterior motives will constantly try to undermine us from the shadows."
"The good news is that pressure breeds growth. With enough pressure, you'll train harder. Otherwise, one day you'll die on a mission without even understanding why."
The room erupted into murmurs.
The new Hokage's temperament was completely different from the Third's—sharp, blunt, and unpredictable.
"Hokage-sama, didn't you just sign a Ninja World Peace Treaty?"
Naruto snorted.
"Idiot. That treaty only prevents large-scale wars between nations and major villages. In the shadows? Who knows what they'll do."
"Kill you quietly, then say 'sorry' afterward. Does that count as starting a war with Konoha?"
"Because of this treaty, covert conflict will only intensify. You must be more vigilant—or you'll die without knowing how."
The jōnin listened in grim silence.
"Don't overthink it," Naruto said, clapping his hands. "Train harder. Get stronger. If you're strong enough, you won't have to fear anything."
He paused, then continued.
"Next, I'll reorganize the village."
"The Uchiha clan will officially return."
"ANBU, Root, the garrison, and every organization—large and small—will be restructured."
"Konoha needs clear authority, clear responsibility, and smooth coordination from top to bottom. The current system isn't fit for what's coming."
"But before that—"
"I'm forming the Konoha Cabinet Council."
The hall erupted again.
Members of the major clans grew anxious. They could feel the 'three fires' of a new Hokage burning dangerously close to home.
"Reorganizing the entire village? That's massive."
"What is this Cabinet Council?"
"Our Hokage is always full of strange ideas…"
"He's still too young. Not stable enough."
Whispers spread, worry obvious in every glance.
They respected Naruto's strength—believed him to be the strongest Hokage Konoha had ever had.
But governing ability?
They were skeptical.
"The Konoha Cabinet Council," Naruto explained, "is similar to the old advisors and elders—but broader."
"I've nominated Jiraiya and Tsunade."
"The remaining seats will be filled by village-wide vote. Candidates give speeches. Final selection is by secret ballot."
"Hokage-sama, what exactly does this council do?"
Naruto answered bluntly.
"They run the village for me."
"Think of them as my proxies."
"Each elder oversees a specific domain of Konoha's affairs."
"And don't come running to me for every little thing. You may not find it annoying—but I do."
This was non-negotiable.
Naruto had no intention of drowning in paperwork.
He would set direction.
They would handle execution.
"This brat," Jiraiya muttered darkly, "isn't this just forcing capable people to work while he slacks off?"
Tsunade nodded silently, thinking of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
After a full day of voting and chaos, the new Konoha Cabinet Council was finalized:
Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin
Uchiha Fugaku, representing the Uchiha clan
Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan
Nara Shikaku, representing the Nara clan
Akiyama, a civilian-born elite jōnin
Six elders in total.
Naruto handed each of them a thick document.
"Take this back. Study it. Discuss it. Decide how to restructure the village."
"Once you're done, bring me the final plan."
With that, he stood up, dusted off his hands—and walked away.
"Lord Hokage… what does this mean?" Akiyama asked hesitantly.
"It's obvious," Fugaku said with a relaxed smile. "We handle the details. He makes the final call."
"That's all."
"…That sounds a bit irresponsible," Akiyama muttered to himself.
Jiraiya and Tsunade flipped through the documents—and immediately felt headaches coming on.
Too complicated.
Both silently swore that once this transition period ended, they'd resign and flee far away.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Building, Naruto stood beside Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui," Naruto said casually, "you don't resent me for not making you an elder, do you?"
Shisui laughed.
"Of course not. Managing the Red Sun Society already keeps me busy. Adding Konoha on top of that would be torture."
He gazed out over the village, smiling.
Despite everything, his affection for Konoha ran deep.
Being able to stand here openly, looking out over a peaceful village—it filled him with joy.
"The peace treaty," Naruto said softly, "is righteousness—and a pretext."
"I forced them to sign it. They won't accept it in their hearts."
"As long as I live, this peace will hold."
"So anyone with ambition will eventually try to kill me."
"Only by killing me can they do whatever they want."
Naruto looked into the distance, smiling.
"President…"
"Relax," Naruto replied calmly. "I'll draw all their attention to myself."
"I can handle it."
"They're nothing but beasts."
"Trying to kill me—"
"—is nothing but a fool's dream."
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