While the ordinary villagers of Konoha were still gossiping, the upper-level ninja essentially all knew that Naruto Uzumaki was about to become the Fifth Hokage.
Konoha Ninja Academy
Ebisu had just learned that Naruto—the son of the Fourth Hokage—was about to succeed as the Fifth Hokage, and the Special Jonin's mood was sour. "Hokage... so it really does come down to bloodline to get the job? That liar, Naruto!"
"Don't say that," Iruka Umino comforted him. "Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, also became Hokage through his own efforts. Back when we didn't know Naruto's heritage, wasn't he already striving to become Hokage?"
"That's true," Ebisu sighed, shaking his head. "But... I still feel like I've been deceived..."
Just then, a yellow-haired boy walked by outside the window. Before Ebisu could finish his sentence, he shot up from his office chair.
When Iruka stepped out of the office, he saw the Special Jonin standing next to the boy, pushing up his small sunglasses and speaking nervously. "Lord Fifth Hokage, are you here for an inspection? I can be your guide..."
Iruka was a bit speechless watching this. So much complaining behind his back, but so fawning to his face.
"I just graduated from here less than a year ago..." Naruto rubbed his forehead. When he looked up and saw Iruka, he quickly waved. "Iruka-sensei!"
"Ha, Naruto, what brings you to the Ninja Academy?"
"Just came to have a look..." Naruto's expression wasn't great. He glanced discreetly at the people following him and gave Iruka a meaningful look.
The people accompanying him were members of the Hokage's Guard Platoon: Aoba Yamashiro, Raido Namiashi, Genma Shiranui, and Iwashi Tatami.
These were once members of his father's guard platoon. Raido and two others could even use the Flying Thunder God Formation together. After Minato's death, they became Hiruzen's guards, and now they were his.
Aoba Yamashiro stood to the side, looking at a notebook. "Lord Hokage," he said softly, "after inspecting the Ninja Academy this morning, our next stop is the Barrier Department..."
Naruto nodded silently.
Iruka shook his head with a look of pity.
There was no helping it. Even if the Hokage didn't need to manage things for the time being, he still had to go through the process of understanding the departments under his command. He couldn't be clueless about everything, right?
After Naruto properly inspected the Ninja Academy, he pointed to a tree on the school grounds and gave his first piece of guidance: "Let's repair the swing under that tree. It might be a bit worn out..."
"Yes!" Iruka held back a laugh as he replied, but he also felt his heart ache.
Back then, the other children at school refused to interact with Naruto. He would sit alone on that swing, staying there by himself all day. The swing under the tree had been his only companion throughout his entire childhood.
"That's all for now!" Naruto made a quick escape.
If he were a bit older, he might have been able to gather the children for a speech. But as it stood, those kids had all seen what he was like at school. No matter how you looked at it, giving a speech now would just be embarrassing and undermine his new authority.
Watching Naruto's figure quickly disappear with his guards, Iruka couldn't help but laugh. "That guy, Naruto..."
"He's a liar," Ebisu grumbled, still holding a grudge. But he had long since grown accustomed to his life as a teacher and was firm in his own beliefs.
For a whole day, the Hokage's Guard Platoon took their young Hokage on a tour of the Medical Department, Intelligence Department, Education Department, and Barrier Department. Finally, they arrived at their last stop: the Anbu.
As a department directly under the Hokage, the Anbu had the most extensive organization, and its members were elite ninjas drawn from other departments.
Besides the inspection, Naruto needed to select an elite squad from the Anbu. They would be responsible for protecting him from the shadows during his upcoming trip to the Land of Wind, alongside the Hokage's Guard Platoon.
"Tenzo..." Naruto frowned as he read the name of an Anbu ninja. He'd been told this was the captain Kakashi had personally selected for him, a man of great strength.
This itself was questionable.
With Kakashi Hatake's strength, any jonin who could fight him to a 50-50 draw would be considered powerful. The problem was, this Anbu named Tenzo couldn't even beat Kakashi... which was just nonsense. To be honest, when Sasuke heard about this, he suspected Kakashi of nepotism, sending a friend to Naruto's side to gain experience.
But when the Anbu named Tenzo stood before Naruto, the young Hokage couldn't imagine what kind of connection his supervising jonin could have with this man. The reason was simple: Tenzo looked too honest.
Kakashi Hatake would shift his posture several times in a minute, whereas Tenzo stood for nearly half an hour without moving a muscle, giving off a very steady feeling. When he took off his mask, he revealed a simple, honest face—the face of a very reliable person.
"Kakashi-sensei recommended you to me," Naruto said, sitting in the Anbu office. He tapped his desk and picked up Tenzo's file. It couldn't be helped; this was the first time Naruto had ever seen the files of Anbu members. He didn't even recognize them, let alone know who to pick for a guard team.
Tenzo's face remained expressionless. "Kakashi-senpai was once my partner."
"You've also awakened the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai?"
"Yes."
"Then you pick suitable ninjas to form a squad," Naruto said, putting down the file with the air of a mature young man. "I will be leaving Konoha at eight in the morning the day after tomorrow. As for the division of duties, you can discuss it with the guard platoon leader, Raido Namiashi."
"Yes."
The situation with the Wind Daimyo was critical. He was basically under the control of the Sand Village now. By the time they arrived, it was hard to say if he would have already yielded to the power of the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara.
The matter of the Land of Wind not only involved the relationship between Konoha and the Sand Village but was also the first step in Naruto's plan to unify the ninja world. It also included his ambition to claim the One-Tail's chakra.
Unfortunately, Tsunade and Jiraiya had insisted that before he left, he must settle the matter of his succession as Hokage. Therefore, besides understanding Konoha's departments and inspecting their reactions to him, Naruto also needed to visit the village's ninja clans.
Tsunade and Jiraiya could help him gain the support of most clans, but there was one that the Hokage had to visit in person: Konoha's current number one noble clan, the Hyuga.
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Bonus:
Naruto Uzumaki: I feel like a mascot.
Tsunade: Drop the "like."
Naruto Uzumaki: How am I supposed to show my authority as Hokage?
Tsunade: Deal with the most disobedient troublemaker!
Naruto Uzumaki: But Danzo is already dead!
Tsunade: ...
Naruto Uzumaki: Forget it, I'll go visit the Hyuga clan tomorrow!
Kushina Uzumaki: Son, don't be impulsive! Mom still wants to hold her grandchildren