Waterfall Village became the first ninja village to be destroyed.
A stream of people began to leave the village, which was hidden and sealed by its great waterfall. The villagers were to be sent to various habitable places in the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls. Handling that was a problem for the higher-ups.
In any case, the entire Waterfall Village didn't have many people, and the most strong-willed ninjas among them had already been killed by the mysterious masked man. The rest were just ordinary ninjas who blended into the background.
These shinobi would be transferred to Konoha to be re-registered. A portion would likely be sent to defend the southern border of the Land of Fire, dispersed among the outposts, while the others would be integrated into standard Konoha ninja squads.
"That's my home..."
The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki's eyes filled with tears, and she finally burst out crying. Tears streamed down her face, falling like ripples in water. Seeing the girl sobbing so hard, looking like she wouldn't stop for a while, Naruto Uzumaki helplessly patted her shoulder and tried to comfort her.
"I had to move a few months ago, too. It really doesn't feel good," he said.
Although his old house was small and sometimes messy, it was the place where he had grown up. After becoming Hokage, he had to live in a single-family home near the Hokage's office. This was to make it easier for the ANBU to protect him and to facilitate gathering key members in an emergency.
"..."
Sasuke Uchiha shot him a sidelong glance. Can't this guy control his mouth? He just destroyed someone's hometown, and he talks about it like he just moved to a new house!
Sasuke raised his head and said loudly, "Hey, you, the woman named Fu. If your people from Waterfall Village don't move, you'll all be killed by others... Even I wouldn't be so quick to say I could defeat those guys from the Akatsuki!"
He was really patting himself on the back with that one. Although Sasuke now possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and his combat power was likely stronger than most Akatsuki members, he had been one of them not long ago and knew firsthand how dangerous they were.
Tenten put her arm around Fu's shoulder and comforted her in a way she could understand. "There, there. With a new home, you'll make lots of new friends..."
"Sob, sob, sob..."
Fu threw herself into Tenten's arms, still crying sadly, her tears soaking Tenten's clothes. It was actually a little cute.
As the villagers of the Waterfall left, they frequently looked back. Small children wailed in their parents' arms, and some of the elderly wiped tears from their eyes. Even some of the ninjas couldn't suppress their emotions, their gazes fixed on their hometown as large tears rolled down their cheeks.
Rock Lee couldn't bear to watch. His own eyes filled with sadness. "Why... do they have to leave their home? We could help them protect Waterfall Village!"
"..."
Lee was, as always, a bit too emotional.
Naruto's eye twitched, and he asked coldly, "Hey, if Konoha faced the same crisis Waterfall Village is facing, what would you do?"
"Fight to the death!"
"Of course, we'd risk our lives to protect our village!"
"Kill all the invaders!"
"..."
Naruto glanced at the members of Team 3, then lowered his head and said in a low voice, "What I did today was to prevent Konoha from ever having to face something like this."
"..."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Naruto looked at Rock Lee, then at Neji and Tenten, and said softly, "After we all return to Konoha, your current positions will be terminated. I'll be re-recruiting for the Hokage's personal guard."
Having genin serve in the Hokage Guard Platoon was proving to be dangerous. It was difficult for them to understand the darker, political side of things, like making necessary compromises.
And the most important point was that the ninjas of Team 3 were all talented. They still had high potential for growth and shouldn't be limited by a position like the Hokage Guard, which was more symbolic than practical. It should be filled by ninjas who were already mature.
Like Tenzo, for example, Naruto thought. I heard he can build houses with Wood Style.
Before, it was purely because Konoha's higher-ups trusted Might Guy that Team 3 was assigned as the temporary Hokage Guard Platoon.
"..."
Sasuke's gaze was a bit strange. He looked at Naruto as if he were looking at a muddle-headed tyrant. This guy has fired two Hokage guard teams now, hasn't he? The moment someone doesn't meet his expectations or goes against his will, he fires them immediately! To be honest, he thought Team 3 was pretty good. They had strength, they were convenient, and they also had an idiot.
Rock Lee's face immediately grew nervous. "Lord Hokage, is it because... I said something wrong?"
"No. It's because Konoha has places where you're needed more," Naruto answered, his tone very official. He was gradually getting used to the role of Hokage, making the dismissal of his personal guards sound so matter-of-fact. After a moment, he continued, "When you all become jonin, I'll recruit you as guards again."
"It's because our strength isn't enough, right...?" Neji Hyuga glanced at Sasuke Uchiha. He had to admit, the first time he saw Sasuke's Susanoo, he had been shocked. The Uchiha clan of the past was truly the number one clan in the ninja world. And yet, in this Waterfall Village incident, they had been able to do almost nothing. Serving as guards felt like they were just occupying a position they didn't deserve.
-----
Konoha ANBU ninjas arrived at the meeting point. Everyone saw the captain leading the operation. This was no pushover like Tenzo; this man was not to be messed with. He had a full head of white hair sticking up, a mask pushed to the side of his head, and his visible eye gave off a lazy aura.
"Lord Hokage," he said, his voice full of resentment. "Next time you go out, could you please try to cause a little more trouble for the village?"
Kakashi Hatake was not happy. He had taught one Hokage and one powerful ANBU member and had just recommended Sakura Haruno and Karin to train under Tsunade. Just when he wanted to enjoy a quiet life, a huge problem was thrown at him from afar, forcing him to lead the ANBU's operations in the Land of Waterfalls and ensure the safety of the Fifth Hokage.
By the time Kakashi finally arrived with his squad, however, Waterfall Village had already been destroyed, leaving only a mess.
"Kakashi-sensei..." The young Hokage's face was full of smiles. "Since you're here to handle the Waterfall Village matter, I'm relieved. I'll see you back in the village!"
"Wait," Kakashi said, extending his palm and shaking it back and forth like a spasming chicken's foot. "Sasuke stays. He's responsible for assisting me in the investigation here."
"..."
This was also understandable. One of his students became Hokage and wasn't so easy to order around. The other was an ordinary ANBU, so it was a good chance to put him through some training, wasn't it?
"Tch..." Sasuke Uchiha rolled his eyes and helplessly joined Kakashi's formation. After all, as unreliable as his teacher could be, he was still someone Sasuke trusted.
Kakashi watched Naruto about to leave and called out to stop him. "The village's higher-ups are very dissatisfied with you acting on your own, especially with annexing Waterfall Village. If they knew, it might bring even bigger trouble."
Konoha and the Sand Village were allies. Now, the Sand's Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, was under house arrest in Konoha as a hostage. Konoha and Waterfall Village were also allies. Now, Waterfall's leader, Shibuki, was under house arrest in Konoha, and the entire village was annexed. If this continued, would Konoha have any allies left?
The most troublesome thing was that Konoha's only remaining ally was the Grass Village, a buffer zone between Konoha and the Stone Village. If the Grass Village were to lean towards the Stone Village because of the Fifth Hokage's actions, it would be a huge problem.
"It's fine," Naruto Uzumaki said with a smile, waving his hand. "They'll soon realize that only I can serve as Hokage."
-----
Bonus:
Rock Lee: Why are we getting fired, exactly?
Naruto: Because I believe you can still get stronger!
Tenten: Are you sure you're not just making things difficult for us?
Naruto: Hey, come on — look into my eyes. Do these look like the eyes of a liar?
Neji: ...Actually, they look pretty fake. Like there's some weird power hiding behind them.
Naruto: ...