Naruto Uzumaki blamed the Akatsuki for everything, and under the pretext of striking down the evil organization, he temporarily remained in the Land of Water.
However, the war mediation he had proposed never happened, leaving the civilians of the Land of Water, who had placed great hope in him, deeply disappointed. For them, mediation from the distant Hokage of Konoha should have been a golden opportunity to end the civil war. But the high-ranking ninja on both sides, determined to preserve their own power, ignored the will of the common people and insisted on continuing the war.
For a time, the family names of the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei, and the rogue ninja leader, Zabuza Momochi, were cursed in private all across the land.
Moreover, talk of the Konoha Hokage becoming a laughingstock began to spread throughout the ninja world. What right did some kid who just became Hokage have to mediate a great nation's civil war? Wasn't this just youthful arrogance?
When he had annexed the small countries around the Land of Fire, other ninjas couldn't say much, since those were Konoha's allies. But now that he had taken such a huge public fall in the Land of Water, all he could do was endure the ridicule. That young Hokage should have learned his lesson by now.
Just as everyone thought Naruto Uzumaki would end his trip there, a rumor spread from within the Land of Water: the Hokage of Konoha had become fixated on the civil war.
Perhaps in an attempt to save face, the young Hokage insisted on remaining active in the region. He frequently visited the Fifth Mizukage and the rogue ninja leader, hoping to convince them to hold peace talks again.
However, the first attempt at mediation hadn't gone smoothly. Terumi Mei and Zabuza seemed to have sensed Naruto's lack of leverage. They no longer paid any attention to his calls for peace and were focused entirely on the war. The young Hokage visited again and again, requesting peace talks repeatedly, but it was all in vain.
Now, the only thing he could do was intervene to stop some of the killings by Mist ninjas and rogue ninjas, saving many civilians in the process.
This, too, drew more ridicule.
With so much free time, why didn't he just go back to Konoha and handle his own village's affairs? Did he have to stay in the Land of Water just to have his reputation trampled on? The kid was still too young.
Only Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju supported Naruto's actions. Tobirama, of course, had his own ulterior motives, while Hashirama was simply not using his brain.
The war continued for another three months.
The Mist Village and the rogue ninja forces were practically destroying the country to fuel their fight, spreading the flames of war everywhere. To gather supplies, some ninja began ruthlessly plundering from civilians. As autumn arrived, the number of refugees in the Land of Water increased rapidly.
Tobirama Senju and Naruto Uzumaki were still making their moves. After rescuing a group of refugees, the Second Hokage watched the departing Mist ninjas and said contemptuously, "What a bunch of idiots."
"Besides you, Lord Second, I doubt anyone else values civilians, right?" Naruto lowered his head, looking at the refugees they had gathered. Though the civil war had been short, it had already exhausted the Mist Village's strength.
"Hmph. A just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust one finds little." Tobirama glanced at the youth beside him, taking the opportunity to lecture him. "Back then, it was because no one supported Madara Uchiha that he became isolated and alone, ultimately choosing to defect from Konoha."
"..."
Naruto fell silent. Although the method was undeniably effective, Tobirama might have made a grave mistake back then. The current Second Hokage had no idea how much disaster the Madara Uchiha he had driven away with his schemes would later bring upon the world.
He had pushed Madara to the point where he was homeless, and even his own clan abandoned him. As a result, Madara was manipulated by Black Zetsu and nearly destroyed the entire ninja world...
Tobirama waved his hand and called over Yamanaka Fu. "Alright," he instructed, "starting tomorrow, we can begin spreading rumors in the Land of Water."
"...Yes, sir."
Yamanaka Fu's heart tightened as he accepted the order. At first, he too had thought Naruto and Tobirama were engaged in a futile effort. But over time, he saw how the civilians of the Land of Water would flee in terror at the sight of a Mist headband, yet welcome Konoha ninjas on the streets.
This core member of the Root was gradually beginning to understand what the two Hokage were aiming for. Konoha's strength was undeniable; the combined power of the First, Second, and Fifth Hokage was enough to sink the island nation. But making the entire Land of Water submit completely couldn't be achieved by force alone.
Once Konoha ninjas fully occupied the Land of Water, if the civilians encountered any surviving Mist ninjas, they would probably report them to Konoha in secret, wouldn't they?
Fu once again fell into deep thought. His former boss, Danzo Shimura, was Tobirama Senju's student. He should have learned something from his teacher, right? Even if he didn't seek to be liked and respected, was it really necessary to make himself hated by everyone, living and dead?
The tide in the Land of Water shifted once again.
A new idea inexplicably appeared in the country: since both the Mist Village and the rogue ninjas had disregarded the nation, why not let Konoha become the Land of Water's protecting ninja village?
When this opinion first appeared, no one paid it much attention. Everyone thought it was a joke. Why would Konoha give up the rich Land of Fire to occupy a small island nation like the Land of Water?
That is, until the new Daimyo of the Land of Water made an announcement:
Effective immediately, the Daimyo's office will no longer allocate military funds or issue missions to the Mist Village. The Mist Village is hereby outlawed, and the Fifth Mizukage is deposed.
Effective immediately, the Land of Water will become a protected territory of Konoha. Any non-Konoha ninja will be dealt with on charges of illegal entry.
After the seven-year-old Daimyo announced his order, he shrank back into his mother's arms and looked timidly at Naruto. "Lord Hokage, will you accept our request? Will you protect my mother and me forever?"
"Of course," Naruto replied with a serious nod.
The young Daimyo said in a small voice, "But the Mist Village will definitely send people to assassinate us soon. They have many, many ninjas..."
The Daimyo's mother's face was full of apprehension. "I know Konoha is powerful, but this is the Land of Water, after all. Lord Hokage, you only have the Hokage Guard Platoon, just a few dozen ninja, by your side..."
"Rest assured." Naruto crouched down, patted the little child's hair, and said softly, "In front of me, numbers are meaningless."
After regaining his memories, numbers no longer held any meaning for him. War itself would take on a different form.
"Leave this place to my brother!" Tobirama Senju declared as he strode over. He continued in a deep voice, "We'll act separately. I'll take care of the rogue ninja forces, and you take care of the Mist Village. No problem, right, Fifth?"
"Yeah," the young Hokage nodded seriously, flicking his Hokage robe in a rather heroic and dashing pose. "It's time to resolve all this."
-----
Bonus:
Tobirama Senju: So, how about that move? Pretty cool, right? This is how I got rid of Madara Uchiha back in the day!
Naruto Uzumaki: You probably have no idea how much trouble getting rid of him caused...
Tobirama Senju: Hmm?
Naruto Uzumaki: Do you know why the Mist Village ended up like this? It was all Madara's doing!
Tobirama Senju: ...
Naruto Uzumaki: And now you're using the same move on the Mist Village. They've really had it rough...
Tobirama Senju: ...