At the gates of Konoha.
Naruto and Sasuke walked forward side by side, and even before they fully entered the village, people had already reacted.
"It's Naruto! Naruto is back!"
"Naruto-sama is back!"
"Quick, Naruto is back with Sasuke!"
...
Cheers rose one after another, spreading rapidly like a tide. Sasuke snorted softly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips, as though he had long grown accustomed to scenes like this.
Naruto's prestige in the village had already surpassed that of Kakashi, the Hokage himself.
Before long, Kakashi rushed over. Only a few minutes later, he arrived at the gate, just in time to see Naruto and Sasuke who had already stepped inside the village.
"Naruto! Sasuke! You're back!"
Kakashi was slightly out of breath, his expression openly excited as he greeted them.
Seeing Kakashi like this, Naruto smiled and said, "Teacher Kakashi, why are you so anxious? Look at you running like this."
As the Hokage, Kakashi's strength went without saying. For him to be this short of breath could only mean one thing—he was truly worried.
"Naruto… how did it go?"
Even though Kakashi already had an answer in his heart, he still asked.
Naruto smiled calmly. "It's basically resolved, but there are still a few things we need to keep an eye on."
Kakashi nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. Come on, let's head into the village together. I'll convene a Hokage meeting later. You should take the lead during it."
Naruto nodded. "Alright, no problem."
Sasuke followed behind Naruto without saying a word.
To be honest, before Naruto shared his memories with him, Sasuke had felt a deep sense of jealousy toward Naruto's strength and reputation. Ever since childhood, he had been the one admired by everyone, especially by girls. But now…
He had grown used to it.
Through the shared memories, Sasuke had seen how stubborn and blind he himself had been in his previous life, and how Naruto had fought desperately to stop him from walking alone down a path filled with hatred—right up until the moment when both of them lost an arm.
From that point on, Sasuke truly understood his place in Naruto's heart.
Because of that, Sasuke now supported Naruto wholeheartedly. After all, in the previous life, after Naruto became Hokage, Sasuke had essentially been a "Hokage in the shadows," inheriting Itachi's will and techniques, protecting the village and the people he cherished from the darkness.
Here and now, Shikaku Nara had also received the news. Almost instantly, Konoha's chief strategist relayed the information to Kakashi, began arranging a Hokage meeting, and summoned the senior officials.
At the same time, Shikaku discussed matters with Shizune, proposing to contact the other four Kage and prepare for a Five Kage meeting.
Shikaku analyzed that after this meeting, Naruto would inevitably need to brief the other villages on the latest developments.
Shizune agreed with his assessment. As a result, the two high-level officials quickly made arrangements, ordering their subordinates to prepare notifications so that everything could be ready at a moment's notice. After all, Konoha had to be prepared, and the other villages would need time as well.
Along the way, villagers greeted Naruto one after another.
Seeing this scene, Kakashi glanced at Naruto and smiled. "Naruto, when are you planning to take over my position?"
Naruto waved his hand. "Let's wait a bit longer. I still haven't fully determined the future direction of the ninja world."
At this moment, Naruto's expression grew unusually deep.
Kakashi nodded and said seriously, "Naruto, don't worry. No matter what you decide to do, I will support you."
Naruto looked at Kakashi, genuinely moved. "Thank you, Teacher Kakashi."
Sasuke glanced at Kakashi from the side, slightly surprised. He truly hadn't expected Kakashi to have such resolve—to support Naruto without hesitation, regardless of the path he chose.
Before long, they arrived at the Hokage Tower. Many ninjas had already gathered outside. When they saw Naruto and Kakashi approach, they rushed forward to greet them.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Naruto!"
"Naruto-sama! Hokage-sama!"
...
Greetings echoed continuously. Naruto and Kakashi responded to them one by one, Sasuke following behind in silence, before the three of them went upstairs.
Inside, after meeting Kakashi, Shikaku briefed him on the preparations for the meeting. Kakashi patted Shikaku on the shoulder and said, "Thank you. That's exactly what I had in mind."
Kakashi then turned to Naruto. "Let's go, Naruto. We'll attend the meeting together."
Naruto nodded, and everyone entered the meeting room.
The Hokage meeting officially began.
During the meeting, Naruto recounted in detail the battle on the moon with Sasuke, as well as Toneri's current role and responsibilities.
After Naruto finished speaking, Shikaku pondered for a moment before looking at him and asking, "Naruto, since Toneri is currently alone on the moon and Urashiki's whereabouts are unknown, should we send some ninjas to assist or protect Toneri?"
Once Shikaku voiced this, Choji and several others felt it was a reasonable proposal.
Having someone act as an early warning system would be beneficial. Ideally, a sensory-type ninja could be sent.
All eyes turned to Naruto.
Naruto thought for a few seconds, then said firmly, "There's no need."
He continued, "Although Urashiki is dangerous, with Toneri possessing the Tenseigan, it would be extremely difficult for Urashiki to approach him without being noticed."
Seeing Naruto reject the proposal, no one pressed further.
In truth, Naruto hadn't said the most important part out loud.
Urashiki was far too dangerous. Any ninja sent to the moon would need to be exceptionally strong—and such people would be risking their lives. Naruto was unwilling to sacrifice Konoha's strength like that.
Thus, he rejected Shikaku's suggestion.
After Naruto finished, Kakashi summarized the situation. "After hearing Naruto's report, everyone should understand the current state of the ninja world. You all saw the phenomenon that day. The enemy is extraordinarily powerful. This time, we had Naruto and Sasuke—but what about next time?"
The room fell into heavy silence.
Kakashi continued, "We cannot rely on Naruto alone forever. Therefore, we must accelerate the training and strengthening of the Shinobi Alliance."
Shikaku immediately agreed. "Yes. The Hokage is right. We must grow stronger and stand alongside Naruto and Sasuke."
Others voiced their support one after another.
Naruto felt deeply moved. Unity was essential, especially at times like this.
Shizune then spoke up. " Hokage—do you plan to meet with the other four Kage?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. That's unavoidable. Naruto, you'll attend as well."
Naruto stood up in response.
Kakashi officially declared the Hokage meeting adjourned, allowing everyone except Naruto, Sasuke, Shikaku, and Shizune to leave first.
The atmosphere in the room grew quieter, but the weight of the coming storm lingered heavily in the air.
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