"DANZO!"
Hiruzen roared. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT'S A DOOR, NOT AN ENEMY NINJA!"
Danzo strolled in, completely unfazed.
"And I'm not your subordinate, Hiruzen! Don't go shouting before I even step inside!"
"I am the Hokage! I shout when I want! And I like that door!"
Danzo glared. "Then get a stronger one. I've kicked it open three times this week!"
They glared at each other in silence for a moment, the tension between them creating an ominous atmosphere.
Hiruzen folded his arms. "Let me guess—you're here about Naruto's money."
Danzo smirked. "Fifty million, eh? Quite a generous boy. You sure it wasn't yours he found?"
Hiruzen's eye twitched.
"Don't push your luck, Danzo. I'll cut ROOT's funding even further if you try anything."
Danzo took a step back, slightly pale.
"Listen, all I'm saying is—if the boy has that kind of cash, maybe it's time the village helped him… manage it."
"You mean you manage it."
Danzo coughed. "Probably."
Hiruzen sighed, grabbing his pipe again. "Out. Now."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Hiruzen rolled his eyes.
' Does he even have any other line to say? I swear, he's been recycling that one since the Second Hokage's funeral...'
Under Hiruzen's watch, Danzo angerly exited the room, making it silent again.
Sigh!
The next day – Konoha Library
Naruto, at that moment, was sitting at one of the desks in the library, surrounded by many stacks of books on different subjects.
He was reading them one by one some were interesting, some were not but Naruto really had to study hard this time.
It all started in the morning, as Kakashi did not take them on any missions today.
While they were gathering outside the Hokage Tower, he informed them that they were free for the next few days.
But he also mentioned something important
the Chūnin Exams were coming up in a month or so..., and he advised them to focus on training in the meantime.
Kakashi had decided to share the news with them after closely observing their growth during their recent missions.
He felt that both Naruto and Sasuke were improving rapidly, and in his opinion, they were ready for the chunnin exam.
So, he decided to let the news slip a bit earlier than scheduled hoping they'd take their training more seriously with that motivation.
And pulling Naruto aside Kakashi gave a special tip to Naruto,
The first trial in the Chūnin Exams was a written examination, which required a lot of theoretical knowledge to pass.
Otherwise, he'd be kicked out of the Chūnin Exams...
...and would remain an eternal Genin if he didn't pass the theoretical test first.
Hearing this Naruto was sweating profusely.
Just thinking about it made Naruto feel embarrassed. He, who aspired to become Hokage, might not even be able to become a Chūnin because he couldn't pass a written test.
Naruto shuddered just thinking about it.
"Nooo! I have to study right now, or I won't be able to pass the exam!"
It was the first time Naruto had taken studying seriously—and he had to, or he'd never pass.
With this motivation, Naruto was in the library, reading all types of books, trying to learn as much as possible before the Chūnin Exams.
The Nara clan trait Genius intellect helped him immensely in this regard. He could now clearly remember everything he read from the books, which made the process much easier.
As he read more books one by one, he suddenly started feeling different when he came across a particular book...
It was a history book solely on the first hokage he had a lot of interest in hokage so he read it with a lot enthusiasm
The book was filled with detailed accounts of the First Hokage's life, his legendary achievements, and the kind of person he was.
Hashirama Senju, known as the First Hokage, was one of the founding figures of Konoha and a legendary shinobi hailed as the "God of Shinobi" for his unmatched strength and Wood Release techniques.
Born into the Senju Clan, Hashirama lived during the Warring States Period—a brutal era where shinobi clans constantly fought for power.
Despite being a warrior, he longed for peace and unity.
This dream led him to form a deep bond with his childhood friend and rival, Madara Uchiha, a member of the feared Uchiha Clan.
Together, they founded the Hidden Leaf Village (Konoha), bringing an end to the constant bloodshed between clans at least temporarily.
Hashirama was chosen as the village's first Hokage due to his charisma, ideals, and the faith others placed in him.
His greatest strength lay not only in his unique Wood Style Kekkei Genkai, a rare ability to control nature itself—but also in his willpower and desire for a peaceful world.
However, ideological differences with Madara led to a tragic confrontation, ending with Hashirama defeating his once-close friend at the Valley of the End.
He later distributed the tailed beasts to other villages as a gesture of peace. His reign as Hokage marked the beginning of the modern shinobi era.
Just by reading this book, Naruto gained a lot of knowledge about the ninja world and even how Konoha was built.
But what truly surprised him was the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai Wood Release. It was a very strange and powerful ability in Naruto's opinion.
The First Hokage was called the God of Shinobi. These feats alone made Naruto shudder at how powerful he must have been.
But he was even more motivated upon seeing hashirama strength as his goal was to surpass every hokage and become the strongest hokage.
Naruto was seriously considering getting a DNA sample from the Senju clan after hearing about Hashirama's feats
"But I haven't met anyone from the Senju clan either," Naruto recalled. The First Hokage's clan was known as the Senju, but Naruto didn't really know much about them.
So far, he hadn't come across a single member of the Senju clan in the village.
"I'll study that part later," he thought, remembering he had already gone through most of the clan books available in the library and none had anything on the Senju.
After Naruto finished the book, he put it aside and reached for a new one—the one just below was about the Fourth Hokage, known as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf.
"Ohh, another Hokage! And the Fourth, no less...I've gotta read this one!" Naruto said eagerly, excited to learn how the Fourth Hokage had become Hokage.