The moment every ninja in the room saw the five bold characters emblazoned on Ito Hirofumi's Hokage robe, a hush fell over the crowd…
The Konoha 12, on the other hand, were buzzing with excitement as they gazed at Hirofumi, now draped in the Hokage's ceremonial robe. Ino Yamanaka, in particular, was practically starry-eyed, her gaze so intense it could've melted steel.
Hirofumi was already a good-looking guy, but the custom-tailored robe elevated his presence to a whole new level. Sure, he was still young and a bit boyish, but not a single ninja in the room dared underestimate him. They'd just witnessed him effortlessly unleash Susanoo, after all! Plus, the revival of Konoha's legendary figures likely had everything to do with him.
And most importantly? A ton of ninjas had overheard the God of Shinobi, the First Hokage, and the Demon of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara, both acknowledge Hirofumi as their disciple! If someone like that wasn't qualified to be Hokage, then who in the Hidden Leaf possibly could be?
The scene went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Hirofumi hadn't expected the Konoha 12 to secretly prepare a Hokage robe for him. The idea of being "crowned" like this, straight out of Naruto lore, actually happening to him? It was surreal.
Trying to play it cool, Hirofumi chuckled. "Heh… haha… keh keh keh keh keh! How am I, Ito Hirofumi, worthy of this? Me, Hokage? No way!"
But despite his words, his grin was so wide it practically reached the heavens. And that robe? Man, it was sharp—even cooler than Minato's!
The Konoha 12 barely held back their laughter. They were used to Hirofumi's quirky personality by now. That crooked smirk of his? Yeah, he was thrilled.
Playing along, the group suddenly turned dead serious. In unison, they shouted, "We greet the Fifth Hokage!"
"Oh, come on, what're you guys doing?!" Hirofumi protested, still grinning. "How'd this robe end up on me? You're really putting me in a tough spot here… such a tough spot!"
He broke into a goofy laugh. "Keh keh keh keh keh!"
Naruto Uzumaki bounced over, practically vibrating with excitement. "Hirofumi! This robe is just too cool! What do you think? We all designed it together! Oh, and those gold threads? Ino stitched every single one by hand!"
Hirofumi froze, stunned. The gold threads on the robe were hand-stitched by Ino? Was this… the legendary "heart of a maiden" at work? Keh keh keh keh keh! This was too good!
"Thanks, Ino…" he said, his voice softening.
Ino's face turned bright red. "Hirofumi-kun… as long as you like it, that's enough for me!"
By now, the rest of the Hidden Leaf's ninjas were gathering around. The clan heads' emotions were a rollercoaster—they'd been through way too much today. First, Orochimaru's attack on the village. Then, the Third Hokage's death. Danzo stepping up as acting Hokage. The Third coming back to life. All the past legends of Konoha revived. Their own kids revealing their plans. Danzo's death. And now, these kids were straight-up declaring Ito Hirofumi the Fifth Hokage!
The clan heads were dazed, but not one objected. For one, the Ito clan had good relations with everyone. For another, their kids were tight with Hirofumi. And finally, all those revived legends were standing right there, watching. Anyone who opposed this would have to be an idiot!
Among the clan heads, Inoichi Yamanaka was the most ecstatic. After all, he was about to become the father-in-law of the Fifth Hokage! Keh keh keh keh keh!
In the summoning space, the revived legends gathered around Hirofumi. Hashirama Senju scratched his head with his signature goofy grin. "Heh heh, little Hirofumi, from today on, you're the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!"
Uchiha Madara, ever the cool and aloof figure, reached out to adjust the collar of Hirofumi's robe. "You troublesome brat," he said. "Don't disappoint me. Whatever you want to do, go all out. You're my disciple, after all."
With the two greatest legends of Konoha giving their blessing, the matter was settled.
Tobirama Senju huffed. "You ambitious little punk. Fifth Hokage, huh? Happy now?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked on with a mix of awe and nostalgia. "Hirofumi—no, Fifth Hokage! Don't forget the Will of Fire. Where the leaves dance, the flames burn eternal!"
For some reason, Hiruzen felt a spark of the ambition he'd had in his youth. But deep down, he was still heavy-hearted. His old friend Danzo was gone. Sure, Dan s might come back someday, but Hiruzen could only imagine the reckoning awaiting him. Plenty of people wanted a piece of Danzo.
Sigh… Danzo, I told you you'd regret it, but you wouldn't listen.
Just then, the Konoha 12 exchanged a glance. The group, previously huddled together, split up—some mingling with the civilian ninjas, others returning to their clans. Then, they started shouting:
"Fifth Hokage!"
"Lord Fifth Hokage!"
"We greet the Fifth Hokage!"
What started as a few scattered calls grew louder and louder until civilian and clan ninjas alike were chanting in unison.
The Ito clan ninjas felt like they were dreaming. Their young clan heir was the disciple of the First Hokage and the Demon of the Ninja World—and now the Fifth Hokage? Unreal! Their ancestors' graves must be smoking! Time to burn extra offerings at the next festival!