"Lord Daimyo, the Third Hokage is in a coma. Konoha is currently without a leader, and a new Hokage must take charge of the situation.
"I, Uzumaki Naruto, hereby nominate myself as the Fifth Hokage. I have the full support of the village.
"All that remains is your approval, Lord Daimyo."
Inside the grand hall, Naruto spoke with a relaxed smile.
Standing beside him were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Utatane Koharu. Across from them sat the Fire Country Daimyo, accompanied by his officials.
The Daimyo, dressed in simple robes, raised his folding fan and covered half his face as he studied Naruto carefully.
Naruto met his gaze calmly.
Within the Red Sun Society's intelligence network, the Fire Daimyo had long been analyzed in detail. In the ninja world, the daimyo stood at the very top. In theory, each village's Kage and their country's daimyo were equals. In reality, no Kage could take office without the daimyo's approval.
Konoha depended on the Fire Nation for funding, missions, and legitimacy. At its core, Konoha was a highly organized mercenary force employed by the Fire Nation, entrusted with border defense and national security.
This distorted relationship will need to change someday, Naruto thought, withdrawing his gaze.
The Daimyo was often described as timid and indulgent in luxury, but Naruto saw through that instantly. Those eyes were sharp—alive with calculation.
Not a coward at all, Naruto concluded.
After a brief pause, the Daimyo snapped his fan shut and smiled broadly, his face round and genial like a laughing Buddha.
"Since Konoha Village has already reached a decision, I see no reason to oppose it. Very well—Uzumaki Naruto is hereby appointed the Fifth Hokage."
The decision was immediate.
Though the Daimyo had fled during the chaos of the Chunin Exams and hadn't witnessed Naruto's overwhelming display firsthand, detailed reports had reached him afterward.
The new hero of Konoha.
The smiling devil.
Confident, decisive, and domineering.
From the intelligence he'd received, the Daimyo knew one thing clearly—Uzumaki Naruto was nothing like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A new Hokage meant a new way of doing things.
And frankly, the Daimyo welcomed it.
With Raikage captured and Konoha emerging victorious, the Fire Nation stood to gain immensely. Konoha's rise meant the Fire Nation's rise. Profits, influence, and security would follow.
Hiruzen's rule had kept things stable—but stagnant.
If given the choice, the Daimyo would have replaced him long ago.
"Since Your Lordship agrees," Naruto said cheerfully, eyes bright,
"then while the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations and the Five Kage are all still present, why not hold the succession ceremony together? It saves the trouble of sending invitations."
"Excellent! Excellent!" the Daimyo laughed.
The thought of showing off in front of the Wind and Lightning Daimyo's clearly pleased him.
The two exchanged knowing smiles—far more was being said than spoken aloud.
"…Why does Naruto suddenly feel like a seasoned politician?" Jiraiya muttered under his breath, stunned.
"This isn't seasoned," Tsunade snorted, though her eyes held satisfaction.
"This is necessary."
Without this level of maturity, Naruto would never have been accepted as Hokage.
Utatane Koharu remained silent the entire time.
After seeing what happened to Mitokado Homura, she fully understood one thing—Naruto had no patience for so-called advisory elders.
If not for her symbolic value in dealing with the Daimyo, she doubted she'd even be standing here.
From now on, I'll just keep my head down and play the elder, she told herself.
A new Hokage meant a new era. Old officials had to know their place.
The news spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? The Fifth Hokage's succession ceremony is in three days!"
"So fast? Uzumaki Naruto is really becoming Hokage?"
"Watch your mouth! That's Lord Uzumaki—or Lord Hokage!"
"He used to be just a kid everyone ignored… and now he's Hokage. It's unreal."
"I always knew he'd become someone great. Training every single day, rain or shine—that kind of willpower isn't normal."
"My house is on his training route. I see him pass every morning."
"My son was his classmate…"
The entire village erupted.
The old rumors about the Nine-Tails were completely erased.
To Konoha's people, Uzumaki Naruto was a hero. Their Hokage.
Among the shinobi, excitement burned even hotter.
Naruto's rise turned the Konoha Collapse Incident into a legend.
Where once he was merely a terrifying prodigy, now he was the pillar of the village—the spiritual core holding Konoha steady.
His overwhelming power during the crisis carved an image of absolute invincibility into everyone's minds.
A god of war.
Like the Fourth Hokage in the Third Ninja War—
No, worse.
"Fourth Hokage was terrifying," Onoki muttered at the Iwagakure outpost, rubbing his temples.
"But Uzumaki Naruto… this is something else entirely."
Minato had been brilliant, but still manageable.
Naruto?
Young.
Overwhelming.
Unpredictable.
He represented an entirely new era—one that made even veterans uneasy.
In Kirigakure, Yagura sighed.
"So it's decided already… that was fast."
"Mizukage-sama," Mei asked carefully, "how should we respond?"
"What else can we do?" Yagura replied calmly.
"I heard Naruto trained Konoha's Genin for a month—and their strength skyrocketed."
"Investigate the training methods. Replicate them."
"If others are growing stronger, then so must we."
Elsewhere, Gaara gave a quiet laugh.
"The Fifth Hokage's ceremony? That brat doesn't waste time."
Raikage, however, sat in silence—his face grim.
As a prisoner, he no longer even dreamed of escape.
What truly frightened him was the thought of Cloud Shinobi acting recklessly in response.
"Killer B… Azabui…" he muttered.
"Do not act on impulse."
"Uzumaki Naruto is not someone you can challenge."
For the first time in his life, the famously hotheaded Fourth Raikage was afraid.
The shadow Naruto had cast over him was simply too deep.
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