The two girls argued for a long time, but nothing came of it.
After all, neither of them was easy to deal with.
Sakura Haruno, needless to say, was a complete hothead with a terrible temper. How could she possibly tolerate Karin?
Karin was slightly better than Sakura—but only slightly.
In the end, Princess Koyuki Kazehana couldn't take it anymore and personally stepped in to separate them.
Since Naruto wasn't present for the time being, Sakura Haruno had no choice but to return empty-handed.
Time quickly arrived for the inauguration ceremony.
Although Snow Ninja Village had very few members, it still attracted enormous attention.
Including the Four Great Shinobi Villages, a total of twelve villages across the ninja world sent envoys.
Uzumaki Naruto stood atop the Snow Ninja Village Leader Building.
All the core members of Snow Ninja Village stood behind him.
Karin.
Kurama Yakumo.
Zabuza Momochi.
As for Haku, he was stationed outside, maintaining surveillance over the barrier.
Below the building stood envoys from various ninja villages, including representatives from all Four Great Shinobi Villages.
Scattered among them were Snow Country shinobi and samurai.
These were the original forces loyal to the Daimyō of the Land of Snow, brought over by Princess Koyuki Kazehana to fill out the ceremony.
The majority, however, were merchants who had invested heavily in the construction of Snow Ninja Village, accompanied by their bodyguards.
In short, although this was the founding of a small ninja village—
All Four Great Shinobi Villages were present.
Merchants.
Bodyguards.
Shinobi.
Samurai.
Along with civilians approved to relocate into the village.
Altogether, more than two thousand people had gathered.
While it was much quieter than when the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, assumed office, the scale was far from small.
Standing beside Naruto, Karin glanced down at Sakura Haruno in the crowd, a faint look of provocation in her eyes.
Due to her status, Sakura was standing together with her senior comrades.
Seeing Karin's smug expression, Sakura couldn't help feeling irritated.
Fortunately, thanks to Ino's and Kakashi's reminders, the hot-blooded Sakura finally restrained herself and didn't cause trouble.
Above them, Naruto wore a gentle, approachable expression.
He was dressed in a specially designed white robe.
It was ceremonial attire personally commissioned by Princess Koyuki Kazehana, similar in function to Konoha's Hokage robes.
"Thank you all for attending my inauguration ceremony," Naruto said calmly.
"From this day forward, Snow Ninja Village is officially established. I, Uzumaki Naruto, am its first leader."
As soon as he finished speaking, warm applause erupted below.
More than two thousand pairs of eyes stared at Naruto expectantly—
Waiting for his speech.
Naruto, however, had no intention of saying much.
He glanced at the assembled envoys and said plainly,
"Very good. You may all disperse."
…Huh?
The crowd froze.
That's it?
Is that really all?
The merchants, in particular, felt uneasy.
After all, they were relying on Naruto's prestige in the ninja world for future security.
Yet Naruto neither displayed his power nor declared his stance.
It felt as though they had boarded the wrong ship.
Naruto didn't pause and continued calmly,
"I would like to invite all envoys to the main hall for a discussion. This matter is extremely important—it concerns the survival of the entire ninja world."
This time, the envoys were no longer surprised.
If Naruto merely wanted to establish a village, there was no need to invite so many people.
"Mizukage-sama, what exactly is this man trying to do?"
Ao asked in a low voice, standing beside Mei Terumī along with Chōjūrō.
But Ao didn't realize that Mei wasn't listening at all.
Her gaze was fixed intently on Naruto's face, her eyes unfocused, as if she'd fallen into a daze.
Seeing this, Chōjūrō awkwardly leaned closer and whispered,
"M-Mizukage-sama… we're outside. Please mind your image."
Ao sighed deeply.
"…Tch."
Just then, a figure rushed in from the distance and sprinted straight toward the Leader Building.
The moment Naruto saw Haku, he knew something had happened.
Sure enough—
Haku was panting heavily as he reported urgently,
"Lord Naruto, something's wrong. Someone has broken in."
Naruto nodded calmly.
"I understand. Go rest."
From the Daimyō Manor to this location was quite a distance.
Haku had done his duty.
Naruto then shifted his gaze toward the horizon.
Several figures were rapidly approaching.
Judging from their chakra signatures—
They were shinobi from Kumogakure.
Naruto hadn't invited them.
Yet they came anyway.
Naruto could already guess their purpose.
Perfect.
He had been planning to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
That way, the negotiations afterward would go much more smoothly.
By now, civilians and merchants had already retreated.
Only the ninja envoys remained.
They too had noticed the Hidden Cloud shinobi and chose to stay put, clearly intending to watch the spectacle unfold.
Soon, the intruders arrived.
"Don't trust this man!"
A white-haired shinobi shouted the moment he stopped.
"He clearly has ulterior motives—that's why he gathered everyone here!"
Another followed angrily,
"That's right! Uzumaki Naruto is no good! Over a trivial matter, he attacked our Hidden Cloud Village—now Kumogakure is barely surviving!"
"He's powerful and ambitious—he must be planning—"
They continued listing Naruto's supposed crimes.
The envoys from smaller villages looked at Naruto in shock.
Could such a handsome young man really be responsible for slaughtering an entire village?
Was it truly safe to let someone like him become a leader?
But before the Kumogakure shinobi could finish—
And before Naruto even spoke—
A clear voice interrupted.
"Wait!"
Sakura Haruno suddenly raised her hand and shouted, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Those familiar with Sakura's personality reacted instantly.
Ino silently backed away several steps, pressing a hand to her forehead.
It's over…
On the Leader Building, Naruto's expression twitched.
Good grief. What is this girl about to do now?
Naruto had planned to let the Kumogakure shinobi accuse him—
Then kill them on the spot.
A clear warning to the world.
Instead, Sakura was about to ruin everything.
Kakashi took a deep breath, instinctively wanting to stop her—
But realized everyone was already watching.
He could only whisper,
"Don't speak recklessly."
On the Sand Village side, Temari chuckled quietly.
That hothead again…
Back then, when Rasa announced Temari's engagement to Naruto—
Neither Temari nor Naruto even knew each other.
Temari hadn't said a single word yet.
And Sakura had already jumped out.
If Ino hadn't dragged her away at the time, Sakura would've lost half her life.
In the distance, among the Hyūga clan—
Hinata stood quietly in the crowd, gazing at Sakura's imposing figure with eyes full of admiration.
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