Team 8 had just returned to Konoha when they were summoned by the Anbu.
Kakashi, who had only recently become Hokage, felt like his head was about to split in two.
He had absolutely no preparation for this. One day, he was just pushed into the position—Jiraiya's reminder, no matter how you look at it, couldn't really count as "preparation."
Not only was he unprepared.
But it also happened during such a turbulent time.
Negotiating reparations with Sunagakure, fending off probing gestures from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and now having to deal with Kirigakure, who were taking the opportunity to apply pressure—demanding the return of Momochi Zabuza and the Ice Release user who was with him.
All of it fell on Kakashi's shoulders.
War was on the brink of eruption, and even the slightest misstep could lead to bloodshed.
The only good news was that the village remained relatively stable internally.
One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, offered his full support.
Even though some of the jonin weren't too fond of Kakashi, the presence of Nara Shikaku and his authority ensured no one dared object.
The senior advisors weren't too thrilled either, but given the situation, they had no choice but to pinch their noses and accept the reality.
And then…
Something like this happens within the borders of the Land of Fire.
He called in Team 8, hoping to gather some useful intel.
And sure enough, there was good news—but as always, it was related to Naruto again.
"What are you so troubled about?" Koharu Utatane walked over and looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi handed her Team 8's mission report.
Koharu read it with an impassive expression: "What's so difficult about this?"
"Just report it to the Daimyo. Tell him that Konoha ninja encountered enemy shinobi who had illegally entered the Land of Fire without clearance and neutralized them."
"Then, while you're at it, request some funds under the pretense of environmental restoration."
Kakashi looked at her in surprise.
"Is there a problem?" she asked.
Kakashi smiled bitterly.
Of course, there's a problem!
Can Naruto still even be considered a Konoha shinobi? And the identity of the defeated enemy ninja hadn't even been confirmed yet—how could they just hastily label them as enemy spies?
And what's with that funding request!?
"You're the Hokage now, correct your mindset," Koharu said sternly. "You need to think from the village's perspective—not as Team 7's former squad leader!"
Kakashi nodded heavily in response.
So this is what being Hokage is really like...
The position he once admired in his youth, the dream of a close friend…
This was the reality of it.
Konoha, Training Ground Three.
Sasuke was training alone, sweat pouring down like rain.
Sakura approached. "Sasuke, Hinata said they encountered Naruto during a mission."
Sasuke didn't stop his training.
"They said Naruto fought with a very powerful ninja," Sakura continued. "The entire forest terrain was changed because of their battle."
Sasuke's movements paused momentarily.
But in the next instant, he hurled two shuriken with great force.
The impact pierced straight through the target.
His eyes flashed crimson—the tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly. His left eye had already evolved to three tomoe, and though the right still had two, the faint outline of a third tomoe was beginning to appear.
"Is that so?" Sasuke muttered. "Naruto's getting stronger and stronger."
But his thoughts weren't focused on that blond-haired boy.
Even though so much time had passed—
The voice of Uchiha Itachi still echoed clearly in his ears.
"Kill your best friend…"
Even if he was going to follow that man's instructions—
If he could gain the power to kill Naruto, wouldn't it be better to use that power directly against Uchiha Itachi?
"Sasuke, how about taking a break?" Sakura asked with concern. "You've been training all day."
She was worried about his condition.
He had just been discharged from the hospital and had jumped straight into intense training.
From morning to night, barely giving himself time to rest.
Sasuke wiped off his sweat and shook his head firmly. "No. This still isn't enough."
"If I want to catch up to anyone—it's still not enough."
After taking a few sips of water and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he continued training.
With each round of ninjutsu, his resolve became more firm.
No way I'm following that man's path.
I'll become stronger—my own way.
Naruto and Karin left the Sound Village, crossed the border, and re-entered the Land of Fire.
"Where to next?" Karin asked.
They had gathered quite a bit of useful intel from Orochimaru.
"Let's stick to the original plan," Naruto thought for a moment. "Let's continue checking out the shrines in the Land of Fire."
"Then we head to Kirigakure."
Karin nodded.
There were more shrines in the Land of Fire than they had expected—sometimes five or six in a single town. And with rumors of powerful yokai and spirits hiding in remote mountains and valleys, their progress had been constantly delayed.
But…
The world viewed by ordinary people and the world seen by ninja were vastly different.
Most of those "yokai" or "gods" were merely chakra-wielding beasts. Powerful, perhaps even intelligent—but far from the divine beings Naruto was hoping to find.
Still, they had discovered traces—faint remnants of once-existent gods.
But time had all but erased them, leaving only stories passed down by word of mouth.
The grand temple in the capital of the Land of Fire was the most fascinating place they had visited.
This shrine was different from the rest—majestic, towering, awe-inspiring.
Its bronze gates reached nearly three meters high, flanked by enormous guardian statues that loomed even taller.
But unlike even the roadside Jizo statues that people actively worshipped, this grand temple was eerily quiet. When Naruto attempted to enter, the monks refused, stating only those with approval from the Daimyo could enter for worship.
Naturally…
That night, Naruto and Karin snuck in.
But even inside, there wasn't anything particularly interesting.
If gods didn't exist in the temples people did worship, there was little hope for one barely visited.
On the coastal edge of the Land of Fire, in a small seaside town—
This was the final destination of their current journey, and the starting point of the next.
At the dock—
The two of them sat on a bench, waiting for the ferry.
Karin was flipping through the text rubbings she had taken from the local shrine. "Nothing solid here either."
More than half a year had passed.
Their findings were little more than a pile of vague and dubious stories.
"How many so-called 'gods' have we encountered now?" she asked, counting on her fingers. "Not including the ones we already proved false… Thirty-seven? Thirty-eight?"
"Thirty-seven," Naruto confirmed.
The common people loved to worship "gods."
It was one thing if the object of reverence was a chakra beast—that, at least, made sense.
But to see a random upright stone, an ancient tree, or even a deformed farm animal being worshipped as a "god"…
"Even if most are fake, we should've run into one or two real ones by now," Karin muttered. "Where the hell are all the real gods hiding?"
Naruto shook his head and stayed silent, flipping through a letter from Jiraiya.
They had kept in touch almost entirely through letters over the past half year.
Once Naruto had acquired intel about the Akatsuki from Orochimaru, he passed it to Jiraiya immediately. Of course, he never mentioned the fact that he and Orochimaru had been working together.
Jiraiya had been surprised by Naruto's intelligence-gathering ability but didn't press him for details.
He just stayed vigilant about the Akatsuki, promptly forwarding any new intel to Naruto.
Though recently, that group had been relatively quiet.
When Naruto finished reading—
He and Karin sat for a while longer.
Then the ferry horn blew—loud and long. A passenger ship docked at the harbor.
They boarded and set sail for the Land of Water.
Kirigakure—once a nation under strict isolation—had now completely reversed its reputation and was trying to become known as a warm, "open" village.
Whether ninja or tourists, they welcomed all with enthusiasm.
However, "open" was relative.
Ninja who came ashore were still secretly subjected to thorough scrutiny—especially the strong and well-known ones.
Kirigakure ANBU Headquarters.
The current head of the ANBU, Ao, was handling reports.
A subordinate suddenly appeared before his desk. "Lord Ao!"
"A new batch of visitors has just arrived—and Uzumaki Naruto is on the list."
Ao looked up sharply. "That Uzumaki Naruto from the Land of Fire?"
The ANBU agent confirmed it.
Ao's expression instantly darkened.
Over the past half-year, they had come to understand Naruto's relationship with Konoha quite well. It wasn't the tight bond shared by Jiraiya and the village—more like Tsunade's relationship: distant, tenuous, with Konoha desperately trying to claim him for their own.
That's why within the team, they never referred to him as "Konoha's Uzumaki Naruto," but "Uzumaki Naruto of the Land of Fire."
So why was someone like him—who had been active in the Land of Fire all this time—suddenly showing up in Kirigakure?
"You saw his name on the visitor list?" Ao asked.
The ANBU replied, "Yes."
"Then treat them as ordinary tourists for now," Ao decided after thinking a moment.
"Notify Lady Mei Terumi. Have her make contact with Uzumaki Naruto."
(End of Chapter)