Kumogakure Signs a Peace Treaty, Sarutobi Hiruzen Is Delighted

Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen kept rubbing his temples, but his headache showed no signs of easing.

Too much had happened in the village lately.

What he had gone through these past few days had even surpassed the total of the previous several years.

First, Namikaze Mirai, who had been missing for three years, returned with overwhelming force and brought Naruto to cause a scene in the Hokage Office. Then Danzo attempted to assassinate Namikaze Mirai. Not only did he fail, but his only Left Eye was poked blind.

Then came the storm of public opinion.

Whenever he thought of that bizarrely sparked wave of public outrage, Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth in hatred.

Danzo, that idiot!

He should have shut down Root completely from the start!

According to the Anbu's subsequent investigation, the reason Villagers had stirred up such widespread public outrage was entirely because Danzo had been fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

It could be said that without Danzo's suicidal meddling, it never would have escalated into the later Protest! Nor would Hiruzen's current situation have become so passive! In order to placate the enraged Villagers, he had no choice but to reveal Naruto's identity.

Now, the consequences had begun to show.

His reputation in the village had started plummeting.

In the past, he had been the kind and amiable Third Hokage in the eyes of the Villagers.

After the Fourth Hokage died young, he had been the heroic figure who stepped forward of his own accord and shouldered the village's heavy responsibilities.

But now, after learning Naruto's true identity—

The talk in the village had gradually begun to take a wrong turn.

Right after the Nine-Tails Attack, the village had been in ruins and desperately needed rebuilding. In order to stabilize public sentiment, he had ordered Minato's deeds to be promoted extensively, portraying him as a hero who sacrificed his life to save the village.

At first, it had indeed worked.

The restless hearts of the people soon settled.

But now, the backlash had begun.

Naruto's exposed identity caused those Villagers who believed they had benefited from the Fourth Hokage's grace to turn their guns on him, the Third Hokage.

Many of the remaining Villagers had also begun to waver.

His reputation had fallen off a cliff.

Even though the Anbu had tried to steer public opinion, the results had been minimal.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth in rage.

If it were not for that idiot Danzo, how could things have turned out like this?!

"Fortunately, as long as this Peace Treaty is signed, there's still a chance to salvage things."

Looking at the agreement lying quietly on the Hokage's desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

This Peace Treaty had been presented by the Kumogakure Messenger early that morning.

Its purpose was to sign a Peace Treaty with Konoha and end the war that had continued for several years.

After the Third Great Ninja War ended, nearly all the major ninja villages had withdrawn from the conflict.

Only one exception remained.

Kumogakure.

Those brutes had always refused to give up until they got what they wanted. Even after the war on the main Battlefield ended, they continued their drawn-out fighting in the border regions for years.

This war had consumed enormous amounts of Konoha's manpower and resources.

Now, it was finally about to end.

And Kumogakure had taken the initiative to back down.

The meaning of that was entirely different.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face creased into an even broader smile.

It would directly showcase his wisdom and martial prowess: how he had deeply upheld the Will of Fire, taken its principles as his guide, led the Villagers in unity, faced hardships without fear, and defeated foreign enemies.

Kumogakure had even sent a delegation to publicly attend the Peace Treaty signing ceremony.

When the time came, every Villager would witness the glorious moment of their respected Third Hokage.

As for those rumors...

What rumors?

The Third Hokage was busy with official duties, pouring his heart and soul into the village and dedicating himself completely. He had just brought an end to a war that had lasted for years—what a profound embodiment of the Will of Fire!

He had merely failed to spare some attention for Minato's orphaned child.

It was not as though he would not compensate him!

Wouldn't that turn his reputation right around? "I should be thanking you for coming to sign the Peace Treaty at a time like this. You've done me a huge favor!"

Looking at the Peace Treaty on the desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen's chrysanthemum-like old face smiled even more broadly.

"Signing a Peace Treaty?"

At Ichiraku Ramen, Namikaze Mirai, who had brought Naruto out for ramen, paused slightly when he heard Ayame's words.

"Yeah. I heard Kumogakure took the initiative to stop the war and even sent an envoy delegation to the village for the signing ceremony. Just thinking that the war is about to end makes my heart soar!"

Ayame rubbed her hands together and swayed back and forth like seaweed.

With the war's end, the gloom that had hung over the village gradually began to fade.

Inside and outside, the air was filled with cheer.

"I didn't expect something this major to have happened recently..."

Resting his right hand against his chin, Namikaze Mirai stared into the distance and pondered in silence.

Kumogakure, as he remembered it, was full of particularly troublesome people.

His brother Minato had earned the title of Yellow Flash in battles against that village.

More precisely, against the enemies known as the A and B Brothers.

One of them had become the later Fourth Raikage, while the other was an exceptionally rare perfect Jinchuriki.

By all rights, Kumogakure's strength should have been unprecedented.

Why had they taken the initiative to stop the war?

Continuing the fighting should have benefited them more, shouldn't it?

"Our great hero's son, this is the Tonkotsu Ramen Custom Edition made especially for you. One of a kind—there's only this one!"

Just as Namikaze Mirai was deep in thought, Ayame smilingly placed an absurdly lavish bowl of ramen in front of Naruto.

Calling it ramen was an understatement. It was practically a buffet.

The bowl was nearly half the size of a washbasin, piled high with countless expensive toppings. The aroma was irresistible.

"Whoa! Is this for me?"

Naruto's eyes instantly widened as saliva flooded his mouth.

"I mean, Ayame, isn't this a bit much...?"

Namikaze Mirai's mouth twitched slightly.

Who could possibly finish such a huge serving of ramen?

"Of course it isn't! This is a special version customized for our hero's son. There's only one!"

Ayame smiled as she ruffled Naruto's blond hair.

"Yeah! Thank you, Auntie Ayame! Time to eat!"

"Call me Sister!"

Ayame's face darkened.

"Uh... Sister..."

Namikaze Mirai smiled like an aunt.

Ever since Naruto's identity as Minato's orphaned son had been exposed, the Villagers' attitudes toward him had changed drastically.

The term "Demon Fox" had already been buried beneath the dust of history.

Now, whenever Villagers spoke of Naruto, they instead called him things like "that poor child," "the Fourth's only son," or "the hero's son."

Some even secretly wiped away tears when they saw his back as he walked down the street.

If any mischievous child dared throw stones at Naruto, they would inevitably get a vicious double beating from both parents.

Amid the children's stubborn cries, scoldings such as, "That child is the Fourth's only son!" and "You dare bully even the Hokage's son? I'll beat you to death!" rang out one after another.

Namikaze Mirai could not help but wonder: if Sarutobi Hiruzen had not concealed Naruto's identity, what would Naruto's childhood have been like?

Could Minato's enemies truly have broken through the defenses of the foremost ninja village and harmed Naruto under the watch of so many Anbu?

All it would have taken was a simple title to give Naruto an entirely different childhood.

Yet he had not done so.

"Now that I'm back, Naruto's childhood will be different."

Namikaze Mirai watched Naruto clutch the ramen bowl and wolf it down, smiling faintly.