Naruto, What's the point of being Hokage without you!

This was the happiest day of his life!

Not only did he have a partner to train with, but he had also gained the recognition of that man...

Might Guy!

"Naruto, Guy-sensei..."

"I will definitely work even harder, to the point of death!"

Under the moonlight, Rock Lee continued his grueling training, over and over again...

Returning home, Naruto began to prepare his own dinner with increasing proficiency, wolfing it down to fill his stomach quickly.

Soon after, the system notification he received was...

Chakra Refinement Technique one hundred times!

Clone Technique two hundred times!

Naruto dared not disobey and immediately continued his training.

In the mental space.

The Nine-Tailed Fox had witnessed the entire process, and even he couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.

Although he says it's to avoid being electrocuted, but...

This brat is actually quite persistent...

Hmph.

He shook his head, his long fox ears twitching. Then, as if realizing his own change in mood, he let out a scoff and closed his eyes once again.

Late at night.

Konoha, Hokage office.

Having finished a busy day of work, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his eyes, his expression looking somewhat exhausted.

"I really am getting old..."

"To think I would be so worn out by these trivial daily tasks..."

He lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled a large ring of smoke, feeling much more at ease.

"Cough, cough..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed, his gaze subconsciously falling upon the crystal ball at the corner of his desk.

"Hm?"

"That's right, I haven't checked on Naruto's situation for a few days..."

"I might as well take a look now."

"Though, it's so late, he must be fast asleep by now, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed a bitter smile and activated his ninjutsu.

"Telescope Technique."

Inside the crystal ball, the scene of Naruto's room suddenly appeared.

"Hm? It seems a bit different. Is it just my imagination?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly, feeling that Naruto's room seemed much tidier and cleaner.

Aside from Naruto tidying up a little himself, it was actually also thanks to Hinata.

While Naruto was busy with his problems, she had helped him clean the room.

However, for Sarutobi Hiruzen, this was certainly not the main point.

Soon, the main subject appeared in the crystal ball—the figure of Naruto...

"Hm?"

"This, this is..."

At this moment, Naruto was actually still standing in front of the mirror, painstakingly practicing his Clone Technique!

"Clone!"

"Damn it..."

"Clone!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Did I see that wrong?"

He rubbed his eyes, squinted them again, and leaned in closer to the crystal ball to look.

Yet, he still saw the figure of Naruto, who was still hard at work training late into the night.

"What is going on with that kid Naruto?"

"Is this really the same Naruto who spent every day acting out, pulling pranks, and refusing to do anything productive?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Naruto, who was training bitterly in the dead of night, his expression one of utter shock.

This was far too different from the Naruto he remembered...

After all, the previous Naruto would have ninjas reporting him every few days for causing some kind of trouble or disaster in the village...

Come to think of it, no one had reported Naruto for several days now...

Sarutobi Hiruzen scratched his head, and a few more strands of his thin, aged hair fell out.

"Anbu."

"Present, Lord Hokage!"

Swish, swish, swish...

Several figures wearing eerie masks appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen like lightning.

"You have been responsible for watching Naruto. These past two days, has he..."

"Has there been anything different about him?"

The Anbu members exchanged glances, looking at each other in confusion.

"Lord Hokage, how should we put this..."

"It's not just different; it's like seeing a ghost!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "Oh? What do you mean?"

The Anbu recounted Naruto's changes one by one, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen more astonished the more he heard.

"Is that so?"

"Could he really change so drastically all of a sudden?"

"What on earth happened to that kid..."

The Anbu members shook their heads.

"It doesn't appear that anything happened..."

"However, Lord Hokage, this isn't necessarily strange. A boy of this age is very likely to suddenly work hard for all sorts of reasons."

"Of course, most people are just intermittently ambitious and persistently lazy."

"Very few can actually stick with it; it's usually just a flash in the pan..."

"Indeed, knowing that kid Naruto's personality, I don't believe he can last long..."

These Anbu were not looking down on Naruto.

In reality, no one understood Naruto better than they did.

After all, they had been secretly monitoring and protecting him all along.

These conclusions were based entirely on their deep, long-standing understanding of him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "That is true..."

But just then, a figure stepped silently out from the shadows of the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head slightly, already guessing the identity of the visitor.

"Do you have business here?"

"Danzō."

The man lurking in the darkness was none other than the Darkness of Konoha, known as the Pot Kage, the old partner of the Third Hokage...

Shimura Danzō!

Seeing this, the Anbu members fell silent.

Shimura Danzō said coldly, "Hiruzen, how do you intend to handle this matter?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed tightly.

"Handle it?"

"Are you talking about Naruto?"

"Precisely!"

Shimura Danzō's tone was dry yet sharp.

"Even if he is still a child, he is, after all, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails!"

"Now that such sudden changes have appeared, shouldn't you be doing everything in your power to investigate it clearly?"

"Or are you hoping to repeat the tragedy of the Nine-Tails Incident?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a deep voice, "Shimura Danzō, are you thinking all of this just because Naruto has suddenly started to work hard?"

"Isn't that being a bit too paranoid?"

"Paranoid?"

"Hmph, it is you who is being too naive, Hiruzen!"

Shimura Danzō shouted, "Go and see how Sunagakure treats their One-Tail Jinchuriki!"

"They are both children, both children of a Kage, yet Kazekage Rasa has never shown any mercy toward that Gaara!"

"A Jinchuriki is both a strategic weapon for the village and a source of immense danger; they should never be left to be managed so loosely!"

"If you were to hand that brat Naruto over to me..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed drastically.

"Shut up, Shimura Danzō!"

"I will never hand Naruto over to you!"

A flicker of sinister ruthlessness flashed through Shimura Danzō's eyes.

"Hiruzen, what you are doing is a complete display of naivety and weakness!"

"I must remind you..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone also turned stern.

"Shimura Danzō, I am the Hokage!"

Shimura Danzō was taken aback, his expression turning even gloomier.

"You will regret this, Hiruzen!"

His figure retreated back into the darkness, and then...