The Fifth Hokage - Tsunade

Seeing this, Qianyu stepped forward and patted Naruto on the shoulder, his voice steady. "It's alright if you can't process it all at once. But at the Hokage inauguration ceremony two days from now, Lady Tsunade will give you the justice and vindication you were denied. Then, all of Konoha will know who you are."

Karin gently took Naruto's hand as well and said warmly, "Naruto, don't be afraid. We have a home now, and so many friends. Take it slowly. We'll figure it out together."

Feeling the warmth from his sister's palm and the support of his friends, Naruto's violently surging emotions gradually calmed. He nodded hard, and a trace of stubborn resolve rekindled in his eyes.

Qianyu turned to Jiraiya and asked in a lowered voice, "Master Jiraiya, aside from the Nine-Tails, there should still be chakra imprints left by the Fourth Hokage and Lady Kushina inside Naruto, right?"

Jiraiya stroked his chin and did not conceal it. "Yeah. Minato's own soul was taken away by the Reaper, but to maintain the seal's stability afterward, part of his and Kushina's chakra consciousness should have remained within the sealing formula in some form, connected to Naruto's inner world. It's just that Naruto isn't strong enough yet, nor is his state of mind mature enough to communicate with them on his own. Those consciousnesses are dormant as well."

Qianyu understood. He looked at Naruto. "Naruto, did you hear that? Your parents may never have truly left. They're inside your body, protecting you. You're still not strong enough to face them, nor can you truly understand the choices they made.

When you grow stronger, when your heart becomes firmer, have Master Jiraiya guide you into your inner world. You can ask them face-to-face. Hear their answers from their own mouths."

Naruto abruptly raised his head, and an unprecedented light burst from his eyes. "That's right! I'm going to become stronger! Strong enough to see them! I'm going to ask Mom and Dad myself!" This goal instantly washed away his confusion and grievance, transforming them into powerful motivation.

The way he had almost instantly regained his optimism and found a clear direction made Qianyu wonder: aside from Naruto's own personality, did Asura's chakra also play a part in that nearly reckless resilience?

For the time being, everyone set aside the heavy subject and held a simple celebration in the Fourth Hokage's former home for Naruto's return and his recognition of Karin as his sister. They did not disperse until late at night.

Three days later, in Konoha, at the plaza before the Hokage Building.

The crowd was dense, and banners fluttered in the wind. Nearly the entire village had gathered to witness the official inauguration of the Fifth Hokage.

Tsunade stood at the edge of the observation deck atop the Hokage Building, dressed in the Hokage's robes. Her long golden hair drifted lightly in the wind, and she stood as straight as a pine. Sunlight fell over her still-beautiful, imposing face, lending her a natural air of authority.

She took a deep breath, and her clear, powerful voice spread across the entire plaza:

"I, Tsunade, formally succeed to the position of Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Thunderous applause erupted, followed by wave after wave of cheers. For the granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the legendary Sannin, and a peerless medical master to become Hokage, most villagers and shinobi held immense expectations and trust.

Standing amid the crowd, Naruto looked up at Granny Tsunade, radiant beneath the sunlight. His eyes were filled with admiration and excitement. Unable to resist, he clenched his fists and muttered in a low but resolute voice, "So cool! The Sixth Hokage spot is reserved for me, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Under the eaves in an inconspicuous corner of the plaza, Jiraiya stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming as he watched her heroic bearing onstage.

"She's so beautiful. As expected, she's still the one most suited to be Hokage."

"Jiraiya, I'm afraid... you no longer have a chance."

Jiraiya's body stiffened. He whipped his head around and stared at the villager beside him, whose aura was distinctly sinister. His pupils contracted as he lowered his voice. "Orochimaru? You... really came back to the village?" Though Orochimaru was disguised, Jiraiya could never mistake that unique chakra presence or those eyes.

Orochimaru did not answer directly. He merely watched the stage.

Their conversation was so quiet that it was swallowed by the surrounding clamor.

Onstage, after Tsunade finished the customary inauguration declaration and words of encouragement, her tone suddenly shifted. Her voice became low and solemn, clearly cutting through the noise of the plaza.

"Fellow villagers, fellow shinobi. While we celebrate a new beginning, there are wounds left by the past that must be faced and accounted for, so that Konoha may truly move forward unburdened."

The plaza gradually quieted, and people looked at her in confusion.

"Fourteen years ago, on the night the Nine-Tails Demon Fox attacked Konoha, I believe many of those present still remember it vividly." Tsunade's voice carried the weight of painful recollection.

"That was Konoha's night of disaster, but also the night heroes were born. Our Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, princess of the Uzumaki Clan, gave their lives to seal away the rampaging Nine-Tails and protect the village."

At the mention of that catastrophe and the heroes who had sacrificed themselves, many older villagers and shinobi showed sorrow and gratitude. The terror of that night and the Fourth Hokage couple's heroic sacrifice were shared memories of Konoha's people.

"However," Tsunade's voice suddenly rose, piercing and forceful, "one matter was deliberately concealed and distorted for fourteen years! On that very night, while Minato and Kushina were sacrificing themselves, Lady Kushina gave birth to a healthy baby boy!"

"What? The Fourth Hokage had a child?!"

"A boy? Where is he? We have to thank him and take care of the hero's child!"

"His parents saved us! How is the child?" Startled discussion and urgent questions instantly erupted from below the stage. Many faces showed genuine concern.

Tsunade waited for the uproar to subside somewhat. Her gaze was sharp as she slowly swept across the crowd before finally settling on the blond boy among them. Her finger pointed firmly in Naruto's direction.

"That boy is Naruto Uzumaki—the one so many people have feared, rejected, and even maliciously harmed all this time!"

Boom—!

It was as though a bomb had exploded in the crowd!

Shock, confusion, disbelief... all manner of emotions intertwined on every face. Countless gazes shot toward Naruto. Those eyes may have still held habitual disgust or fear moments ago, but now they were completely overtaken by immense shock.

Naruto Uzumaki? That "demon fox brat"? He was the Fourth Hokage's son? The orphaned child of heroes?

How could that be possible?!

"N-No... that can't be true, right?"

"How could it be him..."

"How could Lord Fourth possibly..."

Many villagers instinctively denied it, or simply did not dare believe it. To acknowledge this truth was to acknowledge the isolation, cold stares, and even verbal and physical harm they had inflicted upon a hero's son over the past fourteen years!

Jiraiya leaped onto the high platform and stood beside Tsunade. His usual playful demeanor was gone, his expression solemn, and his voice resounding. "I am Jiraiya, disciple of the Third Hokage and teacher of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. I stake my name and my life on this: Naruto Uzumaki is, without a doubt, Minato and Kushina's only child! From this day onward, I will formally take him as my disciple!"

Even Lord Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, had personally confirmed it!

The villagers below began to look at Naruto differently. Their shock swiftly turned to unease... If this was true, then what would happen after this legitimate Hokage heir, this hero's son, gained status and power? Would he settle old scores for everything they had done to him over the years...?

The crowd stirred, anxious whispers spreading like a plague. Many people instinctively avoided Naruto's gaze or lowered their heads, their faces burning hot.

Naruto stood where he was, enduring the complicated stares coming at him from every direction. He was no longer the ignored, invisible boy. He now stood at the center of a storm of public opinion and truth.

He remembered what Qianyu had told him last night: "Naruto, when you go out tomorrow, hit everyone you see. Not a single one of them is innocent." He had not quite understood it then, but now, he thought he did.

But...

Naruto remained silent. He looked at the faces filled with panic or shame, at Grandma Tsunade and the Pervy Sage clearing his name from the platform, then thought of his parents' warm smiles in the photograph, of Sister Karin holding his hand, of Shikamaru and the others saying, "We're all here"...

A strange force stirred within his heart, then settled.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward a few paces, exposing himself more fully to everyone's gaze. He did not roar. Instead, in his still-young voice, he announced to the crowd, to all of Konoha:

"I, Naruto Uzumaki, am the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!"

"I don't need you to feel guilty because of my parents, and I don't need you to flatter me out of fear!"

"I'll prove myself in my own way! I'll keep getting stronger—strong enough to protect everyone I care about! I'll surpass every Hokage before me—"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an unstoppable resolve and dazzling confidence as it rang across the plaza:

"I'll become Hokage! I'll become—the strongest ninja!"

His forceful words echoed through the air, drowning out every murmur.

After saying that, Naruto looked at no one else. He turned around, his back straight, and headed toward home. His steps were steady, without the slightest hesitation.

Karin immediately squeezed out of the crowd and hurried after him, silently walking at his side.

The plaza fell silent.

Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, each seeing relief and complicated emotions in the other's eyes.