Kotoamatsukami: Take down Orochimaru!

That was how things had been for centuries.

So,

when everyone heard that the daimyo had been killed, their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Even though his killer was Naruto Uzumaki!

No one could believe

that a ninja, a "tool" at the very bottom of the Shinobi World, had dared to kill a daimyo so openly.

Wasn't he afraid of becoming an enemy of the entire Shinobi World?

After all,

never mind a daimyo.

To protect their own interests and keep ninja from using their power against them,

the nobles of the Shinobi World would put a bounty on any ninja who killed even an ordinary noble.

Yet

many days had passed since the daimyo's death, and the expected storm had never come.

It was as if someone had tossed a pebble into a lake. Ripples spread, then the surface soon grew still again.

Under the circumstances, the people of Konoha were filled with pride.

They had a feeling

that the entire Shinobi World might be about to change.

And the reason for it all

was their village's hero—Naruto Uzumaki!

Kotoamatsukami: Orochimaru Was His!

By the time Naruto Uzumaki returned to the village with Tsunade and Shizune, the villagers of Konoha had organized a grand welcome for them.

Nearly every ninja in the village lined the streets, gazing at Naruto Uzumaki with undisguised admiration.

After all,

Naruto Uzumaki had not only killed the daimyo, but the newly appointed daimyo had publicly declared his submission.

In his proclamation, the daimyo had elevated ninja—once treated as "tools" at the bottom of society—to the highest rank in the Shinobi World.

In other words,

ninja now outranked the traditional nobility.

What was more,

the daimyo himself had recognized their new status.

Under the circumstances,

every ninja felt as though they had finally thrown off