Kazemori Masaki stood at the gates of Konoha Ninja Village with several senior officials, watching Bunpuku's party approach. Nearby Anbu members and Konoha ninja concealed themselves, keeping a vigilant watch. Although enemies were unlikely to appear in Konoha Ninja Village's own stronghold, moments like these were precisely when people tended to let their guard down. Masaki therefore maintained all the necessary precautions.
Looking at Bunpuku in his Kazekage robes, Masaki fell into thought. In his memory, Bunpuku, imprisoned in the High Tower, had been a gaunt old man who looked as though he might collapse at any moment, trembling and barely resembling a human being. The Bunpuku before him was still thin, but he carried himself with the dignity of an eminent monk.
After leaving the High Tower and becoming the Kazekage of Sunagakure Ninja Village, Bunpuku's life had reached a major turning point. He would no longer die alone in the High Tower as he had in the original timeline, without the world even remembering his name. Now everyone in Sunagakure Ninja Village knew Bunpuku's true name, rather than calling him Shukaku after the One-Tail.
"Welcome to Konoha Ninja Village, Lord Kazekage." Once Bunpuku's party drew near, Masaki immediately stepped forward and offered his hand. Bunpuku paused for a moment before realizing what he meant and extending his own hand to shake it.
Meanwhile, Konoha ninja stationed some distance from the gates immediately raised the devices in their hands and pressed their switches, capturing the scene in repeated flashes of chakra. They were all ninja from Konoha's Publicity Department. A handshake between the Hokage and the Kazekage offered excellent publicity material, and they had to record this moment.
Traditionally, likenesses in the shinobi world were recorded through portraits, a method that was both time-consuming and dependent on the artist's