A few days later.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Building in Konoha.
The brand-new Hokage Robe gleamed a dazzling white.
Tsunade stood at the edge of the rooftop, her long golden hair flowing in the wind, the diamond mark on her forehead sparkling in the sunlight.
Below her, a dense sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Fifth Hokage! Fifth Hokage! Fifth Hokage!"
Their cheers thundered like a tidal wave, making even the windows of the Hokage Building tremble.
The turnout was ten times more spectacular than when the Third Hokage had taken office.
The reason was simple.
Princess Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter, one of the Sannin, and a legendary medical ninja.
More importantly, she was a woman, and a beautiful one at that.
"That's Lady Tsunade? She's so pretty!"
"I heard she can smash a mountain with one punch!"
"That's nothing! My cousin's second uncle's third nephew saw her in Tanzaku Town! She smashed an entire house with one punch!"
"Wow!"
In the crowd, the girls' eyes shone, while the boys' blood raced with excitement.
People who had traveled from other towns in the Land of Fire just to watch the spectacle packed the square so tightly that there was no room to move.
"Make way, make way! I came from the Land of Rice Fields!"
"So what? I rode for three days from the Land of Rivers!"
"Hah, what's so special about that? I'm from the Land of Fire Capital! The Daimyo personally provided the funds and sent me here to deliver congratulatory gifts!"
At the edge of the crowd, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's ceremonial entourage was unloading its cargo.
Chests of gold, silver, and jewels, along with bolts of fine silk, piled up into a small mountain.