The meeting lasted an entire day.
By the time it finally ended, Naruto felt completely drained. As he walked out of the conference hall, he stretched his aching body and let out a long sigh.
"So exhausting..."
A familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Naruto, if you think a single meeting is exhausting, what will you do when you become Hokage?"
Naruto turned around in surprise.
"Gaara!"
He laughed sheepishly.
"Even if I become Hokage someday, I don't think I could handle meetings like this every single day."
Then he shrugged with a grin.
"But I'm not too worried. There will always be people to help me."
"Grandma Tsunade has Shizune by her side, and I'll have my friends."
"Hinata, Sasuke... and, of course, Shikamaru."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Shikamaru complains that everything is troublesome, but when it comes to handling complicated work, he's better than anyone."
Gaara nodded.
"So he's usually lazy?"
Naruto laughed.
"He is. But he's incredibly talented."
"Even Temari praised his intelligence."
Naruto beamed as though he had been complimented himself.
"Exactly!"
Gaara looked at Naruto thoughtfully before speaking.
"Naruto... you're getting closer and closer to becoming Hokage."
Naruto blinked.
"Really?"
Gaara frowned slightly.
"Don't you understand the significance of being chosen as one of the Kage's guards?"
"You've also made tremendous contributions to Konoha."
"Both Lady Tsunade and the village will remember everything you've done."
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"Is that really such a big deal?"
Gaara sighed.
"Sometimes you're praised as a genius among geniuses—a warrior among the strongest."
"But other times..."
"...you're unbelievably innocent."
He paused before continuing.
"Still, one thing is obvious."
"Lady Tsunade values you highly."
"I believe she's already preparing you to become the next Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"R-Really?!"
Gaara nodded.
"If you still don't realize that..."
"...Lady Tsunade might end up disappointed."
Naruto laughed awkwardly.
"I honestly never thought that far ahead."
"Grandma Tsunade has always been kind to me."
Hearing those words, Gaara couldn't help but feel a hint of envy.
How wonderful...
Naruto noticed the lonely expression on Gaara's face.
He gently patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't overthink it."
"You're doing much better now, aren't you?"
He smiled warmly.
"Having brothers and sisters you can rely on..."
"That's something I'm actually jealous of."
A faint smile appeared on Gaara's face.
"You're right."
"And now I also have a friend like you."
"I'm not alone anymore."
Naruto nodded firmly.
"Exactly!"
---
At that moment, the other Kage emerged from the conference building one after another.
Tsunade stretched lazily, her elegant figure drawing plenty of attention.
Naruto hurried over.
"Grandma Tsunade! How did the meeting go?"
Tsunade immediately glared at him.
"Don't call me Grandma Tsunade."
"Call me Hokage-sama."
Naruto grinned.
"Okay, Grandma Tsunade!"
"..."
Tsunade resisted the urge to punch him.
"Yes, we're mostly finished."
"Only the remaining details are left."
Naruto tilted his head.
"There's something I still don't understand."
"We competed with Kumogakure over who should lead the alliance."
"But if everyone is going to fight together anyway..."
"...does it really matter who becomes the leader?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"You idiot."
"If you want to become Hokage someday, you need to start thinking more carefully."
She folded her arms.
"Tell me."
"What advantages does the leader of the alliance have?"
Naruto rubbed his chin.
"Hmm..."
"Does it mean the other villages have to follow your commands?"
"Partly."
"But that's not the real answer."
Naruto thought again.
"It helps improve Konoha's position?"
"Still not enough."
"What about restoring Konoha to its former glory?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"That's only a side benefit."
Naruto sighed.
"Then I give up."
"I have no idea."
Shizune smiled patiently before stepping in.
"Naruto..."
"You haven't forgotten the promise you made to the Nine-Tails, have you?"
Naruto immediately shook his head.
"Of course not."
"If you want to fulfill that promise," Shizune continued, "you'll need to rescue the Three-Tails."
"But no one knows exactly when or where it will be reborn."
"What would you do?"
Naruto answered without hesitation.
"I'd send people to patrol around the Hidden Mist Village day and night."
Shizune nodded.
"Exactly."
"But the Hidden Mist has only recently recovered from the Bloody Mist era."
"It's still weak."
"Do you think it has enough manpower to monitor such a vast area?"
Naruto suddenly understood.
"I get it!"
"If we're the leaders of the alliance, we can mobilize the forces of all Five Great Nations to help!"
"That's right," Shizune replied with a smile.
"Restoring Konoha's glory and increasing its influence are certainly important."
"But the real value of leadership lies in situations like this."
"Only then can we better protect people like you, Naruto."
Naruto looked puzzled again.
"But couldn't the leaders of the other villages do the same thing?"
Gaara shook his head.
"Even if the Dawn Alliance is formed..."
"...the Five Great Nations will never become a single united country."
"Every village will naturally place its own interests first."
"That's unavoidable."
"For example..."
"If the Hidden Cloud Village became the leader, protecting the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki would naturally become its highest priority."
"The same logic applies to every other village."
He looked directly at Naruto.
"Hokage-sama argued so strongly because Konoha has its own people it wants to protect."
"And among them..."
"...you are the most important."
Naruto fell silent.
He looked at Tsunade with gratitude.
"Grandma Tsunade..."
"Thank you."
Tsunade smiled gently.
"You don't need to thank me."
"If Konoha has a chance to lead the alliance..."
"...it's because of everything you've accomplished."
"As Hokage..."
"...I'm the one who should be thanking you."
She continued,
"And we're not just protecting you."
"We'll also protect Fu, Gaara, the reborn Three-Tails, and even the Hidden Cloud Village's Eight-Tails."
"Every Jinchuriki deserves protection."
Naruto nodded seriously.
"I understand."
Tsunade smiled and gently ruffled his hair.
"Enough talking."
"Go get some rest."
"We have another meeting tomorrow."
Naruto froze.
"What?!"
"Another meeting?!"
Shizune smiled helplessly.
"It's not over yet."
"The villages still need to exchange intelligence."
"We'll be sharing information about the Tailed Beasts, the Jinchuriki, rogue ninja from each village, and members of the Akatsuki."
"There's still a lot to discuss."
Tsunade looked toward Shizune.
"In that case..."
"I'll leave Konoha's intelligence reports to you."
Shizune's eyes widened.
"Eh?!"
"By tomorrow?"
"Of course."
She sighed dramatically.
"...Looks like I won't be sleeping tonight."
Tsunade laughed as she walked away.
Holding Tonton in her arms, Shizune hurried after her with a pitiful expression.
---
Just then, Baki and Sunagakure's acting Jonin, Yura, approached.
"Gaara."
"It's time for us to leave."
Gaara nodded before turning toward Naruto.
"I hope the next time we meet..."
"...you'll already be Hokage."
Naruto blinked.
"Gaara..."
"Are you going to become Kazekage?"
Gaara smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"I don't know if I'll succeed."
"But I've already made up my mind."
Baki smiled proudly.
"You absolutely will."
"The future of the Hidden Sand has always rested in your hands."
He then looked at Naruto.
"And I believe you'll become Hokage as well."
"But Konoha isn't like Sunagakure."
"Becoming Hokage is at least ten times more difficult than becoming Kazekage."
"Konoha is filled with talented shinobi."
"You may already be powerful, Naruto..."
"...but you're still young."
"And you still lack experience."
Naruto understood that better than anyone.
He had always dreamed of becoming Hokage.
But he had never expected to achieve it overnight.
As long as he continued moving toward that dream...
As long as he kept earning the trust and recognition of the people around him...
That was enough.
He had never once strayed from his ninja way.
Naruto smiled brightly.
"Congratulations in advance, Gaara!"
"It might take me a while..."
"But I'll definitely become Hokage someday!"
He stretched out his fist.
"Let's make a promise."
"The next time we meet..."
"...we'll meet as Kage."
A rare smile appeared on Gaara's face.
"It's a promise."
Naruto grinned.
"Then I'm off to continue my training."
"See you next time, Gaara!"
With a cheerful wave, Naruto turned and ran off into the distance, his unwavering dream shining brighter than ever.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)