The smoke from the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique cleared slowly, revealing a sight that would be seared into Konoha's collective memory for generations.
Narutos. Everywhere.
They filled the plaza like a living sea, standing shoulder-to-shoulder among the civilians, positioned with geometric precision so that every single villager had their own personal Naruto standing directly in front of them. Thousands upon thousands of identical blonde shinobi, all wearing the same determined smile, all radiating the same unwavering enthusiasm.
From above, the scene looked almost artistic. A perfect pattern of orange and blonde woven through the crowd like a tapestry designed by someone with a twisted sense of humor.
"Let's be friends!"
The words came from every Naruto simultaneously, creating a chorus that echoed off buildings and rang in people's ears like temple bells.
"Let's be friends!"
"Let's be friends!"
"Let's be friends!"
The effect was overwhelming. Disorienting. Like being surrounded by mirrors that could all speak independently.
On the platform, the clan heads stared in collective shock. Even Shikaku, who prided himself on being able to calculate anything, felt his mind stutter trying to count the clones.
Thousands, he thought faintly. He created thousands of perfect clones. The chakra control. The stamina required. This shouldn't be possible.
"Is this..." Chōza started, then stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
"The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique," Shibi said quietly, his insects buzzing with agitation inside his coat. "
Hiashi's Byakugan was active, tracking the chakra distribution. Each clone carried enough chakra to be combat-effective. Each one was solid, real, capable of independent action. And there were thousands of them.
"Terrifying," Hiashi breathed.
Among the crowd, a middle-aged shopkeeper found himself face-to-face with a Naruto. The boy's—no, the Hokage candidate's—blue eyes looked directly at him with disturbing intensity.
"What are you going to do?" the shopkeeper asked, his voice cracking. "What is this?"
The Naruto in front of him smiled wider. "I'm going to be friends with you. That's all. Just friends."
Then the fist came.
THUD.
The sound echoed through the plaza, followed immediately by hundreds more. Then thousands.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The entire square transformed into a symphony of violence. Fists struck flesh with metronomic regularity. The dull impact of knuckles against faces, ribs, shoulders, creating a rhythm that drowned out everything else.
"Stop! Please!"
"We'll be friends! We agree!"
"It hurts! Make it stop!"
The villagers' screams rose and fell like waves, but the befriending continued with mechanical precision. Each Naruto worked methodically, his movements controlled and measured. Not trying to seriously injure, but definitely trying to convince.
The ninja maintaining crowd control—chunin and jonin assigned to keep order—stood at their positions with expressions of profound discomfort. Several had covered their eyes with their hands, unable to watch. Others stared with the fascinated horror of people witnessing a natural disaster.
"Is this legal?" one chunin whispered to his partner.
"Who's going to arrest him?" the partner replied. "The Hokage?"
On the platform, Hiashi's eye twitched as he watched the mass befriending. His gaze drifted to his daughter Hinata, standing with Naruto's other friends near the platform's edge, her face pale but determined.
At least, Hiashi thought with grim satisfaction, at least Naruto will be my son-in-law. He can't possibly beat his father-in-law. That would be improper. Right?
He clung to that thought like a lifeline.
Chōza also looked at his son, and his expression darkened with sudden realization and resentment. That little...
Chōji knew about this, Chōza thought, anger building. He knew what Naruto's "friendship process" meant, and he asked me to go through it anyway. When we get home, I'm going to have words with that boy. Strong words.
The befriending continued for exactly five minutes. Naruto had calculated the appropriate duration for civilians—half the time required for ninja, since their bodies weren't conditioned to take as much punishment.
Precision. That's what separated a good befriending from a sloppy one.
"Look," Neji Hyūga said suddenly, his voice carrying over the sounds of impact. "Naruto is starting his journey to achieve his dream."
Everyone within earshot turned to look at him.
Neji, standing near the platform with his arms crossed, continued with clinical observation: "His stated goal was to befriend everyone in Konoha, then eventually the entire world. These villagers represent a significant portion of Konoha's population, though not everyone. So this is truly the start"
Silence.
Multiple pairs of eyes stared at him with expressions ranging from disbelief to horror.
"What?" Neji asked, genuinely puzzled by their reactions. "Am I wrong?"
"Neji," Tenten said carefully, "maybe don't give him ideas about expanding the operation."
"Yeah," Lee added, his usual enthusiasm notably absent. "Let's... let's just not mention the world conquest thing right now."
The befriending reached the five-minute mark, and all the Narutos stopped simultaneously.
Throughout the plaza, villagers stood swaying on their feet, their faces swollen, noses bleeding, eyes blackening. They looked like they'd gone several rounds with professional boxers. Most were crying, openly or trying to hide it.
The real Naruto—still standing on the platform—observed the results with the critical eye of an artist evaluating their work.
Not good enough, he decided. I can see it in their eyes. They're saying they'll be my friends, but they don't mean it. There's still resentment there. Still anger.
"Although you promised to be my friend," Naruto announced, his voice carrying across the battered crowd, "you don't truly want it in your hearts. Therefore, to avoid deceiving yourselves, let's make be again. When your faces show genuine smiles—smiles from deep inside—then I'll know you truly recognize me as a friend."
The villagers' reactions were instantaneous and universal.
"No!"
"Please, we're sincere! We're sincere!"
"Have mercy!"
A woman near the front actually fell to her knees. "We'll be your friends! We promise! Just please, no more!"
But Naruto could see the truth in their eyes. Fear, yes. Submission, certainly. But not friendship. Not genuine acceptance.
And Naruto took friendship seriously.
"I appreciate your words," Naruto said gently. "But words without heart are meaningless. Let's try again."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Round two began.
This time, the sounds were different. Less screaming, more sobbing. The villagers had learned that resistance only prolonged the process. They stood and took it, their bodies absorbing punishment while their minds frantically recalculated their opinions about the demon brat.
Maybe he's not so bad, one shopkeeper thought through the haze of pain. Maybe we were wrong about him. Maybe the Third Hokage really was corrupt. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
The mind did interesting things under duress. It found ways to justify, to rationalize, to make peace with new realities. By the time the second round ended, two-thirds of the villagers had achieved the mental breakthrough Naruto was looking for.
Their smiles, when they came, were genuine—if somewhat manic and edged with hysteria.
"We're friends!" they called out, and meant it with the fervor of religious converts. "Naruto-sama, we support you! We believe in you!"
But one-third remained resistant. Stubborn. Unable or unwilling to make that final mental leap from forced compliance to genuine acceptance.
Naruto looked at them with something that might have been sadness if it weren't mixed with so much determination.
"There's a saying," Naruto announced to the remaining holdouts. "There's no friendship that can't be forged through one meal together. But if one meal doesn't work..." He paused for effect. "Then you have two meals."
Two-thirds of the shadow clones dispelled in massive clouds of smoke, their chakra and memories returning to Naruto. The remaining clones—still numbering in the hundreds—focused on the most resistant third of the population.
Round three was shorter. More focused. The resistance crumbled quickly when faced with such dedicated attention.
By the end, when all the clones finally dispelled and only the real Naruto remained standing on the platform, every single villager in the plaza wore a smile.
Bruised. Swollen. Some missing teeth. Several with broken noses that would need medical attention.
But smiling.
"Look," Naruto said, gesturing to the crowd with satisfaction. "Everyone has become my friend! Isn't that wonderful?"
He turned to Hiashi with genuine pleasure. "I think there should be no objections to my succession as Fifth Hokage now. Right, Hiashi-sama?"
Hiashi's mouth twitched. His face attempted several expressions before settling on something that might charitably be called a smile if you squinted and had poor vision.
"Yes," Hiashi said, his voice strained. "They all... enthusiastically support Naruto-sama becoming the next Hokage."
This is insane, Hiashi thought. This entire situation is completely insane. And yet...
And yet it worked.
Shikaku stepped forward, carrying a scroll. His face was carefully neutral, giving nothing away, though his mind was racing through implications and calculations.
"People of Konoha," Shikaku announced, his voice carrying the weight of official authority. "After careful deliberation and unanimous approval from the major clans, Uzumaki Naruto has been elected as the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"NARUTO-SAMA!"
"FIFTH HOKAGE!"
"WE SUPPORT YOU, HOKAGE-SAMA!"
The enthusiasm was deafening. Probably partially genuine, definitely partially survival instinct. But either way, it served the same purpose.
Naruto stood on the platform, looking out at his newly befriended village, and felt warmth bloom in his chest.
Finally, he thought. Finally, everyone accepts me. Finally, I belong.
He didn't notice—or perhaps chose not to notice—that most of the "acceptance" came from people too beaten and terrified to object. In Naruto's mind, the process had created genuine bonds. And in a strange way, he might even be right. Fear and respect, combined with Naruto's genuine care and protection afterward, could forge loyalty that propaganda never would.
After the cheering subsided, Shikaku continued. "There are also several announcements regarding the previous administration."
He unrolled a second scroll, this one longer, covered in dense text. "After thorough investigation, we've discovered numerous crimes committed by former Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, along with advisors Mitomon Homura, Koharu Utatane, and Root commander Shimura Danzo."
The crowd went silent, listening.
Shikaku began reading. The list was extensive. Embezzlement of clan properties. Systematic weakening of powerful families. Human experimentation. Corruption of village funds. Manipulation of orphans. Suppression of bloodline clans. The deliberate impoverishment of the Fourth Hokage's son while stealing his inheritance.
With each revelation, the villagers' expressions shifted. Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Slowly, understanding began to dawn.
This is why, many of them thought. This is why Naruto did what he did.
The crimes were real. Documented. Undeniable. Even those who'd loved Hiruzen had to confront the evidence of his corruption.
One old man near the front felt tears on his face. He'd respected the Third Hokage his entire life. Had believed in him. And now...
"I was wrong," he whispered. "We were all wrong."
Around him, others were reaching similar conclusions. The cognitive dissonance of learning your revered leader was a monster created mental whiplash, but slowly, painfully, they adjusted their worldview to accommodate new facts.
Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe killing them was necessary. Maybe we should be grateful he did what needed doing.
The human mind was remarkably good at protecting itself through rationalization.
When Shikaku finished reading, he rolled up the scroll with practiced precision. "These crimes will be publicly displayed for anyone who wishes to verify them. Documentation is available at the Administration Building."
He paused, letting that sink in, then added: "Additionally, major reforms will be announced in the coming days. The Fifth Hokage intends to reshape Konoha into something better. Something worthy of the Will of Fire we claim to follow."
More cheers, though these were somewhat more genuine. People liked the promise of reform, of change, especially when the previous system had clearly been broken.
Naruto, exhausted from maintaining thousands of clones and befriending several thousand people, felt his energy flagging. He raised a hand, and the crowd quieted.
"Thank you," Naruto said simply. "Thank you for becoming my friends. I promise I'll protect all of you. That's what friends do."
The warmth in his voice was genuine. The care was real. And despite everything—despite the violence, the coercion, the terror—most of the villagers found themselves believing him.
He means it, they realized. He actually cares.
It was a strange realization. But not an unwelcome one.
"I'm tired," Naruto announced, his exhaustion evident. "So I'm going home now. Hiashi-sama, Shikaku-sama, please handle the rest of the arrangements. Let me know when the official succession ceremony will be."
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said, using the title deliberately.
Naruto smiled at hearing it, then turned and walked down from the platform. His friends immediately surrounded him—Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, Shino. They formed a protective circle as they walked, heading back toward the farm.
The crowd parted for them automatically, creating a path. People bowed as Naruto passed. Some called out well-wishes. Others just stared, trying to process everything that had happened.
When Naruto and his group had left, the villagers began dispersing slowly. They moved in small clusters, supporting each other, heading toward the hospital or home depending on the severity of their injuries.
The plaza gradually emptied until only the clan heads remained on the platform.
Hiashi turned to Shikaku once they had privacy. "They've become Naruto's friends in name, and that's useful for immediate stability. But you and I both know the truth. This was about relieving anger and intimidation. Most of them aren't truly convinced. They're just too frightened to object."
"I know," Shikaku said calmly. "Which is why I've already prepared the next phase."
"Oh?" Hiashi's interest sharpened. "What solution?"
"Education reform," Shikaku said, his eyes gleaming with the particular satisfaction of a strategist whose plan was unfolding perfectly. "We expand the Academy system. Add more schools, more slots. Make it seem like we're opening opportunities for civilian children to become ninja on equal footing with clan children."
Hiashi frowned. "But if everyone becomes a ninja, the resources won't support it. The entire structure of our society is built on most people remaining civilians."
"Exactly," Shikaku agreed. "Which is why it's perfect. We create the appearance of equal opportunity while maintaining the actual power structure."
He began explaining, his voice low and measured. "We set entrance requirements that seem fair on the surface. Academic tests, physical assessments, chakra potential evaluations. Everything objective. Everything meritocratic."
"But," Shikaku continued, smiling coldly, "clan children have advantages civilians can't match. By the time they take the entrance exams, clan children are already years ahead."
Understanding dawned on Hiashi's face. "So civilians think they have a chance, but in reality..."
"In reality, very few will make it," Shikaku confirmed. "Maybe one in a hundred. Just enough to maintain the illusion of fairness. The rest will wash out, and when they do, they'll blame themselves for not being good enough. Not the system. Not us."
"And the ones who do succeed?" Hiashi asked.
"We integrate them," Shikaku said. "Give them just enough success to prove the system 'works.' Make them grateful for the opportunity. Turn them into examples that keep everyone else hoping and striving."
Hiashi nodded slowly, appreciating the elegance of it. "It's diabolical."
"It's necessary," Shikaku corrected. "Konoha's power structure depends on the ninja families remaining dominant. This system lets us appear to democratize while actually strengthening our position. And as a bonus, it increases our talent pool slightly while keeping everyone focused on individual achievement rather than systemic reform."
"We can even call it 'education industrialization,'" Shikaku added with dark amusement. "Make it sound progressive and modern. The civilians will love it."
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