"Time really flies."
Sitting in the Hokage's office, Natsuhiko looked out at the bustling streets of Konoha and smiled faintly.
Time passed far faster than people realized. Before he knew it, the calendar had reached Konoha Year 60.
For Natsuhiko, this year held special meaning. He knew it was the time when the original story was supposed to begin.
Although the timeline of this world had already been completely derailed by his actions, he no longer cared. Five years ago on the moon, he had learned the true nature of the ninja world. With his Jōgan advanced to the second stage, he could confidently say there was no longer any enemy left in the entire ninja world who could threaten him.
Even a fully revived Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama would no longer pose any danger to him.
His strength had long since surpassed the limits of the ninja world. The only thing that might still give him pause was Madara in his God Tree-absorbed state — but that possibility no longer existed.
After learning he had been deceived, Madara had completely abandoned his plan to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi. What surprised Natsuhiko was that even someone as proud as Madara had a slightly awkward side to him.
He had quietly approached Natsuhiko and confessed all the plans he had once laid out. Natsuhiko had not expected that. In his mind, Madara should have gone to Hashirama instead.
Still, Natsuhiko's mind worked quickly. He immediately understood why Madara was hesitating.
The man probably felt his past actions were too foolish and was too embarrassed to admit them to Hashirama.
After thinking it over, Natsuhiko decided this was the most likely reason. Given the complicated relationship between Madara and Hashirama, there were certain things he simply didn't want to say out loud.
Even though Madara was the type who would admit his mistakes without hesitation, he still didn't want something this humiliating to become public knowledge.
Once he had confessed, Madara earned a temporary measure of trust from Natsuhiko. With Hashirama's persuasion, Natsuhiko even agreed to revive him eventually.
However, he made no concessions regarding the Akatsuki organization or Madara's Rinnegan.
This decision confused Madara. Natsuhiko, being straightforward, simply explained his reasoning.
"I need them to gather the Tailed Beasts' chakra. Although my current strength allows me to do almost anything I want, there are many things I cannot simply carry out based on my own whims. The Akatsuki members are useful for handling certain matters."
Madara still didn't fully understand. In his view, someone with Natsuhiko's power could simply take whatever he desired from the entire ninja world.
He had never been Hokage, so he couldn't grasp the constraints of Natsuhiko's system mission. But Natsuhiko's next words helped him understand.
"There's another purpose. I intend to use the Akatsuki's reckless actions to turn them into the public enemy of the ninja world. If they become powerful enough, they will make every village — except Konoha — feel genuine fear.
Under that fear, if we step forward and declare our willingness to fight them together, the ninja world can finally unite.
The threat of the Otsutsuki cannot be handled by us alone. We can deal with one or two, but if more appear, we won't be able to manage. The shinobi need to rely on themselves. While individual strength may not be enough, what if they combine their power with the rest of the ninja world?
A united ninja world would also represent a different kind of peace. The current division exists because villages view each other as enemies. But if they have a common enemy, do you think they will still hold onto their grudges and keep exhausting themselves in endless internal wars?"
Madara finally understood.
Although they could no longer force unification through raw power, there were other ways to bring the villages together.
The main reason for conflict within the ninja world was unbalanced interests and limited development. But at the end of the day, shinobi were still human.
If an external enemy that was not human appeared — one whose goal was the destruction of the world — humanity would naturally unite to resist.
Such unity could, to some extent, balance interests and dissolve old hatreds. After all, if they refused to set aside their differences and fight the external threat together, their fate would be obvious.
"Once they are fully united, we can begin cultural and ideological influence from within to gradually weaken the other villages' independent power. Even if the external enemy disappears, if all shinobi come to see themselves as one family, will wars still break out?"
Cultural influence was something Natsuhiko had always taken very seriously. As a transmigrator, he understood its terrifying effectiveness all too well. He knew exactly what cultural assimilation could achieve.
He had already begun testing this approach with the smaller shinobi villages. While there had been some issues at first, the results were overall positive, and they had gained valuable experience.
After years of preparation, Natsuhiko believed Konoha was now fully capable of carrying out cultural influence operations against the other major villages if needed.
Madara was convinced by his reasoning and stopped pressing the issue of his Rinnegan for the time being.
He had secretly observed Nagato and the others. What surprised him was how completely Nagato seemed to trust Natsuhiko — even the Land of Rain had been drawn into Konoha's sphere of influence.
Madara found it somewhat amusing. Still, no matter how close Nagato grew to Natsuhiko, Madara was determined to take back his eyes. Natsuhiko fully supported this.
"Sometimes people need to face reality. For now, it's fine to leave the eyes with him. When the time is right, we'll tell him the truth. By then, the ninja world should already be at peace, so it will be easier for him to accept."
Peace in the ninja world had always been the shared goal of every Hokage, regardless of their methods or whether they were considered heroes or villains.
Nagato was the same type of person. In the original timeline, once he found his resolve, he had been willing to sacrifice his life to revive everyone in Konoha and entrust his dream to Naruto.
Natsuhiko had no intention of taking Nagato's life. He simply planned to return what belonged to its rightful owner.
He knew it would be a heavy blow for someone who had spent his entire life believing he was the Sage of Six Paths' successor to suddenly learn the Rinnegan was never his. But Nagato needed to confront reality.
"Still, he should be able to accept it. After all, the Land of Rain has already been transformed under my influence, and Yahiko has been revived. That should serve as some form of compensation."
Yahiko had already been brought back to life. Although Natsuhiko treated him primarily as a tool to control Nagato, he did have real value.
For Natsuhiko, the cost of reviving someone had become extremely low. With both Edo Tensei and the One's Own Life Reincarnation, reviving a person was no longer difficult. With Hidan's immortal body and Orochimaru's constant research and improvements, the cost had dropped even further.
Even without any revival-related abilities from his eyes, he no longer needed them.
Since obtaining this revival method, Natsuhiko had revived six people in total: Sakumo Hatake, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Rin Nohara, Yahiko, and Uzumaki Mito.
It looked like a lot, but in reality he had been quite restrained. He had decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would no longer use the technique casually.
He would still give Madara the chance he had promised — both to Hashirama and to Madara himself.
For now, Madara had chosen not to fully revive. He claimed that without his Rinnegan, he couldn't display his true power, so it was better to wait until he retrieved his eyes.
Natsuhiko had no objection. It made little difference to him.
With Madara's situation settled, Natsuhiko felt more at ease.
Although he had unintentionally removed one of the original timeline's major bosses, he didn't see it as a problem. The Akatsuki still had Obito to carry the danger level, so things should remain manageable.
As for Obito's future, Natsuhiko wasn't particularly worried. If necessary, he could protect the boy and place him in the ANBU. After all, even Orochimaru and Kabuto had been allowed to live in the original timeline. Quietly shielding Obito wouldn't be difficult — especially since he was the Hokage.
"Obito's matter can wait. For now, I should focus on handling what's in front of me."
Leaning back in his chair, Natsuhiko stretched lazily. There were still some things that needed his attention — and this particular matter wasn't simple.
Minato Namikaze had finally recovered after thirteen years of treatment. Today, he and Kushina were returning to Konoha.
When Natsuhiko had injected life force into Minato back then, he had deliberately made adjustments so the recovery wouldn't happen all at once. This had given him enough time and cover to complete everything he needed to do.
He had succeeded. The position of Fifth Hokage was his greatest achievement.
Truthfully, Natsuhiko was quite grateful to Minato. Although he had manipulated the situation and his reasons for saving him hadn't been entirely pure, Minato had still given him enormous help.
Natsuhiko knew his own adjustments hadn't been perfectly precise. Even while recovering at Mount Myoboku, Minato's healing speed should have been faster. Yet he had chosen not to return for all these years — in a way, honoring the promise he had once made.
Now that he was back, he posed no threat whatsoever to Natsuhiko's position. Natsuhiko was certain Minato had no such intentions either.
His reason for returning was simple: Naruto was about to graduate from the Academy. As a father, Minato wanted to be there for his son's first step into the shinobi world.
Since Naruto would no longer be under Konoha's constant protection as a student, Minato refused to stay hidden on Mount Myoboku any longer.
As the Fourth Hokage, his return required proper arrangements.
The exact details would depend on their upcoming conversation.
Natsuhiko was leaning toward placing Minato in the ANBU. He had once promised Kakashi he would let him leave, so making Minato the new ANBU commander seemed like the most fitting choice.
However, it remained to be seen how Minato himself would feel about it. If the Fourth Hokage wanted to work as a regular jonin and personally guide Naruto's team, that would create a headache — not because of Minato's choice itself, but because Natsuhiko would then have to find a new ANBU commander.
"Hokage-sama."
Just as Natsuhiko was pondering this, Sora pushed open the office door and walked in.
"The Fourth Hokage and his wife have arrived."
...
"Fourth Hokage, it's been a long time."
Sitting behind his desk, Natsuhiko smiled at Minato and Kushina. Only the two of them had come — Naruto wasn't with them.
Both wore smiles, though Natsuhiko could tell Minato's expression was slightly stiff.
He only needed a moment to understand Minato's current feelings.
The position Natsuhiko now occupied had once belonged to him. Back then, Minato had held the title of Hokage but possessed almost none of the actual authority. Four powerful figures had stood behind him, essentially turning him into a puppet.
Those days had been unpleasant for Minato. Even though he had been happy to be Hokage, the experience had left a lasting impression.
In contrast, Natsuhiko faced none of those problems. All of Konoha's power rested firmly in his hands. He could mobilize any resource he needed, and everyone under him knew he was the only Hokage and would fully support his policies.
Smooth governance — something every Hokage deeply desired.
Minato had never experienced this level of authority during his own time as Hokage, so his envy was understandable.
Still, Minato recovered quickly. He composed himself and nodded with a smile.
"It's been a long time, Fifth Hokage-sama."
"You can just call me Natsuhiko."
Natsuhiko shook his head with a smile. He still held a good impression of Minato. After all, the man had helped him back then.
Natsuhiko considered himself someone with a sense of gratitude, even if his moral boundaries were sometimes flexible.
"Then don't call me Fourth Hokage either. Just Minato is fine."
Minato nodded lightly before continuing.
"I've been reading the newspapers all these years. I know Konoha has developed very well under your leadership. Congratulations, Natsuhiko. You're an excellent Hokage.
I should also congratulate myself. Even though I was a failure as Hokage, at least I chose an excellent successor for Konoha."
Minato was careful with his words. He used "successor" rather than "heir," clearly signaling that he no longer saw himself as part of the current power structure.
He was telling Natsuhiko that he viewed him as an equal — or even someone worthy of respect — rather than a junior. He was also making it clear that he had no lingering ambitions regarding the Hokage position.
Natsuhiko was genuinely surprised. After so many years, Minato had become even more politically astute than during his time as Hokage.
Faced with such words, Natsuhiko could only smile and nod before getting straight to the point.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Minato, do you have any thoughts about your return?"
Natsuhiko sat up straight and lightly tapped the desk. Sora, sitting nearby, nodded and began taking notes.
Minato noticed this. Even while living on Mount Myoboku, he had stayed informed about Konoha's current situation through newspapers and Kakashi.
He knew, for example, how Natsuhiko had restructured the administration by creating clearly defined departments. This had greatly improved efficiency.
To further support the administrative staff, Natsuhiko had even established a new "Secretariat Department." The secretaries there were responsible for coordinating with various departments, another move that boosted productivity.
Even Kakashi had been assigned two secretaries. Minato understood the distinction between personal and administrative secretaries very well.
He truly admired Natsuhiko's creativity. Simply creating this department was something Minato had never considered, let alone the series of policies that followed.
The Uchiha girl sitting here was one of the highest-ranking secretaries in the Secretariat Department — Natsuhiko's personal secretary. The authority she held was considerable.
Her presence and note-taking served as a routine record of the Hokage's words and actions. It was a way for Natsuhiko to protect himself in case any debatable issues arose later.
Of course, for matters that couldn't be discussed publicly, even records wouldn't be brought out.
"Thoughts? I'm not sure."
Minato thought to himself, but he answered seriously.
"I'll follow the Hokage's arrangements. I have no objections."
"Then how about you take over Kakashi's position as ANBU commander?"
Since Minato was being so direct, Natsuhiko saw no reason to be polite.
Making the former Hokage the ANBU commander was, on the surface, a risky move. Given Natsuhiko's own precedent, future Hokage would likely be wary of placing ambitious people in that position.
But Natsuhiko wasn't concerned. His influence over the ANBU was absolute, and his control over Konoha far exceeded what most people could imagine.
The battle against Otsutsuki Urashiki five years ago had earned him genuine recognition and deep respect from every resident of Konoha. To them, Natsuhiko was now on par with — or even greater than — Senju Hashirama.
The title of "God of Shinobi" had been growing stronger around him. Although he had never claimed it, he had never denied it either.
"ANBU commander?"
Minato's expression turned strange.
"Natsuhiko, are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Natsuhiko was direct.
"I don't joke about these things. You can rest assured — I trust your integrity. You've worked with the ANBU before, so the procedures aren't unfamiliar to you. And as the Fourth Hokage, I have full confidence in your abilities.
Don't you want to try this new challenge, Minato?"
Natsuhiko's tone was serious. After thinking for a moment, Minato nodded with some difficulty.
He wasn't particularly good at refusing, and he was also curious. So he asked,
"If I go to the ANBU, what about Kakashi? He's the current commander."
"Kakashi will have his own arrangements."
A small smile appeared on Natsuhiko's face as he tapped the desk.
"What do you think about making him the jonin leader for Naruto's team?"
Assigning Kakashi to lead Naruto's team was a way of returning things closer to how they were originally meant to be.
Natsuhiko was genuinely curious about what kind of dynamic would form between the current Kakashi and Naruto — especially since neither Naruto nor Sasuke was the same as in the original timeline.
Sasuke now had both parents and a loving older brother. His life was happy and complete.
Under these circumstances, what changes would Team 7 undergo? Natsuhiko was looking forward to finding out.
Of course, he had no intention of keeping Sakura on the team. In the original story, Sakura's main role had been to act as a bridge between Naruto and Sasuke. Now that dynamic no longer existed, her presence was unnecessary.
As for who to replace her with, Natsuhiko wasn't worried. Hinata or Karin Uzumaki — whom he had brought back years ago and who had since grown up — would both be far better choices.
Minato was clearly tempted by the idea. Having his own student teach his son felt a bit strange in terms of seniority, but he trusted Kakashi completely. With him around, Naruto would be safe.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Natsuhiko."
"Don't worry. I already have plans."
After sending Minato and Kushina off with a smile, Natsuhiko considered the matter settled.
Kakashi had probably been suffering in the ANBU for years. He had been reluctant to join in the first place. Letting him out now was granting his wish.
Truthfully, there were quite a few relatively pure shinobi in Natsuhiko's circle. But there weren't many who held significant power yet showed little interest in it.
"Sora, contact Kakashi and inform him of the decision."
Despite his scattered thoughts, Natsuhiko quickly gave the order.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Sora smiled and left the office.
The room fell quiet again. Natsuhiko stretched once more.
With Minato's return handled, the basic internal structure of Konoha was finally complete.
All that remained was to wait for time to move forward and for certain necessary events to unfold.
"According to the intelligence, Nagato and the others are probably about to start moving against the Tailed Beasts."
Ever since Yahiko's revival, Nagato had fully aligned himself with Natsuhiko — though he did so as the controller of the Land of Rain.
The main reason for this alignment was Obito's arrival in the Land of Rain.
Obito's operations in the Land of Water had ended. His plan had been both a success and a failure.
It succeeded because he had genuinely thrown the Hidden Mist Village into chaos over the years. Almost every kekkei genkai clan had been severely damaged. Even now, the bloodline clans of Kirigakure were viewed with fear and hatred by many.
But he had also failed. Even without Ao's Byakugan, someone had eventually discovered his flaws. Unfortunately for Kirigakure, the damage was already irreversible by the time he was exposed.
After leaving the Land of Water in failure, Obito naturally came to the Land of Rain — only to be stunned by the changes he found there.
He had never expected Nagato to cooperate with Konoha.
Nagato's attitude toward the matter was extremely calm. According to him:
"The Akatsuki's operations require money. Konoha's actions help the Land of Rain develop its own capabilities, which also generates sufficient funds. Since that's the case, why not cooperate with Konoha and use their money to eventually deal with them?"
This reasoning left Obito speechless. In the end, he had no choice but to compromise.
However, after observing the Akatsuki's current development, Obito made a decision — he ordered Nagato to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts.
Nagato had already informed Natsuhiko about this. Natsuhiko's response was simple: go ahead.
He had no reason to refuse. Even if the timeline had shifted, wasn't that more interesting?
"Besides, five years have passed. The things I obtained from Otsutsuki Urashiki should be ready soon."
Natsuhiko leaned lazily in his chair as sunlight streamed through the window onto him.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his system panel appeared in his vision.
...
Name: Natsuhiko
Gender: Male
Birthday: Konoha Year 34, March 24
Level: Kage-level (system evaluation without using any abilities) (Chakra reserves abnormally vast)
Dojutsu: Jōgan (Second Stage) (Development: 90%)
Bloodline Development: Advanced (Senju Secret Techniques, Intermediate Yang Release Secret Techniques), Kekkei Tōta (Unnamed), Second Kekkei Tōta (Unnamed), Advanced Shikotsumyaku, Intermediate Yin Release Secret Techniques, Yin-Yang Release (can improve alongside Yin and Yang Release)
Jinchuriki: Nine-Tails (Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Six-Tails, Eight-Tails) (Advanced)
Seeds: Origin Power Seed (98%), Ultimate Byakugan Power (99%)
Fruits: Advanced Fire Release Fruit (10), Advanced Water Release Fruit (10), Advanced Earth Release Fruit (10), Advanced Lightning Release Fruit (10), Advanced Wind Release Fruit (10)
Mission: Become the True Big Boss of the Ninja World (Unique) (Progress: 97%), Ten-Tails Jinchuriki (Optional) (Already possesses Nine-Tails, Eight-Tails, Six-Tails, Three-Tails; mutual fusion progress 50%, overall fusion progress not yet activated)