[Just then, Sakura appeared on the screen, urging Naruto to quickly head to the Hokage's office.]
["Eh? What the heck is going on?!" In the Hokage's office, Naruto exclaimed, pointing at Neji and Lee. "Why…why are bushy-brows and Neji here?! Where's Kakashi-sensei?!"]
["Lee is here in place of Sasuke," Tsunade, sitting in the Hokage's chair, replied.]
Jiraiya, watching Tsunade on the screen, chuckled and said, "So that girl actually became Hokage!"
Shizune, who had also suspected it, was excited to see it revealed on the screen. "Lady Tsunade, look! You really did become Hokage!"
Tsunade, however, showed an impatient expression, covering her forehead and saying, "Give me a break! I never wanted to be Hokage!"
The Third Hokage, also watching, nodded in satisfaction.
Since Tsunade had become Hokage, it meant she'd finally let go of the past.
Naruto was clearly upset, but he just grumbled a bit instead of throwing his usual fit.
Meanwhile, the comment section was abuzz with talk about Tsunade being the next Hokage, plus some gossip about her legendary gambling escapades, when one comment floated by:
["With Tsunade as Hokage, Konoha probably won't get pawned to pay her debts, right?"]
The familiar tone made Tsunade suspect it might be her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, but since she had no proof, she just kept the suspicion to herself.
[Lee gave Naruto a big thumbs-up. "Let's work together!"]
[Naruto didn't respond to Lee's greeting. Hearing Sasuke's name, both he and Sakura went pale, their heads hanging in despair.]
[Seeing this, Shizune said helplessly to Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, please don't mention Uchiha Sasuke in front of them."]
["Still hung up on him, huh?" Tsunade responded, looking exasperated.]
["What's with that reaction?"]
["Probably because a close teammate died."]
"D…died?! Sasuke died?!" Sakura's face filled with disbelief as she stared at Sasuke in shock.
Sasuke was also stunned by Naruto and Sakura's reactions on the screen, plus the comments' speculation, but then a surge of defiance rose within him.
He glared at the screen. "I died! I actually died? Did I at least get my revenge?!"
["No way! Sasuke dying?! He's the top graduate of our class!"]
["Hmph! Naïve. The better you are, the more you're targeted, and the riskier your missions. Death is a normal outcome."]
That answer silenced the Konoha rookies in the room. Naruto, though worried about Sasuke, still put on a defiant face. "Hmph! I don't believe it! Neither I nor Sasuke will die! If Sasuke can't do it, then it's up to Naruto to save him!"
His words were cocky, but they helped calm Sasuke a bit. Sasuke refused to let his future be written like this. "Don't talk big, dead last. I don't need some weakling to save me."
"What did you say?!" Naruto exploded, but Kakashi held his head down to keep him seated.
Meanwhile, a resting Itachi also noticed the conversation, though his expression didn't change. Inside, he did worry about Sasuke's safety.
[After a brief moment of gloom, Naruto quickly pulled himself together and asked Tsunade loudly, "Then what about Neji?!"]
["He's here in place of Kakashi. Kakashi and Gai have joined the intercept team and already left for the front lines. Neji is acting as temporary leader of Team Seven," Tsunade calmly explained.]
["Man, this Hokage sure has a soft side—answering Naruto's every question like that. If it were our village, he'd have been thrown out already!"]
["She's got no Hokage backbone at all. Konoha's weaker with every generation!"]
["Nonsense! Lady Tsunade is kind and close to her subordinates. It shows how strong the bonds are in Konoha. Unlike your villages, where everyone's treated like a tool."]
["Ninjas don't need bonds. Haven't you read the ninja code? Try saying that in front of your higher-ups!"]
["You…"]
["Can we not kill the mood with this kind of talk?!"]
["Why is it this guy!" Naruto said resentfully, glancing at Neji.]
[Tsunade, unfazed, hit him with a harsh truth: "Neji is a Jonin now. By the way, Naruto, you're still just a Genin."]
Naruto clutched his head in disbelief and screamed. "No way! I'm still a Genin?!"
Lee, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "So I'm a Chunin now! I'm an independent ninja already!"
Gai cried so hard his nose was running. He hugged Lee tightly. "That's right, Lee! As long as you keep working hard, you'll become a great ninja. Youth will never wither!"
"Gai-sensei!!"
Watching the tearful teacher-student moment, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, and Tenten all averted their eyes, unable to watch. Kakashi just sighed deeply with his eyes closed.
Even though making Chunin at fifteen or sixteen was impressive, Neji being a Jonin was definitely more worth celebrating!
[Neji raised his chin arrogantly and concluded, "Hmph, that's just how it is."]
[Naruto couldn't change the team assignments, so he demanded to go to the front lines and prove himself, but Tsunade assigned Team Seven to protect an important person, which left Naruto dissatisfied.]
["Stop whining! Listen carefully!!" Fortunately, Sakura had a special move for Naruto and silenced him with a few shouts.]
["The invasion has already lasted several days. The enemy has been ravaging the borders as they advance. The so-called Ghost Army has been confirmed as a type of puppet technique," Tsunade continued explaining the mission.]
["So they have no souls, just controlled puppets," Sakura interjected.]
["The Land of Demons is so close to the Land of Wind, and since Sunagakure is famous for puppets, do you think Mōryō is actually their plot and Yomi is just a disguised Sand ninja?"]
["Stop blaming everything on Sunagakure! Other places have puppet users too—don't just throw accusations around!"]
["Come on, you people with no idea about the real situation! Mōryō's story is already known to the higher-ups of all nations."]
(To be continued)