Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 324 Danzo: Congratulations, Fifth Hokage!

“You…” Hiruzen Sarutobi blurted out almost immediately, “Why?”

He anticipated all the reasons why Naruto would refuse, but he never expected Naruto to agree!
However, before everyone could recover from this initial shock, an even more unexpected scene unfolded.

puff!
Standing in the center of the room, "Naruto Uzumaki" suddenly exploded into a cloud of white smoke in full view of everyone, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

"what?"

"Shadow clone?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and the others had expressions of utter astonishment on their faces.

“Grandpa of the third generation, just like you just said.”

A calm voice came from the principal's office door, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

There, at the entrance, stood the real Naruto Uzumaki, with a bewildered Sasuke Uchiha beside him.

"I have fully mastered the basic knowledge and ninjutsu that the school can teach me."

Looking at the surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi, Naruto said with a composure beyond his years: "For me, staying in school is just repeating what I've already learned."

"If I want to become stronger quickly, I can only do what I did today: use shadow clones to replace classes and find additional training methods on my own."

“But doing so would be disrespectful to Mr. Iruka, who teaches diligently, and to the other students who follow the rules. I don’t want to do that.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present was deeply moved.

They never imagined that Naruto would be able to do this much.

No, it's not just Naruto; even Sasuke Uchiha has mastered the Shadow Clone Technique and is just as skilled as Itachi Uchiha back then.

When Itachi Uchiha was 7 years old and in his first year of ninja school, he skipped class using the Shadow Clone Technique, so he was exceptionally admitted to the Ninja Academy and became a genin.

Kakashi Hatake, who graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of 5, is an exception.

Now Sasuke is 10 years old, and Naruto is almost 10 years old. Even if they are not as good as Itachi Uchiha, they are clearly two geniuses.

One awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, and the other mastered the "Diamond Seal".

This level of strength is already far superior to most genin; the only thing lacking is experience.

“Then you don’t need to…” Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously wanted to dissuade Naruto, but considering Kazuma beside him, he swallowed the rest of his words.

"I want to do something for you, for Konoha, for everyone."

Naruto shook his head, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said, "You said that this is a valuable opportunity to deepen the connection between Konoha and the Land of Fire."

"If I can study diligently at the Daimyo's residence and demonstrate the excellent qualities and abilities of a Konoha ninja, I can become a solid bridge connecting the Land of Fire and Konoha."

"To gain the understanding and support of the Daimyo for Konoha, and thus to help you who work tirelessly for the village day and night."

"This is the only thing I can do now."

Clearly, he was lying again.

He attributed his motivation to a desire for growth, which he also wanted to share the burdens of the village and his three generations of grandfathers.

These words were reasonable and full of youthful purity and responsibility, moving everyone present.

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth, but looking into Naruto's clear yet determined eyes, all his words of persuasion stuck in his throat, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Amazed by Naruto's current strength, gratified by the child's maturity beyond his years, and delighted by Naruto's filial piety in thinking of himself.

But more than anything, there was deep worry and helplessness.

How could this happen...? This child is too sensible.

Why must you use your understanding and thoughtfulness at a time like this...?

"What a good child," Kazuma remarked from the side. "Hokage, seeing this, I truly believe it now."

"The bond between you and Naruto is truly stronger than that between grandfather and grandson, even though you are not related by blood. This sincerity is truly touching."

This seemingly sincere praise, however, sounded ironic to Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose mind was in turmoil at the moment, causing his cheek to twitch slightly involuntarily.

"Since Naruto has already expressed his wishes..."

Kazuma didn't give Hiruzen Sarutobi any more time to hesitate. He first looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, then gave Hinata Kumokawa, whose brows were furrowed, a meaningful look.

"Hokage, Clan Chief Kumokawa, regarding Naruto's voluntary trip to the Daimyo's residence for exchange and study, do you two have any other concerns you wish to raise?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Hyuga Kumokawa beside him.

Hinata Kumokawa's brows were furrowed and his lips were pressed into a straight line. He seemed unable to find any valid reason to object and could only remain silent.

Seeing Hyuga Kumokawa's behavior, Hiruzen Sarutobi's reluctance strangely faded a bit.

"Forget it." He sighed inwardly. "Now that things have come to this, forcibly stopping it would only seem suspicious."

Naruto will eventually become a genin and leave the village to carry out missions. We can't let him stay in the village forever. There's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

At least for now, we should go to the relatively safe and heavily guarded Daming Prefecture.

Moreover, temporarily sending him away from Konoha might also help him avoid the secret covetousness and threats of Danzo and the Akatsuki organization. From a security perspective, this might not be a bad thing.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, and the complex expression on his face gradually returned to calm.

"Since this is Naruto's own wish..."

He looked at Kazuma and slowly said, "Then, Konoha has no objections. We can discuss the specific security measures and arrangements for accompanying personnel."

------

As night fell, a desk lamp was lit in the study of the Hyuga Kumokawa residence.

The soft light dispelled the darkness in one corner of the room, bathing the desk in a warm glow.

Several tall bookshelves stood against the wall, neatly displaying scrolls and thread-bound books, and the air was filled with the faint scent of ink and the unique aroma of old paper.

Hinata Kumokawa sat at his desk, an ancient book open in front of him, reading intently. Beside him, half a cup of tea remained, still warm.

Just then, a barely perceptible night breeze gently stirred the gauze curtains by the window.

Hinata Kumokawa's fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused slightly. He looked away from the book and calmly gazed at the open window.

Where the moonlight and lamplight met, a figure seemed to blend into the shadows, appearing silently and without warning.

"It seems I must congratulate you here, for your wish has come true."

The figure slowly emerged from the shadows, his footsteps making no sound, and went straight to the guest seat in front of the desk, his movements as natural as if he were the master of the place.

The newcomer was none other than Shimura Danzo.

"You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?"

His voice was deep and hoarse: "Fifth Hokage."

(End of this chapter)