[After a day of grueling practice , Konohamaru felt he had mastered the technique. Finally, they were intercepted by Ebisu.
"Sexy Jutsu!"
Konohamaru unleashed his new technique, transforming into a woman shrouded in mist. Ebisu's face turned beet red upon seeing it, but he managed to hold back the nosebleed and remained standing. The technique had failed to defeat him.
"Damn it!" Konohamaru stomped his foot in frustration.
At this moment, Naruto stepped in.
"Watch and learn. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto combined his clones with the transformation.
"Harem Jutsu!"
POOF!
Dozens of beautiful women appeared, surrounding the unsuspecting instructor. The combined power was too much. Ebisu launched into the air like a rocket, blood spraying from his nose in a magnificent arc.
"Damn it! I still couldn't even defeat that four-eyed closet pervert!"
Konohamaru fell to his knees, punching the ground. "I want to obtain the title of Hokage recognized by everyone as soon as possible! So why am I so weak?!"]
["How could it be that simple?"
Naruto's voice cut through the boy's tantrum. The screen zoomed in on Naruto's face, usually so goofy, now serious and somber.
"The strongest Ninja recognized by everyone in the village is the Hokage."
"I've messed up a lot in the past. People looked at me with cold eyes. But I still managed to get one person to recognize me. Just that alone was hard enough... you have to be prepared."
Naruto pointed at his own chest, then at Konohamaru.
"There are absolutely no shortcuts if you want to gain everyone's recognition and become the Hokage!"]
Naruto looked at Konohamaru and spoke his own truth; a brat's dreams are always naive. But Naruto knew exactly what kind of hardship and effort were required to achieve those dreams.
Just getting Iruka alone to recognize him was a mountain to climb. Wanting all the adults to change their views? That was a journey of a thousand miles.
The scene was underscored by moving music, flashing back to the cold glares of the villagers, and finally ending on Iruka's warm smile.
Brilliant sunlight filtered through the trees, falling on Naruto's determined face, making him look unexpectedly mature and heroic.
[Wuwuwu, it really hasn't been easy for Baby Naruto! My heart hurts.]
[Reading smutty books in the bookstore, using the Transformation Jutsu to peep in the bathhouse—who said Naruto was pure? Come out and fight me!]
[Could someone who developed the Sexy Jutsu know nothing at all? He's a little demon.]
[Haters, speak up! Where are you now?]
[To be fair, Naruto is dense about romantic feelings, not ignorant about the female body. There's a difference.]
[Calling you out, Closet Perv.]
[Closet Perv: Fine, fine, fine, it's about me again, right? This planet is doomed.]
[That's definitely something the Pervy Sage would say.]
[Hahahaha, dying of laughter. Naruto just punched the Hokage's grandson and got away with it.]
[Why did only Naruto get hit?!]
[Because Konohamaru is the Third's grandson. Privilege is real. Only the civilian orphan gets the fist.]
[Tsk, how pitiful. The double standard is obvious.]
[Even though the beating was tragic, it was really funny.]
[You can see that Naruto really taught him with his heart. He didn't treat him like a prince.]
[Konohamaru learns fast too, but Naruko is still the cutest.]
[The prejudice in people's hearts is a great mountain; it's very hard to get people who dislike you to recognize you.]
[Right now, only Iruka recognizes Naruto. It's lucky though. If not for Iruka, the Ninja World would be doomed.]
[It's okay, once Naruto saves their ungrateful lives later, they'll recognize him.]
[One can only say that the mountain in people's hearts is hard to move, but not impossible.]
[Naruto's awareness is high! It's not that "If I become Hokage, everyone will acknowledge me," but "The one who is acknowledged by everyone becomes Hokage." That's the core difference!]
Watching Naruto's words on the screen, the villagers of Konoha felt their views shift slightly.
They could clearly see the disparity: when Naruto and Konohamaru did the exact same things, everyone criticized Naruto while giving Konohamaru a pass.
Perhaps they didn't realize it when they were in the thick of it, blinded by their bias. But stepping back and seeing the objective footage on the Sky Screen, the hidden malice of the village was exposed for all to see.
[Tsunade: No wonder he could become Jiraiya's disciple; he's also a little pervert. Like teacher, like student.]
[Jiraiya: Tsunade, you can't put it like that. Naruto only did it to research Ninjutsu. It's for science!]
[Tsunade: He's researching vulgarity at such a young age! Old Man, the education at the Academy is a disaster. You need to fix this.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Sigh... I am old. I cannot manage everything. Which of you two is coming back to succeed me? The hat is waiting.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the screen and thought of his students. Originally, Orochimaru was the most promising candidate, a genius among geniuses. But his dark experiments meant he was destined for the bingo book, not the Hokage monument.
Now, Hiruzen could only set his sights on Jiraiya and Tsunade, hoping one of them would step up to take over the mantle.
However, the silence was deafening.
"Hiruzen!"
Deep in the shadows of Konoha, within the underground base of the Root organization, Danzo Shimura slammed his cane onto the floor. His exposed face was contorted with rage.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking for a successor, he hadn't considered Danzo at all. He only focused on his students.
"Jiraiya and Tsunade are just two immature brats who ran away from their responsibilities! How could they lead Konoha? I am the only one suitable!"
"Hiruzen... you really have grown old. Your eyes are failing you. You are too soft to see the truth!"
Danzo hissed into the darkness, seemingly unaware that he was the same age as Hiruzen. If the Third was too old, then Danzo was certainly no spring chicken either.
[Tsunade: Don't look at me. I have no interest in that cursed job.]
[Jiraiya: Old man, you know me. I'm a wanderer. I don't have time to sit behind a desk.]
Tsunade refused flatly. And since Tsunade wasn't going back, Jiraiya naturally wouldn't either.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and said nothing more in the chat. If they could be persuaded to return, they would have come back years ago.
The other Kage remained silent. Although the Sexy Jutsu scene was ripe for mockery, Naruto's final speech—about the hardships of gaining recognition—had silenced them. It was the kind of wisdom that resonated even with hardened leaders.
Furthermore, if they spoke now, Hiruzen would inevitably twist the conversation to praise Naruto's "Will of Fire," gaining political points for Konoha. They wouldn't give the Professor that satisfaction.
[On the screen, after saying goodbye to Konohamaru, Naruto returned to his empty apartment.
The scene shifted. The sun rose on a new day. Naruto woke up early, buzzing with energy. Today was the day he officially became a Genin—team assignments were today. He couldn't be late.
He grabbed a cup of instant ramen and poured in some milk for breakfast.]
[Naruto is so cute in his pajamas!]
[Wait... send a link for that nightcap.]
[Don't drink it, Naruto! Stop!]
[The first omen of disaster appears.]
[The milk has expired! Look at the date!]
[How does expired milk taste, Naruto? Is it chunky?]
[It hurts to watch. He has to drink expired milk for breakfast. Old man Third, look at what you've done!]
[RIP Naruto's stomach. In a moment, he is going to have the runs like crazy.]
[I have to say, this might be the moment Naruto regrets most in his life.]
[Debuff applied: Expired Milk.]
[To be fair, you can't blame the Third for Naruto drinking expired milk. The allowance the Third gave Naruto was enough for living, even with extra for ramen. The milk expired entirely because Naruto is a slob and forgot to check the date.]
[That's debatable. Naruto has money, but do the people of Konoha sell things to him fairly? Rumor has it they sell him defective products or items near their expiration date at triple the price.]
[I haven't seen a source for the 'selling expired goods' theory, but the price hiking? That's definitely happening.]