On October 10, Konoha's jōnin gathered to cast their votes regarding Kizaru's appointment as Hokage.
The result was unanimous.
Kizaru had received the approval of every member of the jōnin council, matching the record once set by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. It was also undeniable proof of just how famous and well-liked Kizaru had become throughout the village.
After all, neither the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, nor the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had received every vote when they assumed office.
As for a certain acting Hokage in the future who would fail to pass the jōnin council's vote of confidence and therefore never formally assume the position...
Kizaru would not name names.
Right, Uncle?
With the village assembly's announcement and the unanimous approval of the jōnin council, Kizaru was already regarded as the next Hokage in the eyes of Konoha's villagers.
To celebrate the appointment of their new Hokage, representatives from numerous shinobi clans, along with many individual ninja, visited the Shimura clan compound bearing carefully prepared gifts for Kizaru.
Naturally, Kizaru and the Shimura clan accepted them all.
At present, Konoha had no rule forbidding someone from accepting gifts upon taking office—especially when that person was about to become Hokage.
More importantly, if Kizaru and the Shimura clan refused the gifts, the clans and shinobi who had brought them would only become uneasy. They might begin wondering whether they or their families had somehow offended Kizaru without realizing it.
It was not only the adults who were preparing gifts.
Several children close to Kizaru had also been swept up in the celebratory atmosphere and begun discussing what they should give him.
"Yahiko, have you come up with anything yet?"
In the park beside the Academy, Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Nonō Yakushi had gathered to discuss their plans.
Yahiko sat atop the railing, while Konan stood beside him, leaning back against it.
Nagato and Nonō sat together on the stone bench in front of them.
"What about sunglasses?" Konan suggested. "We could all chip in and buy Kizaru-nii a new pair."
"I think that's a good idea," Nagato agreed.
Nonō did not say anything, but she quietly nodded.
At the same time, she began calculating how much money she could earn by helping out at the hospital.
"That's too ordinary!" Yahiko protested.
He frowned and rubbed his chin as he tried to think of something rare that would not cost too much—something Kizaru would genuinely enjoy.
While Yahiko was lost in thought, a familiar figure appeared on the park path several dozen meters away.
Shukaku waddled into view with an ice cream cone clutched in one paw.
Yahiko had been staring blankly ahead, but the moment he spotted Shukaku's unmistakable figure, an idea flashed through his mind.
That was it!
They could ask Sasori to help them build a mecha for Kizaru!
Nagato had once told him that after Kizaru confiscated Sasori's first prototype mecha, he had spent quite some time playing with it in the courtyard of Tsunade's house.
Kizaru definitely liked mechas.
Yahiko clenched his right fist and struck it against his open palm.
"I've got it!"
His sudden shout and movement immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Let's ask Sasori to build a custom mecha for Kizaru-nii!"
As he spoke, Yahiko raised his hand and pointed toward Shukaku in the distance.
"Huh?"
"A mecha?"
The others followed the direction of his finger and turned around.
They soon spotted Shukaku waddling along like a penguin while happily eating his ice cream.
"That's right!" Nagato exclaimed excitedly. "Kizaru-nii would definitely love a mecha!"
"But wouldn't that be asking too much of Sasori?" Konan asked worriedly.
"More importantly, do we have enough money to pay for one?" Nonō asked, immediately identifying the biggest problem.
"We can put together enough for a deposit first," Yahiko explained. "Then we'll take on part-time jobs and pay Sasori the rest once we've saved enough."
He jumped down from the railing and waved both arms toward the path.
"Shukaku! Hey, Shukaku!"
Shukaku stopped walking.
He took another lick of his ice cream before turning toward Yahiko and the others.
"What do those brats want now?"
Although he complained under his breath, Shukaku still began walking toward them.
Once he came close enough, he proudly lifted his head.
"Well? What business do you brats have with the great Lord Shukaku?"
After spending three years as his classmates, the four of them had long since grown accustomed to Shukaku's way of speaking and behaving. None of them reacted to his arrogance.
All four wore friendly smiles, though Yahiko's was by far the widest.
Taking the lead, Yahiko walked up to Shukaku.
"Shukaku, do you know where Sasori is?"
"What do you want with him?"
Shukaku regarded the four children with a critical stare.
Sasori was far too kindhearted. Whenever someone came to him with a request, he could never bring himself to refuse.
As Sasori's close friend and fellow mecha enthusiast, Shukaku believed it was his responsibility to protect him from unreasonable demands.
"Kizaru-nii is about to become Hokage," Yahiko explained excitedly, unconsciously waving his hands as he spoke. "We want to ask Sasori to build us a custom mecha so we can give it to him as a present."
"Ohhh?"
Shukaku drew out the sound before taking another lick of his ice cream.
"Do you even have enough money? A mecha built by Sasori costs a fortune."
"We can gather enough to pay him a deposit first," Yahiko replied. "Then we'll work part-time jobs and give Sasori the rest once we've saved it."
Shukaku stared at Yahiko suspiciously, looking him up and down.
"And how much money do you think a bunch of brats like you can earn?"
"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" Yahiko protested.
Yahiko was not merely boasting.
Nearly four years had passed since Kizaru brought him and Konan into the Shimura clan. During that time, they had received the same level of training normally reserved for children born into established shinobi clans.
Although Yahiko was still attending the Academy, he had already mastered two Water Release ninjutsu. In terms of pure combat ability, he was already approaching the level of a chūnin.
Considering his age, there was no question that he could be called a genius.
"Hmph."
Shukaku made a dismissive sound. After finishing the last of his ice cream, he casually tossed the wooden stick onto the ground.
"Even if all four of you came at me together, you still wouldn't stand a chance against Lord Shukaku."
After saying that, Shukaku cast a deliberate glance toward Nagato.
In Shukaku's eyes, the strongest of the four children was undoubtedly Nagato, the boy who possessed the Rinnegan.
Ever since the wilderness survival exercise, Nagato's eyes had remained in the form of the Rinnegan.
However, for the sake of Nagato's health, Kizaru and Tsunade had forbidden him from using its power recklessly.
Even when Nagato wanted to train his Rinnegan, he was only permitted to do so under the direct supervision and guidance of Kizaru or Tsunade.
Kizaru and Tsunade were not the only ones who had recognized Nagato's eyes.
Several of Konoha's senior officials, along with the leaders and elders of the village's oldest and most influential shinobi clans, had also identified them as the Rinnegan.
Very little was known about the Rinnegan, the rarest of the Three Great Dōjutsu.
Most people only knew that it possessed extraordinary power and was almost impossibly rare. There were no known living witnesses who had seen it before, and nearly all information about it came from ancient records.
The sudden awakening of the Rinnegan within Nagato, an orphan of the Uzumaki clan, had shocked Konoha's leadership.
Some believed that the Rinnegan might be connected to the bloodlines of the Uzumaki and Senju clans.
Because of this possibility, Konoha had allocated funds to establish a dedicated research project within its scientific research institute. Its purpose was to investigate the potential connection between the Rinnegan and the bloodlines of the Senju and Uzumaki.
At Kizaru's request, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Hokage's advisor, Danzō Shimura, had also issued strict orders to conceal the news of Nagato's awakening.
As a result, most people in the village had no idea that Nagato's suddenly transformed eyes were the Rinnegan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu.
Shukaku, however, was a tailed beast.
He naturally recognized Nagato's eyes as the same Rinnegan once possessed by the Sage of Six Paths, and he understood just how terrifying their power could become.
"Shukaku," Nagato said calmly, "I'm going to tell Kushina-san that you called her a 'stupid tomato brat.'"
Unable to stand by while his friend was being mocked, Nagato immediately brought out his most effective threat.
Shukaku's expression stiffened.
In the more than three years since he arrived in Konoha, Shukaku had never once managed to defeat Kushina or the Nine-Tails.
For the time being, he had chosen to call it a strategic withdrawal.
Shukaku glared viciously at Nagato, but in the end, he relented.
"What an irritating brat."
After muttering his complaint, Shukaku turned around.
"Fine. Follow me. Sasori is at Secret Base Number Two. I'll take you there."
Without waiting for the four children to respond, Shukaku started walking away.
Delighted, Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Nonō hurried after him.
As the four children and one tailed beast disappeared into the distance, movement came from the woods on the right side of the park.
A feline figure wreathed in blue flames rose from where she had been resting on a tree branch.
A gift?
Perhaps she should prepare one for Kizaru as well.
Matatabi thought back on all the care Kizaru and the Shimura clan had shown her over the past four years.
After a moment of consideration, she made up her mind.
She would prepare a grand gift for Kizaru.
•••
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters!
For every 100 Power Stones, there will be a Extra Chapter!