I don't own Naruto.

Hello everybody. How are you all doing? I hope everyone is doing fine. I'm doing great. I absolutely love London and the people who I work with. Lots of wonderful and interesting people so that's great. Training so far is tough but I'm enjoying myself. Luckily there are two other new people who just starting their training so we have a lot of fun. Alright that's enough talking about work.

Thank you all for the reviews and for reading. This chapter is mainly about character development and the beginning of new era in this story. Like I said before the next few chapter will be about the six months until Naruto leaves with Jiraiya. I think there will be about three more chapters until that event. Depends on what kind of ideas I come up with. If you have suggestions or remarks don't hesitate to PM me. If I like your idea I'll send you a message so we can work out some details together.

Now I have a question for you all.

I'm looking for a cool name for Naruto's sword. For those of you who know Japanese; please send it in Japanese. But for those who don't know Japanese (the most of you I guess) just send it in English. Doesn't matter if you think it's silly or already done, I'll might be able to use and combine some ideas into one name. Thank you in advance to everyone who helps out.

That's all I've got to say this time. Enjoy the chapter and let me know how it was.


Chapter 28: A new Hokage

Uchiha Sasuke was staring out the window with a pissed off look on his face. He had woken up that very morning feeling like crap. According to the nurse that had cleaned him up (much to his embarrassment), he had been in a comatose condition for several weeks and it was only thanks to Tsunade-sama that he was awake. While she was helping him into a pajama (again much to his embarrassment) she told him that Namikaze Naruto and Jiraiya of the Sannin had convinced her to come back to the village and that according to the rumors she was going to be the Godaime Hokage. Sasuke tuned her out after that, as he was too angry at hearing that the 'dobe' of the class had succeeded in bringing back a woman who was famous for leaving the village swearing she would never return.

After she was done the nurse left him alone in his room saying that if he needed anything, she was only a press of a button away. This left Sasuke to think how he had gotten into this predicament. After racking his brain a bit he remembered what had happened and a scowl appeared on his face. Itachi had come back to the village and was not even interested in him. Sasuke had noticed how strange Kakashi had acted at the Dango shop and on a whim, he decided to follow him. Imaging the surprise when he saw his older brother, the one who had killed all those Sasuke held dear standing there right in front of him, like he was challenging him to attack. He was about to attack his brother when he heard Itachi say that he wasn't interested in him but instead wanted to know where Naruto was. That had shocked Sasuke more than anything and it angered him even more and he could not hold it back any longer.

To his surprise Itachi did not even move a muscle and just stood there waiting for him to strike. When Itachi grabbed his wrist and pulled him close Sasuke could not believe the difference in power between the two of them. The 'Chidori' was his ultimate attack and his brother stopped it like it was nothing not only that but it seemed Itachi was bored beyond anything. Then the pain came, a broken wrist was painful enough but when he looked into Itachi's eye things just got worse.

Small flashback

"Do you know why you're weak my foolish little brother?" Itachi whispered in his ear. Sasuke was on his knees holding his broken wrist trying to bite the pain. "It's because you lack hatred. Maybe this will help you improve a bit."

Sasuke who couldn't help but look up at that statement looked right into Itachi's Sharingan. But this wasn't the same Sharingan as before, his Sharingan had changed and Sasuke found it impossible to avert his eyes. Next thing he knew he was standing in front of the scene he had witnessed all those years ago. Standing there was a younger Sasuke, his parents lying dead on the floor and a younger Itachi who just sheathed his Anbu sword.

"Welcome to the world of 'Tsukiyomi', my foolish little brother." A voice said. "In here I control what happens. Do you remember this Sasuke? Yes, this isn't a Genjutsu or an illusion but my very memory of that night."

"W-what is going on here?" Sasuke stammered not wanting to see the murder of his parents again.

"This is a gift from me to you. To ensure you'll get stronger and that you won't forget what happened that night." The voice answered. "In this world I control everything and for the next 72 hours you'll witness the death of our beloved father and mother over and over again."

To Sasuke's horror, the scene changed and he saw how his older brother killed his mum and dad without hesitating and remorse. Repeatedly the scene replayed and Sasuke could help but let out a scream. This was torture beyond anything he had ever imagined, to see his parents getting murdered like he was there was just too much for the young boy and he fell to his knees and sobbed loudly.

"71 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds remaining." The voice said and Sasuke screamed out in horror.

In the real world, only a fraction of a second had past but when Kakashi and the other Jounin heard Sasuke scream and collapse, they knew something was very wrong. To Sasuke however the world had turned black and he slipped into a comatose condition.

End Flashback

Sasuke shook his head hoping to forget the horrors he had seen during his brother's attack. He instead focused on the fact that his brother was searching for Naruto and wondered what was so special about the blond shinobi. Just thinking about him pissed Sasuke off; the blond shinobi had changed so much in the last year that it was almost like he was a whole new person. Every since he started training with that purple-haired woman Naruto had undergone a transformation. He still remembered the day he encountered them in that shinobi only shop where Naruto told him that he defeated a Chuunin level shinobi and that he was granted his Genin status because of it. At that time, he didn't know it but now he knew the Chuunin was Mizuki, one of their Academy teachers. The man was not that powerful but he was a Chuunin nonetheless, Sasuke had no doubt he could beat him now but wondered if he could have beaten him when he came straight out of the academy. The important thing was that since that day in the shop Sasuke had seen the change in the 'dobe' and it made him nervous.

'How did Naruto get so strong in so little time?" He furiously thought.

After that he didn't see Naruto for quite some time, actually it wasn't until the first test of the Chuunin exam that he saw Naruto again and he could see that Naruto had gotten stronger. He even had heard some rumors that one of the C-rank missions that Naruto and Team 8 had done turned into a higher rank and that they had faced and defeated an incredible powerful nukenin. Although he didn't want to believe it at that time it was confirmed later on that Naruto had defeated and killed one of the 'Onikyoudai', Chuunin from the Mist and Momochi Zabuza, a high level Jounin.

'I can't believe he defeated an A-rank Nukenin. How did he get so powerful?" Sasuke scowled.

But it was during Naruto's match with Gaara that he saw a bit of Naruto's true power. The technique that he used was devastatingly powerful, it not only destroyed the sand shield that covered Gaara but also blow him away into the wall. Moreover, Kakashi's proclamation that the 'Rasengan' was vastly superior to the 'Chidori' in terms of power angered Sasuke even more. However, the invasion had been a great way to test his strength against strong adversaries and he proved to himself that he too was strong by defeating several of the invading shinobi. It didn't matter to him that he ignored or disobeyed an order from a superior; all he wanted was to fight and to get stronger. When most of the shinobi were defeated he had turned his attention to the fight between Orochimaru and the Sandaime, he had hoped to copy some jutsu with his Sharingan but because of all the fighting he had used all his chakra and was unable to activate his Sharingan any longer. When he saw Naruto break through the barrier that had stopped several Anbu he cursed loudly, once again the 'dobe' had managed to surpass him and it started to piss him off.

'That fight was beyond anything I could or can do. The jutsu, the taijutsu, Kenjutsu everything was above my level.' Sasuke was so angry that he didn't notice that the cursed seal Orochimaru gave him in the forest of death had started to spread slightly.

Seeing Naruto fight side by side with the Sandaime, defeating the Shodaime and Nidaime and eventually Orochimaru himself had confirmed everything. The 'dobe' was anything but a 'dobe' instead he was promoted to chuunin together with that lazy Nara while he, an Uchiha, had been berated for disobeying an order. The final insult was when Naruto's parenthood was revealed to the village. The fact that Naruto was the son of the famous Yondaime Hokage seemed to make Naruto very popular all off a sudden.

'They used to treat him like dirt and now they fall on their knees for him.' Sasuke sneered.

Although this wasn't the truth, Sasuke saw it that way. Many people had been reconsidering their feelings about Naruto but many of the older people in the village were still wary around him. Son of the Yondaime or not he still had the Kyuubi sealed inside him and this made him dangerous. Still they figured that it wouldn't be a good idea to openly show their hostility towards Naruto as he had been gotten more popular with the younger crowed. The help Naruto provided after the invasion had helped a great deal in convincing people that he wasn't the Kyuubi after all. Sasuke continued to think and getting angry until a voice came from the doorway.

"Yo." Kakashi said lazily. He had been observing Sasuke for a few minutes and what he saw didn't impress him. Apparently, Sasuke's anger was so great that it prevented him from noticing his surroundings, something that could get a shinobi killed. Kakashi didn't have to ask why Sasuke was so angry, it was written on his face and it showed in his eyes.

"Hn. What do you want?" Sasuke said with some malice in his voice.

"I'm glad that you're awake, Sasuke. You got us worried there for a moment." Kakashi said while entering the room.

"Whatever." Sasuke just turned his head back to the window and stayed silent.

"Yes well, I came here to tell you that you'll be able to leave the hospital in a few days. Also starting then you'll be part of a special unit designed to defeat the group called Akatsuki." Kakashi said knowing that this would interest Sasuke.

"Akatsuki? What's that?" Sasuke said curiously.

"Akatsuki is a group of S-rank Nukenin, one of whom is your brother and the man you saw next to him. We don't know their goal but it's safe to say that they are a threat to Konoha." Kakashi shrugged.

When Sasuke heard that Itachi was part of this group he immediately agreed to join this group of elite fighters. He could already imagine the things he would learn while training with such a group. But he would have to make perfectly clear that Itachi was his to kill. He wouldn't allow anyone else that privilege. After all, only an Uchiha can defeat and kill an Uchiha. They were the elite of the elite, everyone knew that. He could already see Naruto's face when he told him that he was selected for a special unit.

'Beat that dobe.' He smirked.

"Meet us at training ground at six am when you get out. You will be training with Team 8, Team 10, Team Gai, Sakura and Naruto in physical training, ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu." Kakashi continued.

"Wait a minute, you mean that this special unit is made out of Genin?" Sasuke all but shouted.

"That's right; Hokage-sama selected our teams personally saying that all of you have the potential to become strong enough to deal with S-ranked Nukenin." Kakashi said smiling although his mask covered it.

'This can't be happening. Just when I thought I surpassed Naruto.' Sasuke thought, his anger coming back in full force.

"Oh, one last thing Sasuke. You are forbidden to use the Sharingan to copy Jutsu or any techniques from your fellow members of your group." Kakashi said seriously.

"WHAT!? You can be serious?" Sasuke said loudly.

"I'm very serious Sasuke. Copying jutsu from enemies is one thing but to steal them from your friends and allies is a whole other thing. Trust me when I say that even I don't copy jutsu from fellow Konoha shinobi. To do so would not only be dishonorable but it would be an insult to those who worked hard to master those techniques and jutsu." Kakashi explained hoping Sasuke would understand what he was trying to say.

"So how do you expect me to learn new jutsu and get stronger? Huh?" Sasuke said glaring at his sensei.

"By learning them like you did before you acquired the Sharingan. By practicing and training, then and only then will you truly master them." Kakashi patiently said. "Besides Naruto and the rest won't allow you to copy their jutsu anyway."

By now, Sasuke was fuming mad, first he heard that he would have to work and train with Naruto and the rest of those loser shinobi and then they forbade him from using his Sharingan, his birthright. Who cares if he copied a few jutsu? He was an Uchiha and the Sharingan was part of him. He would have to start thinking that they wanted to hinder him in his quest of getting stronger. This was preposterous in his opinion.

"Sasuke, I know you like to depend on your Sharingan but you really should learn how to fight without it. If you're strong enough to fight without it then you'll be twice as strong when you do use it." Kakashi said seeing how mad his student was getting. He really hoped that Sasuke would adapt and learned to work with the rest of the genin. Together they would be a force to be reckoned with but they needed flawless teamwork if they wanted to go against the Akatsuki. "Think about what I said okay?"

Sasuke didn't bother to acknowledge Kakashi's parting and just continued to brood while staring out the window. Things were spiraling out of control and he needed to get back on track. He figured he could give this 'special unit' a chance seeing that Kakashi and the rest of the Jounin sensei were the best in their field so he should be able to pick up some useful stuff. But once he had learned everything they offered he would have to find another way to get stronger.

By the time Naruto and his team had finished eating it had already gotten dark so they decided to go home for the night. Tomorrow would come soon enough and to be honest most of them were still tired and hurting from Gai's training that morning. After saying their goodbye's Anko and Naruto linked hands and walked towards Anko's apartment. Naruto however had been thinking about moving into the home his parents left him in their will. While nobody had lived there for a very long time Sandaime had someone clean it every once in a while so that when Naruto decided to move into the house it would be ready for him. While he loved Anko's apartment he found it to be a waste of time to pay rent every month while he had a house where they could live. Now that his heritage had been announced and most of the shock had passed perhaps it was time to take the next step. When they arrived at the apartment Naruto opened the door and went inside still holding his girlfriends hand.

"Ne, Anko-chan I've been thinking about something." Naruto said not really knowing how to begin on the subject.

"Thinking? About what?" Anko asked.

"You know that my mum and dad left me their house right?" Naruto asked to which Anko just nodded. "How would you feel about living there?"

"You want to move out? What about the apartment?" She asked curiously. She rather liked her place, it was cozy, not to big but not small either and with Naruto here it finally felt like home.

"Don't get me wrong, I love this place but it seems kind of silly to pay rent when we can live together in a house don't you think?" he shrugged.

"I'm all for it though I think it would be better if we visit the house first don't you think? Do you know where it is?" Anko asked.

"Yeah, Ji-chan told me where it located and that he paid for a Genin team to clean it up every once in a while over the years." Naruto nodded. "Still, it couldn't hurt to check it out before we make a permanent decision."

Anko nodded and hugged Naruto close, she knew how much this house meant for him. It was the house he was supposed to grow up in, a place he could call home with his parents but unfortunately Kyuubi had destroyed that possibility when it attacked Konoha. She also knew that moving there would be an emotional happening and she vowed to talk about it with him later on. It could wait until they had seen the state of the house. They spend the evening just the two of them, talking and enjoying each other's company knowing that in six months Naruto would have to leave on his training trip. They vowed to treasure the time they had together in the coming months.

The next morning training went its normal way with Gai yelling about the youthfulness of the genin and pushing them past their limits with his special training he had made for them. The kids however wanted nothing more than sit down and rest once they felt the pain in their muscles. Still they pulled trough and Gai congratulated them for making it through the first part of his training. Sakura, Ino, Chouji and TenTen were horrified and could only imagine what the other parts would be and shivered in fear. The others weren't surprised at hearing about a second part but still weren't very enthusiastic about it either. None of them dared to ask what the second part of the training was however.

At 8h30 however Ino, Sakura and Hinata had to leave for the hokage tower to meet with Tsunade concerning their medical training. Gai gave them the thumbs up and praised their youthfulness to the heavens shouting loudly saying that Konoha's future was in their youthful hands making all of them wonder about his sanity. The three girls hurried out of the training grounds glad to be away from the self-proclaimed 'Green Beast of Konoha'. When they arrived at the tower Sakura, Ino and Hinata were starting to get nervous about the meeting. They would be meeting one of the legendary Sannin and discuss a possible training program for them. They weren't like Naruto who seemed to meet legends of the Shinobi world on regular basis so they were understandably a little worried. After entering the tower Hinata went over to the lady at the front desk and told her that they had a meeting with Tsunade at nine to which the lady just motioned them to proceed and knock on the door. Together they stood in front of the door and gulped once before Sakura knocked politely. After receiving the ok to come inside she opened the door and simultaneously they stepped inside.

"Ah good morning girls. Tsunade told me about your meeting with her last night. She'll be here any minute so why don't you sit down for a moment." Sandaime said noticing how nervous the girls were.

"Good morning Hokage-sama." They said sitting down.

"Really girls, there's nothing to be nervous about. Take Naruto for example, he never gets nervous around me." Sandaime said with a smile.

"Yes but Naruto is hardly a normal person is he?" Hinata said laughing a bit making the Sandaime laugh loudly. She knew about the closeness Sandaime and Naruto shared.

"You might be right there Hinata. He has always treated me like a grandfather instead of the leader of this village. In fact, I don't think he has ever called me 'Hokage-sama' in all these years." Sandaime said with a pensive look on his face. Sakura and Ino, who had always wondered why Naruto and the Hokage were so close, figured it was because Naruto was the son of the legendary Yondaime so they didn't question it any further. Just then the door opened again and Tsunade and Shizune entered the room making the three girls jump up from their seat greeting both of the women.

"Good morning Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san." The three of them said together.

"Well, I'm glad to see that the three of you aren't like a certain other blonde Chuunin we know." Tsunade said glad that they at least showed her respect.

"Come now Tsunade-sama, you know Naruto-kun doesn't mean anything when he calls you Tsunade-Baachan', that just how he is." Shizune said trying to defend Naruto.

"Yeah yeah whatever, enough about the gaki. Now you two must be Sakura and Ino right?" getting affirmative nods Tsunade continued. "Hinata here told me that you're interested in becoming a medic Nin just like her, is that correct?" another nod. "Very well, tell me why you would think I should teach you?" she said pointed at Hinata.

"Well, I've always enjoyed making medicine from herbs ever since I was a little girl. But it wasn't until Naruto told me that a shinobi isn't just someone who kills or injures people that I started considering becoming a medic Nin. I told him that I don't enjoy hurting other people and that maybe I should quit being a shinobi." She said recalling the incident making her chuckle a bit. "He sure told me that day. He was furious at me for giving up so fast without trying and said that if I didn't like hurting people then I should learn healing them instead. Ever since that day I've tried to become the best kunoichi I can be, becoming a medic Nin isn't just a dream anymore, it has become one of my goals in life." Hinata finished proudly.

"Yes, the Gaki has a way with words doesn't he?" Tsunade said smiling. She too had received one of Naruto's life changing speeches after all. Hinata agreed with a smile and a nod. "Alright how about you, Sakura?"

"I didn't get one of Naruto's speeches like Hinata but I guess the reason why I want to become a medic Nin is that I too want to keep my friends and family safe. If I can become a medic Nin then I can help my teammates and friends when they're hurt making sure that they come back home to me. To be honest, until the Chuunin exams I was a useless fangirl chasing after Sasuke-kun but I made a promise to Hinata-chan that I would change and become a kunoichi worthy of Konoha." Sakura said softly. She was a bit ashamed to talk about her fangirl period but she needed to show that she had changed for the better, not only to Tsunade but also to Hinata.

"So you want to keep those you love safe and out of harm?" Tsunade asked. "Very well and last but not least Ino?"

"My reason is about the same as Sakura, Tsunade-sama. Like her, I was chasing Sasuke instead of trying to be the best kunoichi I could be. I've been trying to rectify that ever since the Chuunin exams. My teammates are my friends and I want them to be safe and if I become a medic Nin then I can make sure that none of them ever leave me." Ino said with confidence.

"Very good reasons indeed but I have one last question for the three of you." Tsunade said leaning back in her seat. "Do you have what it takes to complete this training?" she held up her hand showing she wasn't done yet. "Let me tell you girls that being a medic Nin isn't that simple. There will be times where you won't be able to help those in need. That no matter what you do there will be times that you won't be able to save your patient. Can you handle the responsibility of having to take decisions that could mean life or death? This is the duty and curse of a medic Nin, now tell me can you handle that?"

A loud 'YES' from the three girls was the answer and Tsunade smiled while looking at Shizune who nodded. They had been impressed with the three girls and their decision was clear. They would train them to be the next generation medic Nin, they would entrust the future of Konoha to them by teaching them everything they knew. Slowly Tsunade stood up and walked in front of the girls who looked up at Tsunade.

"Your training starts tomorrow. Be at the hospital at four pm, Shizune will take care of your training in the beginning but as you progress you'll be entrusted with working at the hospital. When I deem you ready I'll take over from Shizune and train you myself. You girls better be ready because we'll work you to the bone, do I make myself clear?" Tsunade finished loudly.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." The three yelled out equally loud.

"Very well, you're dismissed." Tsunade said. The girls nodded and bowed to Sandaime and the two women and left the office.

A loud 'YES, WE DID IT!' was heard a few seconds later making Tsunade, Shizune and Sandaime chuckle. Tsunade liked the three girls and thought that if they would be able to finish the necessary training they would be wonderful medic Nin and a valuable asset to Konoha. Becoming a medic Nin was hard and not a lot of people would be able to complete the training.

"They certainly are motivated aren't they?" Shizune said smiling.

"The three of them have made an enormous change over the past year." Sandaime said while taking out his pipe much to Tsunade's displeasure.

"Let me guess, the Gaki played a role in their transformation." Tsunade said while waving her hand to prevent the smoke from reaching her.

"Indirectly yes, he forced Hinata to confront her own feelings and in turn she forced Sakura to face her own feelings. Ino and Sakura however were rivals for years but everything changed after the Chuunin exams." Sandaime said. "Ino was defeated by Uchiha Sasuke in the preliminaries where he attempted to use a Katon jutsu against her. It seems she took his aggressive nature very badly and her feelings for the young man seemed to have lessened a great deal."

"You know, I haven't heard much good about this Sasuke. Do you think he'll be trouble?" Tsunade inquired.

"Sasuke is obsessed with killing his brother and the trauma he suffered all those years ago make him rather unstable. I hope that he learns to open up to the rest of the genin but I'm afraid that won't be so easy." Sandaime sighed.

"Maybe we should let Naruto-kun talk to him?" Shizune said half jokingly half-serious.

"Unfortunately that would prove to be even harder. Sasuke and Naruto have a complicated history together. During their academy days Sasuke was the best in class while Naruto, though not his fault was dead last. Naruto saw Sasuke as a rival, someone he wanted to surpass but Sasuke refused to acknowledge Naruto in any way. Then Naruto started training with Anko and got much stronger in only six months. That he not only surpassed Sasuke and became a Chuunin before him must have been a huge shock to Sasuke and it resulted in him starting to dislike Naruto even more, maybe even hating him." Sandaime explained to Tsunade and Shizune.

"The fact the dead last surpassed the 'Rookie of the year' must have been a tough nut to swallow for someone like Sasuke." Tsunade agreed.

"We'll see what happens but you should know that Orochimaru has taken an interest in Sasuke and even gave him a cursed seal. This alone is reason for worrying but as long as he doesn't do anything that could endanger Konoha there's nothing we can do." Sandaime said.

"Of course, Orochimaru has always been jealous of the Uchiha for their capability to copy Jutsu." Tsunade said understanding why her ex-teammate would be interested in Sasuke.

"Let's leave this subject for another time. Are you ready for tonight? No doubt rumors have already filled the village about you coming back." Sandaime said making Tsunade groan.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Tsunade sighed. She didn't look forward to the announcement that she would become the Godaime.

Sandaime nodded and together they started looking over the preparations they had made for the ceremony. The council had accepted Tsunade as Godaime the night before and to Sandaime surprise none of them had any problems with her taking the position of Hokage. In the evening the rest of the village would know who their new leader would be and Sandaime hoped that everything went fine as well. The whole village would be assembled, shinobi and civilians included.

For the genin time went fast, between training with the other teams and their own training the day was over before the genin realized it. The afternoon training was cut short so everyone could get ready for the ceremony that would take place later that evening. The girls needed time to put on their best kimono and though the men needed less time to get ready they too were dismissed to get ready. Anko and Naruto returned to her apartment after Kurenai and Anko had a small disagreement about what Anko would wear. Kurenai wanted that her friend put on her best kimono while Anko wanted nothing more than going in her usual outfit saying that she wasn't a kimono girl. It took Naruto's help saying that he enjoyed seeing Anko in a kimono to get her to agree and even that had been a huge victory for both Kurenai and Naruto.

When they all were ready and assembled they travelled in group to the place where Tsunade would be announced as the Godaime Hokage. On the way there fellow shinobi and villagers joined them and the atmosphere was somewhat tense but enjoyable. The village had recovered from the invasion and things were going great so none of them were worried about the Sandaime's announcement. Of course the fact that rumors could be heard about Tsunade's return could have contributed to this. As shinobi the group managed to get a prime location and together the group waited for the Sandaime to make his appearance on the stage. People were talking loudly about what they thought was going to happen and Naruto had to stifle a laugh and a grin when he heard some of the more outrageous things he heard. Finally the Sandaime arrived at the scene and as soon as he approached the stage the crowd went silent. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the respect and authority his Ji-chan seemed to command and hoped that by the time he got to be Hokage he too would be able to silence the whole village just by arriving.

"People of Konoha, I stand before you today with an announcement that will rock Konoha to its core." Sandaime began before he let out a small chuckle. "Again." Most of the crowd smiled as well knowing that their leader referred to the announcement he made some time before about Naruto's heritage. When he lifted his hands, the crowd went silent once again.

"Over the past few months I have seen Konoha at what might have been its weakest point and it strongest only a few days later. The invasion that threatened to destroy our beautiful village was a turning point for many of us." Sandaime said while quickly looking at Naruto who smiled back at him. "On the day of the invasion I was told that Konoha had become stagnant and that a change was necessary. I now see that person was right in saying that Konoha needed a change." People started talking amongst themselves wondering what Sandaime wanted to say.

"You see, I have been Hokage for many years and not once have I regretted becoming the protector of this village. I've considered it my privilege and my duty to ensure the safety and happiness of each and every one of you, though sometimes I have failed in my endeavors." Sandaime continued. "And just like the almighty trees that surround our village I've grown old and I feel that I'm unable to protect Konoha at a level that is necessary. It is for that reason that as of this moment effectively I, Sarutobi Mamoru resign from my position as Hokage."

To say the crowd was shocked at this announcement was a huge understatement. Even with several rumors going around nobody had thought that their leader would resign today. People were starting to get nervous and most of them were wondering who would be their new leader and what would that leader be like. Almost everybody in the village adored the old Sandaime as he was fair to everyone and strict to those who deserved it. Sarutobi let them wonder for a moment before he tried to gain back control of the crowd. Once again he raised his arms asking for silence and their attention. It took a bit longer for the crowd to stop talking this time but after several minutes people were finally quiet.

"I'm sure this comes as a huge shock to some of you and that most of you are worried about what will happen next." Sandaime said in his usual calming voice. "I assure you, there is nothing to worry about as I already have chosen my successor. I have the utmost confidence that my successor will be everything this village need in a leader. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be a better leader than I was. People of Konoha I present to you the Godaime Hokage, my former student and member of the legendary Sannin Tsunade." Saying this Sarutobi took a step back allowing Tsunade to come forward so she could greet the crowd.

At hearing that Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin would be their new leader almost everybody in the crowd relaxed knowing that she was able to defend the village in time of need. Not only that she was a direct descendent of the Shodaime Hokage so being a Hokage was in her blood. A lot of people adored Tsunade seeing she was an excellent kunoichi, a fabulous healer and an inspiration for many so most of them were very excited to have her as their new leader. When Tsunade reached the stage the crowd exploded into cheers and applause, showing her that the village approved of her becoming the next Hokage.

"People of Konoha, I thank you for your warm welcome. "Tsunade began her speech. "I won't bore you with a long speech like Sarutobi-sensei seeing that I'm not used to speaking to such a large crowd just yet." People were laughing and smiling at seeing one of the Sannin standing there uncomfortably and they started to encourage her by calling her name and clapping in their hands. From the front row a loud 'You're doing great Baa-chan' could be heard courtesy of a blond shinobi. Tsunade who had heard Naruto's words glared at him with a look that promised a lot of pain when she saw him again. Naruto just ignored the glare and continued laughing loudly.

"When I heard that Sarutobi-sensei had chosen me to be his successor, I first thought that he had finally lost it. "She said smirking at the man and the crowd laughed again. "But I soon realized that he only had the best interests of the village and everyone living in it at heart. He deemed me worthy of becoming the protector of this village so after careful consideration and some encouragement from my closest friend and my precious people," she stopped and looked at Shizune and Naruto before continuing, "I decided to take up the mantle and to become the Godaime Hokage."

"I stand here before you today with a promise that as of this very moment I will protect Konoha and everybody who lives in this village with my very life. I promise you that as long as my heart beats and my lungs draw air I will protect this village. And like one of my most precious people I never break a promise." She said before bowing to the silent crowd. As one Naruto and the gang started clapping and soon the whole crowd was cheering at the top of their lungs. The celebrations that followed went on until the early morning hours though Naruto and his friends didn't join in the partying as they had training the following morning.


Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any suggestions or remark are appreciated so don't hesitate.

The next chapter will be released on September 7th. See you guys then.