N/A: Well, before we get to the chapter…

which I am going to have to re-edit since, oh surprise, my editor did a shitty job, but well, my problems with that jerk are my own and not yours. I want to say one thing, the previous chapter was completely chaotic on purpose, for two reasons: number one, it's from Naruto's perspective, meaning it's in a memoir format, and although he canonically wrote the book himself, he did so with an external perspective. And number two, he was drunk in the first half of the chapter and hungover in the second, so that's why it's as chaotic and confusing as if it had been written by a six-year-old, because he genuinely barely remembers what happened.

Chapter 6:

Two weeks had passed since the great tournament, and back in the imperial palace of Parnam, Naruto woke up in his comfortable bed, which, to be honest, he found no comfort in right now. To his right, and using her as a pillow, was one of his favorite wives, a beautiful redhead with beautiful chocolate eyes, ones he was sure were capable of hypnotizing him if he looked at them for too long. The woman was looking at him curiously, and frankly, it was surprising that she was only curious, given that Naruto normally didn't let others see his worries, but now… now he seemed conflicted and with some guilt in every one of his features.

"My love, is something wrong?" It wasn't a rhetorical question, not at all. She genuinely wanted to know what was happening because Naruto was rarely worried, and him being worried was something that made anyone who held him close to their heart worry.

Naruto simply opened his eyes, letting the shine that had made her fall in love with him so many years ago reveal itself to the world once more, and looked at her with an expression rarely seen on his face. Those eyes, which were normally full of confidence, strength, and determination, were now filled with fear, uncertainty, and guilt.

"I… I think I made a mistake with what I did to my brother," Naruto said with a tired sigh. Why had he drunk so much that he acted that way towards his brother? He was the emperor, the destroyer of worlds, the guy who laughed at a tournament that had been rigged from the start, and right now he was feeling completely conflicted, as if he had finally realized everything he had done during his battle against Sasuke was… completely and absolutely unnecessary.

And it really had all been completely and absolutely unnecessary, at least that was what he concluded after mulling it over for almost a week, and the guilt had been hitting him since then.

He wasn't going to lie, turning him into a girl had been completely hilarious at the moment, but it was something he did because he was hungover and in a state of pure anger, one of the reasons why he had promised Artoria that he would stop drinking to the point of completely losing his judgment, but… this time he had not only broken his promise to his beloved green-eyed queen, but he had also acted like the Konoha idiot who used to make jokes to maintain the little sanity he had left. He had acted like the child who used to joke with his brothers again…

"I agree that perhaps you went a bit too far, but… you've never gotten along with him. Why are you worried about that now?" the redhead asked the obvious, genuinely confused, and her face showed it completely.

Naruto didn't actually have anything to say at that moment. All Erza got as a response was the sound of Naruto's breathing.

"My love…?" the redhead asked, replacing confusion with concern.

She moved quickly to sit beside her beloved, intending to look at him better and gently caress the man's face, for right now he had an expression that had genuinely worried her.

"Many years ago… we were actually best friends," Naruto finally spoke after a long time, his voice laden with the nostalgia of a bygone era when he was truly happy. "But that was before… before his jealousy blinded him," he growled, his fists clenched, his voice filled with a bitterness and disappointment… not betrayal, the betrayal of his brother who, out of mere jealousy, had abandoned him when they were alone in Konoha.

"Do you think…?" the redhead began to ask, not sure what honestly, but that question was always a good start since Naruto would complete the question himself to vent. They had always done that… well, since they started dating so many years ago.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to believe," Naruto said, letting out a tired sigh as if the weight of the world had once again fallen on his shoulders. "They took Itachi from me, I have no doubt that they could have taken Sasuke from me too… after all, 'a monster doesn't deserve to be happy.'" The words came out with utter bitterness from his mouth. He wasn't even sure how he had reached that conclusion, but something inside him told him that they had used his two brothers as a weapon to isolate him in Konoha.

Of course, he knew that the conclusion he was reaching was probably like clinging to a burning nail, a vain hope, all because in his eyes he had seen something that for brief moments reminded him of his beloved older brother as he used to be before the Uchiha massacre, before they both began to hate each other, as if for an instant, Sasuke had returned to being that clingy child who used to look for his younger brother when he needed a hug, at least until that moment when he proved to be the strongest… even without chakra, but honestly, it was most likely just a shadow of longing that his heart wished to see in his brother's eyes.

"Be that as it may, I don't have time to worry about that, I have… a feeling that everything is about to get worse," Naruto said, his voice laden with the weight of the situation. The tournament had only been the beginning of everything, of the final battle, of the last war that would be in his era, and even because he was sure that Sasuke's transformation into a woman and his public humiliation would be the prelude to the final conflict against his brother.

"Well, whatever comes, nothing compares to what you faced in Elfrieden. At the end of the day, whatever comes will only be one more note in the book of your legend," Erza told him with a voice that made it clear how much she trusted him. Her radiant smile was actually completely contagious.

At the end of the day, it was true, he faced the greatest enemy in Elfrieden… he faced his own fears and insecurities, and even if he was knocked down several times, he was able to get up a thousand times, because he was Naruto Uchiha, he was Qin Shi Huang, king of all kings, the man destined to reign over all lands.

That thought actually made him smile smugly. He kissed Erza tenderly on the mouth and thanked her for always being by his side and for her words of support. Even so, for the moment he would relax a bit. After all, throwing the first punch was not something he did. He usually let his enemies always throw the first stone, and without him knowing it, that stone was about to be thrown.

—At the same time in Konoha—

"You can't be serious!"

Sasuke's scream, which was now completely high-pitched, echoed throughout the village, more than indignant, hysterical, and actually for the first time he was right. After all, his voice was sharp, shrill, and he was no longer a he but a she, so it was natural that she was angry and indignant. After all, they had just told her what the punishment would be for humiliating them during the tournament.

"I'm being very serious, Sasuke," Minato, however, remained serene, as if he were talking about the weather, and although his voice was calm, his expression was something else entirely. It was one that was completely cold and distant, completely fixed on Sasuke, the culprit of why he was truly furious right now.

"But why?" the now emotional Uchiha… really wanted to know what she had done to deserve such humiliation. Even so, her voice was full of anguish and confusion, in fact, it had almost cracked slightly as if she wanted to cry. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"And you still have the nerve to feign innocence," Minato didn't even bother to release his killing intent. After all, at this point it would serve no purpose. Sasuke's attitude was… irrelevant and frankly, he didn't care. The humiliation was done, and the consequences… well, he wasn't sure how bad they were right now. "Of all the defeats we suffered in the tournament, yours was by far not only the most dishonorable but also the one that will bring us the most negative repercussions." Minato was completely disappointed, frustrated, but above all, sad, sad for having lost the only opportunity to save his home. "At least the others lost fighting… even if they were terribly humiliated, you… you, on the other hand, would have been disqualified if it weren't for the emperor being completely drunk during the fight." For Minato, that was a much greater humiliation than even the one Mikoto gave Shio, and the man had destroyed her emotionally and physically to the point that even today she was crying locked in her room, muttering about the human trash he was. "And to top it off, not only did you lose, but you made the image we have of condoning a traitor become, in the eyes of those who saw your colossal stupidity, even worse."

Minato, of course, completely overlooked the matter of the Uchiha who inhabited the empire, who were not only true Uchiha, unlike Naruto who had been adopted by the clan, which, by the way, made Danzo throw his equivalent of a tantrum because he was upset that he hadn't had the opportunity to control the most powerful Uchiha of the current three… and who, in his view, made Itachi and Sasuke completely dispensable.

It's not that he had a way to control Itachi. Even if he was dying, the man was extremely powerful. Somehow, the Kotoamatsukami had stopped working on him, and the last time they faced each other, he almost lost Shishui's eye.

And then there was the matter that Shanks was still alive and had reproduced. Of course, he felt he would be able to handle those two with his ace in the hole, but for that, he needed to get as close to the empire as possible.

"What chance do we have of allying with them?" he finally asked after a while of being trapped in his thoughts.

Minato simply let out a tired and heavy sigh. "If Shikaku's assumption is correct, practically none," he admitted much to his regret. He was tired, frankly disgusted, but above all, completely frustrated. "From the little we could gather, Naruto is the king of Friedonia… and I don't think I need to explain the great esteem he enjoys with the imperial family." The revelation fell on the council like a large stone slab. Friedonia was not only the place where the empire's government palace was located, but it was also one, if not directly, the most powerful country in the world, possessing the largest army, the strongest warriors, and the most ruthless king.

"After everything we did for him, he still has the nerve to hold a grudge against us…" Mebuki Haruno expressed, her voice laden with indignation, as if the fact that Naruto was king was a great offense to her.

She frankly was incapable of understanding Naruto's attitude, and she wasn't the only one. Many more of the civilians present at the meeting nodded with similar expressions of indignation, indignation that not only in the elemental nations but now also in the great outside world, the damn brat continued to make their lives impossible. Frankly, it was surprising that it never crossed their minds that the reason the boy treated them the way he did was precisely the mistreatment they gave him, for they were blind to their own cruelty.

"If by everything you've done for him you mean selling him a carton of milk at the cost of a case, and a seasonal fruit at the price of an imported one, and on top of that at the cost of a whole case…" Shikaku simply listed the little he dared to say because the things these idiots did to the poor boy were enough to make his stomach churn. "I really don't see how you don't understand that he doesn't hold a grudge against us, but pure hatred." After saying that, he simply shook his head. Frankly, he didn't even know why he bothered; they would clearly never be able to see it.

Once again, Kushina could only lower her head, her eyes shining with the tears that threatened to spill from them, feeling deep guilt and sadness. It wasn't the first time she had heard, nor would it be the last, the way they had treated her son. In fact, Anko herself had told her that the way they had been treated in the Land of Snow was the way Konoha had treated her son his entire life.

None of her now adult children, like several who were children in Konoha, endured the treatment for long without complaining and demanding the respect they believed they deserved. And from what she knew, Naruto rarely swallowed his pride and went to ask for help from the Third Hokage. No matter the hunger, the pain, or anything else Naruto had suffered, he didn't trust the man and preferred to fight alone to live rather than owe that old bastard a favor. And that single thought, added to the treatment her son had endured for so long, made Kushina unconsciously or not begin to wish that the Shinigami would use him as his favorite chew toy… without knowing that she was actually not very far from the truth.

"Anyway, we should send a delegation to try to forge ties with the empire," Shibi commented, trying to sound logical while calculating the chances of success of such an incursion. "The other shinobi powers might try to do the same, and there's a possibility that Kumo or Iwa, who currently threaten us, will gain the emperor's favor and convince him to join their cause." Despite the possibility being relatively low, he still couldn't help but sound genuinely worried.

Certainly, the probability was quite low, yet the stoic leader of the Aburame clan didn't dare to rule it out at all. And in any case, even if they couldn't secure an alliance, they could at least sign a non-aggression pact. After all, if the alliance of Kumo, Iwa, and Oto solidified, then he had no idea what could happen to the village. And then there was the whole Akatsuki issue.

And from what the intelligence reports had given them, Orochimaru somehow made the other two villages believe that Akatsuki was a thorn in their sides and that it was something they would have to deal with at some point, with Konoha currently being the only village more or less safe from the organization because, whether the world liked it or not, Minato was currently the strongest shinobi in the world. And even if they managed to defeat Akatsuki, they would be the next great threat, with people like Danzo or Jiraiya, it was more than likely that they would only be the next target.

Because apparently both Ay and Onoki, who apparently had no grudges between them, were seriously considering the proposal Orochimaru had made to them to eliminate both problems and rise above Kiri and Suna as the true shinobi powers.

And with things as they were, logic dictated that the only thing that could deter the other shinobi villages from attacking Konoha would be the image of one of the ten celestial kings, or even little Regulus ready to jump to defend Konoha, willing to use his true strength against the enemy who dared to attack an ally, or at least a trading partner of the empire… certainly, it was a vain hope, after all, the celestial kings obeyed only the will of the emperor.

"Sadly, I have to agree with Shibi," Jiraiya spoke with a grimace. He didn't like agreeing with the Aburame, who constantly criticized his choice to abandon his godson to his fate and strip him of the toad contract. "But given the circumstances, we can't simply go and present ourselves as a delegation from Konoha. The capital of the empire is in Parnam, and Naruto is the king of that particular kingdom, and they could simply throw us in the dungeons if they recognized us." The Sannin's voice certainly revealed how much this situation worried him. "However, I know from a good source that the unification festival will be organized in the middle of next month, and from what I understand, the emperor will open the palace doors for an audience on the third day and will attend to anyone who goes to see him. Even if Naruto reigns supreme in Parnam, I don't think he has the authority to deny us that," he said with a slight smile forming on his lips as he shared his information.

"Therefore, I suggest that we should go incognito, and once before the emperor, reveal ourselves… I believe that the pressure from his people and the threat of being seen badly will make him attend to us." Jiraiya's plan was certainly far-fetched, however, it had a basis, as it was rumored that the emperor was only 25 years old, so he would have to stay in good standing with his people or risk losing their loyalty by appearing as a man who breaks his word to accept anyone in his palace on that specific day.

Sasuke was actually tempted to scoff at such a frankly disastrous plan, fortunately, before she could, someone else beat her to it.

"That, or he'll get angry with you the moment he discovers your charade, and not only deny us the audience but also point everything he has at us out of spite… and with the king of Friedonia angry at bypassing his authority…" Shikaku didn't even have to finish his sentence. What he said was certainly the most likely outcome if they carried out Jiraiya's risky plan, yet he knew no one would listen to him. The worst part of it all was that he knew, or at least sensed, that the empire had hidden something, something he and Shikamaru had been discussing, and if their suspicions proved true, going to the empire for help would actually only serve to make the village dig its own grave deeper, well, deeper than it already was.

The Hyuga clan was about to erupt at the idea that Naruto, of all people, shared the weaknesses of their traditional style, and added to the constant stupidity of the Namikaze family, it would only open the doors to a single possible outcome.

And if his theory was true, it would simply be the way the gods would say to Konoha, "Karma exists, bitch, and it has its favorites," and sadly, they had been the ones who had provoked the fury of the cosmic force the most in recent years.

"Anyway, we don't have many other options," Minato reminded him with a sigh full of resignation as he ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that, unknowingly, was the same one another leader of a much more powerful nation used to express his weariness and frustration. "Perhaps if Kushina explains things to her father and my son, we might have a greater chance of getting an audience with the emperor. That's our best opportunity." Even if he genuinely believed that, his voice was still full of worry. "That's why I think we should discuss who will go to see the emperor." The decision was made, and there was no turning back.

Although for a brief moment a fleeting thought came to his mind, a feeling of unease and doubt that made him shudder, one that he had chosen to ignore in favor of saving the ungrateful village that had taken so much from him without giving anything back.

XxxxX

—Sunagakure two days after the Konoha council meeting—

Gaara genuinely had no idea how the hell this had happened, but… right now he was sitting in his office with two diplomats from the Empire of the Rising Sun, mentioned because they appeared from literally a damn crack in the air.

The first of the two was a woman with fine facial features, a slender and quite tall build. She had large breasts, her figure was elegant and striking, which would attract the attention of any man easily, especially because her attire was quite revealing, mainly a blouse that started at her neck and ended just above her navel and a smaller one on her abdomen. Her long scarlet hair was long enough that even braided into four braids, it reached her buttocks.

At the top of her two front braids, she wore a kind of hoop that seemed to hold the hairstyle in place. Her bangs were cut in a semi-straight shape, pointing towards her left eye. Her hands were rather dark-colored claws, like those of a monster. And to be completely honest, she was a truly terrifying woman, so much so that the other two didn't scare him.

The other one was actually quite simpler, completely ordinary and discreet to be honest. Apparently, he was the diplomat, and the woman was his bodyguard.

From the little they had said so far, both had been instructed by the king himself to have this meeting with him and bring him some documents to review, documents that Gaara read with his most serious expression possible, which was considerably difficult considering that, well, they had appeared out of the damn nothing!

Finally, after reading the first of the documents… or at least half of it, much to the surprise of his two older siblings, the young redhead burst into loud laughter, his laughter being truly deep and resonant, filling the office. If what he had read was true, his… they weren't really friends but friendly acquaintances… the point was that once again Naruto Uchiha had done something that made his reputation as "the one who makes the impossible possible" seem like nothing in comparison.

"Is what I read in the letter true?" he asked once he recovered from his outburst, although even then his voice was laden with curiosity and astonishment that he couldn't hide from the attentive gazes of the diplomats.

The black-haired man, dressed in a simple black robe, only nodded, confirming that everything was indeed true.

"My king rarely jokes in these kinds of matters, Lord Kazekage," the man expressed with his calmest and most imperturbable tone. Not that it was very difficult; after all, compared to Zeref, Gilgamesh, and many others, these people were genuinely not a real threat to him. "Everything that has been written in those letters is the purest truth. And while I understand that you may not see him as a friend given the short time you have known each other, he does respect you enough as a human being and as a leader. That is why he is open to the idea of opening relations between his people and the empire." He spoke with all the sincerity and respect he could at that moment. "Everything that appears in the documents already comes with the imperial seal, which makes it binding, and each of the conditions of the treaty between the empire and the Land of Wind, and Suna by mere association, will be fulfilled immediately." The man simply paused and observed the three siblings, waiting for a response.

Even if Temari was a little surprised that Naruto didn't see Gaara as a friend, hearing the second statement made the woman who had been reading the treaty gasp in surprise and almost lose strength in her legs due to pure astonishment, disbelief, and emotion. After all, with just the first of the more than 145 points mentioned in the treaty, the village could very quickly become the leading shinobi power.

Because they would stop depending on water imported from other countries and would begin to use other methods used in the desert regions of the empire to obtain water, which would lower the cost of many things in the village, not to mention that the quality of life would improve for everyone, which actually filled her with hope for the first time in a long time. And with each new point she read, that hope only increased more and more.

The funny thing about the whole matter was that all of this would be thanks to that man she had called "cute but creepy" who had defeated her younger brother, making him a better person through physical and mental blows. She actually couldn't help but feel strangely grateful for that. Thinking about it, she still thought he was cute… but much creepier now. Even so, apparently now, due to being the king of one of the more than four hundred kingdoms, having a voice and vote in the decisions of the high council of the four hundred kings, and being a close friend of the emperor, and his desire to help those who showed him respect in these lands abandoned by the gods, her village would soon be in a better position. As the old saying went, the loss of some was the gain of others… that thought actually almost made her feel sorry for Konoha, almost… but not really, they had brought their own misfortune upon themselves after all.

With that in mind and no real reason to refuse to sign, Gaara signed the alliance without hesitation.

"Sir Hakuya, now we must go and deliver the documents to the young Daimyo of these lands," the red-haired woman reminded the diplomat in her soft voice as she approached the diplomat of the meeting.

man who, by the way, simply nodded his head in a brief and concise movement before standing up to give a slight bow to Gaara and his siblings. "In about fifteen days, a secure transport will come for you. The emperor himself has invited you to see the events of the unification festival firsthand," the young diplomat informed him with his professional and distant tone before the same crack that had deposited them in the Kazekage's office opened once more to take them, most likely, to the office of the Wind Daimyo.

"And so, why were you laughing like a maniac?" Once alone, Temari couldn't help but ask the question that had been killing her with curiosity, although of course, she had also crossed her arms to ask it.

"Just read this, and you'll understand," the redhead told her as he extended the letter handwritten by Naruto himself. If Temari didn't know better, she might have sworn that for a moment the gleam in her brother's eyes was that of a mischievous child who had done something he clearly shouldn't have.

Actually, reading it had been quite difficult. Naruto had fortunately not been redundant or gone off on tangents, but from what he said at the beginning of his letter, he had been forced to learn several writing systems to communicate with all the leaders of the empire, which made his handwriting quite erratic and chaotic, and he apologized for it. However, when she was finally able to decipher Naruto's writing, she finally understood what had made Gaara burst into laughter, and actually, if she didn't have much better self-control than her brother, she would have done so too once she finished reading.

Finally, after five minutes, Kankuro, who wanted to know what the hell was going on, snatched the letter with a really impatient movement, which actually caused Temari to no longer be able to contain herself and burst into laughter, which was followed by that of her other younger brother in a short time. The three siblings actually only had one joint thought at that moment, "Konoha was so screwed."

"Did any of you even notice that we'll basically become subordinates of the empire?" commented Baki, the Kazekage's most trusted advisor, who couldn't help but point out that one of the conditions for the treaty to be valid was that they would have to become part of the Empire of the Rising Sun.

"Members, Baki, members. There are very important differences," Gaara reminded the man with an indifferent tone and his calm voice, as Naruto's letter had explained to him that while they would be part of the empire, that only meant they would be part of a supreme regulatory body like the empire (in other words, Naruto himself), but their culture, way of doing business, and most of their national laws would remain the same, as long as they also added the imperial laws to their constitution and penal system, so there were truly no real reasons to refuse to become part of the empire.

Well, there were the political marriages, but those were so common even in the elemental nations that he was genuinely surprised that Temari didn't have one without him knowing. His father would certainly be capable of something like that.

—Land of Waves, a few moments earlier—

Just like Gaara before him, Tazuna finished reading the letter that the empire's messengers had brought to his humble home. After finishing reading, he slumped back in his chair with the letter still in his now trembling hands, while his face reflected disbelief and astonishment.

To be perfectly honest, the now quite elderly man had been quite scared when a crack opened in the air in front of him, especially because from that crack came a woman who, although beautiful, emanated a deep sense of death.

The woman was a beautiful young woman with black hair, red eyes, and a kind of white halo above her head, wielding a beautiful sword of pure light. On her back were wings as white as light itself. Her gaze had actually stopped on the young woman with a mixture of fear and fascination, instinctively understanding that she was an angel who had come to take him to the kingdom of heaven.

The woman, or Azrael as she had introduced herself, had found his reaction terribly amusing, and her laughter was so melodious that for a few moments Tazuna was tempted to go with her. However, she told him that he was not yet 102 years old, but that she would gladly return for him when he reached that age, which paradoxically caused Tazuna to actually become a little more scared than he already was, since well, it turns out that angels were real.

The other ambassador was actually quite more normal in his opinion… although to be fair, after discovering that angels were real, the fact that the man was a damn humanoid lion almost two meters tall was not truly surprising. This man introduced himself as one of the three great dukes of Friedonia, Duke Georg Carmine.

"Is what it says in this letter serious, Lord Carmine?" Tsunami asked after finishing reading the letter for the third time, still unable to believe any of it, but with the hopes that it was real. After all, it was simply too good to be true.

"Every word," the lion man confirmed with his deep and resonant voice as he nodded his head. "My queen Liscia personally thinks very highly of these lands, being the ones in which her beloved husband finally found a true purpose to live and fight. As such, she wishes to honor these lands as they deserve." The man actually couldn't help but smile slightly with affection and respect.

He had wished to come personally to see this place. After all, he respected Naruto much more than any of his fellow dukes. His beginning was very different from the one he had with Excel or even with Castor, but the emperor himself called him one of his greatest friends, and in fact, he had stated more than once that Georg was one of the men he respected most in the world. In fact, he still remembered his words when he released him from prison.

"You sacrificed everything for the kingdom, your life, freedom, and good name… all because you love these lands and you love Liscia like a second father. While I fight to bring it forward, you sacrificed everything of yourself to get rid of those who hindered my struggle… come, a cell is no place for a man like you, Grand Duke Georg."

The man had restored his honor, good name, and even given him a higher position as Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Elfrieden and later of Friedonia, and that is why Georg wished to know the place that made the young man he admired and respected much more than any other king he had seen in his life, the man who was the one to take care of the beautiful young woman he saw as his own daughter until the day death separated them, and in fact, he was anxious to return home. After all, he didn't want to miss any of Liscia's moments now that she was expecting her first child, although he had heard that they were actually twins.

And while the lion man was lost in his thoughts, Inari, who had grown to become one of the most skilled archers, as well as a handsome young man, finally finished reading the emperor's letter, feeling nothing but great astonishment and respect for the man the same young boy who had pulled him out of his own darkness so many years ago had become.

Since Gatō had killed the nobles of the Land of Waves, the people of the land had appointed his grandfather as the leader of the land. Now the retired man let his daughter and grandson run the land he loved so much, but he remained the leader on paper, and now it was in his hands to form the treaty of annexation to the empire.

Actually, the responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders, and although there was really no reason not to sign it, if he was completely honest, he had chosen to listen to his daughter's opinion. Tsunami had not diminished or dishonored the prestige of her name and remained as beautiful as ever despite being close to forty. She had also read the letter and could do nothing but smile at finally having reliable news that the second hero of her nation was still alive, and not only that but had somehow managed to bring peace and prosperity to the entire world beyond the great walls.

Well, after the news of Naruto's banishment, they simply chose to find out the exact date of the then-young boy's birthday and turned that date into the Heroes' Day festival throughout the Land of Waves, a date on which both the deceased Kaiza, the land's first great hero, and Naruto himself were celebrated.

For unlike Konoha, they celebrated that date with great pride, for they had had the great honor of being the first to be saved by such a distinguished hero. To such an extent that when that festival arrived, even the rulers of the largest countries attended the event, which was guarded by the only village that held due respect for the now-emperor of the world. Of course, they were talking about the village of Suna.

"Well, say no more," Tazuna said, giving his approval to the annexation to the empire, blindly placing his trust in the hands of the same young man who had saved his nation so many years ago, sealing both agreements without any doubt. "Tell his imperial majesty that he is welcome to the hero's festival any year he wishes," he spoke with his voice full of respect and gratitude.

"I will," for the angel of death, Azrael, was surprisingly cheerful, yet it made a certain sense. The woman genuinely liked Naruto and liked that people gave him the respect he deserved. "Alright, Duke Georg, it's time to go home," the angel said with her soft voice and a serene expression on her face, finally managing to snap the lion-faced duke out of his thoughts.

"Huh… yes," was all the duke said with a nod, still too lost in his thoughts to say anything more.

Azrael could actually only let out a small giggle before warbling something about "open the door, Vergil," and soon she took the lion man's shoulder, and after that, they returned through the same crack through which they had appeared, leaving Tazuna's family completely confused.

And with only one thought in mind, "Naruto had undoubtedly surrounded himself with quite interesting people."

—Konoha at that same moment—

In Ichiraku Ramen, Shikamaru and his group, consisting of Chouji, Neji, Shino, Hinata, and Tenten, were finishing their meal, having sat around a small table enjoying the food and the company of their friends. They had chosen to meet there because their parents, or in Neji's case his uncle, had informed them that they would be part of the delegation that would seek a meeting with the emperor, as well as with Shanks, and with a bit of luck, with Naruto.

It hadn't been very difficult to realize why they had been chosen to go on this mission, even if the reasons quite disgusted them. It was more than evident to anyone with at least two functioning neurons that the Hokage intended to use them as a kind of emotional blackmail against his former friend. After all, both Carla Vargas and Regulus had stated that the man had listened to them on the day of his banishment, so at least in theory, the man thought they might be the only ones his son would be more than willing to listen to if they tried to speak… it was actually a possibility, but it was as possible as Lee ceasing to be a complete idiot who continued to blame everyone but himself for the condition he was in right now.

"I wonder, how strong has he become?" Chouji commented with genuine curiosity as he brought a handful of french fries to his mouth. "To be one of the closest to the emperor and to be recognized as one of the strongest alongside the celestial kings, he must undoubtedly have surpassed us long ago, but… how much is the difference?"

"It is simply an abysmal difference," Shino concluded with his usual expressionless tone as he adjusted his glasses with his finger. "Everyone in the tournament spoke of him with great respect, not to mention that I heard Gaara say that even the celestial kings would not be able to fight him in a one-on-one, so he must only be surpassed by the emperor himself."

"Which wouldn't surprise me at all," Tenten admitted, shrinking in her place with an expression of pure resignation on her face. "He was never able to use chakra, he only relied on his powerful body and that strange energy, and somehow he became the man who makes the impossible possible, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was even as strong as the emperor himself." She was more than sure that Naruto could actually even be stronger than the emperor himself.

"Yeah… as strong as him," Shikamaru commented distractedly, his gaze lost in the void as if he were absorbed in his own thoughts. "I think it would be best if we left," he suggested finally, standing up with a slow and tired movement. "Tomorrow we leave at dawn, the best thing would be to have things ready for the trip and leave tomorrow properly rested," the Nara was clearly resigned and tired as he addressed the group.

Only Neji had noticed that Shikamaru looked thoughtful, however, in the end, even he chose to agree with the young Nara, so he nodded. After all, he was the only one who had noticed the skillful deflection of the topic that the Nara had made.

As for Shikamaru himself, he simply felt how Tenten had guessed that theory that his father and he had begun to discuss some time ago. He was almost completely sure that that theory was not a theory but a reality.

They hadn't hidden that Naruto and the queens were close; what's more, the emperor and Naruto were never mentioned as separate entities. They mentioned more than once that Naruto was on good terms with the celestial kings, but a relationship with the emperor was never mentioned. Hell, Baki, Carla, Regulus themselves had all given subtle clues as if talking about Naruto and the power he wielded wasn't a big deal… all the conversations, all the comments, every gesture… they all pointed to one conclusion.

And if his theory was correct, this plan had simply been doomed to failure even before it began, which made him let out a tired sigh, feeling a mixture of frustration, resignation, and worry.

The young Nara had finally pieced everything together in his head with Tenten's last words. Furthermore, the fact that during the tournament only Neji and Maruto were treated with respect and as true rivals—hell, Carla herself had let slip a comment that hinted that Maruto hadn't gotten that contract by mere chance. Clearly, the damn fights had been rigged from the start, with those who had most wronged Naruto facing their perfect counters, those who would hurt them as much as possible without killing them, while Neji and Maru faced rivals who, while they would defeat them, didn't treat them the way they treated the rest of the participants.

There was also the ever-present smile that Tsunade, Shizune, and Koyuki had when the Konoha shinobi they despised were humiliated… and Shikamaru had been constantly observing the three women, noticing the satisfaction and amusement on their faces every time a Konoha shinobi suffered a defeat.

Frankly, he doubted that the emperor would agree to put on that kind of theater just to avenge a friend… oh no, he was sure that the thing was much worse, one that he always didn't want to think about. Perhaps he was just being totally paranoid; after all, for a man of his power to orchestrate such a spectacle to avenge a friend… no, he was simply being too paranoid… he shook his head, but if that were the case, why not let Naruto fight his own brother…? No, he was simply right, and he hated being right at this moment.

"Naruto, troublesome bastard," he muttered with a slight grimace, a mixture of exasperation, resignation, and a hint of admiration and respect before simply shaking his head.

—Uchiha Compound, later that night—

No, of course, Sasuke would never go on that mission, not out of defiance or rebellion, although he had to admit slightly that the idea of only taking the person they hadn't made Naruto reluctant to speak in his favor with the emperor, or against whom the emperor himself seemed to have some kind of personal vendetta… it was already bad enough that Minato had been forced to include Homura, Koharu, and Kakashi in the mission. Those three alone would make Naruto quite angry and possibly try to kill them. And although he personally had nothing against his brother… beyond the fact that the bastard had turned him into a girl, Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to face the man without him being completely drunk.

And to be completely honest, the whole business of the trip to the empire didn't concern him. The truth was, except for becoming a man again, he had nothing to do in the empire, and of course, if his stepbrother wanted to play emperor and rule an entire world beyond the great wall, he couldn't care less.

Well, none of that honestly mattered to him right now. However, at the end of the day, he had finally grown completely tired of Konoha, and so with his backpack on his shoulder, he began to move stealthily to finish what his brother had prevented him from doing ten years ago. He would go to Orochimaru, become stronger, kill Itachi, and take revenge on everyone who had humiliated him, although of course, he wouldn't try to go against Naruto, damn it, he wasn't so reckless as to go against the damn emperor of the world. He wanted to live, thank you very much.

And of course, she would recognize her idiot brother, even if for a while she didn't realize it, although to be fair, the man had grown quite a bit and changed a lot… now he was sexy and almost two meters tall. She shook that idea out of her head; honestly, she didn't want to think about that right now, he was a man, damn it.

Be that as it may, at the end of the day, she considered the idea that they could gain Naruto's favor terribly funny, almost so much so that she had actually wanted to tell everyone at the council meeting, but Shikaku had beaten her to it, and to be completely honest, her brother deserved to face those who had left him behind like a leperous dog. At the end of the day, that's what she would want if she were in a similar situation.

End of Chapter.

N/A: Before I go, the people who read me from the Anglo-Saxon community, do people on your side of the pond use stupid terms like Hyperversal, Outerversal, and similar for power scales? Because if you do, would you like me to explain why they are stupid? And if not, would you give me political asylum? The people in this country are fucking stupid, and I refuse to be associated with them.

Oh, and yes, I am going to end up rewriting chapter six; it's a complete disaster.