Chapter 56 A God Among Men and a Treacherous Invitation

Hiruzen set down the report with a heavy sigh.

The resolution of the Uchiha clan's conflict with the council hadn't brought the peace he'd hoped for; instead, a persistent trickle of troublesome issues kept demanding his attention.

As Hokage, dispatching ninja on missions to address these problems was his duty, yet it felt like a Sisyphean task.

Now, a truly significant problem had landed on his desk, making him momentarily wish he could hurl the entire thing through the window.

"Were they utterly senseless?"

He muttered the report detailing Kumogakure's unexpected request to send an envoy for a peace treaty.
Hiruzen's years of experience immediately set off alarm bells.

"Peace?"

He scoffed under his breath.

"They're clearly looking for trouble, testing the waters because they think I've grown weak with age. Even the late Raikage had more respect than this."

He took a long drag from his pipe, the familiar scent of tobacco doing little to soothe his frayed nerves.

He'd been a heavy smoker ever since assuming the mantle of Hokage.

"No wonder Danzo was so reluctant to take this job..."

Hiruzen mused, briefly second-guessing his own life's path.

A quiet retirement suddenly seemed incredibly appealing. Then, he shook his head. He knew his old friend too well.

"No, if Danzo were Hokage, anyone who annoyed him or made him work late would likely end up… eliminated. I might even be on that list. Well, no use dwelling on what could have been."

With a renewed sense of duty, Hiruzen picked up his brush and began to write a response.

He then summoned an Anbu operative to deliver it swiftly.

He would personally welcome Kumogakure's envoy.

"Ah, speaking of arrivals," a small smile touched his lips. "Naruto will be returning today."

A fleeting thought of Daji crossed his mind, and Hiruzen couldn't help the slight shudder that ran down his spine.

“Hopefully, nothing bad happened.”

…

Naruto materialized within the Hidden Leaf Village, his arrival an unspoken declaration of power.

He was at the Emperor Profound Realm. Compared to the power scale of this world.

He was basically a god.

A palpable tension gripped the air, yet not a single ninja dared to impede his progress.

The Hokage's decree was issued, warning against any rash actions.

To even consider confronting him was to court the gravest of consequences – an act of outright treason against the Leaf itself.

“Even though I hate this village, it's strange that it feels like home.”

Naruto said with a weird expression on his face.

Fate was something that even god could not escape.

Naruto shook his head and then went toward the Senju Clan.

He didn’t have to go to Hokage to report to him.

He could do whatever he pleased.

Tsunade was the first one to see him and she felt very happy.

Naruto arrived at the Senju compound, and the moment he stepped through the gates, he was met with a joyous uproar. Tsunade, her usual stern demeanor replaced with a beaming smile, rushed forward and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Naruto! You're back, you little brat!" she exclaimed, her voice thick with emotion.

He chuckled, returning her embrace.

"It's good to be back, Baa-chan."

The rest of the Senju clan quickly gathered, their faces alight with relief and happiness.

Elders clapped him on the back, children stared up at him with wide-eyed admiration, and even the more reserved members offered genuine smiles.

Feasts were prepared, stories were exchanged, and for the first time in a long time, Naruto felt a sense of belonging that surpassed his complicated feelings about the village itself.

Despite his power and the freedom, Hagoromo words still held.

Naruto's enrollment in the Academy.

It was a formality, a nod to tradition, and a way to ensure he understood the foundational principles of Konoha's ninja system, even if he had surpassed them tenfold.

Naruto sighed, knowing it was an unavoidable part of his destiny, a path laid out for him long before he became a god among men.

He still had to pretend to be a normal kid in school.

“I hope it will be interesting.”

Unbeknownst to Konoha, the so-called "peace treaty" from Kumogakure was nothing more than a thinly veiled ruse.

Their true objective was far more sinister.

To kidnap Satsuki Uchiha, the heiress to the Uchiha clan.

The Raikage believed that by seizing such a prominent figure, they could ignite a war with Konoha, a conflict they were confident they could win, especially with Hiruzen perceived as weakened by age.

This act of aggression, they hoped, would destabilize the Leaf Village and allow Kumogakure to assert its dominance among the Great Shinobi Nations.