Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 504

Just imagining that scene puts him under immense pressure!

"No, no, no! No need, Uncle Hiashi! I suddenly remembered I have an S-rank... oh no, I mean, a super important mission to report to Kakashi-sensei! Yes! Report the mission! I'm going now! Let's talk next time!"

Naruto rambled on incoherently, making excuses, and before Hiashi could respond, he practically used his shrinking-the-ground-to-an-inch technique.

With a "whoosh," it transformed into a golden flash and vanished instantly from the Hyuga clan's doorstep, its speed comparable to that of Madara Uchiha in his Six Paths form.

Sasuke, standing to the side, watched Naruto's disheveled escape and sighed helplessly.

He gave a polite, slight bow to Hiashi, as if to apologize on behalf of his idiotic friend.

He then used the Instantaneous Movement Technique to leave silently.

Walking on the streets of Konoha, Sasuke rubbed his temples.

Having a friend like Naruto is a constant test of his patience and ability to manage his expressions.

Soon, Sasuke couldn't find anyone at the training ground that Team 7 frequented.

With his familiarity with Naruto's chakra, he finally found the golden figure on the Hokage Rock.

Naruto was sitting on his father's hair sculpture with his knees drawn up to his chest, looking a little dejected from behind.

Sasuke silently landed beside him: "What's wrong? You confessed halfway through, but the person you were confessing to ran away, so you're just sitting here in a sulk?"

Naruto looked up, his face filled with frustration and self-doubt: "Sasuke, am I really that useless?"

"Even though I made up my mind, when it really came down to it, my first thought was to run away... Do I really deserve to like Hinata like this?"

Sasuke gazed at the setting sun gradually sinking below the horizon, his tone calm yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of understanding: "That's normal."

"Huh?" Naruto was taken aback.

Doesn't this just prove that you really like her?

Sasuke turned his head and glanced at Naruto: "Because you care, you get nervous, you're afraid of being rejected, and you subconsciously want to avoid things when you feel the timing isn't right."

"Think back to when you used to pick her up and carry her on your shoulders, did you ever feel this blushing, your heart racing, and this flustered as you do now?"

Naruto recalled the time during the joint mission years ago, when he held the injured Hinata in his arms...

Back then, it seemed that besides caring, I didn't have many other complicated thoughts.

"It seems... I don't." Naruto honestly admitted.

Sasuke concluded, "You ran away not because you were cowardly, but because you liked it too much."

As Naruto listened to Sasuke's analysis, his eyes gradually brightened, but then he said in an envious tone, "I really envy you, Sasuke."

"Sakura confessed to you first, you've probably never experienced this kind of inner conflict, right?"

Sasuke's expression froze for a moment before returning to its indifferent state. He turned his head away and said, "...I just don't want to see her crying all the time. It's too much trouble."

"And... my parents seem to have a pretty good impression of her."

The excuse he came up with was so flimsy that even he himself found it weak.

I was completely blank-minded at the time and agreed without thinking.

But being as proud as he is, he would never admit it.

Naruto couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw Sasuke's stubborn expression, and his gloomy mood vanished instantly.

He suddenly stood up, slapped his cheeks hard, and his fighting spirit was rekindled:

"Alright! I understand! This time when Hinata comes back, I will definitely tell her formally, face to face—I love her! I won't run away again!"

However, no sooner had he finished his impassioned declaration than a soft thud was heard behind him, accompanied by rapid breathing.

They both looked back at the same time.

Hinata Hyuga was standing not far behind them, her hands tightly covering her flushed cheeks.

Her large, white eyes were filled with panic and shyness, and it seemed as if she was radiating heat from the top of her head.

"I...I just...completed the mission ahead of schedule...I heard from my father...Naruto-kun, you came to see me...so...I thought I'd come and check on you..."

Hinata's voice was barely audible, broken and intermittent, clearly indicating that she had run all the way here.

Naruto froze, his face instantly turning even redder than Hinata's: "Hinata?! You...you...you heard everything?!"

Nine-Lama (Yang): "Hahahaha! This is hilarious! This kid was so confident, but he got caught red-handed!"

Nine-Lama (Yin): "By a twist of fate, it saved him a lot of trouble. But this scene... is indeed interesting."

The two foxes, unusually in agreement, laughed so hard they rolled on the ground.

"Uh-huh……"

Hinata was so embarrassed she was about to faint. Her mind was a complete mess, and she responded purely on instinct: "I-I heard you... For the rest of my life...please take care of me!"

In her panic, she blurted out her wedding lines.

Naruto was also completely stunned, his face as red as a boiled shrimp, only able to stupidly repeat, "Huh? Oh! For the rest of my life... please take care of me!"

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed Fire Shadow Rock in a warm golden-red hue.

This reflects the feelings of the young couple who have just completed the most chaotic yet most sincere confession in history.

The air was filled with a bittersweet, yet incredibly awkward atmosphere.

Sasuke stood aside, watching the two guys face to face, their faces as red as tomatoes, rambling incoherently, and could only shrug helplessly.

For these people, dealing with complex emotional issues can sometimes be more troublesome and frustrating than facing a powerful enemy.

On the other side, the Hokage's office.

Unlike the vibrant, youthful atmosphere outside, the Hokage's office was filled with a melancholic air typical of overworked office workers.

Kakashi Hatake, the current Sixth Hokage.

He was slumped behind his large desk, looking utterly dejected, processing documents.

He stared at the ceiling with dead fish eyes, as if contemplating the meaning of life.

For him, there is both good news and bad news.

After multiple discussions at the highest levels and public opinion surveys, the selection of the next Hokage has been basically decided internally, and it will be Naruto Uzumaki.

This aligns with Naruto's dream and is what everyone hopes for.

The bad news is that, based on the advisors' "long-term" considerations, they believe that Naruto, despite having sufficient strength and prestige, is not a suitable candidate.

However, he still needs several more years of experience to become familiar with politics and power struggles, so Kakashi will have to stay in this position for at least another five years!

Thinking of this, Kakashi's eyes completely lost their light, and he wanted to escape reality.

Naruto and Sasuke were indeed initially considered for the Hokage position.

But Sasuke vanished the day he learned the news, leaving only a note: "Not interested, don't look for me."

Their attitude was as firm as it could possibly be.

Fortunately, Naruto's dream was to become Hokage, otherwise Kakashi suspected he would have been welded to this chair for the rest of his life.

He still remembers it vividly; it had been just two years since the war ended.

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, took the recovered Jiraiya with her, citing the need for long-term travel and recuperation due to his post-war physical and mental trauma.

He simply shoved the Hokage hat and a bunch of unprocessed documents into his hands, then patted his behind and walked away nonchalantly.

He is still traveling around the ninja world, and all he sends back are postcards and bills.

From that day on, Kakashi lived a "happy" life surrounded by documents.

The only advantage might be that we no longer have to leave the village to carry out those high-risk S-level missions.

After all, he now has Sharingan in both eyes, although the consumption has decreased after training.

However, once the battle enters a high-intensity, protracted phase, chakra remains a major issue.

Instead, he sits here processing documents, utilizing the Sharingan's extraordinary insight and information processing abilities.

It allows him to quickly identify loopholes and inconsistencies in documents, making his review process extremely efficient.

Aside from mental fatigue, I'm not physically tired.

Just as Kakashi was immersed in mourning for the bleak five years to come—

The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open without any politeness, and even slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Kakashi was so startled that he almost jumped off his chair.

Looking up, I saw Uchiha Madara walk in with a dark face, like a moving iceberg, radiating a low pressure that said "keep away".

'Oh no! What's gotten into this guy today? Is he going to tear down the Hokage Building in a fit of pique?'

Kakashi's internal alarm bells were ringing, but he forced a professional smile: "Senpai Madara, what's wrong...?"

Ban walked to the desk and reported succinctly and in a curt tone: "Mission report."

"The genin squad I was in charge of failed the survival exercise. Before it even began, the trainees, due to their inadequate mental fortitude, requested to return to the ninja academy to repeat their studies. The mission was a failure."

Kakashi: "..."

He was silent for a few seconds, then let out a long, heartfelt sigh of relief.

Thankfully, they just scared the students away; they weren't there to demolish the building.

This has become the norm, and he even thinks it's much better than Madara successfully training three murderous genin.

"Ahem, I understand, Senior Ban. Thank you for your hard work. I will arrange for them to be regrouped."

Kakashi tried his best to keep his tone calm.

Within the body of the stigmata, the space of consciousness

Hashirama: "See, see! I told you! The problem lies with you! Your murderous aura is too strong! Even children can't stand it! Look at my brother Tobirama, he always has a stern face, but I've never heard of him scaring away students."

Madara: "Shut up! Tobirama's got a poker face! I'm not, how can we be the same?!"

Hashirama: "What kingly aura? It's clearly the aura of a bully who scares kids! How about... I loosen Tobirama's seal a little and let him in to teach you how to get along with your descendants?"

Madara instantly flew into a rage: "You dare!! If you dare let that white-haired forbidden technique maniac in, I'll immediately control this body and jump off the Hokage Rock! I mean what I say!"

Hashirama: "Oh dear, don't get so excited..."

Outside, Kakashi looked at Madara Uchiha standing in front of him, his face sometimes turning ashen and sometimes contorted.