75 I Accept...

• one day later•

"Have you made your decision naruto?" Hiruzen asked, sitting back in his chair with his aged eyes staring at the only other person within the room.

Naruto, who was standing in front of the mans desk, eye smiled at the man." Yes." He answered. He took a small breath before he looked directly into hiruzens eyes." I accept." He told the man.

Hiruzen felt a feeling of joy well up inside if him, almost as if his very heart was jumping in joy. He quickly stood up from his chair and walked around the desk in order to stand in front of naruto. He took a moment to look the boy over before locking eyes with the blond.

"Are you certain of your answer naruto?" He asked, gone was his usual grandfatherly tone and in its place was the tone of a leader, a leader that had been through countless battles, one that had steered their village through numerous trying times." When you wear this hat you accept the responsibility that comes with it. There are no days off, no breaks, nothing. You will be dedicating your life to this village and its people until the day you either die or until the day you hand this burden onto someone else." Hiruzen placed a hand on narutos shoulder." Are you prepared to shoulder the burdens of this entire village?" He stared directly into the blonds eyes and awaited his response.

Naruto seemed to stand straighter as he looked up at the third." This village is my home and its people, civilian and ninja alike, are my family." Naruto told the man." I would gladly lay my life down for anyone of them, from the youngest of babies to the oldest of people.. ill give my life to protect any and all of them." Naruto swore, his mismatched eyes were narrowed as he gave his vow.

Hiruzen stared down into the boys eyes as if he was trying to find some sort of weakness within them, yet he could not. The blonds eyes shone with utter conviction along with the boys own will, a will that was greater than even the first hokages.

The third closed his eyes before he let out a relieved sigh. He took a single step back before reaching up to the hat that rested upon his head. Removing the hat he then presented it to naruto with a gentle smile on his face.

"Then i believe this hat belongs to you, naruto uzumaki, the fifth hokage of the village hidden in the leaves."

Naruto reached up and slid his mask down, exposing his whiskered face before he reached out and gently took the hokages hat from the elder mans hands. Naruto stared down at the object with a small smile on his face.

He had done it. After everything he had been through up until now, he had finally become the hokage. He had achieved one of his greatest dreams and he knew that he would use this hat to not only make his village thrive, but to hopefully bring peace to his world.

He slowly walked past hiruzen and the elder mans gaze followed him until he stepped around the desk and gently sat the kages hat on top of the wooden desk.

"I wont wear it yet." Naruto stated." The first time i put it on my head i want it to be in front of our people. I wanna show them that i will protect them. I want them to know that i will be there, for everyone of them. No matter what." The boy finished with a small smile on his face as he looked up to hiruzen.

Hiruzen smiled proudly at the boy and nodded his head." Ill send a message to the fire lord before informing the council tomorrow morning. Your official coronation will be three days from now." He told the boy.

Naruto smiled and nodded in confirmation before walking up to the elder man." Now as my first act as hokage-" naruto took the glove off from his right hand and laid his bare palm against hiruzens bandaged arm.

Hiruzen closed his eyes as he felt narutos chakra invade his entire body, healing any damages he once had. He felt his own chakra coils within his right arm heal fully before his chakra began to rush through the bandaged appendage once more.

Naruto took his hand away from the mans arm before grinning at the black sun mark that had appeared on top of hiruzens once useless arm.

"You will be my shadow. You will help me protect our home when i cant do it alone." Naruto then let out a small chuckle." But make it seem like your arms still useless. Itll make people underestimate you."

Hiruzen let out a small laugh." Very well my boy. But im not doing anymore paperwork ya hear! Its all yours now." He pointed out with a grin.

'After so long.. i can finally free myself from that retched enemy known as paperwork! Take that you old fence-sitter!' Hiruzen gleefully thought to himself. 

•iwa•

The old Onoki was in the middle of signing a few papers before he suddenly, and rather violently, sneezed. He sneezed so hard that his back gave off a loud crack, causing the old man to let out a pain filled howl.

"Arrrgghh! Damn you hiruzen, you stupid old monkey!" The man cried out as he held his aching back. He didnt know why he cursed that old monkey but he just had a feeling that hiruzen had just won one over on him!

• konoha•

Naruto stared at the third with a raised eyebrow as he watched the man dance and shout in happiness." You know.." hiruzen paused mid dance and stared at the blond." You couldve just used a shadow clone.." Naruto grinned as a clone of himself popped into existence before it dutifully walked over to the kages chair and sat down. With a small grumpy huff, the clone began to carefully read and sign the stack of paperwork.

Hiruzens jaw hit the floor and his face paled and he began to mentally berate himself for never figuring that out!' So that was minatos secret! Curse him!' He mentally shouted.

Naruto let out a laugh as he pulled his mask back up." Anyways old man, i gotta finish up something before i leave with jiraya-sensei." He stated.

Hiruzen snapped out of his daze before looking at naruto." How do you plan on traveling with jiraya and being hokage at the same time naruto?" He asked curiously.

Naruto gave the man an eye smile." Come with me and ill show you old man." He said before he vanish in a swirl of leaves, hiruzen doing the same not seconds later.

The two kages appeared in an empty training ground standing next to one another.

"So you remember when i was kidnapped by akatsuki and all that?" Hiruzen nodded." Yeah well their leader, pein, was controlling a body with his own chakra rods, like a long distance puppet jutsu if you will." The blond explained." And im trying to do that, but with a clone and i think I've finally got it down, watch."

Naruto summoned a single clone before he lifted his right hand up and closed it into a fist. He opened his fist a second later and showed hiruzen the four, small, just under and inch long, chakra rods he now had in his hand. He then threw two to the clone and kept two for himself.

"I remember, before kuramas seal was unlocked, that I accessed his chakra by placing a large chakra rod within his cage and used it to sort of syphon his chakra directly into my coils so-"

"Youre gonna use these small chakra rods as a way to transmit chakra into your clone in order to keep it from popping while making it more durable." Hiruzen finished for the blond with slightly wide eyes.

Naruto nodded his head before he and the clone pierced both of their earlobes with the tiny chakra rods. Both naruto and the clone closed their eyes for a moment before they opened them and looked at one another.

"Not only can my clone syphon chakra directly from me, no matter the distance. I can also use one of my rinnegans abilities to see through the clones eyes and sort of.. possess it. So if i ever need to be in my clones place during a meeting or something like that, i can be there through the clone." Naruto explained the best he could. It was a truly confusing concept to anyone that didnt have the rinnegan. " and the best part is this." Naruto looked at his clone and grinned.

Narutos golden chakra cloak sprouted out around him, bathing him in the warm chakra before, in the blink of an eye, naruto was standing directly in front of his clone with his right fist drawn back." With my clone constantly syphoning off of my chakra, its durability is increased greatly!" With that said, naruto slammed his fist into his clones face, sending it flying backwards and into the ground.

The ground cratered under the force of the clones impact and said clone created a rather long trench within the ground with its body. After a few moments the clone came to a stop before it picked itself up from the crater and brushed the dirt off its clothes. The clone then looked towards the two kages and gave them a thumbs-up." Im still good to go boss!" He stated happily.

Naruto powered down and looked back at hiruzen with an eye smile." See. Hes perfectly fine." Naruto said, motioning towards the clone.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and smiled." Well with this show, i cant say i have any issues with you going with jiraya still." Hiruzen admitted.

"And if im ever needed with the village on a moments notice, no matter where i am, i have something to bring me here almost instantly." Naruto told the man with a confident nod. The clone he had summoned dispelled itself, along with the chakra rods it had.

Hiruzens eyes widened." So you've finally figured your fathers jutsu out?" He asked in wonder.

Naruto gave off an amused snort." Inari-sama no." He shook his head and waved the man off." The time i used it against tobi was pure luck. I dont even remember how i did that." Hiruzen sweatdropped at the blond.

"Then how will you get here so fast?"

"Now that would be telling." Naruto replied with an eye smile, causing hiruzens brow to twitch in annoyance.

"Anyways-" naruto looked up at the sun, which was hanging high in the sky."- im gonna go find hinata and celebrate my promotion with her. See ya later old man!" And he was gone.

But before he left, hiruzen couldve sworn he had seen something within the blonds eyes.' Was that lust?' Hiruzen asked in confusion before his eyes widened in realization." Naruto you little brat! Haha!" He let out a loud laugh." Oh im sure hiashi is ready to kill that boy." He told himself before he too vanished in a swirl of leaves.

• training ground eight•

Naruto appeared in team eights training ground, standing right next to kurenai who was watching her genin spar with one another, she seemingly didnt notice the blond arrival.

"Hi nai-chan!" Naruto greeted the red eyed woman, causing her to shout and jump in surprise. On pure reflex, the woman spun towards naruto and sent a kick directly towards his head. Naruto ducked the kick before standing up and eye smiling at his fellow jonin.

"Kami above you little brat!" She placed a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm herself down." Dont do that!" She scolded the blond.

Hearing their sensei shout, team eight stopped sparing and looked over at them. Kiba was the first to speak.

"Yo naruto!" He greeted with a wave and from atop his head, akamaru let out a happy bark.

"Hey guys!" Naruto waved at them before looking at kurenai." I need to steal hinata." He told her.

Kurenai narrowed her eyes at the boy." And why do you need to take my student?" She asked him." We're in the middle of training right now." She pointed out.

"I know but its super important!" Naruto promised before he pouted up at the older woman." Please nai-chan!" He begged.

"Whats going on naruto-kun?" Himata asked as she and her team made there way over.

"Hime-chan!" Narutos eyes brightened as he engulfed the girl in a hug."i have something to tell you!" He stated.

Hinata, with a small blush on her face, hugged him back." What is it?" She asked curiously.

Naruto grinned under his mask before he leaned close to her ear and began whispering.

The rest of team eight just watched with a raised brow as naruto whispered something into hinatas ear.

The only thing kurenai could make out was something about' hokage' and 'celebrate' before hinata pushed the blond away with an utterly surprised look on her face.

"Are you serious?!?" Hinata nearly shouted out with wide eyes.

"One hundred percent serious hime-chan." Naruto answered with a nod, and the rest of team eight was totally not prepared for the normally shy and reserved hyuuga to suddenly let out a rather excited squeal before she practically jumped into narutos arms.

"Im so happy for you naruto-kun!" Hinata stated as she hugged her boyfriend while he held her up.

"So, wanna go get lunch with me and celebrate?" Naruto asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Of course!" Hinata replied, nodding quickly.

Naruto let out a happy laugh as he and hinata vanished from training field eight.

Kiba let out a whistle." What you think that was all about kurenai-sensei?" He asked as he looked up at the red eyed jonin who was standing there with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Im.. not sure kiba." She replied before looking at her two remaining students." Take the day off. I have to go talk to someone." She told them before she vanished. She was now on the hunt for kakashi. That one eyed scarecrow would definitely know why naruto would be celebrating.

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Hey everyone, whiteEyedGhoul here. These last few chapters have been more for plot development than anything else and im happy to say that the next few upcoming chapters will have more action in them. So stick around and enjoy!

Edit: so ive finally finished moving all of foxs gifts chapters to this platform, yay! Now i have to move shes my blossom over. But new chapters will be coming out soon so stick around friends!