510 Starting from One Piece

In the afternoon, thick snowflakes drifted down over Konoha, and Naruto brought over a little blonde girl.

As soon as he stepped inside, he complained,

"Dad, Mom, Hoshina kept crying to see you two. I couldn't calm her down!"

There were now five extra red "whisker marks" on Naruto's face—clearly Hoshina's handiwork.

Hoshina broke free from Naruto's hand and dove straight into Kushina's arms. Kushina held the child with a gentle, loving smile.

Naruto sat down beside Minato, his face covered in scribbles, and asked Kaito,

"Kaito-senpai, is Kaguya-san about to give birth?"

Kaito nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, in the next few days."

"That's awesome! Kaito-senpai's kid has to be super cute. If it's a boy, he'll definitely be way more handsome than Sasuke!"

"Naruto, you idiot, talking behind my back again? Pathetic!"

Naruto whipped his head around. Sasuke stood there with his arms crossed, looking at him with pure disdain. Naruto froze for a moment, then immediately fired back like a guilty man shouting first,

"Y-y-you! Why didn't you knock before coming in?! Don't you know manners?!"

"I don't know which idiot walked in without shutting the door. Seems like some blonde hedgehog? And don't try to change the subject."

"Am I wrong though? With Kaito-senpai's genes, his kid is definitely going to be insanely handsome!"

Sasuke didn't deny it. If there were a ranking for good looks, Kaito was absolutely number one in the entire shinobi world.

He gave Naruto a sideways glance and snorted.

"And what does that have to do with you? That's the natural talent of the Uchiha clan."

Naruto couldn't refute that. He puffed up his cheeks and fell silent.

Sasuke raised his chin triumphantly like he'd won a battle. Behind him was the entire Uchiha entourage.

Madara, Itachi, Obito, and… hmm, Kakashi!

Rin stood beside Obito, clearly much closer to him now. Her posture leaned slightly toward him, and Obito was no longer that gloomy young man—he had completely returned to his old self. The old lady he used to help could now walk two and a half laps around Konoha.

Kakashi had even teased Obito about it. The reserved man once disguised himself as a hunched old lady and tricked Obito into escorting him all over Konoha.

In the end, Kakashi couldn't hold back his laughter, exposing the prank. Obito immediately dragged him into a Kamui space and beat… him… up!

If he hadn't been busy dating Rin, Obito definitely wouldn't have let Kakashi off so easily.

Rin was currently training under Tsunade, so she naturally knew about Kaguya's condition. She went to Obito and asked him to come along with her.

The moment Obito heard Kaito-senpai's child was about to be born—a major event for the entire shinobi world—he knew he had to show up.

He immediately took out a bunch of things he'd bought with the money he'd swiped off Kakuzu, stuffed everything into his Kamui space, and prepared to leave.

His actions caught Madara's attention. After learning about it, Madara notified Itachi and Sasuke. After a quick discussion, they decided to all go together. Kaito's child would definitely bear the Uchiha name—they had to show off the clan's prestige properly.

So under Madara's lead, the remaining Uchihas set out in full force, walking high-profile down Konoha's main street, dragging along a passing Uchiha Kakashi while they were at it.

They didn't expect Kaito to have already returned. When they saw him, Itachi immediately bowed respectfully.

"Hokage-sama."

Kaito waved his hand.

"No need to be so formal. I haven't wanted this Hokage position for a long time. Itachi, you seem quite suitable. You should consider being the next Hokage."

"Nani?!"

Even the usually composed Itachi was stunned. The person he respected most was Kaito. In his heart, the Hokage position could only belong to him.

As long as Kaito was the banner of Konoha, the affiliated villages would never dare harbor disloyalty. No one understood this better than him.

He immediately said,

"Kaito-sama, I can't. I don't have the seniority. Minato-sama and Madara-sama…"

Minato held up a hand, stopping him, and said seriously,

"Itachi, spare me. Whoever wants to be Hokage can have it. I'm absolutely never doing it again. And as for seniority—your abilities speak for themselves. In strength and decision-making, you're the best candidate."

Madara placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder and spoke earnestly.

"I'm the last person who should become Hokage. The current Konoha doesn't need someone from the old era taking the seat again. That would make it look like Konoha has no future generations."

Obito, who had always dreamed of being Hokage, voiced his support as well. Having worked with Itachi before, he recognized his abilities—after all, this was someone who'd played the role of a double agent.

Besides, he was busy dating Rin now. Who had time to be Hokage? He had decided to follow Minato's example and focus on family. He hadn't succeeded in forming one yet, but he felt he was close.

Kakashi stared with his exposed dead-fish eye, silently declaring "not my problem."

In his view, becoming Hokage wasn't half as enjoyable as reading a few more pages of Icha Icha Paradise. Speaking of which, Jiraiya-sama had been publishing really fast lately—practically high-output like… something. He should swing by the bookstore later.

Sasuke's expression was frozen. His mind was full of one thing:

"What? My brother is going to be Hokage?"

Naruto grinned and gave Itachi a thumbs-up. Kakashi arched an eyebrow, wondering if Naruto had been hanging around Guy too much. He was starting to look… overly enthusiastic.

"Itachi is amazing! I have to work harder too!"

Kaito smiled.

"Alright, Itachi, no more refusing. After my child is born, you'll take over as Hokage. That's settled."

...

Konoha had now reached its golden age—an unbelievably powerful lineup, and without Danzo and the old schemers stirring trouble, the environment was better than ever.

Itachi paused, then dropped to one knee.

"Thank you for your trust, Hokage-sama. I will not disappoint your expectations!"

Kaito helped him up, smiling.

"Start preparing. If you don't understand something, ask Minato. He has more experience with this than I do."

After speaking, Kaito looked toward the falling snow outside. The snow on the steps had already grown thick.

In this kind of weather, gathering everyone for hotpot and a few side dishes would be one of life's greatest pleasures.