Some people are born with arrogance, not to mention whether they are born into privilege. But for those who climbed to power later, if Tsunade hadn't exposed the corruption and triggered a major reshuffling of Konoha's leadership…
Had the Konoha's 'F4' remained in control, these people would never have had a chance to rise in their lifetimes.
They weren't born into nobility, and they simply got lucky. The times created heroes, not the other way around. Back then, Konoha's higher-ups were in disarray, desperately needing figures to fill the void.
Even Kakashi reluctantly stepped up during that period. And yet, despite becoming Hokage, Kakashi never let it go to his head.
Meanwhile, these newly empowered Konoha's 'elites', after gaining just a sliver of status, immediately changed.
They became haughty, treating everyone with contempt. They even believed that Jinchuriki should willingly sacrifice every last drop of their blood for their sake… never mind that Naruto was the Yondaime Hokage's only son.
In their eyes, the entire village was their personal fiefdom. What did it matter whose son Naruto was? They were the supreme authority, and everyone else ought to bow their heads.
They completely forgot that just a year ago, they were nothing more than mid-level workers in Konoha, buried under paperwork all day, scrambling to get things done. Back then, they'd even avoid Naruto in the halls.
Now, after a lucky break elevated their status, they looked down on ordinary people. Just who the hell did they think they were?
"Ah!!! What are you doing?!"
"Uzumaki Naruto! We'll report you at the next high-level meeting!"
"Go ahead, you bastards! From now on, I'll beat the crap out of you every time I see you! I'll break your damn legs!" Naruto snarled through gritted teeth, "You want to mess with me? You asking to die!"
"Ahhh!! Stop! Stop hitting us!"
"Not the face! Not the face!"
"Go to hell!"
Truly, the sunset of their arrogance, the dawn of their reckoning.
Naruto mercilessly pummeled them, kicking them repeatedly in the face until their noses cracked under the force, their screams filling the air. He ignored their pleas, spitting on them before leaving.
This village had never respected its heroes. Ingratitude was its nature, and he'd long since grown sick of it.
Now, with a legitimate reason to leave, Naruto could finally go… and of course, take his girls with him.
'Damn it, Konoha was rotten to the core.'
While he despised Konoha, Naruto would not say so openly, after all, Hinata and Ino were also from Konoha. He'd waited half a year for this opportunity. It wasn't that he wanted to leave, but he was being forced out.
After venting his anger, Naruto walked to a nearby convenience store and bought a bottle of soda. The icy taste hit his throat, and he suddenly shivered, realizing it was already deep autumn.
"Time flies…" He muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, in the conference room, Kakashi sat expressionless as the discussion reached its conclusion. All that was left was to take Rin through a simple procedural review, and the proposal for her imprisonment would be completely dismissed.
Even so, Kakashi felt a chill in his heart. He wanted to resign right then and there… let whoever wanted the Hokage seat take it.
But doing so would only harm the interests of the Hokage's faction first. Even if he didn't want the job anymore, he had to step down gradually, giving his allies enough time to adjust.
With that thought in mind, Kakashi closed his eye again. He was too lazy to listen to what the group of people in the meeting were saying, as it was just meaningless clamor.
These past few days had left him dazed. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't make sense of things. In everyone else's eyes, Rin was already tied to him.
And yet, he was the one struggling to distance himself from her. Whether it was because he hadn't sorted out his feelings or because he feared future misunderstandings and unnecessary complications, it all just felt stupid now.
Everything had happened too fast. He needed to sort through it piece by piece. Rin had been resurrected, and then he'd dragged her through all sorts of political processes, only for knives to come flying from every direction immediately after.
To those people, what exactly his relationship with Rin was didn't matter. All they needed to know was that she was important to him, and that was enough to justify attacking her openly.
In the final analysis, it all came down to the fact that he was sitting in the Hokage's seat. Unless he stepped down, these troubles would never leave him alone.
But he couldn't just abandon his position now, and Rin...
Right now, he felt like an absolute fool. He wondered why had he gone and said those things to Rin? Now, everything was even more complicated. All that talk about honesty and clarity had vanished. Now, his biggest concern was Rin's safety.
The two of them were already bound together. Pretending he had no feelings or that he just wanted to 'keep things clear' was childish. Even if he had no intentions, priorities still mattered.
How much longer could he even stay as Hokage? And once he stepped down, where would he go?? If it were just him, it wouldn't matter, as he could stay in the village and keep taking missions.
But there was also Rin. Until he resigned, she would inevitably be dragged into his troubles. Trying to hastily sever their connection now was just plain foolish.
The more Kakashi thought about it, the heavier his head felt, his mind a tangled mess.
Ever since Rin's resurrection, everything had changed, and the pressure on him had grown unbearable.
But he had no idea what pressure Rin was under.
He didn't even notice when the meeting ended. Kakashi had no energy left to humor those people and wandered out of the Hokage Tower in a daze. The sun was no longer scorching, and his stomach was completely empty.
Kakashi couldn't remember how time had passed, and he hadn't eaten lunch.
By the time he snapped back to reality, it was already night. The office was empty except for him, and he had no recollection of how he'd even walked back in.
A faint light seeped in through the window, outside of which lay a thick, oppressive darkness.
Out of habit, he reached for his water cup, only to find it empty. He sighed softly and glanced around the dimly lit office.
Just as he was about to stand up, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knock was neither hurried nor slow.
'Who would come looking for me at this hour? It was already past work hours. Could it be Shikamaru returning? Or… Naruto? No, impossible! Absolutely impossible.'
'That guy Naruto never liked coming to see me. Every time he did, it was always trouble.'
Kakashi thought to himself but still walked over and pulled the door open. The hallway was brightly lit, and standing there was Rin, looking slightly nervous.
At this time, she was holding a large bag, which swayed slightly when the door opened. Kakashi froze in the doorway, completely at a loss.
Ever since he'd said those things to her, he hadn't seen Rin again. Even though he knew she might be upset, he hadn't mustered the courage to seek her out. He never expected she would come to him.