Hokage Building.
The rebuilt Hokage Building wasn't taller, instead, it replicated the pre-destruction design.
Maybe it was about nostalgia.
But Uzumaki Naruto currently had no mood to dwell on this nostalgia.
Rustle-
The towering stack of documents slid downwards due to gravity.
Yet the man who once reacted fast enough to counter Otsutsuki Kaguya's attacks now couldn't even catch the falling papers in time.
Naruto just stared blankly as the documents scattered across the floor, his eyes somewhat dull.
This was his fifth year as the Seventh Hokage.
What five years could do to a middle-aged man was evident just by looking at him.
Perhaps due to rapid post-war development, the number of documents requiring the Hokage's personal attention was overwhelming.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, two old fossils with barely any teeth left, still occupied the senior advisor positions.
Although Nara Shikamaru, a highly intelligent talent, served as Hokage's Assistant, there were still too many matters requiring Naruto's direct involvement.
Previously, the village had introduced the Thunder Trains and railways from the Kaminarimon Company. Route planning wasn't his job, but he needed to conduct site inspections and hold detailed discussions with the Kaminarimon's representatives.
These cooperative negotiations couldn't be settled quickly either, consuming a significant amount of Naruto's energy.
He couldn't even find time to attend his own son's birthday party, having to send a shadow clone instead.
It could only be said that Naruto had sacrificed immensely to be a good Hokage.
After tidying up the documents, Naruto walked over to a large photo frame displayed nearby.
It contained many photographs.
There was one of Team 7 just after its formation, another from the victory celebration after defeating Kaguya, and even a picture from Naruto's wedding.
"Time... flies so fast..."
Just as the Seventh Hokage stole a moment of leisure, a series of rapid knocks sounded at the door.
"Come in."
When Naruto turned around, his eyes widened slightly.
"Konohamaru, you're here... Boruto? And you..."
The three people outside entered the Hokage's office. Konohamaru scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.
"Hokage-sama, Boruto was just graffitiing your face on the Hokage Rock. It will need cleaning later."
In formal settings, Konohamaru would address Naruto by his title.
-At least the Konohamaru in this timeline did.
Boruto, hearing his name mentioned, instinctively averted his gaze under his father's scrutiny.
It wasn't that Boruto truly hated Naruto.
His pranks were more about wanting Naruto to spend more time with him, just like when Naruto was a child.
"Boruto, you're taking the Chunin Exams in a couple of days, right?"
Naruto first exchanged a look with Konohamaru, then, instead of discussing the prank, changed the subject.
"Yeah..."
Boruto grunted, his face stiff.
"Do your best. I'll be there to cheer you on."
After saying this, Naruto gently patted Boruto's head.
Boruto initially resisted slightly, but his body ultimately accepted his father's comfort.
"And then... we should talk about her, right?"
After settling the now-calmed Boruto to the side, Naruto stood up and looked at Karin, who had been observing him intently since entering.
"Karin? How did you end up like this? Is it an experiment from Orochimaru's side?"
Naruto recognized Karin at first glance, but he assumed it was another of Orochimaru's immortality experiments that had somehow rejuvenated her.
Unexpectedly, Karin didn't respond directly, instead nodding to herself.
"Hmm, I'm sure now."
"Sure of what?"
"You are definitely not my Naruto-san!"
"???"
Not only was Naruto baffled, but Konohamaru and Boruto shared the same confused expression.
Konohamaru, who had interacted with Karin a couple of times over the years, found her words incomprehensible.
Boruto, the clever little kid, immediately sensed gossip.
'What did 'my Naruto-san' mean?'
'Did the stupid old man have something with such a young girl?'
'I'm telling Mom!'
Fortunately, Karin had no intention of disrupting the Seventh Hokage's family peace. After her shocking statement, she explained her origins clearly.
"So, you're saying you're not the Karin from our world, but traveled here through the Ryumyaku from a different history?"
Naruto was relatively quick to understand Karin's explanation.
Although his memories of traveling to the past had been erased by the Fourth Hokage, becoming Hokage himself granted him access to mission records from his father, Namikaze Minato.
The prominently marked [Roran Ryumyaku] mission was among those he had reviewed.
"So, why do you say that stupid... my dad isn't 'your Naruto-san'?"
Boruto, who had been quietly listening to the gossip, suddenly spoke up.
His question was met with Karin's matter-of-fact reply.
"The Naruto-san I know would never become someone stuck in an office all day."
Karin first denied the Seventh Hokage's current state based on what she observed.
"Given Naruto-san's personality, after resolving the crisis, he would definitely return to his wife and daughter, traveling around with them."
As she said this, Karin's mood dipped slightly, but her tone remained firm.
"Naruto-san values family deeply."
Hearing this made Boruto's eyes light up.
"Furthermore, even if you offered him this Hokage position for free, he would absolutely refuse it."
"Oh?"
The three people in the room showed expressions of disbelief and astonishment.
After all, Naruto's childhood dream of becoming Hokage was practically common knowledge in Konoha.
"Given what happened to Naruto-san's parents before, how could he possibly be willing to stay in Konoha Village and become a Hokage?"
"He even wanted to end the Ninja Era itself."
This statement left the other three utterly bewildered.
"Hearing you say that makes me curious about what the other version of me is like."
Naruto said with a laugh.
Just as Karin was about to recount Naruto's actions in her timeline, another figure silently appeared in the room.
His arrival drew everyone's attention.
"Whoa, Sasuke, you're back. The trip this time must have been tough."
Naruto fist-bumped Sasuke, who had used Amenotejikara to transfer himself into the Hokage's office. Before Sasuke could speak, Naruto immediately pointed towards Karin.
"Let me tell you, Sasuke, you'll never guess..."
"Haha! Sasuke! How did you end up losing an arm?"
Although she knew this wasn't the Sasuke she was familiar with, Karin couldn't resist commenting when she saw the adult Sasuke's empty sleeve.
"You are... Karin?"
Sasuke looked incredulously at this Karin, who was completely different from the one in his memory.
In his memory, the young Karin was a fangirl with a flat chest, always blushing with some suspicious redness when she saw him.
And particularly annoying.
Even as an adult, she hadn't changed much.
The person before him, with her wild physique and slightly provocative gaze, didn't resemble Karin at all.
Besides, he had just passed by Karin's research institute half a month ago, and she didn't look like this then.
"Ha… If that guy saw another version of himself in such a sorry state, he'd be utterly ashamed."
Karin laughed playfully as she approached, showing none of the worship or fanaticism this world's Karin held for Sasuke.
She even picked up the empty sleeve with interest and laughed.
"Who managed to break one of your arms anyway?"
Hearing this, the Seventh Hokage subtly averted his gaze and coughed lightly.
Sasuke, uncomfortable with the sudden closeness, instinctively tried to sidestep.
But without using Space-Time abilities like Amenotejikara, his speed was actually slower than Karin's.
The moment he dodged a step, the younger version of Karin had somehow appeared right beside him.
'So fast!'
This confirmed Sasuke's belief: this person was not Karin.
But before he could act, Naruto promptly stepped in to explain.