"Hey, little girl — here, have a skewer of squid."
"Ah, thank you!"
The old man at the food stall chuckled as Tsunade took the grilled squid. "Heh, looks just like her… just like Lady Tsunade when she was a kid!"
Tsunade's smile froze, her eye twitching as Naruto sighed beside her.
"Seriously, Tsunade-sama, you don't even bother with a Transformation Technique? You shrink down, but your face is the same. Of course they'll recognize you! Maybe try a different look?"
Naruto crossed his arms, shaking his head. Unbelievable. This old lady can't stand getting older. Still trying to pass as a teenage girl — how nostalgic can you get?
"Quiet, brat! Hardly anyone in the village even remembers me. Pure coincidence!"
"Fine, fine," Naruto said, waving it off. "Anyway, we're heading to the Chūnin Exams. You do your own thing, Grandma."
"I'm coming too!" Tsunade huffed. "I want to see what this generation of Konoha Genin can do."
Naruto groaned inwardly. "Of course you are."
The Chūnin Exams were being held at the Central Tower in the Forest of Death — the same place Naruto had just left earlier that day. He sighed. "Figures. Full circle."
At the Forest of Death's side gate, an Anbu operative appeared out of nowhere, blocking their path.
"Identify yourselves!"
Naruto released his transformation, showing his true form.
"Lord Uzumaki?" the Anbu said in shock. "And these are…?"
"They're Konoha shinobi," Naruto said curtly. "I'll report directly to the Third Hokage."
The Anbu nodded — until his gaze landed on Tsunade. He hesitated, remembering the standing alert order: report any abnormality.
Before Naruto could cover for her, Tsunade rolled her eyes and dropped her transformation.
"Can I go in?"
The Anbu's entire demeanor changed instantly. "Tsu–Tsunade-sama?! Of course! Please, go right ahead!"
Naruto's eyebrow twitched.
So, me — a world-class Jōnin and savior of the village — gets identity verification and password checks.
But her? One smile, and everyone bows.
The difference in treatment stung a little.
Age, legacy, reputation — still unbeatable.
"Go fetch us four Anbu uniforms and masks," Naruto ordered sharply. "And not a word about Tsunade-sama's return. Classified."
"Yes, sir!" the Anbu said, bowing deeply before vanishing.
Naruto smirked under his mask. Heh. At least the uniform comes with authority.
After disguising themselves, Naruto, Tsunade, and their small team entered the Central Tower.
Inside, the surviving Genin were gathered — exhausted, bloody, and waiting for results. Many were still trapped somewhere in the forest, fighting for survival.
Naruto checked the display board. "The Sand squad — Gaara's team — was first to finish? That emotionless guy didn't go on a killing spree? Shocking."
He expected Gaara to be hunting everyone else, not showing up early and calm.
Tsunade scanned the names and numbers. "One Iwagakure squad, two from Cloud, one from Mist, one from Sand… and four from Konoha." Her eyes lit up. "Not bad at all."
Naruto grinned. "Guess my training camp paid off."
If Konoha Genin had failed, it would've been embarrassing. But now? He'd made killers out of them.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the tower…
"Konoha Genin are monsters!"
"They're supposed to be kids! We had to go all out just to barely beat one team!"
"This exam's turning into a nightmare," muttered a Cloud ninja named Omoi, rubbing his temples.
His teammate Karui stretched lazily. "Oh, please. We'll just blow them up. Yun-Style Slash — boom, done."
Omoi groaned. "You're so lucky you don't overthink anything…"
Even the other villages — Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure — were eyeing the scoreboard uneasily. The sheer number of Konoha teams passing was enough to make their eyelids twitch.
When the second stage ended, the final tally came in:
Konoha: 8 squads passed
Iwagakure: 1 squad
Kumogakure (Cloud): 3 squads
Kirigakure (Mist): 1 squad
Sunagakure (Sand): 1 squad
Otogakure (Sound): 1 squad
Total: 16 teams — 48 participants.
Half of them from Konoha.
Every other village's Jōnin stared at the numbers, faces stiff.
The exam had turned into Konoha vs. the rest of the ninja world.
And though it was just a Genin exam, everyone knew what it represented — a preview of the future power balance.
If this trend continued, Konoha would once again tower over every nation.
"We can't let this stand," whispered an Iwagakure Jōnin.
"Agreed," said another. "Konoha's momentum must be contained."
The Four Great Villages exchanged glances — former enemies now silently aligned. Their grudges would wait. For now, they had a common threat.
"Let them try," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.
The Third Hokage was in high spirits, almost glowing. "Konoha fears no one. Let them come."
He had just received Anbu confirmation — Naruto and Tsunade had returned to the village. That alone steadied his heart.
Seeing Konoha dominate the charts, seeing the next generation flourish — it filled him with pride.
Konoha was thriving again. Stronger than ever.
And that, he thought, was his legacy.
He stood by the window, looking out at the village below. "The strongest Hokage? Maybe that's too much," he said, smiling faintly. "But the Hokage who brought Konoha to its peak — I'll take that title."
His old eyes gleamed like fire. "Sarutobi Hiruzen — Konoha's best Hokage! Anyone got a problem with that?"
Naruto and Tsunade watched from a rooftop nearby.
"This old man's floating," Tsunade muttered, smirking.
"Oh yeah," Naruto said dryly. "He's floating hard."
Then, after a pause, he sighed. "Still… with Konoha this strong under his leadership, a little pride isn't the worst thing."
Tsunade chuckled. "True. Especially since Danzo's been keeping his mouth shut. No backroom politics, no sabotage… it's amazing how peaceful things get when that schemer stays quiet."
Naruto's gaze lingered on the Third Hokage's figure, his expression complex — pride, respect, and a trace of worry all blending in his eyes.
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