r18novel Chapter 369 The Fourth Hokage
Chapter 369 The Fourth Hokage
"From this day forward! Konoha Village will be governed by me! Lord Jiraiya! Listen! I—am the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Village!!"
His loud and boisterous voice clearly echoed throughout the entire plaza in front of the Hokage Building.
"oh--!!!!!!"
His response was met with deafening cheers and applause from the massive crowd below! Waves of sound surged toward the platform like a tide.
On the rooftop terrace of the Hokage Building, Jiraiya stood in full military attire—wearing the Hokage hat, a symbol of the Hokage, neatly on his head, and a white divine robe draped over his back.
Jiraiya laughed loudly, waving his arms vigorously at the crowd below. Behind him stood the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had finally recovered from his injuries, a relieved smile on his face.
Although Jiraiya usually appears carefree, lecherous, and irresponsible, his popularity and prestige in Konoha are undeniable.
His reputation as one of the "Three Ninjas," his formidable strength, and his contributions in various wars have earned him the respect and trust of many.
When he became Hokage, to most villagers and ordinary ninjas, it was a reliable and familiar "one of their own" who had taken the position of Hokage, which naturally aroused great excitement among the crowd.
Naruto was also standing in the crowd. He looked up at Jiraiya on the rooftop, but his face was full of surprise and confusion as he tried to understand the scene before him that was completely different from the "script".
Where is Tsunade? What went wrong? Was it me, the "butterfly," who flapped my wings again?
What had he done? Naruto quickly recalled his actions. Could it be because he had abducted some members of the Akatsuki? That's why the Akatsuki hadn't been as active as before?
So Jiraiya no longer needs to stay in Konoha to investigate Akatsuki's departure from the village, as before?
But even if Jiraiya stayed in Konoha, given his carefree nature and aversion to constraints, would he really be willing to take on the role of "Hokage," a position that requires him to bury himself in piles of documents all day long and sit in an office dealing with endless administrative matters?
Naruto was completely baffled. But the facts before him were undeniable—
Jiraiya, currently wearing the Hokage hat and the sacred robe, is basking in the cheers of the crowd. However, the next second he reveals his true form and begins striking poses in the direction of what appears to be a group of female villagers below…
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"Mr. Jiraiya... or should I call him 'Hokage-sama' now? The inauguration ceremony has just ended; there must be a lot of things waiting for you to handle outside, right?"
In Naruto's small apartment, Jiraiya, who had just been sworn in as the Fifth Hokage under the spotlight, hadn't even taken off his white divine robe, which symbolized supreme power. As soon as the ceremony ended, he followed Naruto here with practiced ease and sat down across from him at the dining table.
"Seriously, you've been acting really strange since earlier!" Jiraiya reverted to his usual carefree demeanor, showing no trace of the Hokage's airs. He stroked his chin and sized up Naruto.
"What? Is it really that unbelievable that I—the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, one of the legendary Sannin—have become the Hokage of Konoha?"
Before Naruto could answer, he cleared his throat and tried to straighten his expression. "Ahem! Of course, the Hokage's duties... it shouldn't be a problem to put them aside for now. I didn't come to see you just as a guest."
He leaned forward slightly, and his tone suddenly became formal, even though the occasion was not very formal.
"Naruto Uzumaki! I, in the name of the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, hereby officially announce—your ninja rank is being promoted to 'Jonin'!"
Before he finished speaking, as if by magic, he pulled out a brand-new green Jonin vest from behind his back, the same style as the one Kakashi wore.
"...Jonin?" Naruto was somewhat surprised, but not too shocked.
"That's right!" Jiraiya placed his vest on the table. "Although you didn't participate in the Jonin Selection Exams through the usual procedures, you did become a 'Konoha Hero' who saved the village during the recent crisis. This achievement and strength far exceed the standards for ordinary Jonin. Of course..."
He then changed the subject, saying, "The theoretical exam process cannot be completely omitted; that's the rule."
"...Shouldn't this kind of thing be announced in the Hokage's office, looking at the vest on the table and then at Jiraiya's barely-warmed divine robe?" Naruto couldn't help but complain.
"Hey! You brat!" Jiraiya feigned displeasure. "The Hokage himself came to present you with your promotion order and uniform. Isn't that enough of a show of respect? Don't be so rigid. Although there are several Chunin promoted in this batch, you're the only one who was promoted to Jonin through an exception."
"Well then," Jiraiya said without warning, pulling a test paper from his robes and slamming it on the table, "the promotion theory exam is now beginning! Cheating is strictly prohibited! Otherwise, your promotion qualification will be immediately revoked!"
"...Now? At home?" Naruto looked at the suddenly appearing test paper and the teacher in front of him, wearing the Hokage robe but proctoring the exam in his apartment, and felt a strong sense of absurdity.
"It's just a formality anyway."
Jiraiya shrugged. "If it weren't for those old guys' rigid rules, I don't think this exam would be necessary at all. You know, with your current popularity and prestige in the village, once you get older and gain more experience, you could easily take over my position as the sixth generation!"
"You've only been in office for one day! Isn't it too early to be thinking about retirement?!" Naruto couldn't help but complain again as he took the test paper.
The questions weren't too difficult for Naruto at this point. He calmed himself down, quickly scanned the answers, and worked through them. About ten minutes later, he handed the completed test paper back to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya took the test paper, pretending to adjust his non-existent glasses, his brow furrowed as if he were carefully reviewing it. His gaze fell on one of the questions.
[The question is excerpted from the Second Hokage's New Concept Theory textbook]
[An enemy sensory ninja is moving in a circle at a constant speed of 3 meters per second around the center of a 50-meter radius lake surface, while simultaneously throwing three explosive shuriken at you. The initial velocity is 15 meters per second, and the launch interval is 0.5 seconds.]
You can only intercept by launching two kunai from a fixed point on the shore. The initial velocity of the kunai is 20 meters per second.
[Known information: The explosive shuriken explodes upon contact with water (kill radius 2 meters). Kunai and shuriken can cancel each other out upon mid-air collision. You must intercept the shuriken before it reaches a distance of 30 meters from you.]
[Question: Please calculate the optimal launch angle and timing for the two kunai using trajectory equations to ensure all three shuriken are intercepted. Explain the strategy correction when the wind speed on the lake suddenly changes to a counter-clockwise 2 m/s.]
Naruto's answer was: [Kunai Number: A; Launch Timing (relative to the launch of the first shuriken): 0.1s; Launch Angle (relative to P→O counterclockwise): 12.5°; Target Intercepted: the first and second shuriken]
[Kunai No.: B; Launch Timing (relative to the launch time of the first shuriken): 1.2s; Launch Angle (relative to P→O counterclockwise): 21.3°; Target Intercepted: the third shuriken]
Jiraiya, "...(eyes glazed over)"
Why can't I, the examiner, even understand the answers?
If he encountered this situation, he'd either rush over and beat that circling bastard to a pulp, or use a wide-range ninjutsu to overturn the lake along with his shuriken! Who has time to calculate that?!
But he couldn't lose face. Jiraiya forced himself to remain calm, his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently. He hovered his finger over the answer for a full half minute before speaking in a serious and composed tone.
"Hmm... Your solution is clear, and your calculations... look quite neat. Although some details could be improved... overall, you pass."
"Well then, let's talk about something else."
Jiraiya carefully put away the exam paper that had been giving him a headache, his expression unusually serious, devoid of any playful tone. "Naruto, would you... like to become my disciple?"
As soon as he said it, he added, as if worried about being rejected, "Don't rush to decide! I still have some trump card up my sleeve! That's my trump card! Even for you, learning it will definitely propel you to a huge level! How about it? It's a guaranteed win!"
Naruto paused for a moment. He instinctively thought of the formal rituals he had heard about for passing on the apprenticeship. "...Don't we need to prepare anything? Like a formal apprenticeship ceremony or something..."
"Oh? Hahaha!" Jiraiya's face lit up with a smile. "So you agree? Good! From this moment on, you are the personal disciple of the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya-sama! As for those formalities..."
He waved his hand dismissively, "Forget it, I hate those restrictive forms the most."
Just then, Kushina Uzumaki noticed that their teacups were almost empty. She immediately refilled their cups with warm tea.
Then, she turned to Jiraiya, gently folded her hands in front of her, and gave him an incredibly gentle smile. "Jiraiya-sensei, I'm counting on you to take good care of Naruto from now on."
Jiraiya met her gaze, his playful smile vanishing. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, leave it to me." His voice was unusually firm. "This time... I will absolutely not let what happened before repeat itself."
This is the third. After Nagato, after Minato… this is the third disciple he has taken under his wing. As long as he has a breath left, he will never allow this tragedy to repeat itself, and he will never again witness a disciple die before him.
"...By the way," Kushina's tone remained gentle and soothing, "I naturally trust you to teach Naruto the ways of the ninja and will not interfere. However..."
A genuine smile, devoid of any gloom, rippled in her blue eyes, which resembled Naruto's, yet her words carried an undisguised "reminder."
"You should know Naruto's age right now, right? As for things like the 'Three Forbidden Rules of Ninja'..."
"Of course! Don't worry, Kushina!" Jiraiya's forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat. "I absolutely won't lead him astray! I'll be very strict about this!"
Feeling the invisible pressure ease slightly, Jiraiya secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up. "Alright, alright, now that things are settled, I should get out of here. If I stay away too long, those old guys will start nagging again."
He gave Naruto a hearty smile and said, "We'll plan the specific training arrangements in detail later."
Regarding Naruto's work, the two major events of being promoted to Jonin and taking on apprentices have been settled.
Now, only one item remains, which is his official order as the new Hokage, the Fifth Hokage.
Naruto Uzumaki's identity as the "son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze" will be made completely public to the entire Hidden Leaf Village.