A few days later in the early morning.
It was already autumn in Konoha, and a light rain had fallen the previous night, bringing a slight chill to the air. The sky above Konoha was overcast with dense clouds, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Shishou got out of bed, put on a solemn black suit, and walked outside.
Today was the day for the funeral of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and all the other ninjas who had sacrificed their lives in the chaos a few days ago.
As he walked outside, Shishou saw many people dressed in black, all silently heading toward the Konoha Memorial Stone.
On the way, Shishou met Ino and Hinata waiting by the roadside. The three of them exchanged glances and continued walking in silence.
When they arrived at the cemetery, Shishou saw one coffin after another being carried toward the burial site, with the one at the forefront being the coffin of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Next to the Third Hokage's coffin were Tsunade and Naruto, both dressed in black, followed by Asuma and other members of the Sarutobi clan.
Naruto followed the Third Hokage's coffin closely, crying uncontrollably.
After all the coffins were buried, Shishou glanced at Tsunade and then turned to leave.
Once everyone had left the cemetery, Tsunade looked at the photo on her teacher's tombstone and sighed deeply.
Taking out a bottle of sake from her pocket, Tsunade took a sip and poured some in front of the Third Hokage's grave, saying softly:
"Teacher, do you regret not killing Orochimaru back then?"
"But don't worry, I'll clean up for you."
"You dedicated your life to Konoha and died protecting it. You did well in this life."
"However, let's agree on this: I'll only spend three hours a day on administrative duties and work five days a week. If Konoha falls apart, you can't blame me."
Although Tsunade was very reluctant to take on the role of the Fifth Hokage, she knew that Konoha, having just experienced chaos, urgently needed someone to step up and take responsibility to calm people's hearts.
With Jiraiya nowhere to be found, Tsunade reluctantly agreed to take on the role.
However, having seen broader horizons, Tsunade, like Shishou, aimed to attain the power of a sage.
She would never give up her daily training in sage techniques, and spending three hours a day on administrative duties was her final compromise.
Of course, she could always ask Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, for some tips.
After rambling on for a while, Tsunade turned and left.
Konoha had just stabilized, and there were still many things that needed her attention.
Not long after Tsunade left, Jiraiya appeared in front of the tombstone.
Seeing the photo of the Third Hokage on the tombstone, Jiraiya sighed.
"Sorry, old man, I'm late."
...
In the following days, Tsunade officially took over the position of Hokage amid the expectations of everyone in Konoha, becoming the Fifth Hokage.
The unparalleled strength Tsunade displayed a few days ago quickly spread throughout Konoha, significantly boosted by those with vested interests.
For a while, Tsunade's prestige in Konoha reached an unprecedented level.
Tsunade's first act as Hokage was to form an assistant team to help her with administrative duties, a method she learned from Mei Terumi.
As part of the exchange, she took full responsibility for the subsequent treatment of Ringo Ameyuri.
Since Ringo had played a significant role during the chaos in Konoha, Tsunade readily agreed.
Tsunade's method of forming an assistant team was simple: each ninja clan would recommend a candidate, ensuring mutual checks and balances and allowing for quick appointments.
As long as Tsunade maintained her overwhelming power over others in Konoha, there would be no major problems.
This suggestion quickly garnered the support of the major clans, who recommended the most suitable candidates from their ranks.
These ninja clans wouldn't miss any opportunity to secure benefits for themselves.
Subsequently, Tsunade and Pakura, representing the Sand Village, and Ringo Ameyuri, representing the Mist Village, officially signed an alliance.
From now on, the three ninja villages would be allies, bound by a mutual defense pact.
Following this, the postponed Chunin Exams resumed.
Due to Lee and Haku being injured in the recent battles, Shishou's opponent became Gaara of the Sand Village.
"Should I beat Gaara to a pulp, or should I just beat him to a pulp?" Shishou asked jokingly, watching the battle between Shino and Shikamaru from the stands.
Pakura had already returned to Fire Source Castle to pack her things in preparation for returning to the Sand Village.
With nothing better to do, Shishou had returned to his life as a genin.
Since only Shino, Shikamaru, Shishou, and Gaara were left in the finals, Konoha didn't announce it to the public. Even Tsunade didn't attend, with only the contestants and a few insiders present.
As a result, the stands were almost empty, with only Shishou, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, and a few supervising jonin.
Temari glanced at Shishou and scoffed, "I know you're stronger than me, but you're still far behind Gaara."
"You should be thinking about how to surrender."
Temari had always been confident in Gaara's strength.
Shishou shrugged indifferently, "You'll soon learn that there's always someone better."
"Stop bragging," Temari retorted, rolling her eyes.
In response, Shishou took out a colorful caterpillar and played with it in his hand.
Seeing this, Temari quickly backed away. She had suffered enough from that bug last time.
Even the supervising jonin, Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma, couldn't help but feel uneasy.
They never wanted to experience what happened at the central tower again.
Before long, Shino defeated Shikamaru.
Despite Shikamaru's intelligence, he couldn't overcome Shino's overwhelming strength. The fact that he lasted this long was due to Shino holding back.
"It's our turn," Gaara said, forming a hand seal.
In an instant, countless grains of sand swirled around him. When the sand settled, he was already in the arena.
"I can do that too," Shishou said, forming a hand seal.
In the next moment, a swarm of bugs surrounded him. When the bugs dispersed, he was standing opposite Gaara.
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POWER STONE!!!!
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
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