Naruto: Starting with the Two Kamui

"Naruto, what do you think of my daughter!"

"Naruto, come back and visit often!"

"Ah..." Naruto pulled his straw hat down to cover his trembling eyes, and a warm smile appeared on his face: "Thank you, really."

He took office at the age of 14 and faced a lot of doubts because of his young age. During his eight years as the city lord, Naruto conquered everyone with his unique personal charm and turned all doubts into cheers!

Naruto, at the age of 22, returns home in glory... What awaits him ahead is an even more arduous and glorious mission!

In the Phantom City, Sasuke Uchiha's career path was not as smooth as Naruto's; he took detours and even nearly met his demise.

Fortunately, he pulled back from the brink.

After taking office for the second time, he abandoned his autocratic approach, chose to listen to all sides, broadened the channels for advice, made decisions for the public good, and spared no effort in supporting the virtuous and capable. He finally shed the label of the evil king of the Uchiha clan and became a young and wise ruler who was comparable to Naruto.

At the Houshan Cemetery, in front of the tombstone of Granny Yamashita, who hanged herself due to persecution under the new regime, 22-year-old Sasuke bowed to offer incense, and after standing up, put his hands together in mourning.

Every year on the anniversary of Yamashita Granny's death, Sasuke would come here to pay his respects and reflect on his mistakes.

The anniversary of his death has passed this year, but before leaving, Sasuke decides to come one more time.

After the memorial service, Sasuke said to the Moonlight City behind him, "Moonlight, assist the new city lord well and give this city a better future."

Gekko Seiichi replied, "I want to follow Sasuke-sensei."

Sasuke stepped forward, patted him solemnly on the shoulder, and walked into the rain.

Seiichi stared at Sasuke's retreating figure: "..."

With a thud, Sasuke stamped his foot and said to those behind him, "Let's go."

“Yes!” Gekko Seiichi’s eyes lit up, and he quickly followed behind Sasuke.

Returning home in glory, neither Naruto nor Sasuke chose to ride in a sedan chair, but instead walked the same path they had come from.

Three days later, the Feathered Imperial City held a grand welcoming ceremony for the two.

The couple, who had been spending the winter at the Summer Palace, have returned, having heard that their beloved son has come back.

Hearing that it concerned the change of Hokage, the Hashirama couple, who were relaxing at the resort, also returned.

I heard that the Uchiha clan is also going to run for Hokage, so Madara and Izuna, who were enjoying themselves on Paradise Island, have come back with them.

Inside the Golden Palace, people gathered together. Naruto and Sasuke were naturally the focus of attention. Accompanying them were Akechi Mitsuyoshi, the former daimyo of the Land of Fire who assisted Naruto, and Takeda Nobuo, the former daimyo of the Land of Lightning who assisted Sasuke.

Yu looked at the list of achievements of the two men over the past eight years on the throne in the south.

After reading it, Yu handed it to Saori so that she could show it to everyone.

He nodded to Naruto and Sasuke sitting below and said in a gentle tone, "In these eight years, you have not disappointed me. The population of the two cities has doubled, and the happiness index of the people has also significantly improved. On this basis, you have provided a large number of fresh blood to the Ninja Kingdom. Your contributions are indispensable..."

Naruto humbly replied, "It is all thanks to Mr. Akechi and the lords of the city who urged me on; otherwise, I would not have been able to accomplish this task by myself!"

Everyone looked approving, and in the chair behind Naruto, Mitsuyoshi Akechi looked pleased.

Incidentally, Akechi Mitsuyoshi is not the weak-looking daimyo of the Land of Fire from the original work. That daimyo died in an assassination long ago. Akechi was the young daimyo who took office later and was a wise ruler.

On the day Nagato destroyed the country, Akechi Mitsuyoshi and his general Oda Nobuhiro were resurrected by Habu using the Omota-ryu technique. Mitsuyoshi assisted Naruto, while Nobuhiro, the general who had driven Kakashi and other Konoha members to the brink of extinction during the Konoha migration, became the leader of the Dark Patrol and was responsible for border defense.

Yu nodded, sat up slightly, and said loudly, "The Fifth Hokage and First King of the South, Kakashi Hatake, is about to step down. The Sixth Hokage of the Konoha Affiliated Country and the Second King of the South will be chosen. Therefore, I will take into account the opinions of Lords Akechi and Takeda!"

Akechi Mitsuyoshi rose, bowed politely, and said, "Naruto's character and conduct are evident to all. Since taking office, he has never made any mistakes, remaining stable and reliable. Whether from a general perspective or from my personal point of view, I hope he can become Hokage and continue this legacy..."

Guangyi smiled, objectively and without malice: "Of course, Sasuke is also an excellent child. I have been following his growth over the years, but if we have to choose the best of the best, Naruto, who has a cleaner background, is more suitable. That's my opinion."

Guangyi didn't put it very bluntly... but everyone present knew that when he said "foundation," he was emphasizing Sasuke's New Policy incident back then, which was indeed a stain that Sasuke could hardly wash away.

Yu propped himself up on one arm and looked behind Sasuke: "Lord Takeda, what's your opinion?"

Back then, Nobuo Takeda was ostracized by Sasuke and suffered a lot of grievances... He even explicitly said that Sasuke was more suitable to be a general, but not a leader.

But over the years, Takeda has witnessed Sasuke's transformation and has changed his previous views.

He stood up, greeted everyone, and said objectively, "What's missed is missed. I'm not defending Sasuke, but if we only dwell on the past, we'll miss out on future possibilities."

"Besides, never having taken a wrong turn is not necessarily a good thing. For those who can admit their mistakes and correct them, the experience of making mistakes will serve as a preventative measure, driving them to more firmly follow their own path. I am quite certain that Sasuke... is this kind of person, and his performance afterward is the most powerful proof of that!"

At this point, Takeda raised his eyes and looked directly at Yu on the seat, saying, "Throughout history, none of those who have achieved great things have been the embodiment of absolute justice, including... Your wise lord, Emperor Yu, you are no exception!"

Saori stared intently, thinking: This Takeda is incredibly bold! He dares to say anything…

Yu didn't mind.

Nobuo Takeda astutely observed, “I believe Naruto is better suited to be a ruler in a prosperous era, to win the hearts of the people, while Sasuke is better suited to be a king in a chaotic era, to bring peace to the land… As for whether the current situation is a prosperous era or a chaotic era, it is up to the Emperor Yu to decide!”

Yu sighed: "As expected of the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, which was once the most prosperous of the five great nations, he is truly formidable."

He closed his eyes and considered it. From a personal point of view, Yu was more inclined to Naruto, but... he did not reject the new style. Most importantly, as a leader, he had to treat everyone equally!

As everyone eagerly awaited her arrival, Yu opened her eyes, her deep voice echoing throughout the palace.

"Since ancient times... when justice and ideals clash, a decisive battle is fought, with the victor becoming king and the loser becoming a bandit."

"The time is tonight, the place is the largest island in the outer sea. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, put your bonds of strength, your determination to become Hokage, and your beliefs in life into this battle. There's no need for any hesitation, because I will personally oversee everything..."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex emotions and melancholy.

But... becoming Hokage is their common goal, and only one battle will suffice!

--"clear!!!"

And so, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, these two bound children, spoke in unison.

Chapter 739 The Progenitor Returns, The Battle of Destiny

At dusk, at Tenyu Pavilion, the Bofeng family.

Kaldo, with her blonde twin tails, nestled beside Naruto's knees, her little face flushed: "Onii-chan, will you become Hokage like Daddy?"

Naruto gently stroked Korto's little head with his large hand and said softly, "Ah, becoming Hokage has always been my dream. Tonight, I will fight against a man who shares the same dream. The one who wins will become Hokage."

Kerr tilted her head back, her bright blue eyes looking at Naruto: "The opponent is Tatsumaki's clansman, the Uchiha, right? Onii-chan, you'll win, right?"

Naruto laughed and said, "Even my brother wasn't entirely confident about that man. He endured and forged ahead for his dream, and he's stronger than anyone could imagine."

"The Uchiha clan, that bastard Tatsumaki's clansman, he must be a really bad guy. If he becomes Hokage..."

A scene involuntarily flashed through Ke'erduo's mind: an evil creature with two horns on its head, just like Tatsumaki, stood on a high platform and loudly proclaimed: "Hehehe, from today onwards, this country is under the control of my eye power, and all of you are my servants... Namikaze Ke'erduo, I hereby order you to marry me~~~!!"

After imagining it all, Ke'erduo shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum: "No, no! Don't let that kind of guy become Hokage! Ke'erduo wants to be with Onii-chan~~!!"

Naruto laughed and said, "Karedo, Sasuke isn't what you think. I think he genuinely wants to lead everyone to happiness. He's the man I acknowledge. To be honest, even if I lose to him, I won't have any complaints."

"No way, no way..." Ke'er pouted and said, "I just want my brother to win! All these years, my brother has been working hard outside, all for the dream of becoming Hokage. How can he just fail like that!"

At that moment, Hashirama and his wife Mito arrived.

Naruto stood up to greet them: "Uncle Hashirama, Mito... Auntie!"

"Little Duoduo, is Uncle's face scary~~~!" Hashirama made a face at Ke'er.

"Hahahaha..." Ke'er burst into laughter, pointing at Hashirama's face and saying, "Look at your brother, Uncle Hashirama is an idiot!"

clang!

Hashirama instantly sank into a gloomy mood: "I can't even scare a child? If it were Madara, he definitely would..."

Ignoring her goofy husband, Mito stepped forward and earnestly said, "Naruto, you are an outstanding descendant of the Uzumaki clan in terms of lineage, strength, and ninja way. Your Uncle Yu is the ruler of the ninja nation, and in my eyes, he symbolizes the unity of the Senju and Uchiha clans. And you symbolize the bond between the Senju and Uzumaki clans... Hashirama and I both hope that you will succeed as Hokage, so good luck!"

"Yes, I will do my best!"

On the other side, Itachi and Sasuke are having a conversation, while Itachi's young daughter, Midori, is focused on origami.

“At the very beginning of my Uchiha Sasuke ninja career, Naruto was a frontrunner. He shattered my illusion of being a genius and was the first peer to instill a deep sense of inferiority in me.”

"Looking at his back, I felt hatred, resentment, yet also sincere admiration and heartfelt longing. My competitive spirit drove me to challenge him time and time again, trying to become him, to shine like him, to be recognized by others... I once lived as his shadow."

Sasuke opened up to Itachi, who listened patiently.

"Until I was almost led astray and was saved by everyone, I learned from Shadow how much my brother had carried and how much he had sacrificed for me."

"For the first time, a child who acted recklessly out of competitiveness realized his own shallowness in the face of the profound weight of life."

"I've decided to face my own inadequacies and stop being anyone's shadow. I've accepted Naruto's strength from the bottom of my heart and acknowledged that he's better than me. But I want to change, to change as Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Not to gain anyone's approval, but to seek a truth on the chessboard called 'Ninja World'..."

"What is a ninja? What is the way of the ninja? What is right and wrong? What is good and evil? And what is their benchmark...?"

Why did a cheerful and optimistic child like Naruto have to go through such a difficult childhood?

"Why must Itachi, a ninja who yearns for the light, suffer the pain of darkness?"

"Although Naruto and his brother both had good outcomes, the fundamental reason is that you two are special, beings who remain untainted by the mud."

"The ninja world that caused Naruto and his brother so much suffering is clearly contradictory and unreasonable..."

"Looking back, Konoha under Senju's leadership was once prosperous, but it also gave rise to many injustices. Those who sacrificed themselves for peace, were their names truly remembered? Some people told me that that was the essence of a ninja..."

Bang! Sasuke's fist slammed on the table: "I want to become a reformer, to reverse these contradictions, these inconsistencies, and to shatter that twisted essence!"

"Therefore, I want to become Hokage."

"Although I have never lived in Konoha and do not have such a strong sense of belonging to Konoha, Konoha carries the history of the Uchiha, Naruto, and my brother's honor and disgrace... Therefore, it must be Konoha, it must be the Hokage!"

“Naruto also dreams of becoming Hokage… He wants to create a Konoha where heroes don’t bleed or cry, so that the regret of the Yellow Flash will never be repeated. On this point, he and I are of the same mind.”

"Naruto also wants to build a peaceful world where there is no conflict and everyone understands each other!"

"But the world I want to build... is not so grand and idealistic. There will always be original evil and original sin in this world. Let original evil and original sin be punished as they deserve, and let the law restrain them, limiting contradictions and conflicts to a reasonable range!"

"Based on values, those who work hard should receive more opportunities and rewards than those who are lazy."

"To make the unreasonable reasonable, and to make the reasonable even more reasonable... This is what I, Uchiha Sasuke, want to become Hokage."

After hearing this, Itachi said gently and expectantly, "Sasuke, go your own way. Your brother... will always be watching over you."

"Uncle, here..." Midori handed the folded paper crane to Sasuke with her small hand.

Sasuke looked tenderly at his little niece and reached out to take the paper crane.

Then he got up and walked outside.

Outside the door, Madara Uchiha leaned against a large tree, arms crossed over his chest, and said, "Sasuke... if you win this battle, I will forgive and forget your offense against Izuna back then. Otherwise, come back and I'll deal with you!"

"Hmph." Sasuke chuckled. "History doesn't repeat itself twice..."