Naruto, what kind of Hokage would you be if you didn't roll around!

But the good news is...

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, is dead.

This cannot be blamed on Gaara being a "filial son to his father".

Given Rasa's attitude towards Gaara, it's already quite remarkable that Gaara didn't celebrate wildly after Rasa's death.

Having gone through this ordeal, Gaara actually matured a lot.

He said goodbye to Naruto alone.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are the first person to truly defeat me."

"She is also the first person I completely approve of."

"Although I felt humiliated at first, I quickly realized that it was nothing more than a pathetic sense of pride..."

"Those who died by my hand will never even have the chance to feel humiliated..."

"But I am not dead yet."

"Since I'm still alive, perhaps my existence still has meaning..."

What I really want to tell you is...

"Thank you."

Not only was Naruto taken aback, but even Baki, Temari, Kankuro, and the others changed their expressions.

"Gaara..."

Naruto smiled slightly: "Gaara, although I didn't like you before, and even thought of you as a monster, but..."

"You are indeed very powerful!"

"Moreover, I'm afraid there won't be another person in this world who can understand you better."

"because……"

"That monster also resides within me, and because of it, I've also suffered indifference and scorn. I think we all understand the taste of loneliness..."

Gaara's heart skipped a beat; he knew Naruto was telling the truth.

But Naruto quickly changed the subject and resumed his usual bright smile.

He put his hands behind his head and laughed, "But you're also lucky. At least you have your older brothers and sisters and your teachers. You're not really all alone."

Gaara glanced back at the three of them, but didn't say anything; he simply nodded calmly.

"Indeed, perhaps I am not alone..."

Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki.

"We should have a chance to meet again in the future."

Naruto clenched his fist and said, "Oh! Let's settle this next time we meet!"

Gaara nodded silently and followed Maki forward.

He suddenly spoke up: "Maki-sensei, Temari, Kankuro..."

"Sorry for causing you trouble."

The three of them were completely stunned.

Hearing these words from Gaara was nothing short of earth-shattering...

Temari quickly replied, "No, it's nothing..."

Before the words were even finished, two streams of tears had already flowed down her cheeks…

……

With the Sand Village ninja gone, the reconstruction of Konoha Village continues.

Because the war ended prematurely, and Sunagakure completely submitted, Konoha gained a chance to catch its breath, while also acquiring more resources and wealth.

The reconstruction work has gone very smoothly.

Next, we'll deal with the aftermath of the Chunin Exams.

Hiruzen Sarutobi flipped through the documents, somewhat hesitant.

"What are your thoughts, everyone?"

Who will ultimately be promoted to Chunin?

Many Jonin, clan heads, and even several examiners were present.

Kakashi smiled slightly: "Although saying that might sound a bit like self-praise..."

"But I think all three members of Team 7 should be promoted to Chunin."

Sarutobi Asuma nodded.

"Naruto goes without saying. He was the hero who ended the war early, and he defeated Gaara and sealed the One-Tailed Shukaku. In terms of strength and merit, he is top-notch. A mere Chunin is no match for him."

"Sasuke and Hinata both performed very well."

"If it weren't for the unexpected turn of events, Sasuke would have been the only candidate to compete with Naruto for the championship. Even if he ultimately lost to Naruto, he would definitely have the ability to be promoted to Chunin."

"Although Hinata lost to Gaara, her strength is more than enough. Her Byakugan's insightful abilities, her family's secret Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm, and Eight Trigrams Empty Palm are all highly proficient. She even created her own Guardian Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm. Her talent and creativity are top-notch..."

"More importantly, during the war, the two of them blocked Temari and Kankuro, and also followed Naruto to summon Jiraiya, thus contributing to the victory of the war."

Kurenai Yuhi also said, "I also agree that all three of them should be promoted to Chunin."

Matt Kay laughed heartily: "Me too!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the others.

"What's your opinion?"

Mitarashi Anko said, "Team 7 encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and still emerged unharmed, second only to Gaara's team, reaching the finish line. Any further explanation would be futile..."

Genma Shiranui said, "That's right. In terms of strength, they are more than capable. More importantly, they have probably experienced more real life-or-death battles than any genin..."

"From encountering Zabuza Momochi, to the life-or-death battle with Orochimaru, to the fierce fight with Gaara, and so on..."

"This experience, and the will and form derived from it, are incomparable to those of other ninjas."

Moonlight Gale coughed weakly and said, "Cough cough, Genma is right..."

"The most important thing for a Chunin is not strength, but the ability to lead a team to carry out missions."

"Having experienced life-or-death battles against the oppression of the strong, in terms of that alone, no one in Team 7 can compare to them..."

Even Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, then all three members of Team 7 will be promoted to Chunin!"

"Kakashi, well done!"

Kakashi scratched his head and chuckled twice.

"Lord Hokage, even if you say so, I dare not take the credit..."

"This is the result of the hard work of the three children in Class 7."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled slightly: "Don't be so modest, Kakashi."

"Alright, how about the other candidates?"

"Those who have entered the final battle also include Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuga, and Rock Lee..."

"Who among these people do you think deserves a promotion?"

Genma Shiranui raised his hand and said, "I recommend Shikamaru Nara."

"While his physical strength may not be the strongest, his mind is exceptional, incredibly flexible. Such a person is best suited to lead a team on missions and is an absolutely rare talent!"

Kakashi Hatake said, "Yes, I agree."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "Shikaku, you've raised a fine son..."

Nara Shikaku sighed, "That guy is good in every other way, except he's too lazy..."

"He still needs to be given a proper talking-to..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Making him a Chunin and having him lead the team is the best way to teach him a lesson."

"Okay, where are the others?"

Mitarashi Anko said, "I have noticed someone..."

"Aburame Shino."

"Although he lost to Sasuke in the finals, his strength, willpower, and intelligence are all outstanding. I believe he is capable of serving as a Chunin."

Kurenai Yuhi smiled sweetly: "Shino certainly deserves it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded: "His Parasitic Insect Technique is indeed very proficient, not only in combat, but also in reconnaissance, espionage, and intelligence gathering."

"What about the remaining three people?"

"Sakura Haruno?"

Kurenai frowned slightly: "Although Sakura inherited my illusion magic, I have to say that her temperament is not mature enough yet. I think she still needs to be tempered."

"Ah."

"Then, what about those two guys from Kaiban?"

"Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee?"

Matt Kay scratched his head: "As a teacher, of course I think they are all excellent!"

"However, I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on whether I should become a Chunin!"

"Kakashi, what do you think?"

Kakashi said, "Well... in my opinion, in terms of strength, these two have actually already reached the Chunin level."

"only……"

He glanced at Hiashi Hyuga.

Hiashi Hyuga understood what he was trying to say.

"Neji's personality is indeed somewhat extreme, but it's not that I can't understand him, because of what happened to Hizashi back then..."

"Fortunately, after that match, after he lost to Rock Lee, I had a good talk with him, and I believe he will get over his trauma and continue to grow..."

"In terms of talent, he is even better than Hinata and will definitely become an excellent and powerful ninja."

Kakashi nodded: "As for Lee, his strength is definitely more than enough, it's just that when it comes to leading a team..."

Matt Kai said, "Indeed, Lee is more suited to charging into battle than to leading a team on missions."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and said, "You mean, neither of these two is likely to be promoted right now?"

"However, I have a different opinion..."

"Konoha Village is in dire need of rebuilding and needs talented people right now."

"Although the war has been contained, there are still many casualties. At this time, I think we should relax the threshold for promotion instead."

"Moreover, Rock Lee won in the finals, which in itself demonstrates his strength."

"Hinata and Shikamaru both lost but were promoted to Chunin, while Rock Lee won but wasn't promoted?"

"While this analogy isn't entirely accurate, it's still not entirely reasonable."

Koharu Utatane said, "Hiruzen is right. In the current situation, it should be a good thing to promote more Chunin."

Mitokado Yan nodded as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Then it's settled..."

"The final list of promoted Chunin is..."

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Hinata Hyuga!"

"Nara Shikamaru!"