“Mom, is hokage-sama going to coming out soon?

”
The small palm of a hand gripped tightly to the hem of the skirt fluttering by
his face.
“Yeah that’s right, you’ll see him soon”
Quietly, the mother looks up to the shrine dedicated to the gods on the hill.
Among the modest crowd on the piled sandstone was a meeting happening between
the 7th hokage and the Daimyo of the Land of Stairs.
Tons of people had gathered at the foot of the hill just to catch a glimpse of
the “hero” on his first visit since he had taken office.
The air around the slope of the hill gently sways, making the thin smoke of an
orange flame rise.
No one understood why it burned.
For the 4,000 years of recorded history, the flame at the top of the hill
continued to burn even through the rainy days. The indelible flame is regarded
as a blessing from the gods and a curse from the devil, since ancient times
it’s been worshiped and been the subject of awe.
Eventually, as the fourth shinobi world war ended with the five great
countries in agreement of social peace, and once the rumors of the mysterious
flame that burned in the corner of a small country reached the ear of Kakashi
Hatake, the hokage at this time, had a team of investigators dispatched.
Their research, consisting of both science and ninjutsu, resulted in the
reveal of a large deposit of natural gas that sat beneath the hill. Natural
gas erupted from underground while the geothermal heat ignited the flame.
The heat from the never-ending bonfire caused a gentle breeze, shaking the
petals of the dull wild violets that bloomed.
The 7th hokage and daimyo of the Land of Stairs came out of the temple exactly
at their scheduled time. Seems like the meeting went off without a hitch.
“Hokage-sama!”
“Seventh! Over here!”
“Do a rasengan!!”
Cheers rose from the crowd gathered by the staircase.
In response to seeing the cheering crowd, the 7th hokage lifted his arm to
form a rasengan just as from behind, his escort from Konoha rushed to push
down his arm in restraint.
“Hokage-sama, please don’t show off your rasengan so carelessly! It could
affect national security!”
“Whaaat? It’s fine. Just a little-…“
The seventh hokage sourly frowned, reluctantly lowering his arm.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The Village Hidden in the Leaves’ top shinobi, the protector of the Land of
Fire, the young leader holds the position of 7th hokage. His hair a bright
blonde, his eyes reminiscent of ramune soda in the summertime
He’s reaching his mid-thirties, but from his juvenile innocence, you’d never
guess.
It’s no secret that he’s the jinchuriki to the nine-tailed fox, but his face
looks closer to that of a racoon than a fox. His big eyes, nose, mouth, in
addition all moved well, making his expressions rich. It wasn’t just his
expressions that were flashy, it was every slight move he made, catching the
eye of the people all around you. He’s your average “smooth talker” type of
leader that pulls you in, but in his case, the love he gives breaks through.
Naruto stopped his feet suddenly in the middle of the staircase, narrowing his
eyes as he threw his gaze far off in the distance. He was sure that he’d be
able to see visible skyscrapers that were lined in the distance behind the
clouds from his view. The dull field connected to the foot of the hill
abruptly ended at the border of the capital and switched completely to a
cosmopolitan view interwoven with inorganic material.
Since the natural gas underground could be easily obtained in the area, it
became widely used as a source of fuel for in the five great nations for
large-scale transportation, causing the Land of Stairs to rapidly develop.
Their Gross Domestic Product increased seventeen times over a decade ago,
their infrastructure improved, welfare enhanced excessively, and life
expectancy increased by 20 years.
There is so much money. What’s missing is tradition, and the story of a hero.

“Hokage-sama, how was your visit to the Land of Stairs?”

Waiting at the bottom of the staircase for the 7th Hokage were interviewers,
surrounding and pointing a microphone at him.
“I was happy to experience the development of the Land of Stairs first-hand.
I had also accompanied the investigators dispatched by the previous hokage. To
be able to get a feel for the Land of Stairs development like this, I’m glad
I came.”
After the hokage gave his comment, a shrill voice rose with “please come
again!”
“haha… well we’ll look for another opportunity”
As the hokage answered softly laughing, applause erupted from all over the
crowd.
The long-established hidden village leaders, everyone in the Land of Stairs’
aspiration. In particular, they had great confidence in the hokage, the leader
of the hidden leaf village. Over 10 years ago, this country, whose livelihood
still depended on their blacksmith industry, received a grant for development
assistance by the Land of Fire’s daimyo Madoka Ikkyu and the sixth hokage.
After passing laws for refining the natural gas underground, the country’s
total production per capita grew three times bigger than that of the Land of
Fire, and aid was discontinued. Though they never forget the support they
received in poor times.
The more people like you, and the greater influence you have, the more enemies
you’ll inevitably have. At this time, the person who’d been asked to
assassinate Naruto Uzumaki was surely one of them. Looking at Naruto’s
profile as he continued with the media correspondence, Aze Yanaru narrowed his
sharp eyes. He was an assassination specialist shinobi, changing his
appearance with a transformation jutsu as he approached Naruto.
While the usual strategy to assassination is aiming at your target while
they’re alone, Yanaru often picked places conspicuous and visible to the
public. Unexpected attacks in places with an unknown number of witnesses. What
makes this possible is the use of shadow clones enclosing in a four-man cell.
With his kekkei genkai, Yanaru can share his stored accumulated memories when
his clone disappears, not only with his original body but with the rest of his
clones. It’s a great advantage to have the ability to exchange information
closely should there be any unexpected situations at the site of
assassination.
His shadow clones, A, B, and C, all 3 of them placed and already aiming at the
hokage’s life. On the other hand, only three escorts were guarding the
hokage.
The bounty presented was enormous. If one were to succeed in this job, you’d
have enough to live comfortably for 3 generations.
Yanaru looked at the crowd gathered at the foothill, taking a deep breath to
release his nervousness. The life of the seventh hokage for money. Something
much more than natural gas.
One of Yanaru’s clones, A, hid himself in the thick leaves, aiming at the
seventh hokage from atop a tree.
On the path the hokage walked, there was a luxurious rug, dyed a luxurious red
from sappanwood dye. The root was clear, there was almost no open space
anywhere or blind spots in the perimeter, so aiming from there was a good
location. No doubt that Shikamaru Nara, one of the hokage’s right hand men,
would complain, but he persisted on by the side of the stairs, since this hill
was the most sacred site in the country.
“A” gripped a small firearm in one hand, reciting and confirming his plan.
A state-of-the-art photon gun, issued by his employer, a weapon that emits a
400,000-watt high power (maxima laser) to attack enemies from a distance. The
intense heat from the laser instantly transmits from cell to cell, even if it
were to hit the tip of your hair, your whole body will heat itself in a few
minutes, causing you to burst from the inside out.
He raised his face again, readjusting his grip. The questions from the media
are pouring in with rapid succession and without hesitation towards the
seventh hokage.
“Does the Land of Fire import gas not only from us but also from the Land of
Wind? I know that the Land of Wind has been closely tied to the Land of Fire
for a long time, but what do you think about the rumors that both countries
are trying to exclude natural gas from the market by favoring each other?”
“eeeeeeh? Who says that? The kazekage is an old friend, but negotiations
between countries are another story.”
“Then, there’s no favoritism?”
“No, no. We do import a lot of your gas, but we wouldn’t suddenly switch
over if Gaara gave us a friend discount.”
Laughter erupted from the reporters. Whether it was natural or calculated, the
seventh hokage cleverly dodged presumptuous questions from the press.
“A” checked his watch. It was decided that there’d been enough time to
cover the area. Soon, the hokage was to walk on that carpet made just for him
then head out a boat seaplane. Plenty of chances.
Aim there.
Licking his dry lips, “A” clutched the photon gun even tighter.
*whoosh*
The wind of the shot grazed his cheek.
“huh?”
The moment he looked off to the side,
Byi-i-in!
As it shook the air, the shot pierced the body of a tree. “A” was stunned,
shrinking himself back into the branches of the tree.
The hokage should’ve been safe from any distance but for some reason he was
under attack.
When and why did they find out about this place? Who shot the beam? Where was
he? His thoughts still confused, he rammed his hand in his pocket ready to
fight back.
The leaves overhead sway as they fall down. The gloved palm of “A” held his
grip on the photon gun.
“eh....”
A man looked up, eyes sleepy, like the gaze like a goat. The face of a man who
hid his face with a cloth mask.
He didn’t recognize him. This man...
“Kakashi Hatake-”
A kunai sank into A’s throat before he could finish saying the name. The tip
of the blade cut through bone and flesh, blood splattered onto the fresh
leaves around him.
A puff of smoke.
“A” disappeared without a trace.
As “A” disappeared, the memory of what happened right before he died flowed
into Yanaru’s body and the body of the others, “B” & “C”.
The last view of “A” was the worst imaginable.
Kakashi Hatake. The man with listless eyes, at first glance he seems
ambitionless and naiive, shinobi are still deceived by this appearance even
while part of the five great nations. His face, the former hokage, is well
known, too.
Being the man who first sent a research team for the natural gas, he was no
less popular than the seventh hokage in the Land of Stairs. Despite this, none
of the people in the crowd noticed him, a sign that Kakashi is completely out
of sight.
After retiring from the 6th hokage title, he spent his days reading the news
from the paper and enjoys visiting hot springs as his hobby. However true,
he’s still on the scene, participating in security for the 7th hokage.
“B” slowly kicked at the dirt beneath his straw sandals.
Kakashi Hatake removed his first blade, deliberately letting the clone see
himself. Intimidation was the purpose. Since the opponent had no chance of
winning against Kakashi Hatake, the third-rate assassinate reluctantly
withdrew. Celebrities had to be self-aware of such disgusting guys. That’s
the reason why he let his head fall, to show the difference in strength, that
there was no room for resistance. “B” pulled his sweaty hand out from his
sleeve.
Easy does it. Stop shaking and looking upset. He got rid of his disturbing
behavior as not to be found out. He sucked in a deep breath of air. Moments
later as he went to exhale, something covered his mouth.
“―――！！”
It continued on, he put his hands up to his neck as he were being strangled,
tiny gasps leaking out. “B” instantly clutched at the wrist of the unknown
person who covered his mouth.
Thin. A woman’s wrist.
“B” tried to kick back his left foot to somehow escape, but he missed. His
toes kicked up and ended up in the air, causing him to lose his balance. His
hunched body held in a firm one-legged hold by the woman, finally stopping
“B” from stirring about.
When the brain becomes deficient in oxygen, it ceases to function.
Within the light-headesness and the daze of fading consciousness he could
faintly feel something soft touching his back. She was a woman, after all.
The female ninja with Kakashi Hatake who was guarding the 7th Hokage. She had
the excellent skill of getting rid of someone without anyone in a crowd
noticing, with little room for them to resist her powerful strength.
……Sakura Haruno。
He was convinced she was the one who had gotten him (B),but couldn’t confirm
if his guess was correct or not. Without even a glance at her face, she
tightened her strangle around his neck.
“B” vanished into smoke.
What was going on? Security wasn’t insufficient?
“C” was impatient.
For Kakashi Hatake, he didn’t know a person who didn’t know Sakura Haruno’s
reputation as being a go-getter with brilliant technique in endurance, the two
of them being a part of the 7th hokage’s security. In a face to face fight
with 10-1, you wouldn’t even be considered a challenge.
The 7th hokage walks toward the boat seaplane.
“Calm down”, “C” told himself.
I’m a clone. Even if I were to be attack, I’d just disappear, I won’t
die.
Five seconds passed since “B” vanished. Even if he no longer had his
comrades, he was safe. They haven’t noticed he was the assassin.
“C” touched the photon gun hidden within his jacket.
It’s ok. I can do it.
He takes a deep breath and waits for the hokage to step in front of him.
A little more……
Just a few more steps……
Then, across the red carpet’s pathway, he noticed a black-haired man
standing. He stood out as the tallest man in the perimeter.
While everyone’s eyes were all on the hokage, he only gave his attention to
the masses of people, rather than to the other heroes of the Land of Fire.
His handsome features were too famous among other shinobi.
Sasuke Uchiha――
Are you participating in security to this monster?
It’d be impossible to go with a front facing attack. In a moment of
judgement, “C” pulled a woman within arms reach towards him.
“Don’t move! I’ll kill this woman!”
He shouted with the gun’s barrel to the woman’s temple as the crowd screamed
and scattered.
Sasuke stopped the hokage in his tracks, stepping in front of him in defense.
How convenient. The photon gun had the power to shoot through seven men lined
up in a row.
I’ll shoot them both!
The man went to lift his arm and point the barrel to Sasuke’s chest.
Somehow as he went to move his arm, his fingers moved.
His lightly bent middle finger moved, pulling the trigger.
A laser emitted from the barrel pressed against her head, shooting through
the woman’s temple.
BANG!!
Countless crows flew from within the ruptured head.
“huh?”
Ebony feathers flutter around.
“C” fell to his knees as he suddenly became lethargic, unable to stand up.
Genjutsu.
Even as he realized it, he couldn’t resist against from closing his
eyelids.
――POOF!
“C” vanished with a small pop.

All the other clones had been taken care of.

Yanaru bit his lip.
Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, then Sasuke Uchiha. Guarding the 7th hokage
was too extravagant today. Considering the strength of the hokage himself,
this was overkill. Today’s inspection didn’t seem to be of important matters
anyway.
In spite of that, could those rumors be true?
The 7th hokage was suffering from a serious illness, one that had weakened his
combat power levels to that of the general public… according to prior gossip.
Hearing a story like this, you’d take it with a grain of salt, but it was
soon becoming reality. If this weren’t the situation, this lineup of
personnel would make your head spin.
Regardless of the state of affairs, it was a once in a lifetime chance.
“Hokage-sama”
Yanaru stood stopped in the middle of the carpet, looking back at the hokage
walking behind him.
“Hmm”
Naruto Uzumaki stopped mid-step, turning his worry-free blue eyes towards
Yanaru. These three days Yanaru had followed him, he had no doubts about his
security.
 Yanaru approached the hokage, at an angle to make sure he was in a blind
spot. He had a kunai ready to plunge into the hokage’s chest within his
sleeve.
With its tip wet with dangerous poison, he went for the kill. Within a
moment, his entire body had stiffened.
He couldn’t move. Hands nor feet. He couldn’t even blink.
“……What a dragー”
Naruto let out a sigh of relief.
“Good grief, how time consuming. Are you the last of the thugs?”
“Ha”, Yanaru took a breath. Naruto’s palm sank into the pit of his stomach.
His thoughts start to fade white and hazy. He fell forward, supported by
Naruto’s arm.
“Moegi, Udon, this is the original guy’s body”
The two young escorts behind Naruto stepped forward, supporting Yanaru’s body
from both sides.
He wasn’t to tell them to let go, but his throat was stiff, he couldn’t
move, his body wouldn’t even move to let him escape.
The only thing that worked properly were his ears. He could hear the cheers of
the people. Apparently, the crowd of citizens were oblivious to the battle
that happened in front of them.
His unconscious body was slowly dragged along, Yanaru was handed over to the
guards awaiting their orders.

The 7th hokage responded with dignity to the cheers before him as he proceeded
up onto the boat seaplane’s ramp. Looking back at the crowd as he entered the
ship made the cheers grow louder. The 7th hokage turned back to a small
jumping boy, shaking his hand.
When the boat seaplane took off, the hokage moved from the staff and into the
interior of the ship, heading for his cabin prepared in the back.
Immediately as he pulled on the door, he looked around at his surroundings,
making sure no one was watching before slipping into the room.
As he entered the cabin room, there was Naruto Uzumaki, rolling around on
the middle of the floor.
“Hn!”
Both of his hands and feet were tied up and he was carefully gagged.
“Now, you know I don’t know what you’re saying.”
Naruto’s mouth screamed as soon as he removed the gag wet with saliva.
“Shikamaru, you bastard!! Untie this rope right now!!”
“It couldn’t be helped. You won’t listen to us.”
“I told you I’d go out on my own today!”
POOF!
 The usual poof sound.
Shikamaru, who had transformed into the 7th hokage had gone to the meeting,
scratched his head as he returned to his original form.
“ The meeting was mostly on his requests. Gas importing prices remain
unchanged but price increases. So ,I don’t know, but there were assassins
trying to shoot at you. After all of this, replacing myself with you was the
right thing for me to do.”
“……what?”
Hearing of an assassin made Naruto’s complexion change.
“Was there any damage?”
“I don’t want this to get out. Who do you think we were guarding?”
Shikamaru casually untied Naruto’s rope. It was a reinforced rope, made by
the scientific ninja team, formed by concentrated chakra. With Naruto’s
current physical strength, he couldn’t break it.
“There was an assassin in a four-man cell consisting of three shadow clones
and his original body. The clones were handled by the security team. His
original body was captured by my shadow possession and handed over to the Land
of Stairs. I hope his employer can talk his way out of this one.”
“the security team… no way”
In response to Naruto’s bad feeling, three figures come down from the ceiling
boards without a sound. Kakashi Hatake and Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha, today’s
security team for the 7th hokage.
As Naruto looked at all three of their faces, he dropped his head, looking
down.
“…I told you guys I don’t need an escort…”
The frustration was unbearable.
Being in such a condition, he didn’t want to need so many people devoted to
protecting the hokage.