Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 243: In the Name of the Hokage, Restore Naruto's Honor!

Faced with so many people staring at him, Naruto felt a bit overwhelmed and instinctively hid behind Haneda.

Seeing this, Haneda said,

"Isn't your dream to become Hokage?"

"This is what it feels like to be Hokage. Go face it."

Haneda led Naruto to the front of the meeting room, to the position reserved for the Hokage.

Sweeping his gaze across the room, Haneda saw that everyone was holding their breath, silent and tense.

The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was here, personally brought in by Haneda with such care.

This was an unmistakable political statement.

The families that had once seized the Fourth Hokage's and the Uzumaki clan's inheritance were panicking.

Those who had previously ignored Naruto now worried that Haneda might seek retribution.

Under everyone's gaze, Haneda stood at the podium and began to speak:

"Today is my first day as Hokage, and I have four major announcements to make."

"First, as Hokage, I hereby restore Naruto's honor. To all of Konoha, I declare: he is the son of the Fourth Hokage. He is the child of a hero!"

Haneda's sharp eyes turned to the clan leaders of the Shimura, Sarutobi, and Aburame clans as he continued in a cold voice:

"He will inherit the entirety of the Fourth Hokage's and the Uzumaki clan's estates. Those who have taken their assets, I can let the matter slide, but…"

"You must return double the wealth as compensation!"

Hearing this, the various clan leaders let out a sigh of relief.

Spitting some blood and moving past this issue seemed acceptable—as long as the Fifth Hokage didn't keep pressing the matter.

Haneda glanced at Naruto and continued,

"All rumors in the village about Naruto being a demon fox must end by tomorrow!"

"I don't want to hear a single word of gossip about Naruto on the third morning!"

Nara Shikaku looked at Kakashi. When Kakashi gave a small nod, Shikaku stood up and asked,

"Lord Hokage, if this is the case, won't the Fourth Hokage's enemies attempt to assassinate Naruto? And if Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is exposed, the other villages…"

Haneda replied,

"On Naruto's body, I've placed my Flying Thunder God mark. Anyone who tries to harm Naruto with malicious intent—I'll personally handle them."

"As for the other villages… if they dare target Naruto, I'll wipe out their entire village!"

With that, Haneda no longer restrained his presence.

The overwhelming chakra, comparable to that of a tailed beast, swept through the entire meeting room with an invincible force.

At this moment, no one in the meeting room voiced any further objections.

Haneda then moved on to his second announcement:

"Second, regarding the advisor and leader of Root, Shimura Danzo."

The Shimura clan head immediately stood up and shouted,

"Lord Hokage, Danzo is inherently evil and must be brought to justice!"

"That's right, Lord Hokage! We of the Shimura clan are willing to lead the effort to capture the inherently evil Danzo!"

Numerous Shimura jōnin echoed the sentiment.

Haneda glanced at all the Shimura clan members and clapped his hands.

"Bring him in."

Asuma kicked Danzo forward, and the disgraced elder stumbled through the front door.

Seeing that Danzo had already been captured, the Shimura clan head said at once,

"Lord Hokage, if you give the order, I will personally—"

"No need."

Haneda waved him off and declared,

"For all the harm Danzo has caused Konoha over the years, the crimes are countless!"

"As Hokage, I sentence him to life imprisonment in Konoha's prison!"

Hearing that Danzo wouldn't be executed, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged relieved glances and let out a long sigh.

This wasn't just about Danzo—it also concerned their own fates.

Haneda's gaze suggested he had plans to deal with them as well…

"Third, regarding the appointment and dismissal of Konoha's elders."

At this point, Haneda pointed directly at the elder's seating area and said loudly,

"Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado—you are fired! Get out!"

"???"

Koharu and Homura were dumbfounded.

Haneda had just taken office as Hokage, and he was already firing them?

But the sharpness in Haneda's gaze left no room for doubt.

Homura protested,

"Lord Fifth, you've only just become Hokage—you'll still need—"

"I don't need anything from you. Leave!"

"You!!"

Homura was so flustered he couldn't get another word out. He stood and walked toward the door, but not before throwing out a parting jab:

"You'll regret this, Lord Fifth!"

Koharu added as she followed,

"The village is at war; every department's operations still depend on Homura and me…"

"I'll appoint new elders to oversee them."

Hearing this, Koharu had no choice but to follow Homura out, leaving the elder seats completely empty.

"Next, I will appoint Konoha's new elders!"

Haneda glanced at Kakashi and then at Nara Shikaku before announcing,

"The appointees are: Hatake Kakashi, Tsunade, Sarutobi Asuma, and Nara Shikaku!"

Kakashi, hearing his name, simply smiled faintly. He had already expected this decision.

Asuma, on the other hand, was thrilled. He felt his abilities were far from sufficient for the role, but Haneda, his brother in arms, hadn't forgotten their bond.

As for Shikaku…

When he heard his name, he was completely dumbfounded.

He had no deep ties to Haneda like Kakashi, nor the camaraderie and shared experiences Asuma had.

Yet, somehow, Haneda had chosen him!

Though confused, Shikaku still happily stood at the front of the meeting room and, at Haneda's prompting, took a seat in the elder section.

There was no reason to turn down the elder position, after all…

Little did Shikaku realize that this would mark the beginning of his nightmares.

Years later, sitting in the elder seat, he would often recall the night Haneda appointed him and feel an urge to slap himself.

For now, though, Shikaku remained blissfully unaware, smiling as he asked Haneda,

"Lord Hokage, Tsunade has been traveling outside Konoha for a long time. What will you do?"

Haneda smiled back,

"I'll send someone to invite her back. She'll also take on the role of director of Konoha's hospital."

Haneda's decision to appoint Tsunade stemmed from her unmatched abilities—after all, in the original timeline, she became the Fifth Hokage herself.

It was also partly for Kimimaro's sake. Though Kimimaro's bloodline sickness hadn't flared up yet, it was better to plan ahead.

With the elder appointments settled, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, though still somewhat uneasy, found some comfort.

Asuma's presence as an elder meant their clans would at least receive some protection.

Meanwhile, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio abandoned their alignment with the Third Hokage, choosing to fully support Haneda.

Haneda was only seventeen this year, meaning he would likely govern for at least a decade.

With such an opportunity, it made sense to bet on the new regime.

Observing the reactions of everyone in the meeting room, Haneda finally moved on to the fourth matter.

This was something he had originally planned to handle in the Daimyō's court, but Asuma and the others had disrupted his original timeline, forcing him to adjust.

"The fourth and final matter concerns the Daimyō."

"I plan to invite the Daimyō, along with representatives from other nations and villages, to come to Konoha."

"I will have the Daimyō officially confirm my status as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!"

Haneda's final announcement didn't come as a surprise to anyone.

After all, every Hokage needed the Daimyō's recognition, whether in Konoha or at the Daimyō's court.

It was merely a formality—or so they thought.

None of them realized that this would be Haneda's first step toward seizing control of the entire Land of Fire.

…