Chapter 29: First Day on the Job

"So, you remember your promise?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Become the new head of KG, right?" Tsunade replied.

"You got it."

"So was there any reason on why we let Orochimaru and Kabuto escape?" Jiraiya asked.

"Two reasons, actually. The first is that we need to plan very carefully to take him down. Make it as airtight as possible. And one way to make sure of that is to either kill everyone with a Cursed Seal of Heaven or remove the seal from them," I replied.

"Why?"

"Because some of Orochimaru's chakra is injected into each seal he makes. This not only ensures the eventual takeover of the body the seal is on, but adds a little insurance in case someone kills him. As long as just one of the little suckers remains active, even if it's sealed itself, there's a chance of Orochimaru being revived. That's why removing it or killing anyone with one is vital. As far as I know, only two people have it; Anko Mitarashi and Sasuke Uchiha."

"What? Sasuke has a cursed seal?" Noctis asked sharply.

"Yeah, happened in the second part of the Chunin Exam. I probably could've stopped the application of the seal, but I knew that if I did stop him, Orochimaru wouldn't give up and would just strike when I was unprepared for it. So I'd rather remove the seal and him not knowing, then deal with the unknown. Unless there's an actual link between the chakra in the seal and Orochimaru." I then turned to Jiraiya. "Could that be the case? If I manage to remove the seal, would Orochimaru know the moment it happens?"

The toad sage rubbed his chin with his thumb and pointer. "I'm not sure. Close range, maybe. I took a look at Anko's seal at one point, but after sealing it, I didn't think it would pose much of a problem. That and I had no idea on how to remove it. You're saying you do?"

"Maybe. A member of my clan named Jugo was the origins of the Cursed Seals of Heaven and Earth. Jugo has two personalities; on the one side he's a gentle man who hates to fight, and on the other he's a bloodthirsty maniac. It's as bipolar as you can get. I was able to seal his evil side by overpowering it with my youki. Perhaps a similar process will work for the cursed seals," I replied.

"A massive amount of chakra would be needed for something like that," Jiraiya noted.

"Youki is at least three times more potent than chakra. I'm confident that I can break both Anko's prototype and Sasuke's perfected seal," I smiled.

"By the way, is it true that Orochimaru invaded Konoha about three weeks ago?" Shizune asked.

"Yep, but thanks to me and my friends, we were able to organise a successful defence with no casualties and only a small amount of collateral damage to buildings and such. Probably the biggest thing that happened was part of the wall coming down," I replied.

"That big wall?" she blinked in surprise.

"Orochimaru's summoned snakes are fairly big. And Manda is even bigger."

"You know of Manda?" Tsunade asked in shock.

"Of course. Remember who you're talking to, blondie," I replied with a cheeky smirk.

"Oh, right," she replied, a little sheepish.

"You'll get used to it," Jiraiya said with a grin of his own.

"And hey! Don't call me blondie!" Tsunade threatened with a fist.

I grinned back. "Be grateful I ain't calling you Obasan instead. If I was fully Naruto, you'd have to put up with that every time he would address you."

She blinked before nodding, "Good point."

It took us just as long to get back to the village as it did getting to Tanzaku. As soon as I was brought back, I was whisked away by Koharu and Homura, saying that I had to get ready for my inauguration.

"What? Already?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Jiraiya sent a message ahead telling us that you were on your way back with Tsunade," Koharu said as she bustled me into a changing room inside the Hokage Tower somewhere. I had no idea where I was.

"Almost everyone is here," a voice said from outside the changing room, to which I recognised as Jiraiya.

"Damnit Jiraiya! Don't you think you could've given me some warning before we entered the village?" I yelled.

"We all need a bit of unpredictability in our lives," he replied smoothly.

"I'll get you back for this," I growled softly.

"Hurry! Get changed," Homura said before he closed the door.

I looked around to see a wardrobe opposite the door. I walked over and opened it, gasping softly when I saw the contents.

"It's the Hokage's haori…" I said, looking at it. I remember thinking how cool Minato looked in it. I only hoped that I looked just as cool in it as he did. So I took off my own haori and hung it on the rack before taking the Hokage's cloak out and putting it on.

"Wow… I do look good in it," I muttered as I checked myself out in the full body mirror that was attached to the inside of the wardrobe's door. I twisted a few times to either side to see as many angles as I could before taking my old coat and sealing it into one of my sealing scrolls.

"Hokage-sama, are you ready?" Homura's voice asked from outside the door.

I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, trying and failing to smooth it out. "Yeah… I guess," I replied. The door opened and I turned to see Jiraiya standing in the door.

He blinked before smiling nostalgically. "You really do look similar to Minato. It's almost freaky."

"Cept for the white streaks, eh?" I grinned. He chuckled in response.

"So what do I do? Do I need to make a speech?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, a speech basically saying that you'll protect Konoha with your life annnnd, blah blah blah," he replied.

"Joy," I muttered sarcastically. I never liked public speaking.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. If necessary, myself and a few other guys are ready to back you up in case it gets nasty," the toad sage assured me.

"I think you can tick that off as being inevitable. They won't be seeing me. They'll be seeing Naruto and the one they feel is responsible for the attack on Konoha 14 years ago," I replied.

"Then maybe you need to tell them who you really are."

"That's a sure fire way to let Orochimaru know. I might as well knock on his front door and confess to him." I sighed. "Well, at least the villager's logic in their reasoning against me is seriously flawed. I'll be able to poke several holes in their argument."

"And we'll be by your side the whole time. And by that I mean a meter behind you. This is your inauguration after all," Jiraiya grinned.

And with that I was escorted out of the dressing room and up to the roof of the Hokage Mansion. I stood to the back, waiting to be called to the front. I couldn't see the people gathered in front of the mansion, but I sure as hell could hear them. It sounded like everyone in the village was down there. I gulped heavily, wishing Dawn was there to give me a comforting hug.

"Citizens of Konoha! Recently our city was attacked by Orochimaru and the Sound Village. In the process our Hokage was wounded in battle. While he lives, he named his successor and has stepped down from the position of Fire Shadow once again," Koharu called out, using a microphone to extend her voice to everyone.

"You have been gathered here today to witness the coronation of the new leader of Konohagakure no Sato. Citizens of the Leaf Village, I present to you, the Fifth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!" Here I walked forward and stood at the edge of the roof with my hands resting lightly on the metal railing, with Jiraiya, Koharu, Yùgao with her ANBU Mask on and Homura flanking behind me.

I gulped hard again as I nervously looked at all the people in Konoah village and heard an angry buzz sweep through the crowd, and it wasn't coming from the Aburames. Well, most of them. I scanned the crowd and spotted familiar faces. Hinata, Kiba, Ino, Sakura, Neji, Shikamaru, Asuma, Kurenai, Zabuza, Kakashi, Trunks and Dawn just to name a few. I also saw the many scowls and faces that showed a dozen different negative emotions on them. Not just the older generation, but more than half of the younger generation as well.

'Well, it seems I've got my work cut out for me,' I sighed mentally as some of those older people began to cry out in outrage at the choice of the new Hokage. If I didn't do something to placate these people, a riot would probably spark out soon.

"I know that most of you know who I am… or at least, they think they do," I began.

"We know exactly what you are," one woman yelled at me, skirting around the law that Hiruzen had placed.

"What? That I'm the Kyuubi incarnate?" I asked, drawing a loud gasp from most of the crowd. There was a stunned silence that followed, as if the crowd didn't know how to respond to that.

"Well then, shall we look at the evidence? What makes you think that I'm the Kyuubi?" I asked civilly.

"The Yondaime sacrificed his life to change you into that form!" an old man called angrily.

"You have any proof?" I asked.

Only silence followed.

"There is some truth to that. The Yondaime did sacrifice his life. But it was to seal the Kyuubi into me, not turn it into a human baby. That notion is just absurd. You'd have to be high on crack or a complete moron to believe that. Sealing is something much more practical since the Fourth was a master of sealing and not magical transformation," I said.

"So you admit to being the Kyuubi!" another person in the crowd accused.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Cause then you need a new set of ears my friend, cause I definitely didn't say that. I said sealed, not 'I am the Kyuubi', dumbass," I replied. There was a small amount of laughter at that.

"Now, do you trust the Fourth's sealing ability?"

There were various nods at this.

"Then why would you doubt his sealing abilities with this then? It seems to me that a lot of the rumours you have about me is based on misinformation fed by people who have a grudge against the Kyuubi and figure the best way they're going to get back at it is by attacking its prison.

Well let me tell you a few facts. First fact; if I was the Kyuubi incarnate, I would've blown this village away the first chance I got. You might then think that maybe the Kyuubi's powers were diminished or taken away. But that still would've left its mind. And a fox is very cunning. If this was the case, I would've used my mind to turn all of you in favour of me a long time ago. I would've manipulated my way into being adopted by either the Huygas or the Uchihas.

And yet, for these past 14 years, the worst thing I've done to any of you is a harmless prank. I didn't kill. I didn't maul anyone. I didn't give anyone physical pain, except perhaps a few ruptured eardrums from the times when I screamed out that I was going to become Hokage, believe it," I grinned. A few people laughed at this.

"And yet, I was given pain, and lots of it. 472 fractured bones. 233 broken jaws. 70 lung punctures. 47 broken legs. 32 cracked skulls. 28 times of internal bleeding. 20 ruptured arteries. 15 cases of third degree burns. And 4 times of death. That's what you've put me through." Here I was silent as I watched everyone. Some were crying. Others were on the verge of doing so. Some were disgusted. Some were horrified. Some were ashamed. But only a small handful of people were proud. And they were all older people.

"But you know what?" I asked and the silence was so quiet, I probably could've heard a pin drop at the South Gate. I then spread out my arms and smiled gently at them all. "I forgive you." Several soft gasps of surprise were heard at this.

"I forgive you for cursing at me. I forgive you for throwing rotten eggs at me. I forgive you for the time when you stabbed me 34 times with a kitchen knife. I forgive you for the wildly inflated prices. I forgive you for denying me buying food. I forgive you for setting me on fire. I forgive you for making your kids believe that I was a bad person. I forgive you for spitting on me. I forgive you for threatening me. I forgive you for booby-trapping my old apartment with acid. I forgive you for all the harsh words you said and the actions you took."

By now, almost everyone was crying in some form. Even those who looked proud at their deeds looked unsure of their actions now.

"Know this. I pledge my life to you. I will do all that I can to make this village a better place to live and safer for everyone. I strive for peace with the other nations of the Elemental Countries, but anyone who threatens us will be shown that we will not back down without a fight. For we are Konoha. The Hidden Village in the Leaves," I finished up and my eyes widened as I received a thunderous cheer in return. Almost everyone was wildly cheering for me as I looked around. But soon the crowd began to settle into a loud chant.

"Godaime! Godaime! Godaime! Godaime! Godaime!"

I collapsed onto the couch in my lounge room and sighed loudly. After I had gained the crowd's favour, I began to tell them a few other things. Such as the fact that 'evidence suggested that Kyuubi was a guardian for the Fire Country and that a very powerful genjutsu was cast on it and the caster used Kyuubi as a weapon against Konoha'. Phrasing it as 'evidence suggested' made it seem as if this information was pulled from multiple sources. While they didn't completely believe that, they were willing to play the devil's advocate until my information was proven false. This was more than I thought I was going to get and so I happily took it.

The next bit of news was that I had gained the Fox Summoning contract, which used to be in the hands of the Kyuubi before it was sealed inside of me, which then transferred the contract to me when I hit 14 years old. While not a complete lie, the village accepted this as it explained the armoured foxes helping defend the village in the invasion.

Then I told the masses that I had persuaded Tsunade Senju to return to Konoha and take over as the Head Doctor for Konoha General Hospital. This was met with a very warm reception as people were glad to see Tsunade back with Konoha. I then explained that she would be setting up a class to teach a few special people the arts of medical jutsu, in the hopes of one day having dedicated medical ninjas in each squad to decrease vitality rates. The people were pleased with this.

And finally I announced my name change and the name of my new clan. I explained the name change as a way of renewing myself and starting fresh. They bought it.

By now I was feeling a little drained so with a quick look at Jiraiya, I excused myself.

"Man, I can't believe guilt tripping the villages worked. Thinking it is one thing, but putting it into practice is a whole nuther ball game," I sighed before yawning. "Maybe I can get a bit of sleep before the others get home."

Unfortunately Lady Luck decided to flat out ignore my request with the arrival of my entire clan. I moaned and whined and tossed about on the couch as they filtered into the room.

"Nice job!" Dawn said as she sat down next to my head and pulled me onto her lap.

"Mmm, thanks. I was hoping for some people to change their minds about me, but I didn't expect to get a home run of sorts," I replied.

"So now what's going to happen?" Kin asked.

"Well we've got a reprieve from anything major for the moment. There's a mission coming up where I'll need Haku to come with me, but that's sometime this month. Shouldn't come across it for at least a week," I replied.

"What's the mission?" Haku asked curiously.

"Well it's in Snow Country which is why I'll need your help. Big battle there. How wide an area can you create your demonic mirror dome?"

"Uhh… I dunno. You asking for it to be used for a defensive purpose?" he asked.

"Yep. About 200 meters in diameter and thick enough to stand up to 10,000 kunai being thrown at it all over within a span of about 2 minutes," I replied.

"200… uhh, I don't think I'm that strong," he replied nervously.

"Not to worry. I'll summon Shiva to help you."

"In that case… with the extra help… I think I can do it, since I'll be working with existing ice," he replied confidently.

"Nice. I wonder how many people will try to manipulate me, thinking I'm young and inexperienced," I asked, more to myself.

"If they do, we'll cut them down to size," Zabuza grinned.

"No doubt," I replied with a sleepy smile. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm exhausted. Can you hold any more questions until tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," Trunks said.

"Thank you…" I mumbled before I closed my eyes and was quickly out like a light.

I became aware of a wonderful warmth and sent as my senses began to slowly return. I opened my eyes to see a sleeping Dawn next to me. We were in our bed and the sun was shining through the window.

'I wonder who carried me to bed,' I wondered before shifting into a sitting position. I looked around for my iPhone and checked the time. It was 9:04AM.

"Morning, huh. Guess I was quite tired. Good thing there were leftovers for the guys to eat last night while I was sleeping," I said to myself.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of becoming crazy, you know," a gentle voice said and I turned to see Dawn gazing at me, still laying on her side.

"Only if you're referring to yourself either in the third person or talking to an alter ego of yourself. Stating things isn't counted," I grinned. "Besides, we're all a little nuts in our own ways."

"By the way, you got a message soon after you fell asleep yesterday. A reporter from Fire TIME wants to interview the newest and youngest Hokage," she replied.

"An interview?" I asked.

"Yep. Said they'd be by around midday today," she confirmed.

"Guess I'd better get ready then," I sighed as I swung out of bed and stood up. I did a few preliminary stretches before heading for the shower.

10 minutes later I was out and dressing in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. If I was going to be interviewed, at least I would make sure to be comfortable. I stared at the Hokage robes that hung in my wardrobe. "It's going to be a while before I get used to seeing those clothes in my wardrobe," I said to Dawn as she entered the shower herself.

"You weren't expecting being called as Hiruzen's successor, were you?" she called back over the sound of the shower.

I walked back into the shower and sat on the toilet seat. "Yeah, it surprised me alright. I was fully expecting Tsunade to become the Godaime and me becoming Chunin maybe? I still don't think I've earned the promotion leap."

"Hey! No more of that!" she scolded and I blinked as this was the first time she had said something in that tone to me. I then smiled as I realised that our relationship was deepening. She was comfortable with telling me off and I was comfortable with her doing so. Weird, I know, but that was the feeling I got.

"Well I guess I need to do something to make me feel like I've earned it or at least making Konoha a better place," I replied before the shower door opened and Dawn walked out. My eyes drunk in her image as she began to dry herself off, something I would never get tired of looking at.

"You've already done something. You succeeded in countering Orochimaru's assault with no casualties and little damage to structures," she said.

"Yeah…" I replied distractedly as I continued to ogle my lover as she finished drying off and slipped on a pair of lacy purple underwear and a purple plain style bra. She eventually took notice of the lack of a decent reply and looked at me, realising that I was admiring the view. She then posed sexily and that got an instant rise outta junior.

"Damnit," I sighed as I slapped a hand to my face. "Now I'm gonna have a hard on for the rest of the day."

"Well, I'm sure I can help you out," she smiled as she walked over. I grasped her waist and began to rub my hands over her ass as I hugged her close, pressing my face into her breasts. I also glided my hands up and down the back of her thighs and she gently gripped my upper arms and shoulders lovingly.

She then got down on her knees and I palmed her breasts in her bra. Such a perfect shape. In turn she undid the zip on my jeans and began to stroke my dick gently. I started to squeeze her boobs and she responded with a light but audible intake of breath. I ran my fingers under the shape and into her balanced cleavage, enjoying the feeling of her skin. I found where her nipples were under the bra and I pinched them, eliciting a soft gasp.

I pulled her forward and kissed her deeply while she pressed my dick into her warm cleavage. It was just for a moment though as she lowered herself more and began to kiss my member. She kissed the tip before she opened her mouth and I shuddered at the feeling of her hot breath on the tip before the better feeling of her moist mouth engulfed my penis.

She started very slow, clamping down on as much of the length as she could get in and slowly backed off, her lips dragging over the skin and muscle before reaching the tip. She then quickly went back down before repeating the same slow movement while trailing her fingertips across my crotch where, if I was still human, would've been where my pubic hairs were. For me, it was a divine feeling as I weaved my hands into her rich red hair.

By now my cock was fully hardened and I had a lot of stress to rid from the past 2 weeks. She continued the slow movements and I felt myself getting harder as I watched her lips glide over my dick. The simple sight was half the pleasure for me. She then began to suck on the tip, the tip of her tongue dancing around the underside and tickling the hole at the top. I moaned in pleasure and she grinned up at me before she began again, but this time at a faster pace.

She used her hand as well to continue stimulating the parts were her mouth wasn't covering. This feeling was driving me close and she knew it from how my dick was throbbing and getting bigger. She then tried to do something that she never did before. She tried to deep throat me. However it didn't work and she gagged before withdrawing and continued as she had before.

But that was enough for me as my body stiffened and I grunted loudly as I released into her mouth. She, in turn held the tip in her mouth and continued to stroke me with her hand as my seed spurted into her mouth for a brief moment before slowing down. She closed her lips around the tip and sucked to get the rest of it out and I cried out from the pleasure spike, my hands gripping the sides of the toilet hard. She released me but a small amount of cum was released from me. She licked it up and gripped my dick in a tight squeeze, seeing if there was any more. When none came she smiled and kissed the tip before she swallowed the cum in her mouth.

I sighed loudly and pulled Dawn up to sit her on my lap. "Thanks babe. I needed that," I smiled.

"Sorry I couldn't deep throat. I've never been able to do it before," she replied, a little sad.

"Doesn't matter. As long as I have you, nothing else matters," I replied and hugged her close. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around me.

After the exciting and sexually stimulating 15 minutes in the bathroom, we finally made it to the kitchen, where a few members of the clan were fixing breakfast. Haku was making bacon and eggs and was doing a good job with them.

"Good morning Josh-sama," Haku greeted.

"Haku, please, drop the sama bit. I ain't your superior," I sighed in reply.

"Well, technically-" Trunks began.

"You can shove your technicalities thanks," I glared without meaning. He just grinned in response.

"So, did Dawn tell you about the reporter?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yeah, she did. Midday, right?"

"It's now 9:40, just so you know," Kin added.

"Thank you Kin," I replied in a slightly sarcastic tone. I then turned to Dawn. "Did this reporter say they'd come by the mansion or the Hokage office?"

"By the office," she replied.

"Hey Josh, who's the new guy by the way?" Zabuza asked as he pointed his thumb at the ex-Uchiha.

"His name is Noctis and he's the newest member of my clan," I replied, deciding that now he was no longer Itachi, there was no reason to tell everyone of his past. Noctis nodded at me, silently thanking me for not elaborating.

"Welcome Noctis," Jugo said with a smile, the other clan members adding their greetings.

"Thank you everyone," he replied with a small smile, something that looked to becoming less of a rarity.

"So, what happened while I was away?" I asked as Haku dealt out the food.

"Well the repairs on the wall is finished," Zabuza informed.

"That was quick," I replied.

"Yeah, well, since there was so little collateral damage, most of the workforce could focus on the hole in the wall," Karin replied. "What are you going to do first as Hokage?"

"Dunno, but I want Danzo out of the picture. So I'll get Zulu squad on digging up some serious dirt on him as well as evidence on what I already know he's done," I replied seriously. "As soon as Danzo is gone I'll replace Koharu and that other guy whose name I keep forgetting as my advisors. One will be Hiruzen and the other will most likely be Jiraiya." I then began to eat and hummed in content at the taste. "Nice job Haku. You'll make some girl a happy wife… or since you're so girly, maybe a lucky husband?" I grinned.

"No no, I'm not gay," he replied without a twitch.

"I guess you get that question often," I replied. Haku simply smiled in reply. "Well in any case, nice job on the food. Thanks."

"You're welcome Josh-sama," he replied.

I sighed. "If you don't stop saying the sama bit, I'm going to start calling you Haku-chan," I mock threatened, not really expecting that was going to have an impact. Then I heard Zabuza snort and the demon twins chuckle. I looked up from my food to see the three grinning and Haku frozen with an embarrassed blush on his face. "That's actually going to work?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Sure will. Haku hates being called chan," Mizu grinned.

"But normally he'll threaten us somehow with ice if we do so," Gozu added.

"So we're going to set up a pool on how long you'll last. I'm betting 10 times you can call him that before he snaps since I have faith in you," Zabuza said with a wide smile.

"Ten times is having faith in me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I say 4 times," Mizu added.

"5 times for me," Gozu said.

"Does that answer your question?" Zabuza asked.

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed, eating the rest of breakfast in silence.

I walked into the office, still wearing my jeans and white shirt, but now the Hokage robes were on top of them, though I didn't bother with the hat. Inside the office were three ANBU, all of which I recognised; Yùgao, Dragon and Yamato, or Tenzo if you preferred.

"Morning friends," I greeted friendly.

"Hokage-sama, we're here to watch over you," Yùgao said.

"Bodyguards, eh? Well that's good cause I'm certainly not Hokage level in terms of experience or power. So I'm glad to have you guys here," I replied before grinning widely. "However, from now on, I want you to address me not as Hokage-sama, but as Your Awesomeness!"

There was a moment of silence before Tenzo broke it. "Uhh… Hokage-"

"Ahh!" I interrupted him with a pointed finger before waiting expectantly. There was another long pause before he sighed. "Your Awesomeness…" he said.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Yes?" I asked.

"Were you notified of the reporter from Fire TIME arriving soon for an interview?" he asked.

"Yes I was," I nodded.

"Aren't you a little too casually dressed?" Yùgao asked.

"Nope," I replied with a cheeky grin.

There was another long pause before a soft knock on the door broke the silence. I nodded to the ANBU and they used a jutsu to become invisible.

"Guess that means I can't have sex in the office without being seen then," I said to them and I grinned when I heard three embarrassed coughs in response. "Come in," I called out as I walked to the chair. Before I sat down I looked to see who it was.

Koharu and that other guy walked in.

'Joy…' I mentally thought sarcastically. "What can I do for you two?" I asked as I sat in the chair and sighed in content as I found out just how comfy it was.

"We're here to advice you, Hokage-sama," Hokaru said in that condescending tone she had in the anime.

"I'm sorry, but my most recent order is that I be addressed as Your Awesomeness, not Hokage-sama," I replied evenly.

"E-excuse me?" she asked, slightly taken off guard.

"Oh, I see," I replied, putting on a sympathetic façade. I then cupped my hands around my mouth and repeated, "I'M TO BE ADDRESSED AS 'YOUR AWESOMENESS', NOT HOKAGE-SAMA!" loudly.

"I… I know what you said! I'm not deaf!" Koharu growled.

"Coulda fooled me with that first response," I muttered. "So you're here to advise me, are you? What on?"

"First is your attire. A Hokage must look respectable as a ninja and so he needs to wear the Jōnin outfit underneath the robes," the other guy said.

"Well, I never made it to Chunin, much less Jōnin. So I don't have the sexy jacket yet," I replied with a smile.

"Not to worry. We had one specially commissioned for you," Koharu said and she waved in a Chunin carrying what looked like a standard Jōnin jacket. No doubt it had all sorts of hidden bugs and listening devices on it though.

"You know, I think I'm fine with the way I'm dressed at the moment," I replied.

"But wearing the outfit is tradition," the other guy said firmly.

"Well then, I guess there are going to be a few changes around here then," I smiled but my eyes were hard. What I saw was the two unsure at how to proceed with this defiance. "What? You thought that you could come in here and mould me to whatever you wanted me to be? Well think again. Now off you go. I don't need any advising today."

The two just stood there in shock.

"Your leader just asked you to leave the room. Will you do so, or do I need to have the nice ANBU to escort you from the premises?" I asked civilly. At this point the three ANBU revealed themselves and stood there, waiting.

There was a lengthy pause. "As you command, Hokage-sama," Homura said tonelessly. My eyes narrowed as he had deliberately not chosen to call me by what I had ordered. The two then left the room.

"I need to do something about them soon or else things will get complicated, fast," I muttered before I flipped through the summoning seals and focused on a certain image. Then, in a poof of smoke, stood Captain Yamu.

"Captain, I have a job for you," I said.

"Commander," he replied with a salute, ready for orders.

"I need you and your squad to infiltrate Danzo Shimura's residence and ROOT base of operations to find incriminating evidence against him. His involvement with Hanzo, Orochimaru post defection, and especially the theft of ten Sharingans and one Mangekyo Sharingan belonging to Shisui Uchiha, among several other transgressions. Extreme caution is necessary with this guy as he can use a technique that allows him to manipulate the thoughts of one nearby. It can't be used frequently, but if he spots you or is aware of you or your squad snooping on him, he will use it to his benefit. And unlike other techniques the Sharingan is capable of, this one does not require eye contact. But as long as he remains completely unaware of you, you and your team should be fine," I ordered, very serious.

"Sir!" Yamu replied before he disappeared.

I sighed. "I hope he and his team can handle it." I then turned to the ANBU. "None of what I just said is to leave this room unless otherwise instructed by myself in person, understood?"

"Yes, Your Awesomeness," they intoned professionally.

"Very good," I replied. "Now, do any of you know where the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple is?"

After several minutes of explaining what the temple was it turned out that they didn't, so I resolved that as soon as my interview was over with, I would get some experienced scouts from the Kitsuné Army to find it for me.

However at that moment a second knock came at the door and I asked the knocker to come in with the ANBU disappearing as usual. I don't know what I was expecting on who was going to walk through, but I didn't expect a hot brunette with smart glasses to walk through. She wore grey pants that were tight around the ass and a sleeveless button up halter that was white with thin black stripes. Pinned above her generously sized left breast was a reporter's ID badge.

"Ahh, you must be the reporter from Fire TIME. And I must say you are quite the beautiful reporter too. Must get you many exclusives," I greeted smoothly with a smile before holding out my hand. "Josh Kitsuné."

"Why thank you," she replied with a return smile and shook my hand. "Emily Weston of Fire TIME magazine." She then looked me over. "I must say that when I got the job on interviewing the newest Hokage who was 14 years old, I wasn't expecting you to look so…"

"Devilishly handsome?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"Mature," she countered.

I nodded. "Fair enough. I can understand why people might be thrown off by my mature personality and the fact that I look like a 27 year old despite being only 14. I hope it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable."

"Not at all. Just surprised is all," she replied.

"Very well," I smiled before heaving up the very comfy chair and moving it to the front of my desk where the guest chair was. "Is this setup ok, cause I don't want the desk to be like a barrier in this interview?"

"That's fine," she replied before she sat down with her legs crossed and prepared a notepad, pen and tape recorder. In turn I sat down in my chair and waited with my hands in my lap.

"Well then, I guess the first question most people would be interested to hear is why you got the position of the most politically powerful person in Konoha?" she asked.

"Well, to be honest, I have no idea. While I'm much stronger than a Genin or a Chunin or even the average Jōnin probably, I'm not the strongest ninja in this village. I definitely wouldn't call myself politically smart. But I care about everyone under my command and I care about every villager within this village. I've demonstrated that, while I've been horribly mistreated by them in the past, I'm capable of forgiving them and starting anew. And it doesn't hurt that I command a massive army of fox summons to defend this place. I'll do everything I can to keep this place and Fire Country safe. But other than that," I shrugged at that moment. "You'd really have to ask Hiruzen why he chose me for the job, but I know that he hasn't gone senile and so has a very good reason for putting the hat on me."

"Is it true that you're the Jinchūriki for Kyuubi?"

"Yes, it is. However the fox's past isn't what it seemed to the general public, or even to the higher ups. Kyuubi was overcome with a very powerful genjutsu and against its will, was forced to attack Konoha. We're still in the process of identifying the individual who did this, but I assure you, he will be found and brought to justice. The people of Konoha deserve to have closure with this incident."

"It seems hard to believe that a genjutsu brought one of the strongest forces in the known world to heel and was then manipulated to attack Konoha," Emily reasoned.

"It's easy to believe that something as powerful as the Kyuubi is infallible. But, like all beings in this word, it has weaknesses. As this interview will be made public, I can't comment on what those weaknesses are, but I assure you, the Kyuubi never wanted to attack Konoha," I replied, humanizing Dawn as much as I could.

Emily nodded, satisfied with that response. "Now that you're the Fifth Hokage, what sort of changes can we expect to see in the future under your leadership?"

"One of the changes is the structure to ninja teams, with either the insertion of a fourth member who is medically certified and trained, or that one of the members in the three man teams is trained in the medical arts to cut down vitalities in the field. This proposal was brought up by Tsunade Senju in the past, however her petition was denied. I'm approving this course of action as a priority in the very near future," I replied.

"A lot of people, both ninja and otherwise, will be relieved to hear that," Emily smiled.

"There will be many other changes coming soon, but you'll just have to see what they are in the future," I added with a wink.

"Now for some questions about you personally. What are your likes and dislikes?"

"Well, I enjoy the company of my friends and family, not a fan of mushrooms or spiders. I enjoy training with my swords and sparring with my clan members. I dislike arrogant people who believe that, because of their status, they believe they are entitled to much more than they get."

Emily nodded once again. "One last question. What is your goal as the Hokage?"

I smiled as I had a feeling this question would pop up. "I strive to bring peace to all in the Elemental Countries. In the past that usually meant forging ahead with force and violence. But this just continues to feed the monster known as revenge. If we are to break this cycle of revenge, we need to forgive each other. I believe if one person can start this healing process, then it will spread. I've proven this with my inauguration speech. Most were ready to insult me, to rip me to shreds out of hatred and their loss. But I showed that I could forgive them willingly, and this, in turn, showed them that I was not a demon. They then began to realise the wrong they did, and from there, they began to forgive the past that was thrust on them unwillingly. For this to work outside the boundaries of this village, however, more things need to happen. Such as doing good deeds, and uniting under a common cause. Only then will people begin to forgive the past between them and move on."

Emily looked on in surprise at the wisdom I had just said. "Uhh… well, thank you, Josh. I think that's a wrap." She then stood up and tucked the notepad away. "I have a feeling public opinion on you is going to change drastically once this is printed. You might want to brace yourself."

"Oh joy, more fangirls," I sighed before smiling. "Do you need a cover picture?"

"Oh no, that was taken care of yesterday at your speech," she replied. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Hokage. I hope I have the privilege of interviewing you soon."

"The pleasure is mine, Emily," I smiled again before opening to door for her. She walked out, but not before she gave me a quick chaste kiss on my cheek before leaving. I closed the door, a wide grin on my face. "Heh, who says nice guys finish last when it comes to women?"