On the stage, red and blue lights intertwined, and the sound of continuous explosions echoed like a never-ending string of firecrackers in the audience’s ears. The battle had reached its climax, with both sides unleashing their full power and using various techniques.

The venue was in shambles, debris and dust scattered everywhere in a chaotic mess.

Finally, both sides gambled everything on the final strike.

Boom——! A huge explosion rang out, and the dazzling white light covered the stage. The powerful impact caused cracks to appear on the ground, and thick smoke obscured the figures of the two fighters.

"Who will win?"

This was the question on everyone’s mind.

Who would come out on top and claim the final victory of the Chunin Exam?

Would the surging waves extinguish the flames, or would the raging fire evaporate the water entirely?

Sasuke, having exhausted himself earlier competing in a shouting match with Naruto, could only watch the stage with wide eyes, hoping to see through the dense fog to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

But Sasuke didn’t have high-level Sharingan at this moment, so he couldn’t see through the mist. He had to wait for it to dissipate on its own.

As the mist gradually cleared, the two small figures were still standing.

They looked extremely battered, their clothes tattered and covered with sharp cuts. Sweat and yellow dust coated their exposed skin.

Facing each other, they breathed heavily, unable to even straighten their backs. Both held their weapons with one hand while the other hung limply at their side.

Just when everyone thought they would continue fighting, both collapsed simultaneously.

Kakashi tried to wake them, but neither responded.

At this moment, Nagasawa leaped down from the highest level onto the stage and directly announced, "This match is a draw; both are first place!"

After announcing the result, Nagasawa grabbed them by their collars and carried them off the stage.

Seeing Nagasawa taking care of the task, Kakashi scratched his head, declared the end of the Chunin Exam, and left the stage to join the audience, where Hana and Yuri were.

After briefly using medical ninjutsu to treat the two, Nagasawa handed them over to the medical ninjas on standby at the exam venue, instructing them to take the boys to Konoha Hospital.

Itachi and Kabuto had fought fiercely and were utterly exhausted, needing a good rest.

Nagasawa was a bit surprised at how effective his instigations were.

But on reflection, perhaps both wanted to use this opportunity to see the full extent of each other’s abilities.

Nagasawa returned to the highest level and engaged in some mutual flattery with the Tsuchikage and others, then confirmed the details of the Five Kage Summit.

"The Five Kage Summit will begin in three days, right below the Hokage Rock in Konoha."

The location was chosen to be under the Hokage Rock as a symbolic gesture, to be held under the gaze of the predecessors during the second Five Kage Summit.

This was the result of high-level discussions.

With the strong construction abilities of ninjas, building a meeting room at the chosen location was a simple task, completed quickly, though the interior decoration took a bit longer.

After confirming the details of the summit, Onoki and Rasa returned to their respective accommodations.

Yagura wanted to leave too, but remembering his status as a prisoner with a seal on his body, he sat obediently, waiting for Nagasawa to speak.

After bidding farewell to Minato, Nagasawa looked at the unmoving Yagura and remembered that Yagura’s arrival in Konoha was different from the others.

"Do you want to return to your original place to stay, or should I find a new place for you?" Nagasawa asked, rubbing his chin.

"My original place? You mean the iron bed in the basement?"

"Yes," Nagasawa confirmed with a nod.

Yagura trembled with anger. He was a dignified Fourth Mizukage, and they wanted him to stay in such a place like a prisoner? Did they not care about his dignity?

"Please arrange new accommodations for me," Yagura said through gritted teeth.

He was angry but still used polite language. It was a form of torture.

"By the way, the Mist side has also sent people over. They should be arriving in Konoha soon. I’ll just book a hotel for you all to stay together," Nagasawa recalled about the Mist delegation.

Earlier, when Shisui brought Yagura back to Konoha, he also conveyed some information to the Mist.

Even if the Mist didn’t believe their Mizukage was controlled, after investigating and finding their Mizukage missing, they had no choice but to acknowledge the facts, no matter how absurd.

Their Mizukage had already been taken to the Five Kage Summit, and the Mist had no choice but to send a delegation to Konoha to discuss the attack on Konoha’s delegation, the summit, and to retrieve Yagura.

If Yagura remained imprisoned in Konoha, the Mist’s reputation would be ruined. No Kage had ever been imprisoned in an enemy village.

Moreover, Yagura was crucial to the Mist. The village was already weakened, and Yagura, a strong ninja and Jinchuriki, was an essential asset.

"That would be best," Yagura sighed in relief.

Although he felt embarrassed about facing his village’s ninjas after being controlled and committing crimes, they were still his people, and he believed none would dare disrespect his authority.

Nagasawa wandered around Konoha, found a secluded inn, and booked it for a week.

"You’ll be staying here while in Konoha," Nagasawa said and prepared to leave.

"Wait," Yagura called out.

"What is it?" Nagasawa asked.

Yagura felt that Nagasawa was playing dumb. Frustrated, he said directly, "The seal. The seal that blocks my chakra. I am, after all, the Mizukage of the Mist Village, one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Since we are having the Five Kage Summit, you should at least remove the seal from one of the Kage."

"Sorry, that’s not possible," Nagasawa refused outright.

"Why not?" Yagura was puzzled. Why were the other Kage fine, but he had to be sealed?

"Because you were controlled before. Who knows if there are any traps left on you? For Konoha’s safety, you’ll have to endure a bit longer. When you leave Konoha, I’ll have someone remove the seal," Nagasawa explained.

This was a lie.

The person who controlled Yagura was Obito, and since Obito had reformed, any traps would not affect Konoha.

The real reason was Nagasawa didn’t want to bother removing the seal now and preferred to delay it until the last moment.

With Konoha’s safety as the reason, Yagura had no choice but to accept. This wasn’t the Mist Village, after all, and he had no say here.

"Alright then," Yagura forced a smile on his baby-faced expression, walking into the inn like a soulless zombie.

If this were an animation, the background would undoubtedly be grayscale.

Having settled the green-haired pseudo-youth, Nagasawa headed to Konoha Hospital.

"Advisor Nagasawa."

"Consultant Nagasawa..."

In the hospital, the medical ninjas greeted Nagasawa as he passed.

Hearing someone call him a consultant, Nagasawa remembered he was also a medical advisor. But he had been too busy to visit recently.

’Without realizing it, I’ve taken on many roles...’ Nagasawa thought.

He was now Konoha’s Advisor, the captain of the Training Squad, a medical consultant, the Deputy Minister of Education, and the leader of the Special Task Force.

Initially, he aimed to prevent the tragedies of Kushina and Minato and ensure his own safety. Being bound to Konoha, he couldn’t let it be destroyed.

Now, the Nine-Tails night had passed peacefully, and Cloud Village had been subdued, deterring the other great nations.

With the second Five Kage Summit approaching, the ninja world was about to return to the peace of Hashirama’s era.

Yet Nagasawa felt his goal of retirement was still far off.

Maybe it was paranoia or a fear of insufficient power, but Nagasawa always felt he wasn’t strong enough. Even if he surpassed Kaguya and became the strongest in the ninja world, his goal would still be distant.

Because Kaguya also feared an enemy—the Otsutsuki clan, who sought planets to plant Divine Trees.

Before crossing over, Nagasawa had heard of a sequel to Naruto. He planned to watch it but never did due to its poor reviews.

Now, he wished he had watched it. It might have contained useful information about the Otsutsuki clan.

PS: I don’t know how to write Boruto, so I might adopt some of its settings.

Responding to the greetings of nurses and doctors, Nagasawa thought about the future.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. If he knew less, he might have started enjoying life after resolving the Nine-Tails night rather than focusing on Konoha’s development.

Nagasawa asked some doctors and, after learning the room where the two boys were, thanked them and found the room. They were in the same room.

Entering, he saw Itachi and Kabuto awake, their tattered clothes replaced by hospital attire.

"How are you feeling? If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll call a doctor for a check-up," Nagasawa asked.

"No need, I’m fine," Itachi replied.

"No need, just exhausted and low on chakra, no serious injuries," Kabuto declined.

Nagasawa placed some fruit down, smiling warmly. "This time is special, so it’s a draw. You’re both first place.

You both performed excellently. If there’s anything you want, let me know, and I’ll try to fulfill it."

Nagasawa hadn’t forgotten his promise. If they performed well, he would grant them a wish.

But the two seemed still immersed in the recent battle, shaking their heads, saying they needed to think it over.

After testing them a bit and finding they hadn’t realized he had instigated them, Nagasawa left, satisfied that they wouldn’t reveal his words.

Leaving the room, Nagasawa was about to exit the hospital when he unexpectedly encountered a familiar blonde figure.

Nagasawa continued walking calmly.

Tsunade, discussing the special students’ internship with a doctor, spotted Nagasawa and called out, "Advisor Nagasawa, the busy man himself, in a hospital?"

Caught, Nagasawa turned and answered, "Itachi is my disciple, and Kabuto is my brother. It’s not surprising I came to visit them."

Honestly, he didn’t want to meet Tsunade in the hospital.

She was one of the few who would sarcastically address him to his face. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

And Nagasawa couldn’t refute her, having forced her back and knowing he rarely visited the Medical Department.

But he had a method to deal with Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade is right," Nagasawa said flatly.

His method was to play dead, agreeing with everything Tsunade said until she got bored.

"Again with this, boring," Tsunade said, knowing his tactic.

"Lady Tsunade is right, I am boring," Nagasawa replied with a calm face.

"Enough. Are you free this afternoon? Let’s have a drink. Jiraiya and Orochimaru will be there too," Tsunade invited, losing interest.

"Orochimaru agreed to drink with you all? That’s unusual," Nagasawa remarked. Orochimaru always seemed the type to stay cool and collected, not the kind to join drinking parties.

"Probably because Jiraiya pestered him too much," Tsunade guessed, also surprised by Orochimaru’s agreement.

She imagined Jiraiya might have nagged Orochimaru about a reunion drink until he agreed.

"But isn’t this a Sannin gathering? Is it okay for me to join?" Nagasawa asked.

"Why are you overthinking? Just say if you’re coming or not," Tsunade said, crossing her arms, making her already prominent chest even more noticeable, her face showing annoyance.

"I’ll come," Nagasawa agreed, confirming he had no important plans for the afternoon.