Child of Darkness

In the 29th year of Konoha, the Konoha Ninja Academy held another graduation ceremony, marking the moment a new batch of fresh cannon fodder would truly step into the ninja world.

"Today is a day worth celebrating and commemorating. Our Konoha Ninja Academy has once again cultivated a group of pillars of talent. You are the future of Konoha, and the future of the ninja world needs you to write it with your own hands..."

Watching the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, spraying spit on the stage while conducting a brainwashing MLM scheme—no, a speech—Shimura Kentei couldn't help but complain.

"This old guy truly lives up to his name as the strongest Hokage; he hasn't repeated a single graduation speech in the four years I've been here!"

Honestly, he admired this bull of a man who could deliver a two-hour speech without notes. He was truly the strongest Hokage of all generations, possessing the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world: the Will of Fire!

If he were back in his previous life, he would absolutely be a titan of the MLM industry.

"Young Master Kentei, please don't speak so recklessly. Lord Hokage is your uncle, and he is in the prime of his life; he is not old!"

Sitting beside Shimura Kentei, Shimura Genma couldn't help but whisper a warning. After speaking, he carefully looked left and right, terrified that someone might have overheard his young master's treasonous words.

Even though he had long been accustomed to the young master's taboo vocabulary, hearing it still made his heart race. After all, that was the Hokage!

"Look at your pathetic state!"

Glancing sideways at his clansman Shimura Genma, Shimura Kentei expressed his disdain.

This kid was far too timid, a waste of the name Genma.

Of course, this was their Shimura Clan's Genma, not the one from the Shiranui Clan—and that Shiranui Genma hadn't even been born yet!

"Young Master, the Clan Head asked me to inform you that if you fail to graduate this year, you are to return and follow the path he has arranged. After all, you have already been held back for three years!"

Looking around once more, Shimura Genma lowered his voice to relay the order from their clan head.

"Graduation? A piece of cake!

I am the man who spent three years being held back to forge the destiny of a super dead-last. Soon, I will become a Genin, become Hokage, serve as the Ninja King, marry a beautiful, wealthy woman, and reach the pinnacle of life!"

Replying with pride, Shimura Kentei was full of confidence.

He had long anticipated that this year would be the limit of his father's patience. He was now twelve years old, having been held back for three full years, becoming a laughingstock of the Ninja Academy and even all of Konoha.

This period was very early in the Naruto timeline; even Kakashi Hatake hadn't been born yet. Many of the Ninja Academy's systems were different from when the story began—for instance, the graduation age for students was generally nine.

This was normal; after all, the Ninja Academy had only been established for twenty-some years, and many rules were still in the trial-and-error phase. For example, the Sannin graduated at six; by comparison, the current age of nine was already much better.

As for himself, he had been held back for three years, making him the oldest student in this graduating class.

As for the path his old man had arranged, it was simple: go back, be a middle-tier pig waiting to die, and once he sired a son with excellent aptitude, he could continue to slack off until the end. They had even found him a fiancée—a child bride.

While that life sounded quite comfortable, as a transmigrator from the Earth Village, he had higher aspirations!

"After graduating and becoming a Genin, shouldn't you advance to Chunin, then Jonin, and only then have a sliver of a chance to become Hokage?"

Shimura Genma blinked in confusion, unable to grasp his young master's train of thought. And what did "dead-last destiny" and "Ninja King" even mean?

"The world of the strong is something you wouldn't understand!"

Shaking his head slightly, Shimura Kentei had no interest in explaining these metaphysical issues; this was a romance belonging only to a transmigrator.

One had to know that in the Naruto world, the destiny of a "dead-last" was heaven-defying. From the oldest dead-last in the ninja world, Ōtsutsuki Ashura, to Jiraiya, to Might Guy's father, Might Guy, Tsuchikage, and Naruto, they were all incredibly powerful!

Furthermore, Konoha's Genin were the most terrifying powerhouses; some could even beat Six Paths level existences. Naruto himself jumped from Genin directly to CEO of Konoha and even married the beautiful goddess Hinata. That was the template he, Shimura, wanted.

"Graduation isn't the problem, but I must secure a good teacher!"

Rubbing his smooth chin, Shimura Kentei began to ponder.

He had long been prepared for graduation. Even if his current Chakra and physical flaws were far from meeting the standard, he could always take a shortcut!

As a "four-virtue" youth of the new era, he was never short on crooked ways to get things done.

The most pressing issue now was how to land a decent team leader. One had to know that after graduating, the only way for a student to obtain ninjutsu was through their team leader.

As for the policy mentioned in some fanfictions about exchanging merits for ninjutsu from the Hokage, it did exist, but the minimum standard for an exchange was an A-Rank ninjutsu. The amount of merit required was unimaginable, and it required a guarantee from one's team leader.

Therefore, a team leader was crucial for a fresh sprout like him who was about to graduate!

Of course, if the team leader possessed a vast inheritance of ninjutsu, it would be even better. No merit would be needed; as long as he buttered up the teacher—or perhaps got "submerged" by them—he could basically obtain some high-quality ninjutsu.

"Speaking of ninjutsu inheritance, this year is indeed a good opportunity."

Thinking of this, Shimura Kentei couldn't help but look at the fat cow—no, the Fat Sheep—standing a few meters behind Sarutobi Hiruzen on the high platform.

"Why did Tsunade and the others come to attend the Ninja Academy's graduation ceremony this year?"

Turning his gaze away from the Fat Sheep who possessed the number one weapon in the ninja world, he swept his eyes over the two young men beside her and asked Shimura Genma.

"Lord Tsunade's younger brother, Senju Nawaki, is also a graduate this year!"

Shimura Genma hurriedly replied. He was very clear on this point, as Senju Nawaki was his classmate.

"Senju Nawaki?"

He paused for a moment, then immediately realized who Senju Nawaki was.

He had no interest in the brats at school and had never bothered to learn about them, even though he had seen the name Senju Nawaki in the Naruto anime from his previous life.

But even in the anime, Senju Nawaki was just a background character, glossed over quickly. He heard he died early, and quite miserably at that.

"It's her!"

Turning his gaze back to the Fat Sheep with the number one weapon in the ninja world, Shimura Kentei was full of confidence.

At this stage, there is no better mentor than Tsunade; even Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who share the title of Sannin with her, fall far short in this regard.

After all, Tsunade has the backing of the Senju Clan, and at this moment, the Senju Clan is at its peak, not yet in the decline seen at the start of the main Naruto storyline.

Not to mention that Tsunade's grand-uncle, Senju Tobirama, was Konoha's original Pot Kage, though his nature differed from that of his own father, the Second Pot Kage.

Just like the truth from his past life: if there is a scapegoat in the ninja world that no one claims, it must belong to his father; if there is a Forbidden Jutsu whose creator is unknown, it must be Senju Tobirama.

Konoha's Scroll of Seals was practically designed specifically for Senju Tobirama.

And as a bigwig of the Senju family, would Senju Tobirama really leave no copies of the Forbidden Jutsu he developed for his own kin?

As long as he can become Tsunade's disciple, he will have the opportunity to bypass the Third Hokage and gain access to these powerful Forbidden Jutsu legacies.

"I'm finally going to become a ninja!"

Taking a deep breath, Shimura Kentei couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Although he had never worked as a ninja, he wasn't a stranger to the profession. In his past life, he was an omniscient and omnipotent Yellow and Blue Knight; the nature of both jobs was similar—getting paid to run errands and handle tasks—and both required versatility to satisfy the employer.

As for why he was a Yellow and Blue Knight rather than just a Yellow or Blue Knight, it was mainly because he received too many bad reviews when he first started as a Yellow Knight, forcing him to switch to being a Blue Knight, only to be fired shortly after for receiving too many bad reviews again.

"Young Master, I think it would be better if you went back and apologized to the Clan Head!"

Shimura Kentei's words made Shimura Genma, who was standing to the side, glance over. He hesitated, offering some well-intentioned advice while silently grumbling to himself.

Your chakra levels haven't even reached the minimum standard for a Genin; how the hell are you going to become a ninja!

He knew this young master of the Shimura Family quite well. Because he was born prematurely, he basically had no talent for ninjutsu. Even at twelve years old, the amount of chakra he could refine didn't meet the minimum requirement for a Genin.

Let alone comparing him to the geniuses, he was far inferior even to the civilian ninjas.

Furthermore, this young master was unable to weave hand signs to release ninjutsu, which was a fatal flaw.

Yet, he was stubborn to a fault and insisted on becoming a ninja.

"Apologize? What have I done wrong? Others might fear Shimura Danzō, but I certainly don't!"

With a cold laugh, Shimura Kentei had no intention of apologizing to that black-hearted father of his.

Of course, while he claimed not to be afraid, he was actually a bit intimidated inside; after all, that was the man known as the Shadow of Shinobi!

That's right, his name was Shimura Kentei—a terrible surname and an even worse given name. Hyuga Kagami next door was also a tool, but at least he was just a mirror, while he himself was a pot—a black pot at that.

This name was filled with an ominous aura, carrying terrifying omens of dark clouds over his brow and impending bloody disasters!

If it weren't for the fact that his late mother had given him this name, he would have changed it long ago.

Besides that, he had a father who was just as much of a pit as the name itself—the man with titles like the Pot of this World, the King of Pots, and the Pot Kage: the Shadow of Shinobi, Shimura Danzō.

Although there is a saying that a tiger won't eat its cubs, he wasn't sure if that applied to the Shadow of Shinobi!

Of course, despite his internal trepidation, he was still determined to become a ninja walking in the darkness with a bleak future!

Only by becoming a ninja could he master the strongest power in this alternate world, not to mention that as a transmigrator, he possessed a Golden Finger.

It was a very powerful Golden Finger, but it required many "Misses" to sponsor it, and the most impressive "Miss" in Konoha today...

Thinking of this, Shimura Kentei couldn't help but look again at a certain fat cow... no, a Fat Sheep!

She was the most impressive "Miss" in Konoha and even the current ninja world. If he could get her to sponsor his Golden Finger, he would definitely soar to the heavens!

"Wherever the leaves of the Tree dance, the fire will burn. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout. Only when one wants to protect those precious to them will the true power of a ninja be revealed!"

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing on the stage, finally finished his speech, which had been as long and tedious as an old woman's foot-binding cloth, and used the Will of Fire as his closing statement.

Thunderous applause erupted from below, and Shimura Kentei, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, was suddenly jolted awake.

I've been playing it safe for twelve years; it's time to show off!

As his gaze fell once again upon the Fat Sheep who possessed the number one weapon in the ninja world, Shimura Kentei took a deep breath, knowing it was his turn to perform.

Although he preferred playing the pig to eat the tiger rather than showing off in front of others, time was too tight this time.

After the graduation exam, there would be a one-week break for the academy students to relax, and one week later, the Third Hokage would personally come to the Ninja Academy to distribute headbands to the graduates.

It wouldn't be easy to win over Tsunade in seven days and make her his teacher, especially since his class was the worst of this year.

After all, students who are held back have no human rights!

Especially someone like him who had been held back for three whole years; if not for his father's fearsome reputation, he would have been expelled from the school long ago.

Therefore, he could only use some extreme methods at this stage. He just hoped he wouldn't be hammered to death by Tsunade!

At the same time, Tsunade, who had been listening until she was drowsy, was also jolted awake, and a sense of dread crept into her gaze as she looked at the teacher before her.

This old guy can really ramble on; he truly lives up to being the strongest Hokage in history!

If it weren't for her little brother Nawaki graduating this year, she would never have come to listen to this old man's brain-numbing magic sound.

For the sake of her foolish Little Brother, she endured it!

"Uncle Hokage, I want to report someone!"

As the applause died down and Sarutobi Hiruzen was preparing to say something more, a loud shout suddenly came from below.

"Oh, it's little Kentei! Who do you want to report?"

Locking his gaze on the boy who stood a head taller than the other graduates around him, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a kind smile.

He was naturally no stranger to the only son of his old friend, and besides, the lad was his niece's husband!

"I wish to report the Ninja Academy principal for being muddled and incompetent, idle and useless, favoring the mediocre over the talented, a mere sack of wine and rice..."

Down below, Shimura Kentei spoke like a machine gun, firing off denials against a Ninja Academy principal he didn't even know.

Given his current situation, there was no way to graduate through normal channels; if he wanted to graduate, he had to break the current rules of the Ninja Academy, and firing shots at that unknown principal was the right move.

Only by forcing Sarutobi Hiruzen to take things seriously could the existing rules be broken.

However, these words left everyone around him dumbfounded, and the kind, elderly face of Sarutobi Hiruzen on the main stage gradually turned dark, until he spoke gloomily after Shimura Kentei finished his rant.

"Little Kentei, is this old man's performance as Ninja Academy principal really that bad?"

His aged eyes stared fixedly at the heroic youth, the veins on Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands, hidden beneath his sleeves, bulging.

If it weren't for the fact that the brat was the only son of an old friend and his own niece's husband, he would have definitely strung him up and beaten him!

Down below, Shimura Kentei's body stiffened, and he turned his head rigidly toward Shimura Genma beside him, speaking in an equally gloomy tone.

"Why didn't you tell me that old geezer was the Ninja Academy principal?"

He felt like this little brother of his was setting him up!