Rejecting the Village's Arrangement, the Third Hokage Had a Headache

Whenever Kushina thought about it, she grew irritated.

As a result, Minato, who had been deliberately or inadvertently approaching her lately, suffered quite a bit too.

With graduation drawing near, even students who usually liked skipping class and sleeping started working hard.

They were afraid of failing the assessment, getting cut, and being sent back for retraining.

Especially those students who had already been sent back to repeat a grade.

If they still failed the assessment, they might lose their qualifications to become shinobi altogether.

The village did not have time to wait for them to keep repeating grades and retaking classes endlessly.

Amid the tense atmosphere, the graduation assessment arrived as scheduled.

Chiyue was the same as ever. Every day, he had a Shadow Clone attend school for him while he slipped off to train by the river or slept in at home.

"Everyone knows what day it is today.

Don't be nervous. Whoever I call, come up for your assessment."

The graduation assessment for regular students was not difficult. Comparatively speaking, the hard part was the assessment for those applying to graduate early.

They needed actual combat experience, and only by passing the combat test could they graduate successfully.

"I wonder who I'll be assigned to."

"I want to be with Lord Chiyue."

"Give it up. Uchiha Mikoto hasn't even said anything yet. Do you think you have a chance?"

"..."

"What?"

Listening to her classmates gossip, Mikoto was both anxious and annoyed. She shoved Chiyue with her hand.

Chiyue could not help laughing helplessly.

Ever since word of their application for the assessment had spread through the academy, everyone had treated them as a couple.

Putting everything else aside, Chiyue truly admired the children of the Naruto world.

Especially when it came to romance—they could understand what it meant to like someone from the age of four or five.

Back in his previous life, four- or five-year-old kids were still peeing themselves and playing in the mud.

After the assessment ended, the fifth-year students began their break.

Next, they only had to wait for the village to assign them to squads, receive their forehead protectors, and obtain their shinobi identification.

Then they would officially become newly minted shinobi.

All the other students had left.

This should have been a day worth celebrating, yet their teacher could not feel happy at all.

Because his students had brought him trouble again.

"Uchiha Mikoto, Yagami Chiyue, are you sure you want to form your own squad instead of letting the village arrange one for you?"

If Chiyue had pulled something like this, he would not have been too surprised. After all, Yagami Chiyue had never been one to follow the rules.

But Mikoto had done the same, leaving his head buzzing for a long while before he could recover.

What exactly were you two after?

Without a teacher to guide you, did you know what kind of dangers you would face?

"I understand what you're thinking. I'll report this matter truthfully to the Hokage.

But I hope the two of you will think it over carefully instead of making a wrong decision because of some puppy love."

Other people formed their own squads only because they had no other choice. Chiyue and Mikoto, on the other hand, had requested it themselves.

The teacher was thoroughly shocked.

Without bothering about anything else, he sent Chiyue and Mikoto away first, then hurried toward the Hokage's Office Building.

"Will the Hokage agree?"

After leaving the Shinobi Academy, Mikoto kept worrying about that question.

She did not want this matter to spread everywhere.

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't."

"But he'll definitely be shocked."

Thinking of the Third Hokage being startled, Chiyue could not help laughing.

"Sensei, leave this sort of thing to Orochimaru and Tsunade. I'm used to being lazy, and besides, I still need to gather material. I don't have time to teach disciples."

The regular students had graduated.

Jiraiya came to the Hokage's Office to complain. He did not want to become a Jonin Instructor, since that would seriously affect the time he had for gathering material and writing books.

Jiraiya also felt that he was not cut out to be a teacher.

"I already have arrangements for Tsunade. Take a look at these children's files first. If there are no problems..."

The Third Hokage handed the documents to Jiraiya. He had no intention of giving Jiraiya a chance to refuse.

Knock, knock, knock!!

Urgent knocking interrupted the Third Hokage.

Jiraiya sighed helplessly and could only take the documents.

Only then did the Third Hokage smile in satisfaction and call out, "Come in."

"Hokage-sama, I have an important matter to report."

"Teacher Odawara, did the students' graduation assessment not go smoothly?"

As both the Hokage and the principal of the Shinobi Academy, the Third Hokage paid close attention to the academy's teachers.

When those teachers had important matters to report, they did not need to announce themselves. They could knock directly and come to him.

That alone showed how much the Third Hokage valued the Shinobi Academy.

Teacher Odawara wore a miserable expression.

Jiraiya looked at him curiously and thought, Did this guy get bullied by his students?

"Hokage-sama, among this year's graduates, Yagami Chiyue, who ranked first in the assessment, and Uchiha Mikoto, who ranked second, applied to me to form their own squad. Neither of them is willing to be separated from the other."

"Pfft—"

Cough, cough!!

The Third Hokage choked on his smoke, while Jiraiya stared in disbelief.

Those two students had some nerve!

This was something neither he, Tsunade, nor Orochimaru had dared to do.

Wait, Yagami Chiyue... That name sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before?

Cough, cough, cough!!

As if a mouthful of pickled cabbage had gotten stuck in his throat, the Third Hokage coughed until his wrinkled old face turned red. He slammed the table and roared, "Nonsense!"

The students who had ranked first and second in the graduation assessment did not want to accept the village's arrangements and wanted to form their own squad.

If that news got out, countless people would laugh themselves to death.

It was practically slapping Hiruzen Sarutobi in the face.

"You may return first. I'll make arrangements to handle this matter."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

With the Third Hokage's assurance, Teacher Odawara sighed in relief and smiled as though a heavy burden had been lifted. After bowing respectfully, he withdrew from the Hokage's Office.

That was great. He had successfully tossed away the hot potato. He no longer needed to worry about it.

"Jiraiya, how do you think I should arrange things for these two children?"

"Don't ask me."

Jiraiya shook his head like a rattle. He feared this kind of trouble most of all, so it was best not to come looking for him when something happened.

"I'll take Minato. That kid is pretty good. As for anyone connected to the Uchiha Clan, Old Man, you should arrange them yourself."

"Oh, right. The name Yagami Chiyue sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere."

"Tsunade thinks highly of that child, but he has Uchiha blood."

Kagami Uchiha's death had severed the bridge of communication between the village and the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade thought highly of Chiyue, and the Third Hokage felt that with some cultivation, this child might become a second Kagami Uchiha.

Coupled with the talent Chiyue had displayed, he was worth the village's focused training.

Otherwise, the Third Hokage would not have considered handing Chiyue over to Tsunade.