Hiruzen Sarutobi deftly opened the bag containing the sealed exam papers.
Starting with the first paper, he read through them while smoking, carefully grading the students' work with a red pen in hand.
This exam had been meticulously prepared by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Though it was somewhat difficult, the more challenging questions better revealed both the test-taker's ability and their true thoughts through their answers.
As Konoha's Third Hokage and the honorary principal of the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen Sarutobi rarely involved himself in academy affairs aside from specifically giving speeches at the beginning and end of each term.
Thus, this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not merely testing Seisui. He also wanted to assess the Will of Fire among the Ninja Academy students as a whole.
"Rin Nohara."
This was the first paper Hiruzen Sarutobi examined. The graceful handwriting alone had already earned this Hokage's favor.
"Not bad... Though her thinking is still somewhat immature, the core remains firmly tied to the Will of Fire. She is a child from a civilian family; possessing such insight is already quite commendable."
"Oh, there is even something about Seisui Uchiha. Heh..."
In the final essay question, which asked for her understanding of the Will of Fire, Rin Nohara used Seisui's willingness to selflessly share the Mystical Palm Technique with her as an example, believing it was a real manifestation of the Will of Fire.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Rin Nohara was not wrong. Was willingly sharing ninjutsu with a civilian ninja not the Will of Fire?
More interestingly, Hiruzen Sarutobi keenly caught a trace of emotion within Rin Nohara's words...
"Young people... This is where bonds begin. Very good, very good..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction and gave Rin Nohara's paper a high score of eighty-seven.
This promising start put the Third Hokage in a very good mood, making him look forward even more to the other students' performances.
"Might Guy."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at this exam paper with a chuckle, but his expression gradually changed, and he sighed helplessly.
The entire paper was packed full of youth, youth, youth!
Discipline was youth, the Will of Fire was youth, and both ninja clans and civilian ninjas were youth!!
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had been thoroughly cited by Might Guy through all kinds of examples to prove that he was a Hokage full of youth.
After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still laughed. "Youth? What an interesting little fellow. I truly am not old yet..."
"Though this child's theoretical knowledge is somewhat lacking, I can see through this paper the positivity in his heart and his love for Konoha."
"Good child, keep it up."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Might Guy eighty-three points and even specially wrote him a comment: "I look forward to the day your youth blooms."
Might Guy's paper mentioned how Seisui had treated his injuries.
He believed Seisui was a model of youth combined with the Will of Fire, someone he wanted to learn from and pursue.
So far, both papers that had greatly satisfied Hiruzen Sarutobi contained Seisui's name.
This made him look forward to Seisui's answers even more.
"Obito Uchiha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned solemn. The Anbu had once specifically reported to him about this Uchiha prodigy who had awakened the Double Tomoe at the age of seven.
Later, the Anbu had also provided intelligence that Obito Uchiha was suspected of having contacted Setsuna Uchiha, an elder of the Uchiha Clan's Hawk Faction who had once attempted to launch an armed rebellion.
"A genius of the Uchiha Clan, the Hawk Faction..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his cigarette. Those two terms combined would cause trouble even for Konoha's Hokage. This was one of Konoha's thorniest current problems.
Yet after seeing Obito Uchiha's answers, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed. By the end, they were practically knotted together.
Throughout Obito Uchiha's answers, discussions of the Uchiha Clan occupied the main body.
Taking strength as his central argument, he expounded upon the superiority of the Uchiha Clan's leading position in Konoha after the Senju Clan's dissolution, laying out everything Setsuna Uchiha had recently instilled in him...
At the end, he barely managed to connect the Will of Fire with the Uchiha Clan and rambled on for a while, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had already lost the patience to continue reading.
"Shin'nosuke, keep a close eye on this Obito Uchiha. Have the Anbu shift the focus of their surveillance on the Uchiha Clan, as appropriate, toward him and Setsuna Uchiha."
Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, who was sitting across from him and working alongside him, nodded. "Understood, Father."
As the Third Hokage's eldest son, he currently served as the commander of the Anbu, overseeing all Anbu affairs.
Watching his father's expression shift from amiable to utterly unpleasant, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi curiously took Obito Uchiha's exam paper. A moment later, his eyes narrowed as well.
"This kid has a serious problem... According to my intelligence, the Uchiha Hawk Faction has been in contact with him. It seems they have influenced him deeply. Do we need to take further action, Father?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand. "One can see the heart through writing. Just increase the surveillance."
After steadying his emotions, the Third Hokage silently searched for Seisui's exam paper.
He had originally intended to review every student's paper from the examination hall one by one.
That would have counted as fairness on his part as Hokage, but Obito Uchiha's paper had given him a small dose of Obito shock, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi unwilling to wait any longer.
What if Seisui was similar to Obito Uchiha as well...
"Impossible. Seisui would not be like that. He is Kagami's descendant, and he is so kind..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself, swiftly found Seisui's paper, and began reading it with utmost seriousness.
Shin'nosuke Sarutobi's ears twitched.
Not only his Hokage father, but even his younger brother Asuma Sarutobi, had casually mentioned this name recently.
A little brat from the Uchiha Clan had actually gained such influence within the Sarutobi household...
And seeing the changes in his father's expression, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi felt genuinely curious.
The stern expression Hiruzen Sarutobi had worn while reviewing Obito Uchiha's paper had completely vanished. A heartfelt smile hung on his face as he seemed to start reading Seisui's answers from the beginning again.
"...Where Konoha's leaves dance, the fire burns on without end... and new leaves will grow..."
"Fallen blossoms are not heartless; turned to spring soil, they nourish flowers all the more..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi softly repeated those two lines, light shining in his eyes as he gently tapped the desk.
They spoke straight to his heart.
Especially the first line. Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to see a tragic, stirring scene before his eyes: a Hokage willing to sacrifice himself to protect the village's promising next generation.
"Sensei, I miss you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the framed portrait of Tobirama Senju in the distance and said quietly, "Please rest assured. For the village, I too will not hesitate to sacrifice myself..."
Once again, he recalled the scene of Tobirama Senju staying behind to cover the retreat of the six of them. It was a regret he could never forget for the rest of his life.
Rant: How exactly did Tobirama Senju die while covering their retreat...
My take is that Tobirama Senju did not know the Flying Thunder God back then...
Before you continue