"Hey! You stuck-up Kakashi, you saw me, didn't you? Stop posing over there!"
Just as Seisui spotted Kakashi, Obito Uchiha suddenly jumped up and shouted, drawing everyone's attention as he pointed at him.
"Today, Lord Obito will prove to you that I'm the real genius!"
"Boring..." Kakashi merely glanced at Obito before turning his attention back to the book in his hands.
Seisui watched the scene and nodded slightly.
Just as he had expected, Kakashi truly had little interest in Obito at this point.
Kakashi had entered the academy at five, graduated at six, and become a Chunin. Even if a proud genius was lonely, he would not be won over by a hot-blooded fool in less than a year.
"Only after Hatake Sakumo dies, when this young genius becomes lost, will he actively seek companions in his loneliness..." Seisui seemed to have found the point where this bond had begun.
"Obito, don't bother Kakashi... He seems to be one of our final examiners..." Rin Nohara gently tugged at the ignored and somewhat embarrassed Obito, pulling him aside as she spoke softly.
"Kakashi, my rival destined by fate!" After Obito came Might Guy's dazzling entrance. In an even louder voice and with an even more exaggerated pose, he boldly shouted at Kakashi.
"I'll be applying to graduate this year, Kakashi! Let's settle this in a match!"
Kakashi raised his head again, narrowed his eyes as he examined Might Guy's already well-developed muscles, then gave a slight nod.
"Hey, hey! Kakashi, why are you only nodding at that taijutsu freak? What do you mean by that?!" Obito immediately started shouting again.
Rin Nohara stood behind Obito with a helpless expression and sighed.
For a moment, the scene descended into chaos, with discussion erupting everywhere.
"Hey, that's Kakashi Hatake, right? Why is he here...?"
"No idea, but he's dressed like an examiner. Did he come back to be a teacher?"
"Sigh, as expected of a genius who graduated at six. We're still worrying about the final exams, while he's already an impressive Chunin."
Seeing this, Asuma Sarutobi, standing beside Kurenai Yuhi, first sighed, then commented in a disdainful yet knowing tone.
"Kakashi coming back was definitely arranged by the old man on purpose. He just wants to use Kakashi's current achievements to motivate everyone else. What a boring and obvious trick..."
After saying that, Asuma discreetly glanced at Kurenai Yuhi, hoping to see some reaction from the girl he liked to his sharp observation.
Such mature and perceptive words would surely make Kurenai see him in a new light, right?
That was what Asuma thought as he kept his expression steady and assumed an intentionally profound pose.
But contrary to what he expected, Kurenai Yuhi's eyes lit up as she looked at him in surprise. "So it was Third Hokage's arrangement? As expected of the Hokage, he made the atmosphere so lively in an instant..."
"When Kakashi wasn't around before, everyone always seemed so unmotivated..."
Asuma's expression stiffened. His eyes unconsciously shifted away, and he clicked his tongue in extreme irritation.
Seisui saw all of this and smiled as he spoke to the white-haired Hokage inside him. "So, Tobirama... This is the Ninja Academy you founded. These are all Konoha's future."
"Did you see that? That's the Third Hokage's son. He really is quite the rebellious youth..."
"Don't call me Tobirama, brat. I'm older than even your great-grandfather!" Tobirama Senju rejected Seisui's overly familiar address with great displeasure, but the curious expression on his face was far more honest.
He greedily took in the sight of the Ninja Academy.
As the Second Hokage and the Ninja Academy's first principal, Tobirama Senju held special feelings for Konoha's children.
During Konoha's founding period, the most memorable words had been spoken by Hashirama Senju: "The purpose of building a village is to let our children be born in peace and grow freely until they are old enough to taste fine wine."
As he swept his gaze across the energetic academy students, Tobirama Senju's eyes became gentle yet resolute. It seems Monkey and Danzo have done well...
"The children are generally happy and relaxed. Hearing Monkey's name fills them with genuine respect, and the people are so united. Even with a little monster like Seisui Uchiha appearing, the Uchiha Clan will never be able to take Konoha away!"
"Very good. Very good indeed!"
Seisui smiled as he watched Tobirama Senju's changing expression.
The current Konoha truly was as solid as iron before Hatake Sakumo was driven to his death, Orochimaru had yet to defect from the village, and Madara Uchiha had not yet made his move against Obito.
Yet beneath Konoha's seemingly great strength, its future internal strife was already destined to occur.
Orochimaru had most likely gotten involved with Shimura Danzō, drawing the Third Hokage's attention.
Hatake Sakumo's prestige had already caused substantial damage to the inheritance of the Hokage's master-disciple system, making Konoha's upper ranks wary.
Perhaps Madara Uchiha was also watching the scene closely through White Zetsu at this very moment, having already set his sights on Obito.
The gears of fate had begun turning long ago. The crack that would signal collapse simply had not yet sounded.
"Quiet down, you noisy brats! I hope your performance later will be as eye-catching as your voices!" Iruka Umino, Konoha's veteran Chunin and the person in charge of this final exam, clapped his hands forcefully to signal for the students to shut up.
"I hereby declare that this semester's final exams officially begin now!"
"The first subject will be combat! This time, we'll use a full random-draw system. Starting with the first student selected, matches will be conducted in a tournament format. Anyone who can win three consecutive bouts will receive a perfect score!"
Iruka Umino paused, coughed lightly in a mysterious manner, and said in a deep voice, "Furthermore, students who receive a perfect score may apply on the spot to Chunin Kakashi, the examiner sent by Third Hokage, for a practical graduation assessment."
"If your performance is good enough, Chunin Kakashi will write a recommendation for you. Then you might have a chance to gain Third Hokage's attention!"
The moment Iruka Umino finished speaking,
the entire Ninja Academy became a boiling sea of excitement. The atmosphere was incredibly heated, and many students looked at Kakashi with fighting spirit in their eyes.
That was Third Hokage!
If they gained his attention, wouldn't they have a chance of becoming Hokage in the future?!
Seisui's expression remained unchanged, but the corner of his mouth still twitched uncontrollably.
This felt far too familiar. It was just like a meet-and-greet between a star player and fans, where anyone who performed well could challenge him one-on-one...
It was even upgraded. If you performed well in the challenge, you could go on to try out for the Konoha Team and catch Manager Hiruzen's attention.
"Very well, tell me, are you ready?" Iruka Umino shouted as he pressed both hands onto the drawing box, his gaze slowly sweeping across every academy student present.
"Ready!" Their unified shout echoed across the grounds.
But no one noticed that, at the instant Iruka Umino's gaze briefly met Seisui's,
the Double Tomoe Sharingan behind Seisui's black eyes quietly began to turn...
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