How Could I Have Not Thought of That?

"Teacher, teacher, I heard you went to the promotion exam today. How did it go? How did it go?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

"Why ask? With our teacher taking the exam, of course he passed."

"..."

When Kyoichi returned home, he saw several children waiting at the door.

Obito was right at the front.

That boy was straightforward and always charged ahead the fastest. He also ended up taking the blame most often, but he definitely wasn't the one who had stirred everyone up.

Kyoichi's gaze swept over them before finally settling on the girl standing at the back.

Kurenai Yuhi!

Her father had been the proctor for the first and second rounds.

"Kurenai, you were the one who told them, weren't you?"

"Teacher, I just... accidentally let it slip."

Kurenai Yuhi gripped the hem of her sleeve.

Accidentally?

Who would believe that?

Still, it was only the children's way of showing their feelings.

Kyoichi smiled and didn't take it to heart. He opened the door and said, "Come in."

Quite a few children had come.

Obito, Shisui, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and even Might Guy, who had already graduated and was now hanging out with them again. It looked like he had probably just run into them by chance.

However.

There was one person whose appearance might not have been a coincidence.

Kyoichi glanced at a certain spot above and behind them and said, "Won't the person on the roof come down and sit for a while?"

"Who?"

Obito curiously looked up.

As a result.

He saw a silver-haired boy wearing a mask.

Huh?

"Kakashi! Hmph, sneaking around like that. You must be really upset that Teacher was promoted to Jonin, right?"

Obito mocked him.

Kakashi was speechless.

Upset?

There was no need for that.

His tolerance hadn't sunk that low.

With Kanda Kyoichi's strength, becoming a Jonin was only natural. If he had failed the promotion, Kakashi would have found that strange instead.

He was merely curious.

Just how strong had Kanda Kyoichi become?

He was also pondering the things Kanda Kyoichi had said earlier.

"Congratulations."

Kakashi forced out the words.

Then he left.

"Tch, what's with him?"

Obito curled his lip.

He knew Kakashi, and the two of them were extremely incompatible. If they met without arguing a couple of times, Obito felt uncomfortable all over.

"All right. Kakashi became a Chunin at six, and all of you are graduating this year. Work harder and get promoted as soon as possible—that's the proper path."

Kyoichi waved his hand, stopping the pointless verbal battle.

After all, Kakashi had already left. There was no point in Obito badmouthing him behind his back; Kakashi wouldn't even bother responding.

Everyone nodded after hearing that.

It was true.

Kakashi had graduated at five and been promoted at six. The entire village had been shocked at the time, and they simply couldn't compare.

They were better off thinking about themselves.

However.

The next moment, they all looked at Shisui in shock.

"Shisui, you're graduating too? Could it be..."

Asuma was astonished.

Shisui was a genius of the Uchiha Clan and had always been famous. When their classes had been mixed together, Shisui had outperformed even many of the older students in numerous subjects.

Everyone knew that.

But he was only five.

If he graduated this year, wouldn't he tie Kakashi's record?

Could it be...

The Uchiha had forced Shisui to graduate for the sake of their reputation?

Asuma was a thoughtful boy, and he quickly came up with this possibility.

"Mm."

Shisui nodded lightly.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. After thinking for a while, Kurenai Yuhi asked again, "Then are you going to join the Guard Unit, or form a team with everyone?"

Normally, students were assigned to teams to carry out missions after graduating.

But the major clans were different.

Take the Hyuga Clan, for example. Their children generally didn't attend school. Only those who had been abandoned by the clan would come to school to study.

The Uchiha were similar, but also different.

They still attended the Ninja Academy, but most joined their own Guard Unit after graduating. Very few formed teams with outsiders to carry out missions.

Kyoichi also looked toward him.

He knew what Shisui was thinking, but he genuinely had no idea whether Fugaku Uchiha would agree.

"I hope I can become your student, Teacher. I don't know whether the village will agree."

Shisui scratched his head as he spoke.

Everyone was briefly stunned. Then they remembered that Kyoichi had already become a Jonin.

The village really might agree.

"You applied to the Clan Head before the teacher had even taken the exam?"

Good grief!

Obito came to his senses and understood what Shisui had done.

He had applied in advance.

By now, Shisui's letter of intent might already be sitting on the Third Hokage's desk.

Amazing!

Damn it.

Why hadn't he thought of that?

The others had the same thought.

"Teacher, I want to..."

"Jonin are all very capable. You can learn a great deal from any of them, so there's no need to worry too much."

Kyoichi comforted them.

Other than Rin, they were all children of clans. What did they have to fear?

Especially Asuma.

He was the Third Hokage's son. Was he really worried that he couldn't find a good Jonin?

However.

In the original story, Asuma's teacher had seemingly never been mentioned. Moreover, Asuma had been promoted to Chunin rather slowly. Perhaps the teacher he found after graduation really had been rather ordinary.

Asuma's eyes shifted. He bowed and said, "Teacher, I just thought of something urgent. I'll come visit you next time."

"Go ahead."

Everyone could guess a few of the reasons for Asuma's departure.

He was obviously trying to secure a teacher's spot.

The remaining few were lying if they said they weren't tempted. But first, they had no connections, and second...

Kyoichi only had one spot left under him.

Who would snatch it first?

That would be too undignified.

They might as well leave it to fate.

With that thought, everyone actually relaxed.

After being promoted to Jonin, Kyoichi's temporary appointment as a teacher would come to an end.

No one would leave a Jonin to waste away at the Ninja Academy.

Besides.

The Ninja Academy had now been reorganized by grade, and the teachers had all returned. There was no need for a Jonin like him to teach there, so he basically wouldn't have any classes afterward.

Of course.

Even if he did teach, he basically couldn't reap much benefit.

The students at the academy had already learned everything they were supposed to.

For those who hadn't learned it, teaching them a few more lessons would only yield a little proficiency. It was better to spend more effort on Might Duy and his son, Shisui, and Asuma.

There was a huge amount of potential to reap from the four of them.

Especially Asuma. He would at least become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and an elite Jonin in the future. If Kyoichi squeezed him a little, there would definitely be plenty of benefits.

"Teacher, can we still come to you with questions in the future?"

Rin looked a little sad.

She felt as though she were still studying, yet in the blink of an eye, she was about to be assigned to a team.

"Of course. You can come to me with any questions."

Hokage Building.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the Jonin credentials to the four of them, he returned to his office and continued working. Before long, however, an Anbu shinobi handed him a letter.

"What is this?"

"It was sent by the Uchiha Clan."

Fugaku Uchiha?

The Third Hokage frowned slightly. He took the letter from the Anbu shinobi and opened it, reading it carefully.

A short while later.

His brow relaxed slightly. He set down the paper, his thoughts in turmoil.

Shisui wanted to become Kanda Kyoichi's student...

It wasn't impossible.

Kanda Kyoichi was, after all, a descendant of the Senju. With Tsunade as the link between them, he could definitely bind that child to the Hokage's faction, so there was no need to worry too much.

If Shisui became Kyoichi's student, perhaps he could later be drawn into his own faction, allowing him to undermine the Uchiha from within.

If so...

There might still be another possibility for the Uchiha.

Konoha's attitude toward the Uchiha had been conflicted ever since the Second Hokage.

However.

Tobirama Senju had at least possessed a complete plan for dividing them. By the time of the Third Hokage, he wanted to do the same but lacked the ability, unable to find a breakthrough point. He could only continue suppressing them.

Shisui. Obito.

An opportunity had arrived!

With that thought, he no longer hesitated. He immediately picked up his pen and signed, approving Fugaku's request.

However.

The next moment, someone knocked on the door.

The Third Hokage sensed the identity of the person outside. His brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

Asuma?

That boy had been rebellious since childhood. What did he want this time?

Thinking of Asuma gave him a headache.

Still, he couldn't refuse to see him.

"Come in."

"Father."

After entering, Asuma unusually used the form of address he used at home. His expression was awkward and hesitant. After a moment, he asked, "Can I join Teacher Kyoichi's team?"

"Hm?"

The Third Hokage looked up at him.

Kanda Kyoichi again.

Shisui wanted to join his team, and even his own son had come asking to join him. How long had this kid even been teaching?!

Less than a month, all told.

He was already this popular?

"Why do you want to join his team?"

"Because Teacher is a good person, very strong, and has his own ideas. I think I can learn a lot by following him."

Asuma said this and bowed deeply.

From childhood until now, he had hardly ever asked the Third Hokage for anything.

The Third Hokage witnessed this scene and remained silent for a long while. Then he nodded and said, "Kyoichi is suited to leading Shisui, but he may not be suited to leading you. However, if this is your own choice, I respect your decision."

"Thank you, Father!"