A Very Special Student! [Please Bookmark and Send Flowers]

As his training intensified, it would cause quite a few injuries to his body, and he would need to go to the hospital for treatment. That would cost even more money.

He did not want to attract too much attention, but he also did not want to seem completely ordinary. That was Hiko's original intention.

If he had not wanted to hide it, there would have been no need to apply for early graduation. He could have simply walked around with his Sharingan exposed.

He did not want to stand out too much, yet he did not want to be too ordinary either. It was not easy to strike that balance. Applying for early graduation would definitely draw attention, but it could also bring unexpected benefits.

"Why?!"

The smile on Teacher's face froze. Hiko had changed so much and learned to work hard. As his teacher, he was naturally delighted. But this child had only just started putting in effort and already wanted to take off, applying for early graduation. Like a fledgling trying to fly before its feathers had fully grown, wasn't that courting death?!!!

"Because I have no money. Only after graduating can I take missions and earn money."

"Ah?!"

Teacher was completely dumbfounded. He had never expected a five-year-old Little Brat to use him as a weapon. He immediately became anxious, shaking his head as he firmly refused.

"No!!! I don't agree. You're only five years old. You can't apply for early graduation!!!"

Without a second thought, Teacher rejected him. His stance was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Hiko shrugged and said nothing more. He was indeed somewhat guilty of using Teacher as a weapon, and all he could do was apologize to him in his heart.

Fortunately, it was only a small exploitation. He was not going to frame Teacher or anything. Hiko was not heartless enough to sink to the shameless level of framing a teacher who had treated him well.

As if to show his determination, Teacher stood up and left, giving Hiko no chance to say more. Little did he know, Hiko had no intention of continuing the conversation.

He could not delay any longer. After school, he would immediately go to the Hokage Office Building to see Lord Hokage.

In Teacher's eyes, as long as Hiko worked hard, he would certainly grow up to become an extraordinary ninja.

But applying for early graduation would not benefit Hiko in the slightest. Teacher did not want to see a hardworking child ruined by something like this.

Most frustratingly, as his teacher, he could object but could not stop him. As long as Hiko submitted an application, it had to be sent to the Hokage's Office. Whether it would be approved depended on the Third Hokage.

If the Third Hokage disagreed, the application would naturally be sent back. If he agreed, he only needed to stamp it, and someone would later come to assess him.

"Ah!!!"

Jiraiya's shout drew everyone's attention. Hiko lay on the grass with a blade of grass between his lips, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He had already guessed this outcome. Jiraiya had gone down.

Right now, all he could do was pray that Tsunade cared about Teacher and would go a little easier on him. It was strange—when facing Tsunade, Jiraiya had no desire to resist at all. At this point, he was still a famous dead last, always a little weaker than Tsunade and Orochimaru.

But being a little weaker and having no desire to resist were entirely different matters.

Jiraiya clutched his head and ran everywhere, with Tsunade chasing after him in a furious rage. One chased while the other ran. Perhaps Jiraiya's love for Tsunade had slowly accumulated bit by bit since childhood.

At first, even he had not realized it. By the time he discovered it, everything was already too late.

The falling flower yearned for the flowing water, but the flowing water had no heart for the falling flower. Such things always happened again and again, and few people ultimately became a couple.

But that had been the original story. Now that Hiko had appeared, would everything still unfold like the original?

That did not seem very likely.

"Lord Hokage!!!"

After school, Teacher immediately went to the Hokage Office Building to see the Third Hokage. Teachers at the Ninja Academy all had the right to report directly to the Hokage.

Aside from the Hokage, who served as the principal of the Ninja Academy, no one else was allowed to interfere with the Ninja Academy.

The Ninja Academy was one of the symbols of the Hokage's authority.

No one wanted to touch it. It was also one of the places that could not be touched, or else it would be a provocation against the Hokage.

The Ninja Academy was connected to generations of Konoha's young ninja. If someone interfered with it, could the academy continue providing the village with a large number of fresh forces in the future?

"Mm."

Although the Third Hokage was not yet as old as he would be in the future, a pipe was already constantly clenched between his lips. He had gradually developed the habit of smoking only after becoming the Third Hokage.

He had suddenly become the Third Hokage while also facing a major war. The pressure was imaginable, and the most common ways to relieve stress were smoking or drinking.

The Third Hokage nodded and removed the pipe from his mouth. His entire body was shrouded in bluish smoke as he asked, "What brings you to the Hokage's Office today?"

Teacher half-knelt on the ground and respectfully said, "Lord Hokage, there is a special student in my class. I believe he should be placed under priority observation."

There were not many students in this batch under priority observation: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Of course, such observation was only conducted in secret. It was not immediate action.

Only when graduation came would the benefits of secret observation become apparent.