Third Hokage and a Group Meal

The graduating students gradually dispersed, and Higashino Makoto and the others were getting ready to go out for a meal.

Just then, a short, middle-aged man walked out of the General Classroom, followed by several Ninja Academy teachers. Teacher Inoue was among them.

The middle-aged man was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Third was only around fifty-five years old at the time, not yet the aged figure Higashino Makoto remembered. His face was kind, but he still had the imposing presence of the Shinobi Hero he had once been.

This was the first time Higashino Makoto had met the highest authority in Konoha at close range. He had been farther away during the opening ceremony.

There was no way they could simply turn and leave after seeing the Hokage. That would have been far too rude.

"Hokage-sama!" They all bowed respectfully.

"Good, good. Hehehe." The Third nodded cheerfully, gazing fondly at each of them. His eyes lingered especially on Higashino Makoto and Uchiha Shisui.

He knew Shisui, after all. He was a descendant of his old friend, Kagami Uchiha, and had long been on the Third's list of people to keep an eye on.

As for Higashino Makoto...

"You're Higashino Makoto, right? I remember you're the child of Jiro and Hui. You're a good kid, too."

"Huh? Hokage-sama knows me? You even know who my parents are. That's amazing!"

"Haha, of course I know you. I even know your grandfather and your uncle. They were both Konoha's heroes. Your mother in particular was highly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu."

"Thank you for your praise, Hokage-sama. They're all role models I strive to live up to."

"By the way, Makoto, why didn't you graduate early like Shisui? I remember you came first in the entrance exam, and Teacher Inoue recommended you to me as well."

"Hokage-sama, I feel that my skills are still lacking. My father also told me that only by becoming stronger can I better protect my comrades and do my part to defend Konoha.

"So I'd like to train for one more year. Sharpening your axe won't delay you from gathering firewood."

"'Sharpening your axe won't delay you from gathering firewood.' That's a simple yet wise saying." The Third Hokage let the subject drop, then asked, "Where are you all headed?"

"I'm planning to treat Hayate and Shisui to a meal to celebrate their graduation. Hokage-sama, why don't you join us?"

"Oh, a group meal. That's a good idea, but this old man won't join you. You wouldn't be able to relax with me there. Go on without me."

"All right. Goodbye, Hokage-sama."

They bowed respectfully and left together.

"Kuroiwa, what do you think of your student?"

Inoue Kuroiwa lowered his head and replied respectfully, "He's mature, strong, and has a very solid grasp of all the theoretical aspects of being a Ninja. He likes to follow his own plans.

"Also, I noticed something interesting over the past six months. Even when Makoto fights Shisui, he remains as steady as ever. It's as though, in his eyes, even someone as strong as Shisui is no different from any of his other classmates.

"Sometimes, I even feel that if I faced him, I might not be a match for him at all."

The Hokage was a little surprised. "Oh? You think that highly of him? You even feel you can't match him. A promising talent like him is a rare find. Perhaps he's a genius like Kakashi or Minato."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I failed to persuade him to apply for early graduation. It was my fault."

"Not at all! What fault? Your teaching has been excellent. It makes no difference whether he graduates a year earlier or later. Let him spend more time at school building bonds with his classmates. That's a good thing!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was, in a word, top-notch when it came to being approachable. If you ignored all the conspiracy theories, he was actually a pretty good Hokage.

As for Shimura Danzo, he wouldn't dare recruit children at the school. The Ninja Academy was the Hokage's territory. The children there received the purest education in the Will of Fire, making them the Hokage's natural base of support. There was no way he'd allow anyone else to meddle with them.

Besides, Higashino Makoto came from a thoroughly respectable civilian family. His parents were alive, he had a circle of friends, and there wasn't much darkness in his heart. He wasn't Danzo's type, so the "you regret your Hokage" routine wouldn't happen to him.

It really was a bit of a shame. If you'd never been snatched up by Danzo, you could hardly call yourself a genius.

Yakiniku Q was bustling with customers.

There usually weren't this many people eating here at lunchtime. To be honest, it was an expensive place.

But it was both entrance and graduation day, and a lot of people had chosen to come here. Some were celebrating their children starting school, while others were celebrating graduation with friends.

As they ate, Higashino Makoto asked, "Hayate, Shisui, now that you've graduated, what are you planning to do? Will you be joining a team with the new graduates as usual?"

Gekko Hayate answered directly, "I'll probably join a regular team. I don't think my father has made any special arrangements for me."

His father was named Gekko Yugao. He was a few years older than Higashino Makoto's parents and had once been a Special Jonin. But now, apparently, he had become a full-fledged Jonin.

The war had cost the village dearly, and many Jonin had been killed or wounded. Naturally, others would fill the vacant positions.

The higher-ups and the major clans didn't care much about Chunin or Genin, but registered Jonin were a point of contention between them.

Registered Jonin automatically came under the Jonin Council's command, and the council wielded tremendous authority. The number of positions each side held directly affected the policies that were enacted and how they were carried out.

There were plenty of Ninja in the village with Jonin-level strength, but the number of those with the Jonin title who were officially registered in the village had always remained constant.

Naruto Uzumaki's Ninja registration number was 012607, and he graduated at the age of twelve. Did that mean Konoha had trained only a little over twelve thousand Ninja in the sixty-three years since the village was founded?

Clearly not. The major and mid-sized clans—especially the Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Ino-Shika-Cho—had plenty of Ninja whom they trained themselves and never registered with the village.

After Hayate finished speaking, they all looked at Shisui.

Shisui looked unhappy. "As for me, I'll probably train with some of the clan's senior members for a while, then maybe join the Police Force."

He actually wanted to join a regular team like everyone else, follow a Squad Leader Teacher, and get to know some new friends.

But that clearly wasn't very likely.

Since he often spent time with Higashino Makoto and the others, learning, competing, and improving together, he was stronger than his original version. The Uchiha Clan wouldn't be willing to let outsiders train a talent like him.

As for Uchiha Obito, he was already a Dreamer. Did he really expect the arrogant members of the Uchiha Clan to take an interest in him? They might as well let him out to build bonds with the villagers. At least that would make use of a good-for-nothing.

Higashino Makoto thought for a moment. "That makes sense. It's the War Period, and all the countries are sending out spies in droves. Keeping the village safe is important, too. That falls within your clan's duties."

"But I want to go to the battlefield. Our comrades in the village are risking their lives to protect Konoha, while most of our clan can only stay in the village. I don't think that's right."

It wasn't just "not right." Shisui was putting it gently, given his kind nature. At his age, he could tell something was wrong, but couldn't figure out exactly what.

When he walked through the village, the villagers—especially those whose relatives or friends had died—looked at him with open hostility when they saw the clan crest on the back of his clothes.

Uchiha Shisui wasn't a thickheaded fool like Obito. On the contrary, he was precocious and sensitive. How could he not notice?

It was just that some things weren't for someone his age to know.

Uzuki Yugao and the others didn't know what to say. Higashino Makoto understood, but he wasn't going to blurt anything out.

In his previous life, saying the wrong thing could get you beaten up. In the Shinobi World, saying the wrong thing could get you killed.