Sought-After

The ceremony continued.

Yuhi Shinku stepped aside, and the Third Hokage stood up from his chair.

He walked up to the three children, followed by a bespectacled Ninja carrying a tray with three Forehead Protector neatly arranged on it.

The Third Hokage walked up to Shin-chan.

Shin-chan stood there, unusually still without fidgeting.

"Shin Nohara," the Third Hokage said, looking at him, "From today onwards, you are Genin of Konoha."

Shin-chan looked at the Forehead Protector: "Grandpa Hokage, can I buy Chocolate Stick with this?"

"No." The Third Hokage laughed and handed over the Forehead Protector.

"Can I exchange it for money?"

"No, that won't work either."

"What's the use of that?"

"This means you are Konoha Ninja."

Shin-chan took the Forehead Protector, examined it from all angles, and then put it on his head. It was crooked, the Forehead Protector slanting to the side of his eyebrows.

He pressed it, and it tilted again.

"It's so hard to wear."

The Third Hokage reached out to help him tie the Forehead Protector, then stepped back and looked at him.

"Alright."

Shin-chan touched his forehead Forehead Protector: "It's so cold."

You'll get used to it.

The Third Hokage turned around to face the entire audience.

"From this day forward, Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Toru, and Shin Nohara officially become Genin of Konoha. May Konoha forever illuminate your path."

Applause erupted from the audience.

Miya's eyes were red.

Kai's applause was the loudest. "This is youth!"

"Could you please keep your voice down?" Obito somewhat annoyed.

"Cannot!"

After the ceremony, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The Third Hokage, with a pipe dangling from his lips, slowly walked back to his Hokage Office.

I hadn't even warmed my seat when the doorbell rang.

"Come in."

The Mitokado Homura.

Hiruzen.

"Yan, sit down."

Mitokado Homura didn't sit down; instead, he stood in front of the desk and got straight to the point. "I'd like to recommend a teacher for those three children."

The third generation raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

--

"Ichiro Kimura, Jonin, is highly experienced and has coached four Genin, with consistently high teaching results."

T

The third generation took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "Kimura is indeed a good choice, but..."

"But what?"

"But I just remembered, Kimura has a long-term mission next month, so he probably won't have time."

Mitokado Homura frowned. "Then I'll choose another one."

"No rush, no rush," the third generation waved his hand with a smile, "This matter can be discussed at length."

Mitokado Homura looked at him for two seconds, then turned and left.

The door had just closed when it opened again.

Utatane Koharu, walked in, her steps even faster than Mitokado Homura's.

"Hiruzen, about those three children..."

"Koharu, sit down."

Utatane Koharu.

"I have a perfect candidate here, Harunobu Yamanaka from the Yamanaka Clan. He was an examiner during the Chunin Ninja Exams and has a very good grasp of children's psychology."

"Harunobu Yamanaka," the Third Generation nodded. "I remember him. He's quite good, but isn't he currently recovering in the hospital?"

"Recovering from injuries? What kind of injuries did he sustain?"

"I twisted my back and need to stay in bed for two months."

Utatane Koharu, stared at the third generation for quite a while.

The third generation smoked with a smile.

"I understand." Utatane Koharu and left, her wooden clogs clicking on the floor.

The door closed.

The third generation breathed a sigh of relief, put his pipe on the table, and rubbed his temples.

Before I could even rub it twice, the door opened again.

This time, they didn't even knock.

The Third Hokage's voice was calm. "Danzo."

Danzo didn't exchange pleasantries.

"Hiruzen, those three children, I want to take them as my disciples."

"Taking on apprentices? You?"

"A five-year-old Genin is a rare find in Konoha's history. Such a promising talent shouldn't be wasted Jonin an ordinary jonin."

The third generation looked at him without saying a word.

"You should be familiar with my resume," Danzo, his voice neither loud nor soft. "In terms of leadership experience, combat skills, and Ninjutsu reserves, there are few in the entire Konoha stronger than me. If they follow me, within three years, I will make them true powerhouses."

The third generation remained silent for a moment.

"Danzo, you are the leader of Root, you take on disciples, and those affairs of Root..."

"The Root and my taking on disciples don't conflict," Danzo interrupted him. "When I, Danzo disciples, I personally teach them; I don't just throw them to the Root as expendable resources."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming slightly more subdued.

"Hiruzen, do you think I'm going to turn them into tools?"

The third generation did not respond.

"You underestimate me," Danzo said. "I admit that Root needs manpower, but these three children are too talented. Using them as tools would be a waste of their abilities. What I need are people who will inherit my mantle."

The third generation narrowed his eyes slightly.

Danzo's expression remained unchanged. "In my entire life, I have never taken on a formal disciple. It's not that I have no one to take on, but that there is no one worthy of my taking on."

The third generation put the pipe back in his mouth, took a puff, and slowly exhaled.

Smoke drifted between the two men.

"No."

Danzo's brow twitched slightly. "A reason."

"You are the Hokage's assistant and the leader of Root. Your taking on a disciple will cause too much of a stir."

That's just an excuse.

"Perhaps." The third generation's smile held little warmth. "But I've already made arrangements for taking on disciples; you don't need to worry about it."

Danzo stared at him for several seconds, then turned and walked to the door.

"I don't want them to be tools."

The door closed.

The Third Generation suddenly chuckled and muttered to himself, "If you really didn't mean it that way, you wouldn't have bothered to explain that line."

Then he sighed, put his pipe back in his mouth, and called over an Anbu: "Go Jiraiya."

The Anbu accepted the order and departed.

Soon, the Anbu returned, carrying a letter.

"Lord Jiraiya said he's on a research trip and won't be back for the time being."

The Third Hokage opened the letter, which read, "Old man, I've been busy collecting writing material lately, and I already have Minato as my student, which is enough to keep me occupied. You can find someone else for those three brats."

The Third Hokage folded the letter and set it aside expressionlessly.

Go find Tsunade.

The Anbu went again.

This time they'll be back even faster.

However, when they returned, the Anbu had a hint of embarrassment on their faces.

Lady Tsunade said----

"Say what?"

"She said it was too much trouble, she didn't want to take care of the child, and besides, she'd been having bad luck with her lottery tickets lately and wasn't in the mood."

The Third Hokage paused for a moment.

"She's at the casino?"

The Anbu didn't dare to answer.

The Third Hokage sighed, "Never mind."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Go find Orochimaru."

The Anbu set off for the third time.

It took them quite a while to get back this time.

"Lord Orochimaru said that his recent research has reached a critical moment and he can't get away, but he said—" The Anbu paused for a moment.

"Say what?"

He said that if the Hokage-sama really couldn't find anyone, he could take one in first and bring them over later when the research was finished.

The Third Hokage remained silent for a long time.

"Okay, you can go now."

The Anbu disappeared.

The Third Hokage was the only one left in the office.