Want to Eat the Food Kakashi Makes

A few days later, early in the morning, all the children in the grade were gathered on the playground.

At the front of the playground stood a simple platform. Several teachers were gathered beside it, looking much more serious than usual.

Shin stood in line, rising onto his tiptoes to peer ahead. "Xiao Che, what's the occasion today?"

"Teacher Ibuki told us before. The Third Hokage is coming," Uchiha Toru reminded him.

"The Hokage-sama..." Shin muttered quietly. "I wonder if he can do something about the green peppers."

People nearby began whispering, too.

"Is the Third Hokage really coming?"

"I heard there are rewards for the top three. The Hokage-sama will present them."

"The top three? Kakashi's definitely one of them."

"Uchiha Toru, too."

"Who's the other one again?"

"I think it's that kid in red from Class A."

Shin's ears perked up.

A reward?

Would getting rid of the green peppers count as one?

The line at the front suddenly fell silent.

Shin looked up and saw someone in a White Hokage Robe and a Red Hat step onto the platform.

He wasn't tall—rather short, actually—and some of his beard had turned white.

He looked easygoing.

But not a single person below dared to make a sound.

The Third Hokage stood in the middle of the platform, surveyed the children below, and smiled.

"Everyone, sit down."

The children rustled as they sat on the ground.

The Third Hokage cleared his throat and began to speak.

He talked about the Will of Fire.

He talked about how, wherever leaves danced, fire would burn.

He talked about how the shadow of fire would shine over the village, and then new leaves would sprout.

As Shin listened, his eyelids began to droop.

He sneaked a glance at Uchiha Toru beside him.

Uchiha Toru sat up straight, eyes fixed on the platform, looking utterly serious.

Shin sneaked another glance at Might Guy on his other side.

Guy's eyes were red, his lips trembling as though he was about to shout about youth at any moment.

Shin: "..."

Was this really necessary?

Shin yawned and kept listening.

It wasn't as if he understood any of it.

The Third Hokage spoke for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

A round of applause rose from below.

Shin clapped along. He hadn't understood much, but everyone else was clapping, so he did, too.

When the applause died down, the Third Hokage smiled again.

"All right. Now, will the top three from this exam please come up?"

The line stirred.

"Kakashi Hatake."

Kakashi stood and walked forward.

"Uchiha Toru."

Uchiha Toru stood and followed him.

"Shin Nohara."

Shin froze for a moment, then Might Guy gave him a shove from beside him.

"Shin, he's calling you!"

Only then did Shin react. He hurried to his feet and ran a few steps to catch up with Kakashi and Uchiha Toru.

The three children stood in front of the platform, facing the Third Hokage.

Countless eyes fell on them from below.

Some were envious, some resentful, some curious, some admiring—there was a bit of everything.

Obito squatted in the crowd, staring fixedly at Kakashi.

Rin sat beside him, watching the platform, and murmured, "Kakashi and the others are amazing."

Obito pressed his lips together and said nothing, but he didn't look away.

The Third Hokage looked at the three children before him and smiled.

He turned to Kakashi first.

"Kakashi Hatake, Sakumo's son."

Kakashi nodded.

The Third Hokage smiled. "Your father was an excellent Ninja, and you're very impressive, too."

Then he looked at Uchiha Toru.

"An Uchiha Clan Child who can use Fire Style at this age. Very impressive."

Uchiha Toru lowered his head slightly. "Thank you, Third Hokage."

Finally, he looked at Shin.

Shin tilted his head back and blinked up at him.

The Third Hokage paused.

This child...

He remembered the reports the teachers had submitted earlier.

"Shin Nohara, born to ordinary civilians, with no clan background and no prior training before entering the academy."

"But his talent is astonishing, and he's progressing far faster than others his age."

"In actual combat, his reactions are incredibly quick and his instincts are sharp."

"Moreover, during the match, he took Uchiha Toru's Fire Style head-on to protect his classmates behind him."

The Third Hokage looked at the Red Little Figure before him and smiled.

"Shin Nohara?"

Shin nodded and raised a hand in greeting. "Hello, Grandpa Hokage."

The Third Hokage blinked.

Grandpa?

Asuma, down below, was stunned, too. Had he just gained another generation?

Teacher Ibuki hurriedly cleared his throat, frantically signaling to Shin with his eyes.

But the Third Hokage wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled. "You're a good child who can carry on the Will of Fire."

As he spoke, he took two steps forward and stopped in front of the three children.

"What are your dreams?"

He looked at Kakashi first.

Kakashi was silent for two seconds. "To become an excellent Ninja."

The Third Hokage nodded without comment, then looked at Uchiha Toru.

Uchiha Toru hesitated for a few seconds, remembering what his mother had told him.

"I want everyone to respect my clan's name."

The Third Hokage nodded again.

Finally, he looked at Shin.

Shin tilted his head. His reward should be getting rid of the green peppers. But as for his dream...

The Third Hokage waited.

The people below waited, too.

Shin's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I want to eat food Kakashi makes every day."

The crowd fell silent for a second.

Then someone couldn't help laughing aloud.

The Third Hokage froze, then burst into laughter.

His laughter echoed across the playground, startling several teachers nearby.

"How interesting. Very interesting." The Third Hokage laughed so hard his beard shook. "That's a good dream. A very good one."

Shin blinked, not understanding what was so funny.

"Grandpa Hokage, can my dream come true?"

The Third Hokage shook his head with a smile, then pointed at Kakashi. "You'll have to ask him. Don't ask me."

Shin turned to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't look at him.

But he didn't say no, either.

Once the Third Hokage had laughed enough, he cleared his throat.

"All right. Next, I'll give each of you a little instruction in sparring."

Another stir went through the crowd.

They'd known the Third Hokage would personally train them.

But wasn't this treatment a little too good?

Obito sat in the crowd, his eyes wide.

The Third Hokage was going to train Kakashi?

Rin whispered beside him, "Obito, how long do you think Kakashi can last?"

Obito froze. "Huh?"

"I mean, if he spars with the Third Hokage, how long can Kakashi last?"

Obito opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end he only muttered, "I don't know."

But his eyes never left the platform.

The Third Hokage led the three children to the open space in the middle of the playground.

The other children were told to move to the edge and clear the center.

"One at a time," said the Third Hokage. "Who'll go first?"

Kakashi stepped forward.

The Third Hokage nodded.

"Good."

He took off his Hokage robe, revealing the Ninja uniform underneath, and loosened his wrists.

"Come on. Attack me with all your strength."

Kakashi drew his Wooden Sword and bowed slightly.