The Speech

Qile's eyes widened as he stared in astonishment at Hashirama Senju, who was standing onstage and speaking with such eloquence and enthusiasm. He couldn't believe that Hashirama had actually come to give a speech at the Ninja Academy.

Shouldn't he be in the Hokage's office right now...

No! He should be throwing money around at the casino!!!

Hashirama's mere arrival wouldn't have been enough to shock Qile so much. The key was that Hashirama, usually so carefree and boisterous, was unexpectedly eloquent. It was completely beyond Qile's imagination.

Qile was bored out of his mind. He helplessly clutched his head, slowly turned, and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was standing beside him.

In stark contrast to Qile, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed completely absorbed in Hashirama's wonderful speech, listening with rapt attention and obvious enjoyment.

Qile could even clearly see the blazing light about to burst from the depths of Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, as if a raging fire were burning inside him.

"Didn't you just tell me with complete confidence that the Hokage wouldn't come? Then who's the person up there holding forth?" Qile leaned closer to Sarutobi Hiruzen and whispered.

At his words, a trace of barely perceptible embarrassment flickered across Sarutobi Hiruzen's face. But he reacted quickly, masking it almost instantly and continuing to listen to the Hokage's speech as if he were completely enthralled.

However, no matter how quickly he acted, he still couldn't escape Qile's keen gaze, which had been fixed on him the whole time!

"So that's how it is! You weren't paying attention to the Hokage's speech at all! And here I thought you were genuinely interested in what he was saying. Hmph..." Qile clenched his teeth and forced out the words.

When it became clear that Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't going to answer, the bored Qile could only shake his head helplessly. He suppressed his frustration and continued listening as Hashirama rambled on with his long, tedious speech.

"Now, we adults will do everything in our power to protect you, so that you can grow up safe and sound!" Hashirama declared solemnly.

"You must understand: you are the future hope of Konoha. Only if you continue to grow stronger can Konoha prosper. So please, give it your all and keep striving forward." As he spoke, Hashirama even stood up from his stool, showing just how excited he was.

At this point, Qile couldn't help muttering under his breath, "Isn't this basically the Will of Fire, before it's been distilled into a proper motto? As the saying goes, 'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on.' The burning flame will keep lighting up the whole village, and it will also help new leaves sprout and grow strong... Sigh..."

Qile was silently regretting that he hadn't passed the line on to Hashirama earlier, leaving him to stand here and listen to this tedious speech.

But just as the words left his mouth, the four people standing closest to him turned to stare at him almost simultaneously, as if they'd planned it in advance.

Their gazes pierced him like arrows. They were clearly startled by what he'd said.

Then a voice, cold yet urgent, rang out: "What did you just say?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three turned sharply toward the newcomer.

As soon as they recognized him, respectful expressions appeared on their faces. They quickly lowered their heads and greeted him in unison. "L-Lord Tobirama!"

Qile noticed the newcomer too. When he saw that familiar, cold face, he couldn't help groaning inwardly. He'd gone and said too much again!

Though he felt a little uneasy, he still forced himself to greet him. "Huh? It's you, White-Hair... I mean, Lord Tobirama! It's been a while. How have you been?"

Faced with Qile's awkward greeting, Tobirama merely furrowed his brow slightly and said nothing. His icy eyes fixed on Qile as he ordered expressionlessly, "Repeat what you just said."

Qile froze, then stammered, "...It's been a while. How have you been..."

"Not that!" Tobirama cut him off impatiently.

"Th-the previous line?" Qile scratched his head helplessly. It seemed there was no way to avoid this.

After a long pause, he cautiously asked, "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on? Was that it?"

At those words, Tobirama fell silent for a moment. At length, he let out a soft sigh, his expression turning extraordinarily complex.

Finally, Tobirama slowly shifted his gaze from Qile to the F4 beside him. In a tone that brooked no argument, he said, "Once things here are taken care of, the four of you are to go straight to Kage Rock and meet me. I have something important to tell you!"

After speaking, he gave Qile one last, deep look, then turned and headed toward the stage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three had still wanted to ask Qile about what he'd said. But Tobirama's interruption left the young F4 huddling together, excited and nervous as they chattered among themselves.

"Big brother! It's almost time!" Tobirama reached out with his right hand and gently nudged Hashirama, then straightened his expression and spoke in a serious tone.

Hashirama was still going on and on from the stage. Hearing Tobirama's reminder, he paused slightly. "Oh, Tobirama! You've already finished all that paperwork? But don't rush me! I only have a little left. I'll be done in a moment—just wait a bit longer!"

But when Hashirama turned back to continue, his heart suddenly tightened for no apparent reason, and he swallowed instinctively.

"Students! That's the end of my speech for today. Next comes the next important event—the entrance exam! Now, let's welcome the judge for this exam, Senju Tobirama, to say a few words!" As he spoke, Hashirama quickly and decisively handed Tobirama the microphone, as if he were afraid that even a second's delay might earn him a scolding.

Tobirama took the microphone and raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping slowly over the lively, expectant children seated below.

To everyone's surprise, Tobirama, who was known for his coldness, spoke in an unusually gentle tone. "Students, please follow your teachers' instructions and proceed in an orderly manner to the training ground."

As soon as Tobirama finished speaking, the children seated below began whispering to the classmates beside them.

Qile's eyes lit up at once. The ninja battles he'd been looking forward to were finally about to begin!

Even if the battles were between children who had only just begun learning ninjutsu, that was more than enough for Qile! He wasn't competing himself, after all. He was only here to watch the excitement, so he couldn't ask for too much!