Had Known All Along

"We understand, Third Hokage. From now on, we'll follow the village's orders."

After the youngsters left, laughter filled the room, and the Third Hokage's expression relaxed at once.

"These boys really haven't let me down."

"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Third Hokage. It seems you'd planned all along to assign Hatake Sakumo to the Ninja Academy."

The Third Hokage nodded without denying it, then turned his gaze to Killer Bee, his eyes full of contempt.

At that moment, Shen Ye still didn't know that many people had been watching their mission from the very beginning.

If anything had gone wrong while he was fighting Killer Bee, Konoha's ninja would have appeared immediately to save him.

At the street corner, the four of them parted ways, each heading off in a different direction.

When Shen Ye got home, Tsunade had already prepared a table full of delicious food for him.

"You're back, Shen Ye. Did you get anything out of today?"

Shen Ye suddenly slapped his forehead. He'd put all the scrolls the Third Hokage had given him in his pocket and forgotten to hand them out before they parted.

But they'd all gone home by now, so he'd have to give the scrolls to them the next time they met.

"I got something, but I'm not sure what kind of jutsu the Third Hokage gave us."

"Don't worry. He must have chosen jutsu specifically for each of you, suited to your individual training."

Shen Ye nodded. After a busy day, he was starving, and he quickly dug into the food.

Watching Shen Ye wolf down his meal, Tsunade found herself lost in thought. Her younger brother came to mind without warning.

As she dwelled on it, tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Even Tsunade hadn't realized her emotions were getting the better of her.

Shen Ye slowly looked up and noticed something was wrong. He hurried over and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Did something bad come to mind, Tsunade? I'm here, so don't be sad."

"No, it's just that seeing you like this makes me happy."

Time flew by. The sky outside gradually darkened, and Shen Ye pushed open the door, flopped onto his bed, and closed his eyes.

Before long, soft snores sounded through the room.

Early the next morning, Hatake Sakumo crouched outside Shen Ye's window and tapped lightly on it.

"Shen Ye, it's time to go to school."

With bleary eyes, Shen Ye spotted the figure outside his window and perked up. When he realized it was Hatake Sakumo, he shook his head helplessly.

He'd never seen anyone wake someone up in such a strange way before. Hatake Sakumo might be the only one who'd choose to do it like this.

Thinking about Hatake Sakumo's nimble movements, Shen Ye suddenly had an idea—one that fit perfectly with the original story.

Hatake Sakumo was a talented ninja from the village. He'd become a jonin at a very young age and joined the Anbu as a squad leader, carrying out countless missions.

But now, the Third Hokage had assigned him to the Ninja Academy, limiting his growth and keeping him from putting his abilities to use.

As they walked toward the Ninja Academy, Shen Ye decided to sound out Hatake Sakumo. If Sakumo was determined to stay with them until they graduated, there was nothing Shen Ye could do about it.

"What are your plans for the future? Are you going to become Hokage one step at a time?"

"Becoming Hokage is my dream, but I know it won't be me in the end. Minato is much better suited for the position."

Shen Ye nodded. It seemed Hatake Sakumo knew perfectly well that he wasn't cut out for the role, and had no intention of competing with Minato for the Hokage position.

"With your abilities, you could do much better outside the Ninja Academy. Aren't you curious about the village's secret organization?"

"Oh, you mean the Anbu?"

Shen Ye nodded. In truth, he had his own reasons for bringing it up. If Hatake Sakumo joined the Anbu, it might limit Danzo's ability to make a move against him, though Shen Ye wasn't afraid of Danzo.

Hatake Sakumo suddenly stopped and looked toward the Hokage Office. The Hokage wasn't the only thing there; the Anbu's headquarters was there too.

"My future isn't up to me to decide. Even my assignment to the Ninja Academy was the Third Hokage's decision."

"The Third Hokage?"

Shen Ye furrowed his brow. This was the first time he'd heard Hatake Sakumo mention it.

"That's right. Everyone already knew about Killer Bee, so I was sent to the Ninja Academy to join you on the mission."

Shen Ye was even more confused. The old Third Hokage had clearly said that the mission was beyond his capabilities and required more experienced ninja.

Yet he'd been pulling these little strings behind the scenes. But on closer inspection, the ones who ultimately benefited were all of them.

Shen Ye couldn't make sense of the Third Hokage.

"So everyone already knew. That means you did too."

Hatake Sakumo nodded, making no attempt to hide it. At first, he'd thought it was just another mission assigned to him by the Third Hokage.

But after spending time with them, Hatake Sakumo had come to regard the others as his closest friends.

He'd shown up outside Shen Ye's window first thing in the morning because he wanted to walk to the Ninja Academy alone with him.

Even if Shen Ye hadn't asked about his plans for the future, Hatake Sakumo would still have told him everything. He didn't want to hide anything from Shen Ye.

"I've really enjoyed working with you all during this time. This might be our last mission together."

Shen Ye couldn't help rolling his eyes. He'd come to think of Hatake Sakumo as a friend too. Otherwise, he never would have gone on a mission with him.

"What are you talking about? If we're friends, don't say such depressing things. You should tell Minato and Shikaku about this yourself, too."

Shen Ye slung an arm around Hatake Sakumo's shoulders and lightly punched him a few times.

Hatake Sakumo felt warmth in his heart. At last, he felt valued.

As soon as they entered the academy gates, they spotted Minato and Shikaku waving to them from a distance.

They exchanged a glance, then quickened their pace toward them.

Once they'd gathered, Shen Ye took out the scrolls the Third Hokage had given them and spread them out on the ground.

"I haven't looked through these scrolls yet. Pick the jutsu you think suits you and take it home. You can choose first."

"Then I won't hold back."

Minato leafed through them and picked one, slipping it into his ninja pouch. Shikaku and Hatake Sakumo likewise chose the jutsu scrolls they thought suited them and put them away.