Passionate Ruohuo!

Teacher Oki felt that his career really was coming to an end.

One of his students had done something incredibly serious.

Skipping school? Getting into fights? Not doing homework?

Heh...

That little rascal had bombed the Hokage Office Building!

That was where Lord Hokage worked!

As soon as he got the message, Teacher Oki hurried to the Hokage Office Building.

Looking at the soot-blackened walls, Teacher Oki was sweating buckets...

It was Fire Style, no doubt about it.

He arrived at the Hokage's office. Before he even went in, he heard a familiar voice.

"That jutsu was taught to me by the clan leader yesterday. I only just learned it..."

That was Ruohuo's voice, all right.

So this hadn't been a prank...

The meteor in Teacher Oki's heart finally came crashing down.

Perfect.

Twelve years of teaching, and it was all coming to an end today...

"Oh? And when you shouted 'Will of Fire' before using the ninjutsu, did Clan Leader Fugaku teach you that too?"

"Not exactly. Teacher Oki taught me that."

"??" A question mark flashed through Oki's mind. Had he taught him that?

"Teacher Oki said the Will of Fire was the source of strength passed down through generations of Konoha Ninja."

"As long as the Will of Fire burns in our hearts, Konoha will be invincible!"

Well, he might actually have said that.

No, he definitely had. It was the very first lesson in History of Konoha, a required class at the Ninja Academy.

"Teacher Oki was right," the Third said, sounding pleased.

Teacher Oki suddenly felt that perhaps his teaching career could still be salvaged.

"Actually, at first, I thought Teacher Oki was lying."

Oki's eye twitched.

"It wasn't until I used Fire Style on those two spies today that I truly felt the power of the Will of Fire."

"That jutsu was really hard. I only managed to learn it after awakening my Sharingan. Before that, I could barely use it."

"When I faced the enemy, I realized that I seemed to have more chakra, and I could form Hand Seals faster. Then I..."

Spies? Enemies?

Teacher Oki was baffled. Hadn't Ruohuo bombed the Hokage Office Building?

How had this turned into facing enemies...

The Third voiced Oki's confusion too.

"But, little Ruohuo, why did you think those two ninja were... spies?"

The Third sounded just as puzzled.

Why was this child so fixated on the word "spies"?

What had happened, exactly?

"Because they were really hostile toward the Uchiha!"

Ruohuo's voice grew louder.

"The Konoha Military Police Force is an important institution for maintaining peace in Konoha. It's the Uchiha's duty to protect Konoha!"

"Those two thought they'd hidden it well, but when I showed them the application form, they still let the cat out of the bag."

"Normally, when people see the clan leader's signature, they'd report it to Grandpa Hokage, right?"

"Mm..." The Third replied thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Teacher Oki agreed silently.

"But they didn't!" Ruohuo said excitedly. "They told me to hurry up and leave. They wouldn't let me in no matter what!"

"That's definitely a sign they're guilty. They must be doing something shady and are afraid I'll find out!"

"We Uchiha hate evil. When something like this happens, of course we have to charge forward like Fire Style fueled by the Will of Fire!"

"Even though Grandpa Hokage wasn't kidnapped, those two are definitely bad guys!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa Hokage. I'll go back and report to the clan leader, then have them taken to the Konoha Military Police Force. We'll definitely be able to get information out of them!"

"..." The Third fell silent.

The little guy's logic... was flawless, and yet something about it felt off.

No... aside from his logic, just about everything else seemed off.

Take the idea that the Hokage had been kidnapped in the Hokage Office Building...

You'd need a pretty vivid imagination to reach that conclusion.

Besides, the Third had reason to suspect that this child had a rather unusual understanding of the Will of Fire.

Well, he was still just a child...

He was getting old. He could barely keep up with the way the boy thought.

Knock, knock, knock—

Teacher Oki finally knocked on the office door.

"Come in," the Third replied.

Teacher Oki walked in and saw that, besides Ruohuo and Lord Hokage, Lord Orochimaru was there too.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Orochimaru." Oki bowed.

"Hello, Teacher Oki," Ruohuo greeted him obediently.

"Oki, I asked you here because I'd like to understand this child's situation."

The Third got straight to the point, his tone warm. "This child wants to apply for early graduation. What do you think?"

Oki froze. So Lord Hokage wasn't going to hold him responsible for neglecting his duty?

"Ruohuo's grades are excellent across the board."

Oki carefully gathered his thoughts before reporting, "In yesterday's assessment, Ruohuo ranked first in the class."

"He also ranks near the top in regular practical tests, and his basic ninja skills are solid."

"Ruohuo is the class monitor for the first-year class, and his classmates all trust him. But as for early graduation..."

Teacher Oki paused. "I think we should still ask Ruohuo's parents for their opinion."

Oki's answer was very by-the-book. Ruohuo thought he should have said a bit more about his "popularity in class." Wasn't that another point in his favor?

"I see..." The Third glanced at the application, which bore Fugaku's signature, personal seal, and official stamp.

It seemed this parent was very eager for Ruohuo to graduate.

"Fine. Then let's arrange an early graduation assessment for little Ruohuo," the Third said.

"Yes, sir!" Teacher Oki replied.

"Come this way, Chunin Oki."

Orochimaru gestured for him to follow and led Oki out of the Hokage's office.

The Third turned to Ruohuo.

The little guy still wore a solemn expression. For a moment, the Third thought he saw an old friend as a child.

They're both so serious about everything...

The Third instinctively wanted to take a puff from his pipe.

But, considering there was a child in the office, he pursed his lips and decided to hold back.

"Little Ruohuo..."

The Third put down his pipe. "Can you tell Grandpa whether applying for early graduation was the clan leader's idea or your own..."

"It was my own decision, Grandpa Hokage," Ruohuo answered immediately.

"I've already taught myself everything in the Ninja Academy textbooks. Teacher Oki doesn't have much left to teach me."

"I went to Clan Leader Fugaku for help. After he taught me all the Fire Release Ninjutsu, he couldn't guide me much further either."

"I'm simply too talented, Grandpa Hokage."

Ruohuo looked perfectly serious. "So I think it's time for me to become a ninja and put my talents to work for the village!"

"Konoha needs me!"

Oki: I've heard that before.

"Ho."

At that moment, the Third was genuinely taken aback by Ruohuo's "passion" and "faith."

Though he was already old, who hadn't chased the sun or run beneath the setting sky?

"Little Ruohuo..."

"You've got Grandpa feeling pretty fired up!"