I don't have Senior Brother Nawaki's ambition

Orochimaru had already walked over.

Ruohuo didn't rush to check his rewards; he took the forehead protector and tied it around his head.

From today on, he was a glorious Konoha ninja.

"Congratulations, Ruohuo-kun."

Fugaku also approached, his smile appearing cordial. "Since the founding of the Ninja Academy, you might just be the fastest student to ever become a ninja."

"To become a student of Orochimaru-sama... honestly, I'm even a bit envious of you."

"..." Ruohuo sighed, looking less than thrilled.

Fugaku, really...

Even if it's just polite small talk, you don't have to lower your status like that, do you?

Fugaku wasn't much older than Minato.

In terms of age and seniority, Orochimaru could indeed be considered Fugaku's teacher.

But you're the head of a clan; if you don't have any dignity, why even be the clan leader?

Ruohuo wasn't incapable of understanding Fugaku's current attitude, though.

The current Orochimaru enjoyed immense popularity in Konoha.

Before Minato had become the Yellow Flash, the Sannin and Cold Lord Orochimaru was truly the frontrunner for the position of Fourth Hokage.

Fugaku was definitely banking on that connection.

Just think: if Orochimaru became Hokage, with his student acting as a bridge, wouldn't the Uchiha become a clan aligned with the Hokage's faction?

But the Uchiha... since when did they need to become an auxiliary clan to the Hokage?

The position of Hokage is right there; why not find a way to seize it yourself?

Fine.

Given the current situation and overall strength of the Uchiha, Fugaku being a bit slick was understandable.

Still, credit where credit is due.

"Big Brother Fugaku."

Ruohuo said earnestly, "Thank you for the ninjutsu you taught me. Without your guidance, I might not have passed the exam today."

"Thank you."

"...Huh?" Fugaku was a bit dazed. "What did you just... call me?"

"Big Brother Fugaku, of course." Ruohuo shrugged. "Orochimaru-sama is my teacher, and since you are a junior to my teacher, doesn't that make us peers?"

"If you want to become a student of Teacher Orochimaru, you'll have to call me Senior Brother in the future."

"Though, that might not be entirely appropriate..."

Ruohuo looked thoughtful.

Fugaku's face darkened. You know it's not appropriate!

I am your clan leader! When you asked for my autograph yesterday, you called me 'guardian'!

"How about this: we'll each stick to our own logic. I'll call you Big Brother, and you call me Senior Brother."

"In the future, when I'm out on missions, I'll have to trouble Big Brother Fugaku to look after my grandmother and two younger brothers at home..."

"..." Fugaku fell silent.

Why hadn't he noticed before that this brat... could be so infuriating?

Orochimaru stood to the side, smiling without a word.

"You had better just call me Clan Leader, Ruohuo-kun." Fugaku shook his head.

"...That works too." Ruohuo nodded.

In two more years, it would be your turn to call me Clan Leader.

"Alright, Ruohuo-kun. There are still many procedures to go through after passing the exam. Since it's still early, let's get them all done today."

Orochimaru finally spoke up.

"Understood, Teacher." Ruohuo changed his tone quickly.

Fugaku still looked a bit sullen, but he patted Ruohuo on the shoulder and said in the tone of a patriarch, "Learn well under Orochimaru-sama and don't cause any more trouble, you hear?"

"Understood, Big Brother Fugaku."

"...You are to call me Clan Leader!"

"Understood, Clan Leader Big Brother."

"..."

Following Orochimaru, he walked forward.

The Uchiha Clan compound was far from the Hokage Office Building, but the Konoha Military Police Force was not nearly as remote.

Uchiha Ruohuo felt a bit strange.

If there were any remaining procedures for becoming a genin, wasn't it just a matter of picking up his ninja registration card?

Yet, looking at the direction Orochimaru was heading...

Why did it seem like... the cemetery?

It really was.

Arriving at the entrance of the cemetery and looking from afar at the rows of neatly arranged tombstones, Ruohuo suddenly wanted to turn around and run.

I mean, Orochimaru at this stage shouldn't have "awakened" yet, right?

However, Ruohuo suppressed the urge to bolt.

Because he roughly knew what Orochimaru's objective was.

"You mentioned your senior brother just now."

"I think it is necessary to introduce someone to you."

"Follow me, Ruohuo-kun."

Walking left and right, Ruohuo followed Orochimaru until they stopped in an area where the names were all preceded by "Senju."

Just as Ruohuo had expected.

On the tombstone before him was a photo sealed under glass, showing a boy of about ten, smiling brightly and radiantly.

It was Tsunade's younger brother, the second-generation Naruto—Nawaki (Senju).

This person was also Orochimaru's first disciple.

"He is your senior brother, who sacrificed his life during the Second Shinobi World War."

Orochimaru crouched down and used a handkerchief to wipe the dust off Nawaki's photo.

"Say hello to your senior brother, Ruohuo-kun."

"Hello, Senior Brother." Ruohuo bowed formally.

After pondering for a moment, he took a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and placed it in front of the tombstone.

"It's our first meeting and I didn't prepare a gift, but this is the most valuable thing I have on me. Please accept it, Senior Brother."

Orochimaru looked at the kunai before the tombstone and smiled.

"Your senior brother, Nawaki, always had a magnificent dream."

"He wanted to become Hokage, to be someone like the Third who could protect Konoha."

Orochimaru looked at Ruohuo. "Ruohuo-kun, what is your dream?"

Is this supposed to be the self-introduction segment?

Ruohuo pursed his lips, his mind inexplicably recalling the self-introduction segment between Kakashi and Team 7 on the rooftop.

His situation was similar.

Except the location wasn't a rooftop, but a graveyard.

As for teammates... one sacrificed, one pending.

"Becoming Hokage... I don't have the same ambition as my senior brother," Ruohuo replied after some thought.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered.

Dreams and ambitions... although they were the same concept in his eyes, they were quite different to others.

However, considering that everything here might be under the Third's gaze, Orochimaru decided to "correct" his new disciple.

"I only want to become the head of the Uchiha Clan, and concurrently serve as the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, to protect the peace of Konoha."

Ruohuo paused. "But Konoha being stable alone is certainly not enough, otherwise we wouldn't be constantly at war."

"So, I also want to make the Uchiha Clan bigger and stronger, create new glory, step out of Konoha, and bring benefits to the entire shinobi world."

Ruohuo became more enthusiastic as he spoke, giving Orochimaru no chance to interject. "The reason there are so many wars in the shinobi world is that there is no recognized order."

"If there were a set of laws for the shinobi world that everyone followed, those who broke the law would be arrested immediately, and villages that violated them would be burned by the Will of Fire..."

"Then this shinobi world would surely be able to settle down."

Anyway, Orochimaru wasn't exactly a straight-laced person, so what was wrong with speaking his mind?

This was also Ruohuo's third five-year plan—the Shinobi World Police Force Plan.

Becoming Hokage or something was just too boring.

The system of hidden villages shouldn't even exist in the first place.

A bunch of ninjas gathering together all day—what could they do besides fight? Breed like rabbits?

It would be better to establish a set of order for the entire shinobi world to follow together.

Be civilized, be orderly, be fair, be just, and be harmonious.

Of course, the final interpretation rights would belong to Uchiha Ruohuo...