The Will of Fire's Vanguard

His ambition was not only to become the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, but to stand at the very pinnacle of this world!

After he left the forest, the Jonin in charge of the assessment was already waiting there.

When he saw Arashi come out, a faint, almost imperceptible surprise flashed through his eyes. Clearly, he had already learned what had just happened from the Anbu members.

"Uchiha Arashi, congratulations. You have passed the graduation assessment." The Jonin's tone was a little gentler than before. "Your strength truly lives up to the title of 'genius.'"

Arashi merely nodded faintly and said nothing.

"This is your forehead protector."

"We will handle your graduation procedures as soon as possible. From today onward, you are an official ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village." The Jonin continued, "Next, you will be assigned to a corresponding Genin team and wait for your team leader."

"A Genin team?" Arashi's brow lifted slightly.

He had no interest in that. Carrying out those boring D-rank missions with a bunch of "low-class warriors"? It would be a complete waste of time.

"I refuse," Arashi said directly.

The Jonin froze. "What did you say?"

"I said, I refuse to join a Genin team," Arashi repeated, his tone firm. "I want to become a Special Jonin directly."

The Jonin's expression instantly turned ugly. "Uchiha Arashi! Don't push your luck! You were able to graduate early only because Lord Hokage showed mercy, and now you want to reach the heavens in a single step and become a Special Jonin? That is absolutely impossible!"

Special Jonin were all ninja with outstanding abilities in a certain field.

A newly graduated Genin actually wanted to skip Chunin and become a Special Jonin directly? This was simply a fantasy!

But Arashi did not care about his attitude at all and said coldly, "Impossible? That is only because your horizons are narrow. The assessment just now has already proven that my strength surpassed Chunin long ago. Making me be a Genin is nothing short of an insult."

His words were filled with Vegeta-like arrogance and confidence.

The Jonin was so angry that his face turned livid. "You... you're completely unreasonable! This isn't something I can decide. Go tell Lord Hokage yourself!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and left, clearly unwilling to waste any more words on this arrogant brat.

Arashi watched his departing back, that aloof sneer still hanging at the corner of his mouth.

Go see Lord Hokage?

Fine.

He just so happened to want to have a good "talk" with that Third Hokage about the arrangements for his future.

After leaving the forest, Arashi headed straight for the Hokage Building.

Soon, the Hokage Building appeared before his eyes.

Unlike last time, when he had been stopped outside by the gate guards, this time, the two of them took the initiative to step aside the moment he reached the entrance.

Clearly, the Third Hokage had long since known of his arrival.

Arashi did not waste words either and walked straight in.

The path was unobstructed all the way until he arrived in front of the door to the Third Hokage's office.

"Knock, knock, knock."

He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The Third Hokage's aged yet vigorous voice came from inside.

Arashi pushed the door open and walked in.

In the office, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was still seated behind the broad desk, holding a pipe in his hand as he puffed out clouds of smoke.

Unlike before, there was a glass ball placed on the desk.

Arashi recognized at a glance that this was the medium the Third Hokage used to perform the Crystal Ball Technique. This technique was often used by the Third Hokage to observe any corner of the village.

Clearly, everything that had happened during his assessment had already fallen completely under his eyes.

Seeing Arashi enter, those wise eyes of his narrowed slightly as he sized him up from head to toe.

"Uchiha Arashi, congratulations on passing the graduation assessment."

"Lord Hokage."

Arashi gave a slight nod, counting it as a greeting.

He showed not the slightest stage fright. Looking straight at the Third Hokage, he got right to the point. "I came this time to apply to not join a Genin team and instead carry out high-difficulty missions directly."

The Third Hokage did not seem surprised that he would say this. He put down his pipe and lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers.

"Oh? Tell me your reason."

"The reason is simple."

Arashi's voice was calm, yet carried confidence that allowed no doubt.

"My strength has already far surpassed ordinary Genin, and even most Chunin."

"Having me carry out Genin missions like exterminating mountain bandits and escorting merchant caravans would be a waste of the Hidden Leaf Village's resources and an insult to my abilities."

"An insult?" The Third Hokage raised his brows, a faint, intrigued smile appearing on his face. "You have only just graduated from the Ninja Academy and have no actual mission experience at all. In the world of ninja, combat strength alone is not enough. Teamwork, mission planning, adapting to sudden changes... all of these need to be accumulated through mission after mission."

"Those things aren't important to me."

Arashi cut him off directly.

"What I need is battle. Battle that can make me stronger!"

"I want to go to the most dangerous places in the Hidden Leaf Village and carry out the most difficult missions!"

"I want to become the vanguard of the 'Will of Fire,' always charging at the very front line of cutting down the enemy!"

"The Will of Fire's vanguard?" The Third Hokage was stunned for a moment, as if he had not expected this child, who was only five years old, to say such a thing.

He looked at Arashi's eyes, filled with fighting spirit and ambition, and could not help sighing inwardly.

This child truly was a born warrior.

He was different from his parents, and also different from Uchiha Fugaku when he was young.

That aloofness and sharpness in him were more like that Uchiha taboo.

"I can understand how you feel."

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then said slowly,

"But the Hidden Leaf Village has its rules."

"All ninja must start as Genin. Only through the adjustment of a Genin team and the training of basic missions can they gradually accept higher-level missions."

"This is to protect you, and also to ensure the smooth completion of missions."

"Protect?" Arashi gave a scoff. "I don't need protection. Those low-level missions have no training value for me at all. They will only waste my time."

"Uchiha Arashi!"

The Third Hokage's tone became stern. "Don't be too conceited! The path of a ninja can only be walked steadily one step at a time. Countless geniuses fell precisely because they were too eager for quick success!"

"I'm different from those so-called geniuses. I have absolute confidence."

Arashi met the Third Hokage's gaze without backing down.

"Lord Hokage, you should have seen my assessment just now through the Crystal Ball Technique, shouldn't you?"

"Those three Chunin couldn't last more than a few minutes under my hands."

"With strength like that, is it still not enough to prove that I am qualified to carry out higher-level missions?"

The Third Hokage fell silent.

He had indeed seen it.

Arashi's performance during the assessment could be called stunning.

Whether it was speed, strength, battle intelligence, or his use of the Sharingan, he far surpassed his peers, and was even better than many experienced Chunin.

Especially that final method of breaking free from the trap. That kind of pure eruption of power simply did not seem like something a five-year-old child could possess.

"Your strength is indeed very great."

The Third Hokage finally admitted this point. "However, that does not mean you can skip the Genin stage. Teamwork is an indispensable lesson for a ninja."

"Teamwork? With a bunch of 'low-class warriors' who will only drag me down?"

Arashi's tone was full of disdain. "I don't need teammates. I can complete missions alone."

"You child..."

The Third Hokage rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache.

This brat's personality really was awful.

"How about this?"

After thinking it over, the Third Hokage said, "The rules cannot be broken. You must first become a Genin. However, I can give you a special arrangement."