Enough, I'm the Hokage

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Rogge used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself, reverting his appearance to that of a seven-year-old child.

No one but himself could imagine just how terrifying a power was hidden within his small body!

At the behest of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the cat-faced ninja who had been watching over and protecting him delivered a forehead protector representing a Konoha genin and told him, "Put it on. Lord Hokage specially approved this, allowing you to become a Konoha genin ahead of schedule. But don't celebrate too soon. If you fail to place in the top three of the ranking tournament, the forehead protector will be taken back, and you'll have to return to the Ninja Academy for another year of study."

"Mm, I understand." Rogge nodded lightly and put the Leaf Village ninja forehead protector on his head.

"Come with me. I'll take you to the arena."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The cat-faced ninja deliberately used the Body Flicker Technique to move at high speed, intending to see whether Rogge could keep up.

Rogge laughed inwardly and used the Body Flicker Technique as well, following closely behind like a shadow.

Seeing that he could not shake Rogge off, the cat-faced ninja was secretly astonished. He slowed down and stopped teasing Rogge.

What Rogge never expected was that the legendary "arena" was actually beneath Leaf Village!

The arena was a competition venue generously provided by Root, led by Hokage advisor Danzo Shimura.

Inside a massive underground cavern, representatives from the upper ranks of Leaf Village's ten great families, along with the participating genin, had all arrived.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage advisor Danzo Shimura, the current Uchiha Clan head Uchiha Zhenghong, the current Hyuga Clan head Sōju Hyuga, and many others were present.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped onto the arena's elevated platform, preparing to personally preside over this family ranking tournament.

The moment the participating ninjas saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, they erupted into cheers.

"Lord Hokage!"

"I became a ninja so that one day, I could become Hokage!"

"Lord Hokage is the strongest ninja in Leaf Village!"

Though they were all fighting on behalf of their respective families, there was no denying that they deeply respected the Third Hokage.

For instance, the twelve-year-old Fugaku Uchiha idolized Hiruzen Sarutobi's father, Sarutobi Sasuke!

That was why, in the original manga, after Fugaku Uchiha married and had children, he named his second son Sasuke Uchiha, hoping his son would become an outstanding hero ninja like Sarutobi Sasuke.

Wearing the ceremonial robe that symbolized the Hokage's status, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down and announced loudly, "Everyone! Wherever leaves dance, fire endures. The firelight shall forever illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout!

"Today, at this solemn moment, the family ranking tournament shall officially begin!

"The Will of Fire is the foundation of Konoha's inheritance. It is unity, protection, and sacrifice!

"Each great family must uphold the Will of Fire and display its splendor through strength and wisdom.

"Konoha's glory and future rest upon your struggle and perseverance."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brief speech brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Among the crowd, nearly all the students, including Fugaku Uchiha, were stirred by his words.

They let out fervent cheers one after another!

Hokage! Will of Fire! Heroes! Glory!

In Leaf Village, young ninjas such as Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha dreamed of becoming "Hokage" and strove toward that goal for their entire lives!

If Rogge had not been a transmigrator, he probably would have been "brainwashed" as well. He might easily have been fired up by Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, taken the position of Konoha's Hokage as his goal, and devoted his entire life to protecting Leaf Village.

Heh heh.

In Rogge's heart, his enemies were the God of Shinobi—Hashirama Senju; Madara Uchiha, who was always ready to dance; the progenitor of chakra—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki; and the Ōtsutsuki Clan living on distant planets.

Rogge's journey had always been toward the stars and the sea!

If possible, he even wanted to travel back to Earth from his previous life!

That was the "goal" Rogge had hidden in the deepest part of his heart.

Of course, that was still far too distant.

Rogge secretly gritted his teeth, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes.

No matter how difficult it was, he would not give up!

Every dream had to be realized step by step.

For now, he first needed to claim first place in this family ranking tournament and become an official ninja!

Every plan had to be carried out one step at a time. There was no need to rush.

Danzo Shimura pointed at Rogge and questioned, "Hiruzen, this brat is from another village, isn't he?"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone's attention turned toward Rogge.

"I know him. His name is Rogge. I heard he awakened the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai some time ago and defeated the Uchiha Clan genius, Uchiha Iwa."

"That's not right! Isn't he a Ninja Academy student? He isn't even a genin, so how can he participate in the family ranking tournament?"

"Wait, he's an outsider! He's a child taken in by our Leaf Village. He has no right to compete at all!"

"Lord Hokage, Rogge isn't even a child of one of our ten great families. Why is he here?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, each person looking at Rogge strangely.

Leaf Village's higher-ups and the heads of the major families also began questioning the Third Hokage.

Ignoring all objections, Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward to explain, "Everyone! Rogge has already been adopted by me as my godson. From this day forth, he is the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he will be representing the Sarutobi Clan in this tournament!"

The expressions of the various clan heads varied greatly at those words.

Danzo Shimura's face darkened.

The young ninjas watching from the sidelines began murmuring as well.

"What? This guy was actually adopted by Lord Hokage? He's ridiculously lucky!"

"I want to be Lord Hokage's son too..." Before one young ninja could finish speaking, his old father beside him punched him fiercely. "You unfilial brat! Your father isn't dead yet!"

Rogge had not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to take him as an adopted son, leaving him unsure whether to laugh or cry.

In order to win over Rogge, who possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, had been rather shameless.

Though he was only a son in name, suddenly having a "father" over his head for no reason made Rogge somewhat unhappy.

Then, after everyone had digested the news, Hiruzen Sarutobi added, "Furthermore, Rogge submitted an application for early graduation. After the assessment, his results proved to be outstanding. I have approved his early graduation, so Rogge is currently also a genin of Leaf Village."

Danzo Shimura frowned. "Hiruzen, you're exploiting a loophole. What do Konoha's rules and regulations mean to you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted, "Danzo, how many times have I told you? Address me by my title when we're working!"

Danzo Shimura's expression darkened further. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Enough. I'm the Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, using his authority as Hokage to silence Danzo Shimura.

Hearing those words, Danzo's face twisted slightly as intense unwillingness rose in his heart.

Some time ago, Danzo Shimura had proposed handing Rogge over to Root for training.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi had refused... He had actually refused! Damn it... Danzo Shimura was furious, yet helpless.

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly held power as Hokage now. The time was not yet ripe, so Danzo Shimura could only turn all his resentment and anger into a cold snort and temporarily put the matter aside.

Danzo Shimura stared at the Hokage's ceremonial robe worn by Hiruzen Sarutobi and swore that one day, he would wear that robe and become Leaf Village's next Hokage!

Other than Danzo, no one raised any further objections.

Soon, four elite jonin joined forces to cast the Four Violet Flames Formation, creating a pale violet barrier within the spacious underground cavern.

Inside the barrier, the air was thin, and anyone who touched it would instantly burst into flames.

All thirty young participating ninjas were trapped within the Four Violet Flames Formation.

"The battle royale begins!" After Hiruzen Sarutobi made the announcement, the young ninjas within the formation quickly formed groups of three.

There were ten groups in total, representing Leaf Village's ten great families. They spread out across every corner of the formation, watching one another warily.

Chōichirō Sarutobi, Kakuhei Sarutobi, and Rogge Sarutobi stood back-to-back, vigilantly eyeing the enemies around them.

Chōichirō Sarutobi was the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Kakuhei Sarutobi was Hiruzen Sarutobi's nephew. Both were second-generation officials of Leaf Village.

The two brothers were only twelve years old and were elite genin. They were also the Sarutobi Clan's most outstanding young geniuses.

Chōichirō Sarutobi smiled. "Rogge, it's our first time meeting. Please take care of me."

Kakuhei Sarutobi said, "When the melee starts, just hide behind me. I'll protect you."

"No need," Rogge said.

With that, Rogge left the three-man group on his own.

Magma surged from his entire body. He raised a massive Magma Fist and charged straight at the Uchiha Clan's group of three!

"Fire Release—Great Fireball Jutsu!" Fugaku Uchiha rapidly formed hand seals and spat out a ball of blazing flames, trying to stop Rogge.