I, Too, Had Cheats

Obito's stride was a little arrogant today.

He walked with his feet turned out, his nose in the air, flashing his forehead protector at everyone he passed, smug as could be.

So what? A ninja had to walk with a ninja's confidence, with a ninja's flair.

Otherwise, how would he be any different from those trash who were nearly in the second half of their first year and still hadn't graduated?

"Eh? That guy looks so stupid. Why does he seem a lot like Obito?"

By the roadside, Kakashi, who was clearly much more cheerful now, asked Hideki beside him.

Hideki was somewhat absentminded at the moment, but he still followed Kakashi's gaze. Then his eyebrows rose.

"Uh... that really does seem to be him. But Kakashi, how's Uncle White Fang? Has he been discharged?"

"He's already out of the hospital, but he still needs to rest for a while," Kakashi answered with a smile. His usual dead-fish eyes had rarefully narrowed into slits today. It was obvious that Kakashi was genuinely excited.

"My father told me a lot. I think I may have overthought things before... Father may have challenged the rules, but he made a decision he wouldn't regret. Anyway, thank you, Hideki."

Kakashi thanked him sincerely.

But Hideki couldn't bring himself to feel happy.

A decision he wouldn't regret... perhaps it was only because the time hadn't come yet.

The comrades he had risked his life for, even abandoning the mission to save, would one day join the ranks of those condemning him.

That kind of blow was no small thing. After all, nothing destroyed a person more effectively than destroying their faith.

"That's good, then," Hideki said with a smile, though it was somewhat stiff.

Kakashi sensitively noticed that something was off with Hideki. "Did something happen, Hideki?"

Hideki paused. "Nothing. I just feel like... it's pretty amazing."

"We were skipping class before, and now we're already ninjas. That was fast..."

"Yeah, it really was fast," Kakashi sighed as well.

Too much had truly happened during this time. From skipping class to train, to applying for graduation because of his dad—Kakashi had never even dared imagine it before.

He was only five! He had already enrolled early, and now he had graduated early too. It was unbelievable.

The two boys gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, displaying a maturity their age shouldn't have possessed, forming a sharp contrast with the spiky-haired boy approaching at a seventy-five-degree angle.

"Yo? Isn't this Ninja Hideki and Ninja Kakashi? What a coincidence, what a coincidence! Are you guys starting your first day as ninjas too?"

Obito called out at the top of his lungs, drawing plenty of sympathetic looks from the people around them.

"..."

Kakashi instantly returned to his dead-fish-eyed expression. In perfect tacit agreement with Hideki, neither responded. Both wanted to pretend they didn't know this guy.

Fortunately, a handsome buzz-cut face appeared above the three of them at that moment. Minato had arrived.

As the examiner for all three, Minato was also their guiding Jonin. Today, he would lead the three Genin to receive their ninja certificates.

"As spirited as ever, everyone... Shall we go? Lord Hokage has probably been waiting for quite a while."

Minato's Smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Obito grinned foolishly, Kakashi nodded politely, but Hideki couldn't feel happy when he looked at that handsome face.

Sigh.

He had thought he could be like Minato and write a legend of a commoner rising to greatness.

No cheats, no golden finger—just his own courage and wisdom, bringing nuclear peace to the Shinobi World.

But who would have thought...

He had still fallen.

Whenever he thought about how that old man had thoroughly manhandled his body last night, claiming it was to "correct something or other," Hideki always felt that he was no longer pure.

Ten minutes later, in the Hokage's Office.

The three boys each received their own little booklet, complete with a headshot and a string of ninja identification numbers.

Kakashi was still 009720, Obito was 009721, and Hideki, the oldest, was 009722.

Yes, Hideki was the oldest in this squad. He was already six years and several days old, Obito was still two months away from turning six, and Kakashi was only five and a half.

Still, for a squad whose combined ages didn't even add up to adulthood, they really did look the part after putting on their forehead protectors.

One was a goofy spiky-haired boy, one was a white-haired dead-fish-eyed boy, and the other was a melancholy youth with sorrow filling his eyes, as though he had lost the most important thing in the world.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi found the three little ones more pleasing the longer he looked at them. His smile had already stretched from ear to ear!

"Starting today, you have officially become ninjas of Konoha, Genin!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his voice, but it was still as kindly as ever.

Obito's little face flushed bright red with excitement, and his whole body trembled slightly. How blissful it was to receive recognition in front of his idol!

"I hope you will cultivate diligently, carry out the Will of Fire, observe the Three Prohibitions, and become powerful ninjas worthy of respect."

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued. Then he rummaged through a drawer and took out several scrolls.

The scrolls were exquisitely made. In contrast to the other scrolls on the desk, they were small yet elegant.

Sharp-eyed Hideki recognized them at once. They were the same style as the scroll Orochimaru had given him, only without the slime.

Did becoming a ninja come with the perk of receiving ninjutsu? He had never heard of that before.

Hideki was puzzled and found it strange, but he had absolutely no curiosity about what was inside those scrolls.

Heh heh...

No need anymore.

Ever since he had opened the scroll the old man gave him last night and had his body ruthlessly "corrected" with chakra by the old man afterward.

Hideki felt that he was no longer pure, but at the same time, he had gained quite a few benefits.

For example, ninjutsu—ninjutsu of all kinds.

The Mori Clan's accumulations over so many years... the old man said he couldn't give him forbidden techniques, but basic ninjutsu was available in abundance...

Yes.

The old man wasn't an administrator of Training Ground Three.

That day's "chance encounter" and staged collision hadn't been accidents. They had all been part of the plan.

It was the final protection a clan that had chosen to retire from view, chosen to integrate into the village, and already "disappeared" could offer one of its members.

He had always felt that he didn't have enough chakra, that his talent wasn't enough either. Yet amid all that grinding, he could always force results and proficiency out through several times the effort of others.

It wasn't because he was hardworking, nor because those ninjutsu suited him particularly well.

Of course, those were factors too, but more importantly... he had more chakra than others his age, and better talent than most...

Hideki had only learned last night that it wasn't that he had no surname. His surname had been concealed.

Just like Tsunade. Just like Nawaki.

His name should have been Senju Hideki.

He was a member of the Senju Clan.

He, too, had cheats.