I Don't Need Pity!

If he handed it directly to Tsunade, it would not only cause even greater trouble, but might even earn Tsunade's displeasure. It would be much better to have someone else pass it along, such as the Third Hokage or his teacher.

"What?! Hokage Lord rejected it?"

When Hikaru learned of this from his teacher, he immediately felt helpless. Wasn't it said that applications for early graduation would generally be approved, so long as one did not have any wild ideas or overestimate oneself?

Why had his application been rejected?

Applying for early graduation required an assessment. The content was simple: it mainly tested whether the applicant had what it took to graduate early. Besides a written test, there was practical combat. As long as one could withstand a Genin's attacks for the designated time, they would pass.

Hikaru was certain and confident that he could pass every part of the assessment, no matter which aspect it was. Yet his application had been rejected.

"Yes, Hokage Lord rejected it."

His teacher looked at Hikaru's gloomy face and could not help but laugh. "Kid, just be good and attend school properly from now on. Forget about applying for early graduation. Hokage Lord will not agree to it."

"..."

Hikaru felt helpless, and rather speechless as well, because he saw a trace of schadenfreude in his teacher's eyes, as if he had brought all this about himself.

"Oh, right. This is for you. Consider it a loan from your teacher. Pay me back after you graduate and start taking missions."

His teacher took out some money, intending to give it to Hikaru. Worried that he would refuse, he deliberately called it a loan and told Hikaru he could repay it later.

I really...

Looking at his teacher's smiling face, Hikaru felt like cursing, yet he was also somewhat moved. The Uchiha had no friends in the village, but his teacher had not viewed him through tinted glasses and had helped him at every turn.

Still, what left Hikaru helpless was that he was certain his rejected application for early graduation had something to do with his teacher.

"Thank you, Teacher, but I don't need it."

Hikaru did not need anyone's pity or sympathy. Naturally, he would not accept his teacher's kindness, whether it was given directly or framed as a loan.

"This child!!"

Hikaru left the office right away, leaving his teacher speechless. He could not understand where a five-year-old child had gotten such strong pride. It made him sigh, but also left him helpless.

Aside from his teacher and the Third Hokage, no one else knew that Hikaru wanted to apply for early graduation. Hikaru would not bring it up himself, and his teacher would not tell anyone else.

It seemed he would need to put his training on hold for the time being.

As time passed, Hikaru's training had steadily intensified. That was the greatest reason he had applied for early graduation. Now that his application had been rejected, he could only think of another way. Training could not stop, but it could be delayed and relatively eased.

He would intensify his taijutsu and ninjutsu training, leaving everything else to make up for after graduation.

It was impossible for Hikaru to stop training, and since his application had been rejected, he chose to change his training approach. He would focus mainly on taijutsu and ninjutsu training, while everything else would have to wait until after graduation, when he had more time.

Hikaru did not know why the Third Hokage had rejected his application or what his purpose was. His teacher must have played a part in it too. Whenever he thought of his teacher, Hikaru did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It was a classic case of good intentions causing bad results. Hikaru had nothing to say about it. From his perspective, it was a bad thing, but from his teacher's perspective, he had done it for Hikaru's sake.

His training continued, but what puzzled Hikaru was that, gradually, the clan members seemed to stop paying attention to him. This was a good thing for Hikaru. The best outcome right now was for no one to notice him.

What Hikaru did not know was that all of this had come about because the Third Hokage had stepped in.

Moreover, in the Third Hokage's eyes, Hikaru had been placed on the same level as Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, listed among those receiving the same degree of focused attention.

However, only the Third Hokage and a small number of Anbu knew of this. As for the Uchiha higher-ups, they were somewhat baffled. The Third Hokage had personally approached them under the pretext of Kagami Uchiha, asking them to give Hikaru a peaceful environment in which to grow.