Wherever Hikaru Was, Tsunade Was There!

When dealing with other clans, including his own Senju Clan, Senju Tobirama showed no mercy, constantly stripping the major clans of their authority. Although it was meant to consolidate the Hokage's status and power, it also revealed what kind of person Senju Tobirama was.

He treated even members of his own clan this way, let alone the Uchiha, whom he had always disliked.

For the Uchiha to compete for the position of Hokage was simply an uphill battle.

Although the Uchiha had been working hard, they had always remained far from the Hokage's seat.

"Huff..."

The Third Hokage took deep puffs from his pipe, his gaze fixed on several photographs on the desk.

At that moment, Hikaru had no idea that his existence had left the Third Hokage deeply conflicted and hesitant, unsure whether he should group him together with the others or deliberately separate him.

His application for early graduation had been rejected, so Hikaru could only settle down and wait for the next suitable opportunity. Of course, his training would not stop, though he gradually slowed down certain aspects of it and focused more on taijutsu and ninjutsu.

Hikaru had already considered when to apply for early graduation again: together with Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. The three of them would graduate at six, and the Third Hokage would personally take them on.

Hikaru did not ask to receive the same treatment as them. He only hoped to meet a suitable teacher. Their graduation timing would coincide with the graduation of the class above them, making team assignments much easier. Even if he could not be assigned to a team and became an unaffiliated ninja or a wanderer, Hikaru would have nothing to complain about.

He refused to believe that the Third Hokage would reject his application for early graduation again then.

Because the Third Hokage had stepped in personally, the Uchiha shifted their attention away from Hikaru and Tsunade. Unfortunately, neither Hikaru nor Tsunade, as the people involved, knew about any of it. They only felt that things had been much quieter lately.

Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Hikaru, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the others from the same group born around the same time had all turned six.

Just as in the original story, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had no intention of advancing to the Advanced Class. They wanted to graduate early.

Those children with ordinary talent and limited ability still had to remain at the Ninja Academy for classes. It was impossible for them to graduate in a short time. Many children stayed at the Ninja Academy until they were twelve or thirteen before graduating.

This was especially true for civilian ninjas. Children from the major clans usually graduated much earlier.

"Hikaru, are you planning to move up to the Advanced Class?"

At the Training Ground, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat on the grass, watching Hikaru tirelessly practice side kicks again and again. A deep mark had been left in the massive tree stump, clearly Hikaru's handiwork. Training equipment like that had to be replaced every few days.

What Hikaru had not expected was that he had yet to discover many of the God-tier Evolution Potion's effects, such as its restorative power. Hikaru's recovery ability was incredibly strong. Even if he covered himself in injuries during training, after sleeping for a night, he would still be full of energy the next day.

This spared Hikaru quite a bit of trouble. At the very least, he did not need to keep running to the hospital and worrying about his little wallet.

Gradually, Tsunade and Jiraiya always liked to hover around Hikaru. The relationship among the three of them deepened, and they became inseparable friends, especially Tsunade and Hikaru.

A saying was now always circulating around Konoha: wherever Hikaru appeared, Tsunade would be there.

For some reason, Tsunade always liked following Hikaru around. Being with him made her feel at ease. Unlike when she was with Jiraiya, where he could anger her into exploding within minutes, or when she was with Orochimaru, where he could barely say a few words all day and bore people to death.

With food as well, their relationship progressed by leaps and bounds. Of course, it was more often Tsunade who took the initiative to get close to Hikaru, rather than Hikaru deliberately following Tsunade.

As for Jiraiya, his reason for hovering around Hikaru was even simpler. He could occasionally get free meals, and being with Hikaru was neither boring nor likely to get him beaten up. Before long, Jiraiya had almost become Hikaru's little tagalong.

Only the relationship between Orochimaru and Hikaru remained as distant as ever. They merely nodded when they met as a greeting, and otherwise would not exchange even a single unnecessary word.

Hearing Tsunade's question, Hikaru's raised foot stopped in midair, maintaining a one-legged stance.