Graduation

Konoha Year 19.

It was graduation season once again.

With war raging and the front lines under pressure, the Academy had relaxed its graduation requirements. Any student willing to remain at the Ninja Academy for a full year could graduate, after which a dedicated Jonin would guide them.

Many impatient students promptly applied for graduation.

In Konoha's central district.

Inside the Hokage Office Building.

A white-haired man with a solemn expression sat behind the desk. He was Tobirama, the Second Hokage who held immense power in Konoha.

"Monkey, I'm relieving you of your current duties."

The man called Monkey was a medium-built Jonin with a somewhat dull-looking face. His real name was Sarutobi Hiruzen. Since "Sarutobi" carried the implication of a monkey, the Second Hokage affectionately called him Monkey.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he had done something poorly and asked sincerely, "Teacher, is there something I haven't done well?"

"No. I simply have a more important task for you." Tobirama, who rarely smiled, forced out the faintest smile. "Go become an Instructor Jonin."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat puzzled.

Instructor Jonin differed from ordinary Jonin. Their primary duty was to nurture Konoha's budding talents until they became ninjas capable of standing on their own.

Though it was an extremely important job, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that his current work was more important at this moment. Still, since it was his teacher's order, he did not ask further. His teacher must have had his own considerations.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, he respectfully accepted the student information handed to him and immediately understood.

"Teacher, this is...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared blankly at the three student profiles in his hand.

Orochimaru, the Top Student of this class, excelled in every aspect. At just six years old, he already possessed strength no less than that of a Genin.

Jiraiya had obvious strengths and weaknesses. He was not particularly bright, but he possessed unmatched physical abilities and enormous reserves of Chakra.

Tsunade was a genius whose academic results ranked only behind Orochimaru's.

Being personally assigned by Tobirama naturally meant they possessed exceptional ninja talent. Yet what truly shocked Sarutobi Hiruzen was one of their identities.

Tsunade, whose full name was Senju Tsunade, was the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage. Hashirama was also the older brother of Tobirama, the current Hokage. Assigning someone of such special status to the team he would lead—Sarutobi Hiruzen grew excited just thinking about what that implied, and his breathing quickened.

He was already twenty-four this year. No longer the reckless young man he had once been, he had grown increasingly mature with age and considered matters more thoroughly.

Teacher Tobirama intended to cultivate him as his successor.

"Pass on the flame. Konoha's seeds are in your hands now."

In a few years, Tobirama would be fifty. Although he was still in his prime, he knew it would not last much longer. Born in the Warring States Era and having fought his way through countless battles, his body had long been burdened with hidden ailments from years of war. As he continued to age, those dangers could erupt at any time and send him to join his deceased elder brother.

Tobirama had always been meticulous since childhood. Preparing for unexpected events was naturally essential.

It so happened that this class of graduates was extraordinary. Aside from Tsunade's identity, the three of them possessed talents so exceptional that it would be difficult for future generations to produce three people who surpassed them at once. That was why he had decided on the Hokage Successor and arranged for all three to become Monkey's disciples, allowing them to forge bonds as master and students.

If nurtured properly, these three would become Monkey's most capable assistants.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said excitedly, "Teacher Tobirama, I definitely won't let down your expectations."

"Work hard."

Tobirama rose to his feet and patted Sarutobi Hiruzen on the shoulder, entrusting him with this heavy responsibility.

Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Come in."

After hearing the reply, the person outside pushed open the door and entered. He was a handsome black-haired man.

Kagami Uchiha.

Like Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was one of Tobirama's prized disciples.

"Teacher Tobirama, these are the materials you asked me to organize last time."

Kagami placed the documents on the desk. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."

Tobirama nodded, acknowledging his work.

Watching Kagami's departing figure, he sighed inwardly.

Born into a prestigious family, gifted, handsome, gentle and refined—more importantly, he possessed a perspective that transcended his clan and loved the village more than his family.

It would be difficult to find a more outstanding man in the village. If not for the Uchiha surname and the eyes he possessed, then honestly, Kagami would have been Tobirama's ideal candidate to succeed the Hokage.

If his elder brother had still been alive, Tobirama might truly have considered Kagami Uchiha as a Hokage Successor.

But with his elder brother's death, there was no longer an absolute force capable of suppressing the Uchiha Clan. Combined with Uchiha Setsuna taking the lead in stirring up trouble some time ago and nearly causing unrest, Tobirama could never place an Uchiha in the position of Hokage successor.

Inside the classroom, Aokiji offered his sincere blessings to his three friends, who were graduating at the tender age of six. "Congratulations. You get to go to the front lines at such a young age and contribute to Konoha's construction. I'm so jealous of you."

Why did that sound so irritating? Tsunade frowned. "With your strength, you could have graduated early too, couldn't you?"

Am I stupid? Rushing off to get myself killed? The cautious Aokiji shook his head. "You know me. I don't aspire to be a ninja. I'll hang around the Academy for a few more years, then start some kind of business and support myself."

"Hmph."

Tsunade was furious at his lack of ambition and stormed off. He clearly possessed such excellent talent, yet he was so lazy all day long.

Watching her leave, Aokiji sighed helplessly.

To outsiders, it seemed that because he had barely trained for so long, even his Shuriken skills had grown rusty and begun to decline. His performance was even worse than when school had started, so it was no wonder Tsunade, as his friend, felt disappointed in him.

Not long after Tsunade left, Jiraiya and Orochimaru departed one after another for another classroom, where their Instructor Jonin awaited them.

Watching his friends leave one by one, Aokiji had no reason to remain either. As a student, he still had to suffer through school.

There were relatively few classes that day. After school ended early, Aokiji did not head straight home. With a certain purpose in mind, he wandered around aimlessly until his luck brought him to a Training Ground, where he found an adult training three children.

Those three children were Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.

Jiraiya, in particular, had been beaten terribly. He was even tied directly to a post.

Holding a Bell, Tsunade gave it a shake and taunted, "Hehe, Jiraiya, if you want to beat me, you'll have to wait another hundred years. Just as I thought, you're still last place."

Jiraiya could not bear the mockery any longer and snapped, "Shut up, you Flat Chest! Washboard!"

Tsunade immediately flew into a rage. She was no longer that girl who did not understand what "chest" meant and mistakenly treated fighting as treasure. "You're asking for a beating, aren't you?"

Seeing the two of them at each other's throats, Sarutobi Hiruzen, their teacher, shook his head helplessly. "Have these two always been like this?"

"More or less," Orochimaru agreed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya, who was still stubbornly arguing, and sighed. Though he had brute strength, he was not particularly bright. It seemed he needed some special guidance. "It's getting late. Orochimaru, Tsunade, you two should go home first."

"Yes."

Sarutobi Hiruzen intended to have a proper talk with this disciple of his.

With the smile of a victor, Tsunade waved her hand. But the moment she turned around, she saw a familiar figure.

"Yo~"

Aokiji greeted her first.

"Why are you here?" Tsunade asked in surprise. "Could it be that you actually want to become a ninja after all?"

"Don't misunderstand. I was just wandering around for fun." Aokiji took the pillow he always carried from his bag, then skillfully lay on his side on the ground, propping his elbow on it. "Ignore me. You guys carry on..."

With that, he shifted his gaze to the adult.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Aokiji thought to himself.

Konoha's residential area was only so large. Through careful observation in his daily life, Aokiji had learned his identity.

One thing puzzled him. In the anime, hadn't the Sannin looked around eleven or twelve when they became Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples?

Why had they become his disciples at the age of six here?

And back then, Sarutobi Hiruzen had looked rather old, with a beard. No matter how he looked at it, he did not resemble the young man before him.

But on further thought, it made sense. In a few years, Tobirama, the Second Hokage at the time, would probably be preparing to hold the rear. Then Sarutobi Hiruzen would return and become Hokage directly. It was impossible for him to still have time to guide ninjas after becoming Hokage. That would make no sense.

Even if he took a step back, Tsunade's special identity and Orochimaru's truly extraordinary talent could barely explain it. But Jiraiya should not yet have reached the point where the Third Hokage himself would personally guide him.

So that explanation did not work at all. Aokiji did not think too deeply about it and could only blame the messed-up Hokage timeline and a plot hole the author had thought up on a whim.

While Aokiji was lost in thought, his vision suddenly darkened. Tsunade was standing in front of him, cracking her knuckles. "Since you like sleeping so much, I'll let you sleep for the rest of your life."

Tsunade swung her fist and charged at him. Frightened, Aokiji grabbed his pillow and fled.

"Get back here!" Tsunade chased after him while Aokiji ran ahead. "You tell me to stop, and I'm supposed to stop? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Watching the two playfully bicker, Yuan Fei said with a smile, "He's your classmate? He seems like quite an interesting little brat."

"Lord Aokiji really is an interesting person," Orochimaru agreed with a smile. "If he ever got serious and put the time he spends sleeping into training, then the Top Student position for this class might not have been mine."

Yuan Fei was shocked to hear that. More gifted than Orochimaru—what kind of concept was that?

Though he had not known Orochimaru for long, Orochimaru's visible talent had left a deep impression on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

There might have been some flattery toward a friend in those words, but to receive such an evaluation from Orochimaru, his talent must have been extraordinarily outstanding.

Thinking back to Tsunade's earlier words, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help asking, "Tsunade said just now that he seems unwilling to become a ninja?"

"Yes. Lord Aokiji has no interest in being a ninja. He wants to be an Ordinary Person."

Thinking about how he would be unable to fight alongside his friend in the future, Orochimaru understood, but still felt some regret deep down.

"What does Ordinary Person mean?"

Yuan Fei was somewhat confused. It was his first time hearing the term.

"In Lord Aokiji's words, it probably means living a good life, with a wife, children, and a warm bed."

Yuan Fei nodded. "That really is a simple and unadorned dream."

For someone so young to have such clarity was truly rare.

But understanding was one thing; agreeing was another.

If this were a peaceful era, such an ideal would be fine. But this was an age of war, an extraordinary time.

The village's prosperity concerned everyone present.

When the village was strong, its people were strong. When the village was weak, its people were weak.

Personal interests must always be placed after the village's interests.

There was no room for such narrow-minded thinking from Weak people.

If Aokiji's talent had been mediocre, it would not have mattered whether there was one more or one less. But since he possessed a talent that even Orochimaru found difficult not to praise, with proper cultivation, he might become an important figure capable of influencing the course of war in the future.

As he watched Aokiji fool around with Tsunade, Yuan Fei's gaze grew distant. Entrusted with an important mission by Tobirama, he thought that for the village's long-term interests, he might need to keep an eye on the boy when he had time and guide him onto the proper path.

After all, he was no longer merely a Jonin of Konoha. He was also the Hokage Successor appointed by Teacher Tobirama, the future Third Hokage.

Having enjoyed the protection of the previous generation, their generation had to shoulder the same responsibility of protecting the next.

But their generation would eventually grow old as well. When that time came, perhaps the next generation would bear this burden.

Wherever leaves danced, fire would burn without end.