At Jiraiya's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was the disciple he was proudest of, and his innate talent as a ninja impressed Hiruzen Sarutobi even more. Hiruzen had therefore always placed great importance on Orochimaru, teaching him many Ninjutsu from childhood and later even allowing him to read the Scroll of Seals, which only the Hokage was permitted to read.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally planned to groom Orochimaru to become Hokage. Jiraiya was somewhat flighty, and Tsunade had left Konoha.
Only Orochimaru could put his mind at ease, and Orochimaru had always handled things very well. Yet at some point, Orochimaru had changed, becoming someone who felt unfamiliar to him and even beginning to associate with Danzo.
At first, Hiruzen Sarutobi had still held out hope for Orochimaru, hoping he would turn back. But after learning that Orochimaru and Danzo had collaborated on Wood Release experiments using young children, Hiruzen Sarutobi had ruled him out as a candidate for Hokage. He could not tolerate the village's highest leader being someone who disregarded life and could harm people from his own village.
When he had discovered that thoroughly cleaned-up laboratory, Hiruzen Sarutobi had understood who was behind it. In all of Konoha, the only person capable of clearing away every clue before his arrival was his dear old classmate, Danzo.
As it happened, his student Orochimaru had once expressed a desire to research Wood Release Cells, and after Hiruzen refused, he had begun associating with Danzo. That made it self-evident who ran the laboratory and whom it belonged to.
It was precisely his disappointment in Orochimaru that had made Jiraiya, rather than Orochimaru, his first choice for commander when war was about to break out.
Unfortunately, Jiraiya had refused, leaving him no choice but to have Orochimaru lead this war.
"Orochimaru, you will serve as commander-in-chief for this war. Lead two thousand ninja to defend against Sunagakure."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Orochimaru had no objection to Hiruzen Sarutobi's appointment and was even somewhat pleased. He simply felt that the war had come at the right time; his research had gone without fresh material for a long time.
"Shikaku Nara, you will serve as adviser. Work with Orochimaru and make certain to end this war as quickly as possible, lest Konoha lack sufficient troops later to defend against attacks from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure," Hiruzen Sarutobi told Shikaku Nara.
"I now declare Konoha under wartime alert. The mission department will cancel D-rank missions. For C-rank and above, retain escort missions within the Land of Fire, missions to eliminate destabilizing elements, and similar assignments. All other missions requiring travel outside the Land of Fire are canceled. All ninja without active assignments are to remain on standby, ready to reinforce the battlefield at any moment."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
"Then, dismissed."
Meanwhile, in a classroom at the Ninja Academy, Kōki was introducing himself.
He strode up to the lectern with his head held high, swept his gaze around the classroom, and spoke loudly.
"My name is Kōki, and I'm seven years old. I don't have any particularly special dreams. My dream is simple: to surpass every Hokage in history. I also have something to announce right now. Mr. Naoya, I want to apply for early graduation."
Kōki had thought for a long time without finding a particularly suitable excuse, so he could only take the brute-force approach and directly announce that he wanted to graduate early. To hell with everything else-staying at the Ninja Academy would truly be a slow death.
His words landed like a huge boulder plunging into a calm lake, stirring up enormous waves.
"Itō, what did you say? You want to graduate early? But you've only just enrolled. You haven't even officially started classes yet." Naoya Inoue stared at Kōki in surprise. His earlier claim about surpassing every Hokage could be treated as a child's distant dream, but his subsequent declaration about graduating early was not something that could be so easily ignored.
The students below the lectern also broke into discussion.
Kōki looked at Naoya Inoue with bright, keen eyes and said solemnly and seriously, "Sir, I want to apply for early graduation. I'm not joking. I believe there's nothing I can learn at school, and my strength already surpasses that of every student here."
Seeing how serious Kōki was, Naoya Inoue felt somewhat at a loss. After all, this was his first encounter with such a situation: a new student announcing that he wanted to graduate early as soon as he enrolled, and even saying that the school had nothing to teach him.
Naoya Inoue was deeply troubled, unsure how to handle this or whether he should report it to Lord Hokage.
Kōki could also see Naoya Inoue's difficulty. He had anticipated this situation long ago, so he confidently told him,
"Mr. Inoue, if you don't believe me, you can arrange an assessment. Have an upperclassman who's close to graduation duel me. You could even find a Genin from the village to test me."
After hearing Kōki's words, Naoya Inoue thought for a while, then spoke with some hesitation.
"How about this, Itō? Why don't I arrange a test first, just to check your proficiency with Kunai throwing and the Three Basic Techniques? How does that sound?"
Realizing that Naoya Inoue still did not trust his abilities, Kōki spoke even more firmly.
"There's no need, Mr. Inoue. Those things you mentioned are pointless. Lord Hokage taught me that introductory ninja knowledge long ago, so just have an upperclassman test me. That would give you a clearer picture."
Kōki confidently rejected Naoya Inoue's suggestion. He had no time to take another basic test. It would be a complete waste of time.
Hearing Kōki's answer, Naoya Inoue also recalled how familiar Hiruzen Sarutobi had seemed with Kōki at the school gates. Still, he repeatedly sought confirmation. "Itō, are you sure? Upperclassmen nearing graduation have strength approaching that of Genin. Some outstanding students are no weaker than the village's Genin."
"No problem, Mr. Inoue. I'll prove that I have the strength to graduate early."
Kōki's firm tone and serious gaze made Naoya Inoue understand his resolve, and he said helplessly,
"All right. I'll go discuss it with a teacher from the upper grades now."
With that, Naoya Inoue went to find a teacher from the upper grades.
Before long, Naoya Inoue came over with another teacher.
"This is the graduating class's homeroom teacher. You can call him Mr. Ikeda. I've already spoken to him. His class happens to be taking a test as well, so come with us to the school's practice field. We'll arrange for a student to fight you afterward."
"Also, the graduating students aren't weak. You must be careful." Although he could not change Kōki's decision, Naoya Inoue still fulfilled his responsibility as a teacher.
"Mm."
Kōki nodded, understanding Naoya Inoue's concern, but he had reasons that left him no choice but to do this.
Seeing that Kōki understood, Naoya Inoue addressed the new students below the lectern. "Since Kōki wants to face an upperclassman this time, everyone will come to the training field to watch this assessment. Don't miss this opportunity."
"Yes, sir!"
After answering, the students followed Naoya Inoue to the school's training field along with Kōki Itō. A group of upperclassmen was already waiting there.
At a glance, Kōki spotted quite a few familiar faces. The one who looked a little old for his age should be Asuma Sarutobi. There was also Kurenai Yuhi, a loli now who would become a mature beauty later.
Of course, there were also the two key figures who would one day set off a Shinobi World War: Obito Uchiha, who still wore goggles, and Rin Nohara, with painted markings on her face.