Chapter 23: The Hokage!
Time in Konoha did not heal wounds; it merely covered them with the dust of new days. Three and a half years had passed since the Crimson Night. Matsuri was now ten years old, his childhood definitively buried beneath the iron discipline he had forced upon himself.
In the isolated clearing of the forest, the sound of the air being torn apart was dry. With the replica of his Chakra Sword in hand, the boy executed a 360-degree axis spin. The wooden blade cut through the breeze without making the slightest friction sound, while his feet—coated in a continuous, imperceptible layer of chakra—seemed rooted to the earth.
The time skip had transformed his theory into a tangible weapon. Tree walking and water walking no longer required conscious effort; they were biological reflexes. Chakra circulated passively through his channels, optimizing his speed and hardening his muscles against impacts.
However, behind the dark mask, Matsuri's twenty-nine-year-old mind kept his feet firmly on the ground. He harbored no delusions of omnipotence.
While resting against the trunk of an oak tree, breathing in a controlled manner through Nature Breathing, he coldly evaluated his own limits. Refined technique and the Micro-Shunshin shortened the distance between him and older opponents, allowing for analytical feats—an exact parallel to what Kakashi had done in his youth. But he knew the naked and raw truth: against the brute force of an elite Jônin, technique had a severe ceiling. If he tried a direct exchange of blows against a true monster, he would be reduced to dust in seconds. The military hierarchy existed for a reason. His only real advantage was stealth, surgical positioning, and the lethality of the element of surprise.
His arsenal had expanded in the shadows. The Academy Trinity—Kawarimi, Bunshin, and Henge—had ceased to be a set of school tricks to become a gear of kinetic feints integrated into his katas. His Genjutsu was reduced to the bare minimum necessary: Kai for dispersion and Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu to generate that exact one-second micro-distraction in the enemy's mind, opening the opening for a fatal thrust. And, crowning it all, his medical trump card: after a full year of covert internship deep within the Konoha Hospital, studying deep anatomy, pharmacology, and poison extraction, he had earned the right to master the Shōsen Jutsu (Mystic Palm).
Yet, the village's bureaucratic rigidity was about to collide with his silent machinery.
Exactly one year before the Academy's official graduation, Matsuri asked Sensei Iruka Umino for a meeting at the end of classes. The chūnin looked exhausted, staring at a scroll filled with names and geometric diagrams with a furrowed brow.
— Matsuri — Iruka began, crossing his fingers over the desk and letting out a deep sigh. — I hope you don't mind talking while I work. I've been finalizing the squad formation projections for next year; as you know, the graduation of new genins is an important event for me and for the Village.
Matsuri spoke quickly:
— Professor, I think I've achieved all my goals at the Ninja Academy. I'm ready for any test you want to challenge me with. I've been thinking about this for a long time and I understand that Konoha's traditional structure is mathematically rigid: four-member teams, composed of a supervising Jônin and three newly graduated genins.
He continued, maintaining a firm tone:
— By the exact count of students who met the standard requirements, we will form exactly four closed squads. And no matter how I look at it, I don't fit into a four-man team with any of my other peers, despite having strong bonds with each of them, don't get me wrong...
Matsuri remained silent for a moment, posture upright, awaiting the inevitable.
Iruka, tapping the paper lightly, reading the information and thinking, pondered:
— The one left out would be the thirteenth element. A number that breaks the symmetry of the trios, but it wouldn't necessarily be you, Matsuri.
— I know the leadership doesn't tolerate structural flaws in the distribution of forces, and I don't want any of my peers to be deprived of their shinobi career and a Jônin sensei. On the other hand, I desire solitude, individuality, to forge my own path. If someone has to be the one, let it be me. I believe this decision is also the Will of Fire; Hokage-sama will understand me — Matsuri concluded, his voice calm behind the black fabric.
Iruka nodded, visibly uncomfortable with the situation and the boy's precocious maturity.
— Exactly because of that. Let's go see the Hokage, we need to discuss this personally with him. Follow me.
Minutes later, the boy stood before the immense mahogany desk in the Third Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed slowly on his pipe, letting the gray smoke rise and dissipate under the soft afternoon light. Iruka remained stationed right behind Matsuri.
— Iruka exposed the logistical impasse to me, Matsuri — said the Hokage, his wrinkled eyes examining the boy with a sharp perspicuity. — The proportion of three students to one Jônin is a millimeter foundation for mission balance. Inserting you into an improvised team would destabilize the cohesion of the other twelve.
Matsuri kept his eyes fixed on the village leader, impassive.
— If there are no openings in the traditional squads, what is the alternative, Hokage-sama? My active continuation in the shinobi career is non-negotiable, which is why I came with Iruka-sensei personally to discuss my Early Graduation.
He continued, inflexible:
— I ask that you allow me to join the village's Genin Corps, complete missions, and earn achievements through my own merit.
Hiruzen let out a short laugh, a spark of amusement crossing his wrinkled face at the unusual audacity.
— Very well. If you proposed this, I'm sure you have confidence, right? My decision is this: you will submit to a test for early graduation.
Iruka stifled a gasp of surprise beside the boy, worried.
— Early, Hokage-sama? But the desk cloning exam... he's just a child...
— There will be no ordinary academic exams — Hiruzen interrupted, raising his hand with serene authority. — To enter Konoha's Genin Corps directly ahead of the others, you will need to prove your operational capability in a real field test against an elite ninja. If you succeed, you will be assigned as a temporary autonomous operative, under the direct supervision of a provisional supervisor until mission fluctuations or casualties open up space in the regular squads.
The office door opened with a soft creak. With crossed arms, lazily flipping through the pages of an orange-covered book, and with his headband tilted to cover his left eye, Kakashi Hatake glided into the room.
— Was I called for duty, Hokage-sama? — Kakashi murmured in his sluggish tone, casting a disinterested look at the masked boy.
— Exactly, Kakashi — Hiruzen smiled, puffing on the smoke. — Matsuri's test for early graduation will be against you. And if he passes, you will assume direct supervision of him.
[Author's Note] Hello everyone, I hope you are feeling the weight of this turning point in Matsuri's journey! The massacre changes everything, and starting from the next chapter, we will have a great Time Skip to see the results of our strategist growing up and refining his style (finally stepping into elemental mastery and the Academy finals!). Writing and planning each chapter takes a lot of time, dedication, and effort (even more so dealing with hand pain from the keyboard!). If you like my work, believe in the potential of this story, and want to encourage me to keep posting frequently, please consider supporting me with any amount. Every bit of help makes a huge difference and motivates me a lot! ☕ To support (PIX[Mercado Pago] or PayPal): [email protected] Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and for all the support! ❤️