The graduating students gradually dispersed, and Higashino Makoto and the others also prepared to head out for a meal together.
At that moment, a middle-aged man of modest height walked out from the multipurpose classroom. Several instructors from the Ninja Academy followed behind him, among them Inoue Kuroiwa.
This middle-aged man was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At this time, the Third Hokage was only around fifty-five years old. He was not yet the aged figure from Higashino Makoto's memories. Though his face was gentle and kind, one could still discern the imposing presence of a former shinobi hero.
This was Higashino Makoto's first time encountering the highest authority of Konohagakure at such close range. The previous time, during the opening ceremony, he had been much farther away.
Upon seeing the Hokage, it would naturally be far too discourteous to simply turn around and leave.
"Hokage-sama!"
The group bowed respectfully.
"Good, good—hehehehe."
The Third Hokage nodded cheerfully, gazing at each of them with benevolent warmth, lingering a bit longer on the faces of Higashino Makoto and Uchiha Shisui.
He knew Shisui well. After all, he was a descendant of his old friend Uchiha Kagami and was regularly under his watchful eye.
As for Higashino Makoto…
"You're Higashino Makoto, aren't you? I remember—you're Jirō and Megumi's child. A fine child indeed."
"Eh? Hokage-sama knows me? You even know my parents—that's amazing!"
"Haha, of course I know. I even know your grandfather and your uncle. They're all heroes of Konoha. Especially your mother—her medical ninjutsu is truly of a very high standard."
"Thank you for Hokage-sama's recognition. They are all role models I strive to emulate."
"By the way, Makoto—why didn't you graduate early like Shisui? If I recall correctly, you ranked first in the entrance examination. Instructor Inoue also recommended you to me."
"Hokage-sama, I feel that my own strength is still lacking. Father also said that only by becoming truly strong can one better protect their companions and contribute to safeguarding Konoha."
"So I still want to train for another year."
The Third Hokage gently let the topic pass and turned to ask, "So, where are you all headed?"
"I'm planning to treat Hayate and Shisui to a meal to celebrate their successful graduation. Hokage-sama, would you like to join us as well?"
"Oh, a gathering? That's a fine idea. But this old man won't be joining you—having me there would only make you feel constrained. Go on without me."
"Understood. Goodbye, Hokage-sama."
The group bowed respectfully and departed together.
"Now then, Kuroiwa—what do you think of this student of yours?"
Inoue Kuroiwa lowered his head and replied respectfully, "His thinking is mature, his strength is formidable, and his theoretical knowledge across all aspects of ninjutsu is extremely solid. He also prefers to act according to his own plans."
"And over the past half year, I've noticed something quite interesting. Even when Makoto spars with Shisui, his performance remains as steady as ever. It's as if, in his eyes, even someone as strong as Shisui is no different from any other classmate."
"Sometimes, I even feel that if I were to face him myself, I might be far from being his match."
The Hokage was somewhat surprised. "Oh? Such a high evaluation? To the point that even you feel inferior—truly a rare talent. Perhaps he's a genius on par with Kakashi or Minato."
"I apologize, Hokage-sama. I failed to persuade him to apply for early graduation. That is my fault."
"No, no—where's the fault in that?" the Third Hokage said with a smile. "Your teaching results are excellent. Graduating a year earlier or later makes little difference. Let him stay in the Academy and build bonds with his classmates—that's a good thing!"
As for the Third Hokage—how should one put it? When it came to being personable, he was truly top-tier. If one set aside all those conspiracy theories, he was, in fact, a very good Hokage.
As for Shimura Danzō, he would not even dare to "pull someone" from the Academy. The Ninja Academy was the Hokage's territory. The children inside received the most orthodox education in the Will of Fire, making them the Hokage's natural base of support. There was no way others would be allowed to lay a hand on it.
Moreover, Higashino Makoto was a thoroughly "proper-rooted" civilian-aligned type—born of a hero's family, with both parents alive, friends all in place, and a heart that was unlikely to harbor much darkness. He was not Danzō's type, so a "you regret it, I regret it" kind of scene would not happen to Higashino Makoto.
Honestly, that was a bit of a small pity. If Danzō had never tried to snatch you away, you would almost feel embarrassed to call yourself a genius.
...
Inside Yakiniku Q, business was booming.
Normally, there were not that many people eating here at noon. To be frank, the prices here were not cheap.
But today was both the enrollment day and graduation day, and quite a few people chose this place—either to celebrate a child starting school, or for friends to celebrate graduation together.
While eating, Higashino Makoto asked, "Hayate, Shisui, now that you've both graduated, what are you planning to do next? Are you going to team up normally with the new graduates?"
Gekkō Hayate answered very directly, "I'll probably form a team normally. It seems my father hasn't made any special arrangements for me."
His father was named Gekkō Kumomi. He was a few years older than Higashino Makoto's parents. He used to be a tokubetsu jōnin, but now, it was said he had already become a full jōnin.
The war had caused heavy losses for the village. Even among jōnin, there were many deaths and injuries. Naturally, the vacant positions would be filled.
The higher-ups and the major clans did not really care about chūnin and genin, but registered jōnin within the village were the focus of competition for both sides.
Registered jōnin automatically fell under the leadership of the Jōnin Squad, and the Jōnin Squad held enormous power. Who had more slots and who had fewer directly affected the introduction and execution of many policies.
There were quite a few shinobi in the village with jōnin-level strength, but the number of those who held the jōnin title and were formally registered in the village was always constant.
In the future, Uzumaki Naruto's shinobi registration number would be 012607, and he would be twelve years old at graduation—does that mean Konoha, in the sixty-three years since its founding, had only trained a little over ten thousand shinobi?
Obviously, that was impossible. The major and mid-sized clans—especially the Uchiha, Hyūga, Sarutobi, and the Ino–Shika–Chō—had quite a few shinobi they trained within their own families who were not registered with the village.
After Hayate finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Shisui.
Shisui looked a little unhappy. "As for me, I'll probably follow some of the clan elders to train for a while, and then I might go to the Police Force."
In truth, he also wanted to be like everyone else—form a normal team, follow a squad leader in the usual way, and get to know more new friends.
But that was clearly not very likely.
Because he often spent time with Higashino Makoto and the others—learning from one another, competing with one another, and pushing each other forward—his strength was greater than in the original work. For a genius like that, the Uchiha clan was unwilling to let outsiders train him.
As for Uchiha Obito, he was already a hopeless case. Were you really expecting that group of arrogant people within the Uchiha clan to have any thoughts about him? It was better to let him go out and build bonds with the villagers—at least that counted as making some use of a useless asset.
Higashino Makoto thought for a moment and said, "That's fine too. It's wartime right now, and all the countries are sending out spies in large numbers. Security within the village is also very important. That falls within the scope of responsibility of your clan."
"But I want to go to the battlefield. The companions in the village are risking their lives to protect Konoha, yet most of our clan can only stay inside the village. I don't think that's right."
It wasn't just that it was "not quite right." Shisui was actually putting it gently. That was simply his personality. And because of his young age, he could sense that something was wrong, but could not pinpoint exactly what the problem was.
When he walked through the village normally, those villagers—especially ones whose relatives had died—would look very unfriendly when they saw the clan crest on the back of his clothes.
Uchiha Shisui was not a thick-skinned fool like Obito. On the contrary, he was perceptive and sensitive from an early age. How could he fail to notice it?
It was just that some things were not things he should know at his age.
Uzuki Yūgao and the others did not know what to say either. Higashino Makoto understood clearly, but he would not speak recklessly.
In his previous life, speaking carelessly would get you beaten up. In the ninja world, speaking carelessly could very well cost you your life.
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