"Lord Third, here is the roster for this year's Class 1, along with the freshman entrance exams. Please have a look."
Inside the Hokage's office, an Anbu operative appeared in a swirl of leaves, placing a stack of test papers and admission letters on the desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his eyes scanning the list on top. His brow suddenly furrowed.
"The Shimura child, Iteng... he didn't make it into Class 1? I'm afraid Danzo is going to come knocking again, accusing me of targeting his clan."
The Anbu responded, "It seems two exceptionally gifted children pushed Shimura Iteng out of the rankings."
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen's gaze swept quickly over the list. He recognized most of the names; as the Third Hokage, keeping tabs on the village's youth was his responsibility. Furthermore, most of these names were preceded by the surnames of Konoha's noble clans or belonged to the children of active Jonin. He quickly picked out two names that didn't fit the mold.
"Sakamoto Tatsuma, Namikaze Minato... they seem familiar. Aren't they the two boys who have been running past the Hokage Building every day lately?"
"Yes, Lord Third."
The Anbu nodded, confirming Hiruzen's suspicion. The two boys had passed the building daily for the past month. As Anbu, it was their job to investigate any recurring patterns. However, the children were clean. They were simply running for exercise, and since many others did the same—including a certain Genin who shouted about 'Youth' and ran past the building dozens of times a day—the investigation hadn't gone deeper.
While the Anbu recalled that particular Genin, Hiruzen was already flipping through Tatsuma and Minato's admission files.
Seeing that both had achieved 'Optimal' ratings in the first two tests, Hiruzen felt a spark of surprise. As the head of the Sarutobi clan, he understood better than anyone the massive advantage a clan upbringing provided.
Clan children had access to resources that commoners could only dream of—not just physical supplies, but the direct mentorship of experienced elders. This allowed them to surpass commoners long before they even stepped foot in the Academy. For a commoner to stand out, they had to possess several times the talent and put in several times the effort. For a war orphan, that mountain was even steeper.
A civilian family could occasionally scrape together enough ryo to buy introductory scrolls or practice tools. But a war orphan?
Hiruzen knew exactly how much the village provided in stipends. It was enough for a warm meal and a roof, but it left zero room for "extras" like ninja gear.
In Konoha's history, there were precedents for brilliant commoners—his own students, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, came to mind. But in all these years, only those two had truly reached legendary status. Now, two more had appeared simultaneously. It was remarkable.
Hiruzen quickly turned to their written essays. Children like these were the most likely to stray from the path if they felt the village was "unfair" to them. But as he read their interpretations of the Will of Fire, the tension in his brow gradually smoothed out. After a moment, he looked up at the Anbu.
"Where are these two children now?"
"They should still be at Training Ground 3."
"Good. Hardworking and level-headed... they're good kids." Hiruzen set the papers down and stood up. "Go change your clothes. Accompany me to see them. Better that I see them for myself before Danzo comes here to interrogate me."
"Yes, Lord Third."
The Anbu bowed and vanished. Hiruzen straightened his robes and walked out of the building. Just as he stepped onto the street, a young man with silver-white hair fell into step beside him.
Looking at the young man's habitually stern expression, Hiruzen chuckled. "How many times have I told you? When you take off the Anbu uniform, you are Hatake Sakumo. There's no need to be so gloomy."
Sakumo's expression suddenly broke into a wry grin. "Lord Hokage, please don't use phrases like 'take off your clothes.' It sounds… untoward, especially between a superior and a subordinate."
"...I think the only thing 'untoward' here is your mind."
Hiruzen shook his head helplessly. He had this young man figured out. When Hatake Sakumo wore the mask, he was a cold, ruthless killing machine. But when he changed back into civilian clothes, he became… Hiruzen struggled to find a word that wasn't "weird" to describe him.
"Lord Hokage!" "Good afternoon, Lord Third!"
As they walked, Hiruzen greeted countless shinobi and civilians alike. By the time they reached Training Ground 3, they spotted two boys in a corner, using a discarded target to practice their throwing techniques.
With Hiruzen's seasoned eyes, he appraised their skill level instantly. The boy with the blue-white natural perm had a level of precision that rivaled an Academy graduate. The blonde kid was slightly behind, but still significantly better than most current students.
"Truly geniuses, then?" Hiruzen murmured before stepping forward.
"Minato, your progress is incredible. But this round? My skill is still a cut above!"
As they approached, Hiruzen overheard their banter. The conversation stopped abruptly, however, as the boys noticed the iconic figure approaching them.
"Lord Third!" "Lord Third!"
Tatsuma and Minato bowed quickly. Tatsuma stole a glance at the man beside the Hokage—Hatake Sakumo—wondering why they were here. Their performance today had been good, but surely not "disturb fire-shadow-from-his-office" good?
Even as a transmigrator, Tatsuma couldn't have guessed that his sudden rise had bumped a Shimura kid out of the rankings, leading Hiruzen to flee his office just to avoid Danzo's inevitable complaining.
Seeing the boy observing him, Hiruzen observed Tatsuma in return. His first impression was excellent—mostly due to the boy's bright, open smile.
"Are you students at the Academy?" Hiruzen asked, playing along.
The boys nodded. Minato spoke up: "Yes, Lord Third. we just enrolled today. I'm Minato Namikaze, and this is my friend, Sakamoto Tatsuma."
"To have such skill with ninja tools right at enrollment... it's truly impressive. I certainly wasn't this good at your age."
Minato's eyes practically sparkled at the praise. Hiruzen continued, "But a target is a stationary object. A shinobi's enemies are always moving. Do you have the confidence to hit a moving target?"
"What do you mean, sir?" Tatsuma asked tentatively.
Hiruzen gestured to Sakumo, who was currently staring off into the distance, seemingly distracted by some female shinobi training in the far field. "This is the finest shinobi by my side, and my personal guard. Why don't you test your skills against him?"
"Sakumo, why don't you evaluate the future of our village? If you're satisfied, perhaps you could give them a small reward?"
"Eh? Me?"
Sakumo snapped back to reality. Catching Hiruzen's "indescribable" look, he realized he'd been caught daydreaming. He cleared his throat and looked at the two tiny children.
"One minute," Sakumo said, glancing at their battered, second-hand tools. "If you're both still standing after one minute, I'll buy you each a brand-new set of ninja gear. How does that sound?"
Minato looked tempted, but he turned to Tatsuma first, seeking his opinion. It wasn't just about the gear; the chance to trade moves with the Hokage's personal guard was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Tatsuma caught Minato's look and nodded. He looked back at Sakumo and said, "Is that true, Uncle? To be the Hokage's guard, you must be really strong. But... if it's just one minute, I'll definitely make it."
"Un... Uncle?" Sakumo's face fell. He was in his early twenties, the prime of his life, and he'd just been called Uncle?!
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched. Indeed... once the "clothes" were off—rather, the Anbu gear—Sakumo was incredibly unreliable.
Still, Hiruzen decided to let the test proceed. Seeing Sakumo actually motivated was a good thing; otherwise, with his personality, the man might have just goofed off for sixty seconds and handed over the gear just to get it over with.
"Then... let us begin!"
As soon as the words left Hiruzen's lips, Tatsuma and Minato bolted, splitting off in opposite directions.