Chapter 5: Sakumo's Challenge
"Lord Third, here is the list of this year's teams and the entrance exam papers for the new students. Please take a look."
Within the Hokage's office, a silhouette shrouded in ANBU attire materialized, gently laying a stack of exam papers and admission notices on the table. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze traversing the top of the list. A subtle crease formed on his forehead as he commented:
"So, that kid Itetsu didn't secure a spot in a team? Danzo will likely lodge another complaint, accusing me of favoritism towards the Shimura Clan."
The ANBU Ninja replied, "It appears that there are two exceptionally talented children who have surpassed Shimura Itetsu's ranking."
"Is that so?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen promptly perused the list. He recognized most of the names, given his duty as the Hokage of Konoha to be concerned about the younger generation of the village. Furthermore, these names bore the surnames of various ninja clans in Konoha or were the offspring of village Jonin. Hence, he swiftly pinpointed two distinctive names on the list.
"Sakamoto Tatsuma, Minato Namikaze. I recall them. Weren't they the two kids who have been jogging past the Hokage Tower recently?"
"Yes, Lord Third."
The ANBU nodded, affirming Sarutobi Hiruzen's suspicion. These two children had been traversing the area around the Hokage Tower daily for the past month. As ANBU operatives, it was their responsibility to investigate, yet a thorough inquiry revealed the innocence of the children; they were merely passing by for exercise. Further investigation seemed unnecessary, especially considering the presence of more individuals with similar routines.
In Konoha, there was another Genin who, from pre-enrollment until now, had been jogging past the Hokage Tower daily for several years. ANBU recalled this spirited Genin who passionately shouted about youth. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already begun reviewing the admission notices and exam papers for Tatsuma and Minato.
Observing that both of them had achieved the highest grades in the first two tests noted on their notices, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise. As the head of the Sarutobi Clan, he was acutely aware of the significant impact that ninja clans had on a ninja's development.
Ninjas affiliated with ninja clans enjoyed early-age resources that eluded civilian ninjas. The wealth of materials and educational guidance from family elders enabled ninja clan members to outpace their civilian counterparts even before enrolling. Consequently, for civilian ninjas to distinguish themselves, their innate talent and effort must surpass those of ninja clan members by several folds—an even more formidable task for war orphans.
After all, a civilian family can scrape together enough funds for introductory ninja books and practice equipment, but for war orphans, it's a different challenge.
As the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen is well aware of the financial aid provided to war orphans by the village, ensuring their basic survival needs. However, any additional expenses generally remain out of reach.
Within both civilian and war orphan populations, instances of exceptionally talented individuals have been rare, as evidenced by Sarutobi Hiruzen's two disciples, Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Over the years, the emergence of notable talents among civilians has been sparse, with only these two disciples standing out. Now, with the unexpected appearance of two more, Sarutobi Hiruzen finds it truly astonishing.
Instantly, Sarutobi Hiruzen meticulously reviewed the exam papers of the two individuals. Children like them were more susceptible to deviating from the right path compared to other ninjas, especially given the perceived "unfair" treatment the village had meted out to them.
However, as he delved into their explanations of the Will of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen's initially furrowed brow gradually smoothed. After a moment, he turned to the ANBU ninja and remarked:
"Where are these two children now?"
"They should still be at the Third Training Ground."
"Good, level-headed and not arrogant. They are good kids."
Sarutobi Hiruzen set aside the exam papers, stood up, and declared, "Go change your clothes; accompany me to see how these two are doing. It's better to check on them now to avoid having Danzo come over later to question me."
"Yes, Lord Third"
The ANBU ninja nodded and swiftly departed. Sarutobi Hiruzen also made a quick adjustment before descending from the Hokage Tower. Just as he exited the tower, a white-haired young ninja approached him.
Observing the serious expression on the ninja's face, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said, "How many times have I told you? Once you take off the ANBU uniform, you are Sakumo Hatake. There's no need to be so gloomy."
Upon hearing this, Sakumo Hatake suddenly grinned and remarked, "Hokage-sama, please refrain from using such vulgar terms like taking clothes off, especially considering our hierarchical relationship."
"Well, the vulgarity can only be found in your perverted mind."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head in resignation. He had a clear understanding of the elite ninjas of the Hatake clan in this generation. Once they put on the ANBU attire and donned their masks, they transformed into ruthless killing machines.
However, when they changed back into their regular clothes, they became something else entirely. Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't find a term to describe them, so he just shook his head and headed towards the Third Training Ground.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama!"
"Lord Third."
En route, Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged greetings with numerous Konoha ninjas and civilians. Upon reaching the Third Training Ground, he observed two children in a corner practicing throwing techniques with discarded targets.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen's discerning eyes, he quickly assessed the skill levels of the two individuals. The child with blue and white spiral hair had already mastered Ninja Tool Throwing at the level of a ninja school graduate. As for the kid with golden hair, although he was slightly behind, he still demonstrated more proficiency than some current ninja school students.
"Are they truly geniuses?" Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered to himself, then took a step forward.
"Minato, your progress is indeed impressive. However, in this match, my skills still surpass yours!" he heard as he approached.
Drawing nearer, Sarutobi Hiruzen caught snippets of the conversation between the two children. Their dialogue swiftly ceased as they noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen's distinctive attire.
"Lord Third"
"Lord Third"
Tatsuma and Minato quickly saluted. Tatsuma scrutinized Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sakumo Hatake, unsure of why they were here. While their performance today was commendable, he couldn't fathom why it would warrant the attention of the Hokage.
Even if Tatsuma is a time traveler, he probably wouldn't have anticipated that his sudden appearance, by taking the place of a child from the Shimura Clan, would lead Sarutobi Hiruzen to come out to avoid Danzo's criticism.
Observing Tatsuma's scrutiny, Sarutobi Hiruzen also discreetly examined Tatsuma. His initial impression of Tatsuma was quite favorable, perhaps because of the child's infectious smile.
"Are you both Academy students?" Although he already knew their identities, Sarutobi Hiruzen intentionally asked. Tatsuma and Minato nodded, with Minato adding, "Yes, Lord Third. We just enrolled today. I am Minato Namikaze, and this is my friend, Sakamoto Tatsuma."
"To have such Ninja Tool Throwing skills right after enrollment is truly remarkable. Back in my day, I wasn't as good as you," Sarutobi Hiruzen remarked. After saying this, Minato's eyes visibly brightened. Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "However, targets are ultimately inanimate. Ninja face living adversaries. Do you have confidence in hitting moving targets?"
"What do you mean?" Tatsuma asked in confusion. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked towards Sakumo Hatake, who was overseeing the female ninja training in the distance, and said, "He is the most outstanding ninja by my side and also my bodyguard. Would you like to test his skills? Sakumo, give our future ninjas a little challenge. If you find them satisfactory, how about rewarding them?"
"Huh? Me?" Sakumo Hatake snapped back to attention, realizing he had been lost in thought for a moment. Catching Sarutobi Hiruzen's somewhat reproachful gaze, he swiftly refocused and turned his attention to the two little children in front of him, saying, "One minute. If you're still standing after one minute, I'll give each of you a set of new ninja tools. How about that?"
Minato was intrigued, but he still looked to Tatsuma, seeking his opinion. It wasn't the allure of ninja tools that interested Minato but rather the rare opportunity to spar with the Hokage's bodyguard.
Even though Tatsuma had only been friends with Minato for a little over a day, he understood Minato's wishes. He nodded and said, "Really? Uncle, being the bodyguard of the Hokage, your strength must be formidable. However, if it's just one minute, I will definitely hold on."
"Uncle? What an unflattering way to address me," Sakumo Hatake's expression darkened. In his early twenties, and he was being called "Uncle"?!
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smirk. It seemed that without the ANBU gear, Sakumo Hatake was quite unpredictable.
Despite this, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to let the little test continue. Sakumo Hatake showing some fighting spirit wasn't a bad thing. Otherwise, given his personality, he might just goof off for a minute and then hand these two kids a set of ninja tools.
"Let's begin then!"
With that, Tatsuma and Minato swiftly moved to opposite sides.
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