Konoha
Ninja Academy
"Everyone, the graduation test will be happening soon."
"For becoming a genin, everyone has to successfully perform at least two of the three basic jutsu."
"So when your name is called, come one by one for the test."
Chunin Ohara said as he looked at the children standing in front of him.
Rows of academy students sat at their desks, their eyes fixed on the chunin instructor standing near the front of the classroom.
For a moment, the classroom became quiet.
Then suddenly—
"Yes!"
"I will finally become a ninja!"
"I practised the Clone Jutsu all night!"
Many students started cheering and talking excitedly with each other.
Some were laughing loudly.
Some were whispering nervously to their friends.
Others were already bragging loudly about how easily they would pass the test.
"I can already perform the Clone Jutsu perfectly!"
"That's nothing. My Transformation Jutsu is better!"
The whole classroom quickly became noisy.
"Ohhh..."
Ohara rubbed his forehead slightly as he looked at the loud students in front of him.
Then he raised his voice.
"Quiet!"
His voice echoed across the classroom.
The students immediately fell silent.
The students quickly returned to their seats.
Some scratched their heads awkwardly.
Some coughed lightly and tried to look serious again.
Ohara sighed.
"Now I will start calling names. When your name is called, come forward."
He opened the list in his hand.
At the front of the classroom, a small testing area had already been cleared.
The students watched nervously as the first name was called.
The test quickly began.
One by one, students walked forward to perform their jutsu.
Some students formed hand seals confidently.
Others hesitated for a moment before starting.
A boy stepped forward and performed the Transformation Jutsu.
Poof!
Smoke filled the area before clearing.
A perfect transformation appeared.
Several students gasped in admiration.
Another student nervously attempted the Clone Jutsu.
Two clones appeared beside him, slightly shaky but still acceptable.
Some succeeded easily.
Some struggled nervously while the other students watched from their seats.
At the back of the classroom, a certain boy with messy hair leaned toward the girl sitting beside him.
"Rin!"
The boy whispered excitedly.
This boy was Obito Uchiha.
Beside him sat a gentle girl with short hair.
Rin Nohara.
Rin smiled softly.
"You seem very excited today, Obito."
Obito straightened his back proudly.
"Of course!"
"Today, I will become a genin!"
Then he lowered his voice slightly.
"And once I become a genin..."
"I will become even stronger."
His eyes burned with determination.
"I will become much stronger than Kakashi!"
Rin blinked in surprise.
"Stronger than Kakashi?"
Obito nodded confidently.
"Hmph! Just wait and see!"
"I will become the greatest ninja in the village!"
Not far from them, another student whispered to his friend.
"Look at Obito again..."
"He always says things like that."
His friend laughed quietly.
"Yeah... but Kakashi is already a chunin."
Meanwhile, another student nervously practised hand signs under the desk.
"I hope I don't fail..."
"Ohara-sensei is watching very carefully today..."
The tension slowly began to rise as more names were called.
Outside the academy building—
Two figures stood silently while watching the academy yard.
One had long white hair.
The other had blonde hair tied behind her head.
Both of them were looking toward the academy where the children were taking their graduation test.
The sound of excited children could still be heard from inside the building.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Tsunade crossed her arms.
Her expression was not happy.
"...They are too young."
She finally said quietly.
Jiraiya's usual playful expression was gone.
His face was unusually serious.
"Yeah..."
He looked toward the academy building again.
Inside that building were children who would soon become shinobi.
Children who should still be playing.
But the war had changed many things.
Because of the war—
Their graduation had been pushed earlier.
Silence fell between them.
Both of them knew very well what it meant.
Soon, these children would be sent to the battlefield.
Jiraiya slowly sighed.
"War really is troublesome..."
The sound of cheering children echoed faintly from the academy building.
But the expressions on the faces of the two Sannin remained heavy.
"I still don't like this decision of the old man," Tsunade said in frustration as she thought about it.
When the Third Hokage had first proposed the idea of early graduation, she had almost flipped the table in anger.
Both she and Jiraiya had strongly opposed the decision.
At that time, Jiraiya had also thought his teacher might have gone mad.
Children who had barely finished their academy training were now going to become shinobi.
It didn't make sense to him.
But the war had changed many things.
The village needed more ninja.
After a long discussion, Tsunade and Jiraiya finally agreed on one condition.
Only students who could perform all three basic jutsu would graduate early.
But the elders and the Hokage did not agree with that condition.
To them, that requirement was too strict.
More ninjas were needed on the battlefield.
The argument lasted for a long time during the meeting.
In the end, both sides reached a compromise.
Instead of requiring only one basic jutsu like the elders wanted—
Students now had to perform at least two of the three basic jutsu to graduate.
Even then, Tsunade was not satisfied.
She watched the academy building again.
Inside were children laughing and talking excitedly about becoming ninjas.
Tsunade's fists slowly clenched.
"Even if these brats know all three basic jutsu, it won't make any difference," she said coldly.
"I can't watch this."
Her voice carried a deep frustration.
Jiraiya didn't reply immediately.
He simply stood there quietly.
His eyes were also fixed on the academy building.
For once, even the usually carefree Jiraiya looked serious.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"...Yeah."
"War is cruel."
"And the teacher has his difficulties too, Tsunade," Jiraiya said with a tired sigh.
"If there was any other way left, he would not take all the blame for this decision himself."
His face was filled with helplessness as he spoke.
"Just understand him this time."
Tsunade said nothing.
For a moment, she simply stood there quietly.
Then she turned and walked away.
"Hmph."
Jiraiya watched her leave but did not stop her.
He understood her anger very well.
But he also understood their teacher.
The burden of being Hokage was never light.
Uchiha Clan
Inside the Uchiha clan compound, the atmosphere was calm.
Several elders were gathered inside the main hall.
"Grand Elder, what do you think about this decision of the Hokage?"
Kohaku asked as he looked toward the old man sitting at the centre.
The old man slowly opened his eyes.
This man was Elder Setsuna.
"He is near the end of his time as Hokage," Setsuna said calmly.
"And to maintain a shred of dignity, he is doing whatever he thinks is necessary."
His voice was casual, as if he were simply discussing the weather.
Kohaku listened carefully.
He then sighed slightly.
"But it is also true that the village doesn't have enough shinobi right now."
"For making up the numbers, he had to make a decision like this."
But the moment he finished speaking—
Setsuna looked at him.
A faint cold smile appeared on his face.
"Do you really think he has no other choice?"
Kohaku frowned slightly.
Setsuna slowly leaned back.
"He simply does not want to reveal the true strength of certain clans in the village."
He paused for a moment.
"Or perhaps I should say..."
"He and his friends cannot afford to reveal it right now."
Kohaku looked at him with surprise.
"What?"
Setsuna's expression remained calm.
"For saving the shinobi of his own faction and the clans close to him, he has sent many of them to the Land of Stone border."
"The front there is much quieter compared to the other battlefields."
Kohaku's eyes widened slightly.
"And do you know why?"
Setsuna asked.
Then he answered his own question.
"So that after the war, another wave of jonin can be promoted."
"And when that time comes—"
"The majority of those jonin will come from those same clans."
He paused again.
His eyes slowly turned cold.
"In other words..."
"After the war, their people will hold even more power inside the village."
The hall became quiet.
Kohaku finally understood what the elder was implying.
"So that's what it is..."
After the war, one thing always remained certain.
That was the promotion of the shinobi who had fought on the battlefield.
And considering the current situation and the attitude of the Stone Village, the battlefield there was much quieter compared to the others.
Because of that—
The largest number of shinobi who would return alive after the war would most likely be the ones stationed on that front.
Kohaku's face slowly fell as he thought about this.
He finally understood what the elder was implying.
"Just for staying in power, they are even playing with the lives of young shinobi."
Kohaku's fists slowly clenched.
"Is this really the Will of Fire they keep preaching about?"
His voice carried clear frustration.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"This whole Hokage election is nothing more than a charade."
"They must have already decided who the next Hokage will be after the war."
"Huh."
Setsuna simply closed his eyes again and said nothing.
The political battle inside Konoha had already begun.
Even while the war outside was still raging.
Hokage Office
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was quiet.
Papers and reports were spread across the large wooden desk.
Outside the window, the village could be seen continuing its daily life.
"Tsunade and Jiraiya are both looking over the test at the academy," Homura said in a calm tone.
He stood near the desk with his hands folded inside his sleeves.
"Hmph. At least they are doing something good for the village rather than just making things difficult," Koharu said as she glanced at Homura.
Thinking about the two of them, she slowly started gritting her teeth.
It was one thing to disagree with a decision.
But directly creating chaos inside the Hokage's office and almost starting a fight during the meeting—
That was something she found extremely irritating.
For her, the fact that they were of the same generation as her only made it even more annoying.
"How does the village see this?"
"Are there any talks about it… or resistance?"
Hiruzen asked calmly as he looked at Homura from the corner of his eye.
His voice was steady, but the question carried weight.
Homura adjusted his posture slightly before answering.
"There is."
"Many clans are complaining that you have grown old and can no longer manage the village properly."
Homura said it without any change in expression.
The words hung heavily in the quiet office.
The criticism spreading in the village was not small.
And everyone in the room understood what it meant.
"It will be hard to put our candidate in the Hokage position. Even maintaining authority will become difficult," Koharu said.
Her voice carried clear concern.
"Don't worry about that. I have already thought about a candidate, and many clans will agree to him being Hokage," Hiruzen said as he looked at both of his old friends.
Koharu and Homura both looked toward Hiruzen.
His face was calm and unreadable.
"Agree to let Danzo go to the Sand border and transfer the people stationed there to the Cloud front," Hiruzen said.
Homura and Koharu looked at him with confused expressions.
They did not immediately understand what he meant.
Hiruzen noticed the confusion on their faces.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Minato has basically already won," he said calmly.
"We are only waiting for the truce agreement from the Cloud Village."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"So I called him back for something more important."
The room became quiet.
Both Koharu and Homura slowly understood what Hiruzen was implying.
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