The words were clear and unambiguous.
As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't need to beat around the bush. Especially not with Iruka and Menma. He could drop the facade of mystery and state his stance directly.
Iruka, who had already anticipated something like this, finally felt the rock in his stomach disappear.
Hiruzen wasn't like Tsunade or Minato. He was the Third Hokage, the man who took charge during a time of crisis and led the Leaf to its peak, ruling for nearly forty years. His prestige within the village was supreme. A single word from him was law within the Hidden Leaf.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Iruka bowed quickly, a look of excitement on his face.
Only Menma, standing to the side, looked up at Hiruzen with obvious worry and anxiety. He took a deep breath, as if summoning all his courage, and said, "But I still looked at the Scroll of Seals. That's a top-secret village artifact that only the Hokage is allowed to see. And my identity... is..."
"You are you, Menma. You are a child I have watched grow up. I have always believed in you. You have no other identity—you are a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, Menma Uzumaki. This is my acknowledgment of you as Hokage. You can ignore anyone else's opinion. In the future, just prove yourself through your actions. As for the Scroll of Seals? It doesn't matter. Didn't you defeat the traitor Mizuki? Consider it your reward. You have nothing to worry about on that front, Menma."
Before Menma could finish, Hiruzen chuckled and shook his head, interrupting the boy gently. The endless warmth in his eyes made him look and sound like a kind grandfather genuinely caring for his descendant.
Maybe a tiny fraction of Hiruzen's words came from the heart.
But Menma was more inclined to believe that everything Hiruzen did and said was built on the foundation of maintaining the so-called "righteousness" of the Hidden Leaf.
Menma wouldn't be fooled by Hiruzen's outward appearance.
Or to be more precise: Hiruzen's righteousness, the village's righteousness—it wasn't Menma's righteousness. This village wasn't his home. His future lay outside, in any other possibility, but definitely not within the Hidden Leaf.
Of course, on the surface, Menma deliberately put on a look of relief and excitement. His eyes shone as he looked at Hiruzen, responding with gratitude, "Yes, Grandpa Third!"
That expression of heartfelt joy and relief fell into Hiruzen's eyes.
A faint sense of satisfaction arose in the Third Hokage's heart.
This was exactly the development, exactly the result he wanted.
Everything was under control!
"That's all for this matter. It's getting late, and don't you have the graduation ceremony tomorrow? Both of you should go back and rest early!"
Hiruzen said warmly to the pair.
From the start of the incident at 10 PM until now, it was already past 3 AM.
"Yes, Lord Hokage (Grandpa Third)!"
Iruka and Menma bowed and exited the spacious office together.
"Menma, although today's events are over, I still have to remind you: from now on, you must act with caution and meticulousness. Tomorrow—well, today, actually—you become an official ninja. You'll be carrying out all kinds of missions. A single moment of carelessness could lead to dangerous consequences. I hope you remember that."
Walking out of the Hokage Tower and reaching a fork in the road, Iruka looked at Menma seriously and gave his advice.
"Yes, I'll remember, Iruka-sensei. I'll definitely be careful in the future!"
Menma nodded heavily.
"Good."
Hearing Menma's answer, Iruka smiled gently and nodded.
"Go home and rest. The graduation ceremony starts at nine! Don't be late."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
After saying his piece, Iruka turned and walked toward his own home.
Menma stayed where he was, watching Iruka's figure disappear into the night. Then, the smile vanished from his face.
He turned back to look at the brightly lit Hokage Tower.
A flicker of cold light passed through his eyes.
This is just the beginning!!
The end of winter.
The approaching scent of early spring.
January, Year 60 of the Hidden Leaf.
Menma officially graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Leaving the novice protection period meant that what lay ahead were true BOSS-level enemies, each more dangerous and terrifying than the last.
The night faded slowly.
Dawn arrived quietly.
The next day.
As the first rays of morning sun illuminated the earth, the Ninja Academy in the center of the village gradually became noisy and bustling. There were two fixed lively days at the Academy each year: the start of the school year in March, and graduation day in January!
The boys and girls who had successfully passed the exam arrived at the Academy in high spirits, wearing their freshly acquired forehead protectors. The younger students who hadn't graduated yet looked at their seniors with envy and admiration, fantasizing about their own future graduation.
These little ones hadn't yet seen the true cruelty of the ninja world.
In their eyes, they only saw the glamour of becoming a ninja, blind to the risks involved.
For once, Menma didn't wake up early. He slept until eight o'clock.
Not just because today was special.
But also because he had just fought a battle last night. Even though Mizuki was a weak enemy, it was still Menma's first real fight in this world. If Mizuki hadn't been so rusty—if he had possessed the combat awareness and average strength of a Chūnin—Menma wouldn't have won so cleanly yesterday.
Others couldn't tell, but Menma knew perfectly well that he had been nervous during the fight. His arm holding the kunai had trembled slightly at the start.
Don't forget, in his past life, he lived in an incredibly peaceful and harmonious country.
His biggest "combat experience" was helping an adult kill a chicken.
It would have been strange if Menma hadn't been nervous at all during a "live PK match."
So, while the result of the battle wasn't that important to Menma, the battle itself held extraordinary significance.
It marked the moment Menma truly began to integrate into this dark, cruel world woven of blood and fire.