"Hm?"
"That direction… the Academy?"
Watching Sarutobi Hakuto in the crystal ball, accompanied by several servants, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly realized—
They were heading toward the Ninja Academy.
Last year, at nine years old, Sarutobi Hakuto should have enrolled.
Yet he hadn't attended a single day.
And now, as if the sun had risen in the west—
This brat was actually going to school.
Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a surge of delight.
In his eyes, Sarutobi Hakuto—who had shown unusual maturity since childhood—only needed time.
Given enough of it, he would undoubtedly become a powerhouse of the ninja world.
But the problem was—
This brat simply refused to train.
"Well, well… he's actually going to school on his own."
"I haven't been there in quite a few days either. Might as well drop by and take a look."
With that thought, Hiruzen picked up his Hokage hat and headed toward the Academy.
—
At the entrance of the Ninja Academy—
"Which class was I in again?"
Looking at the unfamiliar school, Sarutobi Hakuto fell into thought.
Fortunately, one of his attendants quickly brought over a teacher—
An ordinary Chūnin named Kurai Tarō.
The moment he saw Sarutobi Hakuto, Kurai Tarō hurried forward with a flattering smile.
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto, please follow me."
"You haven't come to school for a whole year."
"What brings you here today?"
As he led the way, Kurai Tarō couldn't hide his curiosity.
After all, Sarutobi Hakuto hadn't shown up for an entire year—
If it were anyone else, they would have been expelled long ago.
Of course, such thoughts could only be kept to himself.
"What?"
"Do I need to inform you in advance before coming?"
Sarutobi Hakuto's casual reply carried a calm tone—
Yet to Kurai Tarō, it sounded like a death sentence.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his body.
He quickly bent into a deep bow.
Recalling the rumors of Sarutobi Hakuto's terrible personality, he hurriedly pleaded:
"Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto, please be magnanimous!"
"I'm just slow-witted!"
"I spoke out of turn! With my status, how could I ever expect you to notify me?"
"Please forgive me!"
But Sarutobi Hakuto had no intention of responding.
He simply stood there, silently watching him.
Time passed bit by bit.
Kurai Tarō, still bent at a ninety-degree angle, didn't dare move.
His clothes were already soaked with sweat.
Soon, it was time for class dismissal.
Teachers and students quickly noticed the scene.
"Isn't that Teacher Kurai?"
"It really is!"
"He looks so uncomfortable… why is he being forced to stay bowed like that?"
"Tch, don't you see who that is? The Third Hokage's grandson—Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto!"
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Many students turned their eyes toward Sarutobi Hakuto.
Not far away—
Iruka, who had just walked out of a classroom, noticed the situation.
His expression tightened as he strode over.
At that moment, a notification sounded in Sarutobi Hakuto's mind—
[Ding! Publicly humiliated a teacher at the Academy.]
[Synchronization +0.01%]
With the system prompt ringing in his head, Sarutobi Hakuto ignored Kurai Tarō completely.
He walked past him and headed straight to his classroom.
Only after Sarutobi Hakuto left did Kurai Tarō finally let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Iruka quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"That personality is really terrible!"
"I have to report this to Lord Hokage!"
But Kurai Tarō hurriedly shook his head with a forced smile.
"There's no need to trouble Lord Hokage over this."
"As teachers, a student's problems are something we should handle ourselves… isn't that right?"
After saying that, he didn't wait for Iruka's response and quickly rushed toward the classroom.
—
Inside the classroom—
After witnessing Sarutobi Hakuto's actions outside, every student sat upright, not daring to relax.
They were afraid of drawing his attention.
Seeing that there wasn't a single familiar face from the original story, Sarutobi Hakuto felt a bit bored.
Neji Hyūga and the others were likely in the neighboring class.
As for the Rookie Nine, they had only just enrolled this year.
Just as Sarutobi Hakuto was about to leave—
Kurai Tarō entered the room.
"Everyone, gather at the training ground!"
"Starting today, you are second-year students."
"You must undergo the annual assessment!"
The moment he finished speaking—
The students felt as if they had been granted amnesty.
They all rushed out of the classroom.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hakuto seemed to recall something.
"An assessment, huh…"
"Let's go take a look."
—
Soon, everyone arrived at the training ground.
But besides the students—
There was a special figure present.
"Look!! It's the Hokage!"
"Ahhh! It really is Lord Hokage!"
"The Third Hokage came to see us?!"
"Bullshit! He's obviously here for Young Master Sarutobi Hakuto!"
The crowd instantly erupted.
Kurai Tarō hurried over to greet Hiruzen respectfully.
"Hehe, don't mind me."
"I'm just here to see how talented this batch of children is."
"Go ahead and begin."
With Hiruzen's permission, Kurai Tarō immediately organized the students for the test.
And the first to be called up—
Was Sarutobi Hakuto.
"Student Sarutobi Hakuto, you'll go first."
"All you need to do is hit the target accurately with a kunai."
As soon as he finished speaking—
All eyes turned toward Sarutobi Hakuto.
Hiruzen, in particular, watched closely.
"Tch. Boring."
Sarutobi Hakuto casually threw the kunai.
In an instant—
It shot forward like a streak of lightning.
Bang!
The wooden target shattered on impact.
As for the kunai—
No one even knew where it had flown.
The scene stunned everyone present.
Even Hiruzen's face showed a trace of delight.
However—
Although the power was terrifying—
The accuracy was lacking.
Looking at the destroyed target, Kurai Tarō still announced the score:
"Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto—8 points!"
It wasn't a bad score—
But compared to true geniuses, it still fell short.
Next, the other students stepped forward one by one.
Yet something unexpected happened.
Under Sarutobi Hakuto's gaze—
Each student seemed as if they were being watched by something terrifying.
"Kuchiki Hyakushaku—6 points!"
"Morita Kojirō—6 points!"
"Inoue Nohana—6.5 points!"
As the results came in—
Not only the students—
Even Kurai Tarō felt like he was sitting on needles.
Even the top-performing students in the class failed to score above 7.
In the end—
Sarutobi Hakuto unexpectedly became the top of the class.
Looking at Hiruzen, whose face had darkened like the bottom of a pot—
Kurai Tarō could only grit his teeth and announce the result:
"First place in the class—Sarutobi Sarutobi Hakuto!"
As soon as the words fell—
Hiruzen said nothing.
He turned and left—
As if he had made some kind of decision.