'Listen, Saru, lead the people and have faith in them, for it is from them that a successor will emerge when your time is over.'
The Third Hokage stood on top of the building, smoking his pipe and reminiscing about the past and his sensei's teachings. He believed that he had transferred his Will of Fire to capable hands, but an unfortunate event had taken place, and he had to return.
The past six months had been filled with challenges; numerous unforeseen events had required him to manage a significant workload.
Not only did he have less time to mourn his wife, Biwako, who died on the day of the Nine-Tails demon fox rampage, but he also had to employ all available strategies to stabilize the situation and deal with the recent loss of one of his pupils, Orochimaru.
During this short period, the accumulation of losses dramatically accelerated his aging process, leaving wrinkles all over his old face.
He no longer had a close family to support him by his side as he once had; now he even had to deal with a rebellious son who wouldn't listen and a clan that still looked up to him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, dressed in his Hokage robe, stood motionless with one hand holding his pipe. He must always portray a strong Shinobi image and instill in Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves) the belief that they will not fall under his protection.
There were many Anbu stationed nearby to protect him in secrecy, but no one would disturb him. They only admired and respected him for who he was.
A God of Shinobi
In ninja history, only two ninjas had this title to their names; the first was Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, and the second was him.
After a period of time, two of the Anbu suddenly flickered over and kneeled down, showing respect. One of them wore a bird mask, and the other a boar mask.
"Report! Sandaime-sama," the Anbu with the bird mask began to report their mission.
"Speak," Hiruzen said, nodding his head, recalling that these two were among the select few who had infiltrated the secret labs and discovered Orochimaru's wrongdoing.
"We attempted to track the sign of Orochimaru, but it completely vanished at the border," the bird mask Anbu paused for a bit to catch his breath and continued, "We have been searching around the border for two months and now believe he is no longer in the Land of Fire."
Hiruzen sighed and released the smoke he'd inhaled from the pipe. He thought about the intel for a few moments and asked, "Have you had any contact with Jiraiya?"
The Anbu wearing the boar mask expressed reluctance before answering, "He hasn't taken any action since our last contact with him two months ago regarding Orochimaru."
"He may have already given up."
Hiruzen finally acknowledged the mission's failure and gestured for both of them to leave. Both immediately flickered away as instructed.
It was neither their fault nor Jiraiya's for not catching a missing Nin. It was entirely his fault that he let his pupil go. Instead of being softhearted, he should have stopped this traitor when he had the chance.
Despite his age, Hiruzen believed he still had the ability to stop one of the three Sannin.
Following his actions, a number of voices expressed their dissatisfaction over his failure to complete the assigned task.
Specifically, Shimura Danzō, his squad friend, publicly criticized him for his failure during a high-ranking council meeting, stating that he was unqualified to reclaim the Hokage position and should instead transfer the authority to a more deserving individual.
Luckily, his reputation was still strong; even after this event occurred, more than half of the high-ranking council still supported him.
As the old man contemplated his actions, the sun began to set. Many flocks of birds passed by, as if returning home. One Anbu stationed around him, wearing a bear mask, suddenly flickered over and reported another situation.
"The academy sensei has come to give his report as requested, Sandaime-sama," he reported as he sat down in position two meters beside the old man.
Hiruzen exhaled the smoke, nodded his head, and said, "Bring them over."
....
Hikaru returned home earlier than usual, following an evening practice for his advanced chakra control training after lunch at Ramen Ichiraku. He was getting bored doing the same thing, so he decided to come back to learn Fūinjutsu (sealing techniques) at home.
Hikaru was currently at his table, practicing his calligraphy for sealing technique training. It had been months, and he could only improve little by little.
In the meantime, he read many supplementary books to enhance his understanding of sealing structures and how to apply chakra to them. Some sealing techniques aren't just Kanji words; they contain many other strokes that have meaning.
It looked really complex at first glance, but the resource book explained it in detail.
At some point, he even tries to create a simple seal along the way while training, such as a storage seal or an explosion seal, as a practice.
Most result in a faulty seal, but he still kept it and didn't throw it away in case it would be handy one day, for pranking or any other situation.
Many people would give up when faced with a complicated structure, but Hikaru remained persistent. In his past life, the material in university was a lot harder than this, but he still passed without a problem. He just had to follow the instructions and slowly learn at his own pace.
Hikaru still had enough patience to learn complicated stuff. At least, his mother's note indicated that he was heading in the right direction, which relieved him.
During his study of the sealing techniques, the only challenge he encountered was the expense of replacing the sealing papers, ink, and brush when they became unusable.
After consulting with his sister about the cost, she simply nodded and told him to go ahead because she would handle it. He was deeply grateful for her support; the concept of family now held a deeper significance in his heart.
Hikaru felt that she was not just a big sister to him anymore; he looked up to her more like a mother. Despite being only seventeen years old, Hikaru found her to be far more mature than all the girls he had met.
Even though Hikaru thought he was older than her mentally, he felt like a kid every time he talked with her.
"Hikaru-kun!"
Hikaru glanced at the clock on his table, certain that his sister had returned home after hearing her voice calling out to him. She usually came home around this time.
He could hear the sound of her opening the door and coming inside, and he responded back loudly, affirming that he was indeed at home.
The sound of her footsteps walking to his room and opening his door reached Hikaru's ears as he turned around and saw his sister, Muranaka Ayako, looking at him and asking, "When is your exam?"
"Um, next Friday, I think. What's up?" Hikaru, perplexed by her abrupt inquiry, asked.
Ayako reached out to her back, took out something that looked like a ticket, and said, "I got two tickets for the circus show two weeks later."
"We haven't spent a lot of time together lately; how about it?" Ayako smiled happily and added, "I heard there will be many animal shows; we can go and relax."
"Are you interested?"
The invitation surprised Hikaru, who wondered why a circus was taking place in the village. He remembered a circus from Naruto's movie during his mission to the Land of the Moon, but he wasn't sure if it was the same.
He could infer her intention when she invited him to attend the circus performance. Hikaru's lips curled up into a smile, and he replied, "Sure, it should be fun, but I didn't know there was even one in the village."
"Of course, none of you ninjas would care; all you think about is training and missions." Ayako replied unhappily. "There are many things aside from training that you should take a look at, Hikaru-kun."
Hikaru nodded his head in acknowledgment, realizing that she was partially correct. In this world, there weren't just Shinobi roaming the country; civilians also resided within the villages. They both had their own entertainment and ways to enjoy their lives.
A circus, in his opinion, was rare, at least at this specific time. He wasn't sure if this was one way for the village to relieve stress from the ongoing tension for normal civilians or just a coincidence.
"Don't sleep late; you're still young." Ayako reminded him as she closed his door, "There is plenty of time to study."
Hikaru only smiled half-heartedly at her, thinking, 'I really hope there is plenty of time to study, as you said.'
Looking back at his messy table, Hikaru muttered, "I guess slacking off one night wouldn't be that bad." Standing up from his seat and stretching, Hikaru felt a bit sore in his body, as he had been sitting for quite a while.
He then took a shower, finished his business, and went to bed early for the first time.
...
The days passed, and it was finally time for the year-end exam. Hikaru felt a bit embarrassed, looking at his sister walking beside him.
She insisted on sending him to the exam on her own. Although it was entirely unnecessary for her to do so, he couldn't simply refuse her request.
Initially, he felt uneasy about her accompanying him to the academy, but his anxiety subsided when he observed numerous other parents accompanying their children to show support.
Hikaru was then relieved to realize that it might be the norm here; it wasn't just him. Even though they couldn't go inside to watch the test themselves, the year-end exam day still held significance for their children.
Observing the numerous young children attending the academy with their parents, Ayako believed that her decision to come here was the right one. Both of their parents had passed away, and it was her obligation to take care of her brother.
She didn't want Hikaru to feel unloved in her absence and compare himself to others. Of course, this was unnecessary if she were to know Hikaru's secret.
She then turned around and smiled at Hikaru, saying, "Good luck on your test today, Hikaru-kun."
"Yeah," Hikaru said, looking at her nervously and responding quietly. "Just prepare a feast at home; I'll be sure to pass the exam."
"Good. I'll hold you to it." Ayako grinned broadly and teased him by tugging on his face. "Why are you making your face like that?"
"Shouldn't you be a bit more excited for today?"
'Not when you pull my cheeks like this!' Hikaru expressed his inner complaint, feeling slightly hurt by his sister's actions.
While Hikaru was being teased by Ayako, he caught sight of Ryōta, who also came with his grandparents. They waved goodbye to one another before the boy walked straight to the academy.
"Isn't that Ryōta-kun?"
His sister also caught sight of the chubby boy and spoke out, to which Hikaru only nodded, confirming that she was correct.
Ryōta's grandparents seemed to notice both siblings and walked toward them. Ayako first smiled softly at Hikaru before walking towards the elder to greet them.
Hikaru had no issue with Ryōta's grandparents; both of them were lovely people. He had spent much time eating at their home, and their hospitality was good.
After a small greeting, Ryōta's grandpa, Kajiwara Minoru, came to him and spoke slowly, "It's been a long time since you last ate at our home." He hesitated for a few moments before continuing.
"I know that our boy is a bit stubborn sometimes; please help take care of Ryōta-kun for us."
Hikaru simply nodded, understanding his intention, smiled, and spoke lightly.
"I will."