Chapter 109: Choosing a Disciple
Having read the original story, Ishiro knew that the Third Hokage was most proud of one thing—having trained the Legendary Sannin.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had become Hokage early on and it didn't seem like the Sannin helped his political career much, Ishiro understood that this was just on the surface.
Hiruzen's rise to the Hokage seat had been sudden, and his foundation shaky—he relied heavily on comrades like Danzō and his other senior peers. But once he and his close allies consolidated power, those same comrades, especially the ambitious Danzō, became the very people restraining him.
To suppress this internal opposition, Sarutobi personally taught the Sannin. When their fame spread across the ninja world, his position as Hokage became far more secure and much harder to challenge.
That's why Ishiro understood that a teacher who could raise outstanding disciples was more likely to gain wide recognition and support.
So, from the moment he was appointed as a jōnin instructor, Ishiro had decided to approach it through a true master-disciple bond.
But choosing the right disciple had to be done carefully. First was talent—if the student's potential was too low, they would eventually hit a wall and become more of a burden than an asset.
Next was character—a person with poor moral fiber, no matter how well taught, could never be trusted. Someone like Deidara, for example, would be a disaster.
Lastly, there was chakra affinity—Ishiro had a wide range of skills, but not many mastered. Ideally, his disciple would be someone who matched his core types, otherwise, there wouldn't be much he could teach.
With the list he'd received from Saka, Ishiro headed to the academy's top class.
As a graduating class, these students no longer had theory lessons. Some were training on the school grounds, while others were already off-site.
Those who weren't at school were harder to assess, so Ishiro set them aside for the moment and began observing the ones still training.
Based on his own experiences and their outfits, he quickly realized that the ones still at school were mostly from civilian families or minor ninja clans.
Several of the elite class's training grounds were nearby, so Ishiro picked a spot with a clear view and began his observations.
Before long, a jōnin named Yoshihara appeared beside him—one of the veteran jōnin who helped maintain order at the academy.
Yoshihara, already elderly, had greeted Ishiro upon arrival and now returned, likely out of curiosity to see how he would choose his students.
Having someone familiar with the academy was helpful.
"Yoshihara-senpai, that student in black training with kunai—his name is Matsuhashi, right?"
Yoshihara looked over and nodded. "Yes. Matsuhashi has decent taijutsu. He's one of the top three in raw strength among his peers."
"Oh?" Ishiro raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know these kids very well."
Yoshihara gave a wry smile. "I've hit my limit. There's no advancing further for me. Watching these kids grow is the greatest joy I have left."
Ishiro nodded in understanding. There were many ninjas like Yoshihara—past their prime, with strength slowly declining.
With Yoshihara's help, Ishiro began matching the names on his list with the children training in the field. Yoshihara also provided brief profiles on them.
Unfortunately, most of them didn't meet Ishiro's expectations. It was clear—the Land of Earth didn't have the same abundance of geniuses as Konoha.
If there had been someone at the level of the Konoha 12, Ishiro would've chosen them on the spot. But there were none—not among the ones here, at least. Perhaps some promising talents were among those not at school.
Sensing Ishiro's disappointment, Yoshihara pointed toward a child in the distance. "What do you think of that one?"
Ishiro looked closely. The boy was practicing wooden sword strikes against a training post. Nothing seemed particularly remarkable.
He was puzzled. "What's special about him?"
Yoshihara smiled. "He reminds me the most of you."
"Not in chakra or fighting style—but in temperament."
"You were always methodical, planning your days down to the hour. You built strength through consistent, disciplined training. That's what this boy, Kawakita, has too. His parents are both genin, and his natural talent is average—but he's practiced swordsmanship three hours a day for five years. Rain or shine, without fail."
"His technique isn't impressive now, but compared to where he started, the improvement is tremendous."
Ishiro nodded thoughtfully. Being able to persistently do something repetitive and boring was a form of talent. Kawakita may not be flashy, but his temperament met Ishiro's requirements.
If there were no perfect options, then this boy would be his first pick.
Ishiro circled Kawakita's name on the list.
Since further observation wasn't yielding better results, Ishiro decided to test something else—chakra sensitivity.
He cast Light-Heavy Boulder Technique, then Camouflage Jutsu.
Yoshihara was stunned as Ishiro silently floated down into the midst of the students.
Ishiro moved among them, his chakra cloaked. If any child noticed something amiss, he would consider taking them on.
But to his disappointment, none of the elite class students noticed anything.
Understandable. Even young Kakashi, a jōnin, had been caught off-guard by Camouflage Jutsu in the past. Expecting academy kids to see through it was too optimistic.
Still, it was worth a try.
As he flew back to Yoshihara, Ishiro suddenly noticed something unexpected.
A girl in the ordinary class next door had looked up, seemingly sensing something.
She glanced toward him—but, seeing nothing, returned to her training.
Graduation was approaching. Her grades were average, and she was unsure if she'd even make genin. She returned to practicing taijutsu with determination.
Floating above, Ishiro's eyes narrowed.
He flew back to Yoshihara, canceled his jutsu, and pointed at the girl. "Yoshihara-senpai, who is that girl?"
Yoshihara looked. "That's Tomoe, from Class 9. Her combat performance is average. Honestly, it's uncertain if she'll graduate. But she has solid theoretical scores."
Ishiro nodded and added her name to the back of his list.
Yoshihara looked puzzled, but didn't question it.
Next, Ishiro reviewed the students who hadn't come to school that day. Among them, he picked seven or eight who might meet his standards, asked Yoshihara about their likely whereabouts, and left.
Kawakita and Tomoe were both non-ninjutsu types. Tomoe could be trained toward that path, but not yet.
The team still needed a ranged fighter.
Ishiro went in search of a student named Kajiyama Ri, whose father, Murakoshi, was a jōnin and ninjutsu specialist. He was currently training his son near a small river.
Ishiro didn't hide—sneaking around a jōnin would be rude. Better to observe openly.
Murakoshi frowned at first but relaxed upon seeing Ishiro's jōnin uniform. He became thoughtful.
Kajiyama didn't notice Ishiro. He was focused on practicing Water Style: Water Wall.
He completed seventeen hand seals, and a wall of water rose before him, lasting for a dozen seconds before fading.
Ishiro frowned. Seventeen seals was a lot, and the technique lacked distinction. Despite having a jōnin father to guide him, Kajiyama's performance was average at best.
Ishiro gave Murakoshi a polite nod and turned to leave.
Murakoshi sighed. As a jōnin, he could guess Ishiro's purpose—scouting potential disciples.
A young jōnin handpicking students must be someone the village valued highly. From his age alone, Ishiro's future clearly outshined Murakoshi's.
What disappointed him wasn't just that Ishiro had come, but that he hadn't taken interest in his son.
But just as Ishiro turned to go, Kajiyama spoke to his father thoughtfully:
"Dad, this Water Wall only defends the front, right? Is there a way to make it protect all sides?"
Ishiro paused mid-step. Although Kajiyama lacked jutsu talent, he clearly had a clever mind—a hidden kind of talent.
Ishiro turned around and asked, "If you were to modify it to defend all sides, how would you do it?"
Kajiyama was surprised to see him, then glanced at his father.
Murakoshi ruffled his hair. "Go ahead. Answer the question."
Murakoshi was hopeful—his son's curiosity had reignited Ishiro's interest.
Kajiyama thought for a moment and said, "Maybe using the Tiger seal to reshape chakra flow into a curve? It wouldn't create a full sphere, but it could increase the angle of defense."
Ishiro smiled. "Not bad."
Then, he turned and left—leaving behind a beaming Murakoshi and a confused Kajiyama.
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