The playground was in an uproar. Clan scions and commoners alike were completely stunned by Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.
"No way! Danzou is that kind of person?!"
"That's terrifying. To actually lay a hand on such a little girl."
"That poor little girl... falling right into Danzou's clutches."
"What the heck."
"To... Tobirama," Senju Hashirama said in a panic, hurrying over to his brother. "Is... is this true? Lily, she..."
"Calm down, Anija. This probably isn't what you think it is," Senju Tobirama said, pressing one hand down on his frantic older brother while massaging his throbbing temple with the other.
An idiotic older brother, an over-excited little monkey of a Sarutobi, an aggrieved Danzou, and righteous onlookers eating melon seeds.
Although the scene was utterly chaotic, what truly drove Senju Tobirama to the brink of a breakdown was the victim herself: Artoria, who wore an aggrieved expression on the surface, while her eyes were filled with excitement as she watched the show unfold.
"Danzou! I challenge you to a duel! The winner gets Lily, and the loser becomes Hokage!"
"Hiruzen! I'm going to say this again! Artoria beat me up that day! I am the victim!"
"Where on earth did you two hear about the Hokage—no, wait, how can the position of village leader be used as a wager?! Still not right, what on earth did you guys do to Lily that day?!"
"Danzou... Danzou, he... waaah!"
"Danzou!"
"What the heck~"
"Will you all just shut up!" Senju Tobirama's face turned livid as he swept a harsh gaze over the crowd. Everyone caught in his glare instantly fell silent, not even a certain God of Shinobi being an exception.
Seeing that no one was discussing it anymore, Senju Tobirama maintained a stern expression, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. If he had let them keep talking, he truly wouldn't have known how to end this.
Senju Tobirama crossed his arms, his face icy as he stared silently at the crowd. With him refusing to speak, no one—not even Senju Hashirama—dared to utter a word. For a moment, the atmosphere turned chilly.
A gentle breeze blew past, and strands of spiky black hair lightly brushed against Hashirama's cheek. The tickling sensation made Hashirama lift his head slightly, opening one eye to steal a sneaky glance.
It was Madara!
Senju Tobirama gave a slight nod. The teacher had arrived, and with nearly a thousand students, almost everyone who needed to be here had made it. For a village that had just been founded not long ago, this was already quite a respectable number.
Because Hashirama had shared the method of refining Chakra with the commoners who came to the village, many commoner children had also awakened Chakra. As a result, a large number of commoners had gathered at the playground, among whom the most talented—like Artoria—already possessed the strength of a Chunin. A step below them were individuals like Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who had reached the level of Genin.
Ten minutes later, as large beads of sweat rolled down the foreheads of many children, Senju Tobirama finally stepped back and signaled Senju Hashirama to step forward.
"Ahem... Moshi moshi."
"Before the examination begins, I'd like everyone to ponder a question: What is your dream? What is your reason for coming here? And what is your reason for striving to become stronger?" Senju Hashirama looked at the crowd and asked, word by word.
Senju Tobirama looked at Hashirama with a slightly odd expression. Those few lines definitely weren't in the speech he had prepared.
As for the children who had come to take the examination, they all lowered their heads and fell into deep thought.
Actually, those three sentences could pretty much be boiled down to one. But Hashirama had heard from Artoria that parallel structures—arranging three or more phrases or sentences with related or similar meanings, identical or similar structures, and the same tone—could create an intensifying rhetorical effect.
He didn't know if he used it right, but either way, he felt that turning one sentence into three certainly carried a lot of momentum.
Suddenly, a boy from the main branch of the Hyuga clan raised his hand. "My dream is to become the future head of my clan."
The main branch boy only stated his dream because he didn't want to say the same sentence three times.
Shortly after, a little boy from the Nara clan also raised his hand. "My dream is to become the clan head. I came here to become stronger, and my reason for becoming stronger is so that I can become the clan head."
The Nara boy answered all three parts. He actually wanted to just answer in one sentence, too, but following the leader is never a mistake; you certainly shouldn't go against the leader.
With the two of them taking the lead, more and more people began to speak up.
"My dream is to become the leader of the village!"
"My dream is to open the biggest barbecue restaurant in the village!"
"My dream is to become the Hokage and marry Lily!" In full view of everyone, Sarutobi Hiruzen thrust out his neck and roared those words, casting a defiant glare at Danzou when he finished.
Even if you used despicable methods to get Lily's body, it's useless! Lily's heart will eventually belong to me, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Danzou's face darkened. How many times do I have to say it, I am the victim! Just how many times do you want me to say it?! Are you an idiot, what the hell is wrong with you?!
Damn it, it's all that Artoria's fault! Because of her, Hiruzen is yelling at me!
Danzou glared resentfully at Artoria.
Huh?
This is weird.
Let me look again.
Still so weird!
Is this pitiful little blonde loli who is looking so helplessly at him and Hiruzen really that same Artoria who grabbed him by the collar and swung him around like a ragdoll?
"Don't be afraid, Lily! With me here, Danzou won't hurt you!" Seeing Danzou glare at Artoria and noticing her aggrieved expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen was instantly displeased, immediately pulling Artoria behind him to shield her.
Seeing this, Danzou's face grew even darker. Your sister! Can't you tell she's faking it, you idiot?! Don't you know I can't beat her?!
At this moment, hiding behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, Artoria was barely able to suppress the grin threatening to spread across her face. Of course she had a reason for changing her attitude so quickly.
Early this morning, when Sarutobi Hiruzen yelled at Danzou, the System had activated, bringing with it a hidden quest.
"Hidden Quest: Konohagakure Sea King"
"Description: Raise five fish at the same time, keep their favorability ratings above 90 simultaneously, and do not enter into romantic relationships with them."
"Reward: Clarent (may undergo uncontrollable changes)"
"Time limit: None"
As for whether there would be any uncontrollable changes, Artoria didn't care anymore. She currently relied on a wooden stick when she went out to fight; she would gladly accept any weapon handed to her.
Excalibur Gallatin was still a long way off, but once she had both swords, switching to dual-wielding would work too.
It was just a little unfair to the men she was stringing along; she'd just have to compensate them when the quest was over. Well... letting them have fun was out of the question, she'd have to compensate them with something else.
Standing off to the side, Senju Tobirama was left speechless by this farce. At the same time, he found Lily's sense of humor rather extraordinary—she loved watching the chaos and never minded making things bigger. To prevent the two of them from starting a brawl, Senju Tobirama immediately shot all three of them a death glare, which finally made them behave.
Secretly, however, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still glaring at Danzou, and Danzou's face grew progressively darker. Constrained by Tobirama's intimidation, he could only endure it.
Well, ninjas are ninjas, after all—if you endure enough, you become a real ninja...
"Hahahahaha, your dreams are all wonderful. But puppy love is not encouraged; the little monkey is maturing way too early," Senju Hashirama said with a laugh. He had figured it out by now; Sarutobi Hiruzen had simply misunderstood, and it was no big deal.
"A few days ago, someone told me that his dream was to become the leader, and then make sure everyone could smile during their leisure time." Hashirama paused to give everyone time to digest the thought. He was stretching the truth just a tiny bit, but he felt it wasn't a major issue.
"You might think this dream isn't much, but when I heard it, I truly felt it was wonderful. It's an amazing dream. Even if it sounds a bit empty, if he can pull that off as a leader, then that is truly... too cool!"
"Back when I was young, during the Warring States period, human lives were truly worthless. Friends and clansmen you were laughing and chatting with yesterday might be killed the very next day."
"Between every clan, there are lingering hatreds that cannot be dissolved. The people of the old era die, and the hatred of the new generation blossoms and bears fruit. Whether it's the Senju, the Uchiha, or the Hyuga and Sarutobi, all the various large and small clans are bound, tangled, and tightly constricted by words called hatred and profit, unable to break free." At this point, Hashirama grew somewhat emotional.
"Adults and children alike lived in constant anxiety. No one could sleep in naturally back then; it wasn't just about training, it was about staying on guard, terrified of a nighttime raid by enemies."
"When shinobi from the clans went out, they couldn't even state their own surnames. Children had to go to the battlefield at four or five years old. A world like this must be wrong..." At this, Hashirama's tone dropped, as if recalling something. Standing nearby, Madara and Tobirama also lowered their heads in silence.
"I shared some of my thoughts with my father, but he didn't understand me. My brothers didn't understand me back then either. I thought no one in this world would ever understand me—until I met Madara." Hashirama smiled happily, laughing like a child, so very happy. Madara, too, silently twitched the corner of his mouth.
You're so stupid...
"Our ideals were so similar. Our dream back then was to build a village, to protect the people, to protect the children, to establish a Ninja Academy. Perhaps we couldn't end the war, but at least we could ensure that four- and five-year-old children wouldn't have to go to the battlefield anymore."
"Children, my dream is right here! My reason for coming here is to teach the future of the village—to protect the village in days to come, to protect the villagers, to protect the children of the future. My reason for striving to become stronger is to change this flawed world. Perhaps I won't be able to finish it, but I can pass on my will."
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and let new leaves sprout. This is the Will of Fire of our Konohagakure!"
Senju Hashirama took a step back and clapped his hands together. Several three-story-high, tens-of-meters-wide wooden buildings rose from thin air, settling around the children who had come to register. They enclosed the playground, leaving only a wooden gate several meters wide.
"Today! Even the children who fail the examination can enter this Ninja Academy! The headmaster will be Uchiha Madara, and the vice-headmaster will be me!" Ignoring Senju Tobirama's look of utter disbelief and Uchiha Madara's expression of astonishment, Hashirama grinned, put his hands on his hips, and looked out at all the children. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and his confident smile filled the children's field of vision.
"Now, I announce the start of the examination! The first test: run ten kilometers around the playground without using Chakra!"