Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, massaged his aching brow as his pipe spun a few sparks from its tip.
He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled, the smoke curling through the dim Hokage's Office much like his tangled thoughts.
Trouble had been brewing in the Shinobi World lately, with constant reports of friction with other villages along the borders wearing him out completely.
After dealing with official business all day, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt sore all over.
Time waits for no one, and the fatigue in his bones was becoming increasingly obvious.
"I'm getting old. When I first took office, I could work three days and three nights straight without feeling a thing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a self-deprecating chuckle and set down his pipe.
As the principal of the Ninja Academy and the Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a profound understanding of the Will of Fire.
He believed that a student's grasp of the Will of Fire largely determined whether they could become an outstanding shinobi in the future.
As for why today's test questions were so exceptionally difficult, it was because he had personally written several of them, purely to put the Ninja Academy students to the test.
He wanted to see if the students had made any small improvements under his training over the years.
The first test paper belonged to Kurenai Yuhi.
"My father taught me that the Will of Fire is about inheritance. Just like the Ninjutsu of our Yuhi clan, it all comes from the dedication of our predecessors."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze lingered on a certain passage. "I once discussed Genjutsu techniques with Li-kun, and he gave me a wealth of inspiration."
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pictured the Uchiha boy on the training ground, facing everything with a smile.
The bonds among this younger generation might just be the breakthrough needed to shatter the barrier between the Uchiha clan and the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe, wrote down his comments, and awarded a good score.
The next test paper belonged to Uchiha Shisui.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned serious.
He had always maintained a high level of attention toward this genius shinobi of the Uchiha clan.
He had once dispatched Anbu operatives to monitor Uchiha Shisui, watching to see if hawk faction members led by Uchiha Setsuna were trying to recruit him.
Reassuringly, Uchiha Shisui had explicitly voiced opposition to their radical ideas, arguing that the issues between the Uchiha and Konoha should be resolved through gentler means.
His perspective was reflected in his test paper as well. Even though he cleverly avoided using the words "Konoha" and "Uchiha," Sarutobi Hiruzen could read a great deal between the lines.
Shisui intended to become Konoha's top genius and use that status as a bridge to ease the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha.
Additionally, Uchiha Shisui had mentioned Uchiha Reki.
"A true powerhouse should serve as a bridge of communication," Shisui wrote in his essay.
Upon seeing the mention of "a certain classmate proficient in Wood Release," Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingers tightened fiercely around the paper.
"He said Senju Hashirama could have completely annihilated the Uchiha, yet he chose to trust Lord Madara. Should we also trust..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gently tapped his desk.
Though young in years, Uchiha Shisui displayed a wisdom far surpassing ordinary people.
Between every line, his anxiety over the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was fully apparent.
To want to shoulder such a heavy burden at such a tender age.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled—what a precocious boy.
At the very end, Uchiha Shisui once again brought up his application for early graduation.
"The village is in need of talent right now, Respected Lord Hokage; please grant my application for early graduation."
With a complex look on his face, Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberated for a moment before writing down his remarks:
"Early graduation has nothing to do with today's topic, Shisui. You went off-topic, pay attention next time."
The moment the third test paper was unfolded, Sarutobi Hiruzen's temples began to throb.
The sweeping, cursive characters for "Sarutobi Asuma" practically pierced right through the paper, and the final downward stroke of the character "Asuma" dragged all the way onto the next page.
Forcing himself to read on, the very first sentence nearly drove Sarutobi Hiruzen into a frenzy.
"The old man has the Will of Fire constantly on his lips, but in reality, it's just brainwashing propaganda!"
His pipe slammed down onto the desk with a sharp smack, and the splashing ink stained the sleeve of his Hokage robe.
Throughout the test, Asuma went all out, launching a full-scale assault on Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Will of Fire.
He declared that Sarutobi Hiruzen was nothing more than an old fogey who didn't know the first thing about the Will of Fire.
He just kept repeating the same old platitudes without an ounce of substance.
The Will of Fire had already been perfectly summarized by the First Lord; all the old man did was make unnecessary trouble.
Instead of wasting time on that, he should figure out how to beat those increasingly arrogant neighboring villages.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned red with fury and instantly slapped a zero on Asuma's paper.
"You little brat, throughout the entire village of Konoha, there isn't a second person who would dare chew me out like this."
Yet Asuma's absurd antics didn't stop there.
Reading further down, Asuma also brought up Uchiha Reki.
However, unlike Kurenai and Shisui, Asuma claimed that Uchiha Reki was inherently evil and had attacked him using some bizarre, unknown Ninjutsu...
Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer bear to look. He tore Asuma's test paper straight into shreds.
Wood Release is a bizarre Ninjutsu?
The audacity!
I see you really think you've lived long enough, you little brat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned an Anbu operative. "Keep an eye on Asuma. He is not allowed to go anywhere."
"Understood, Lord Hokage."
Beneath his mask, the Anbu operative wore a complex expression. Could this Hokage's son ever give the Lord Hokage a moment of peace?
Suppressing the anger in his chest, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued grading the papers.
After reading for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally reached Uchiha Reki's test paper.
"Wherever the leaves dance, fire is ever burning."
Sarutobi Hiruzen unconsciously read the words aloud.
"Years ago, the back of the Second Hokage vanished upon the battlefield..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingers trembled slightly, and a spark from his pipe dropped onto the phrase "the leaves burn themselves to light the new buds," scorching a black mark into the page.
"This kid..."
Back then, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—who was also Sarutobi Hiruzen's mentor—had given his life to protect the future generation of Konoha.
This remained a lifelong regret that Sarutobi Hiruzen could never forget.
He carefully picked up the test paper, finding it hard to believe that such a text had been written by a brat at the Ninja Academy.
Especially since this brat happened to bear the surname Uchiha...
Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that hardly anyone else in the entire village could write such an answer at this age, not even he himself could have managed it.
It couldn't be helped.
The answer submitted by Uchiha Reki combined the essence of both the Second and Third Hokage; one could even call it the Fire of Fire.
Gently putting down the test paper, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, looked out the window at the Hokage Monument, and muttered to himself.
"Lord Tobirama, I never expected that the child who inherited your Will of Fire would actually be named Uchiha."
Even though the Uchiha possessed a portion of the Senju clan's bloodline, most people invariably overlooked that fact.
Whenever Uchiha Reki was mentioned, people only ever talked about the child who looked identical to Uchiha Madara.
"Uchiha Reki is truly a good kid."
"Within the current Uchiha clan, the radical faction led by Setsuna is showing signs of a comeback."
"Descendants like Uchiha Reki who can use Wood Release are bound to be targets they try to recruit."
"I need to find a way to win Uchiha Reki over."
A faint intuition told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Uchiha Reki was the key to resolving the crisis of the Uchiha clan.
His brow furrowed slightly as he considered whether to find time to meet with Uchiha Reki face-to-face.
"Achoo."
Uchiha Reki sneezed. Who was targeting him this time?
Standing beside him, Kurenai Yuhi asked with concern, "Reki-kun, are you alright?"
"It's nothing, probably just catching a cold."
With that, Uchiha Reki glanced up at the time.
"I should be heading back."
"Alright, Reki-kun. Thank you for your guidance."
"Don't mention it. See you tomorrow."
After seeing Uchiha Reki off, Kurenai Yuhi fell silent.
Originally, she had hoped to teach Uchiha Reki some basics of Genjutsu, but she soon realized she had completely miscalculated.
The Uchiha clan possessed natural cheats; there simply was no competing with them.