"I heard you rejected your sensei's offer to graduate earlier," Hiruzen spoke slowly.
Hikaru could feel the tension in his presence, as well as the weight of the question about his earlier decision. He organized his thoughts carefully before answering.
"I have only been training for a year; I barely have any fighting experience," Hikaru began slowly narrating his story. "I haven't learned much from the academy yet; there are many lessons that I still want to learn."
"My chakra is only half as high as those of a Genin rank."
Hiruzen abruptly interrupted, "Oh, so you have also learned sensing techniques from your Otou-san (father)?"
Hikaru suddenly realized his mistake, thinking, 'Crap! My mouth slipped away.'
When he noticed the boy's worried expression, Hiruzen chuckled lightly, blowing out smoke from his pipe. "I was originally thinking of giving you another year in the academy out of respect for your goryōshin (parents) sacrifice for the village."
Hikaru immediately shook and began to sweat profusely at the Third Hokage's first sentence. He felt a sense of uneasiness blooming inside his heart.
"But after seeing what you did at the competition, I don't think the academy could offer much more for your talent." Hiruzen paused, allowing his words to sink into the boy's mind before continuing. "Therefore, you will be assigned under a Jōnin sensei to train you during your Genin rank and ensure you're prepared for missions."
Turning back to face the boy and fixing his gaze tensely, Hiruzen said, "Remember, a Shinobi should not be afraid of death but should thrive with courage."
"What we are doing is not just a duty but an honor to serve its people and give them hope." Hiruzen then placed both his hands behind his back, concluding, "As long as the Will of Fire remains, the village and the people you love will continue to live on."
His final statement was akin to a rivet continuously struck down by a hammer, signaling his intention.
The old man then slowly walked out the door, while Koji-sensei opened it and bent down to show his respect.
Hiruzen paused for a bit, turned back to Koji-sensei, and said, "Your request is denied; he will no longer be moved to the upper class." He contemplated a little before adding, "Let the boy from Inuzuka move instead."
After that, the Third Hokage gradually disappeared.
Hikaru suddenly felt weak, as if all the power had left his body. Not only had the old man left the room, but his soul seemed to drift away at the same time. The Third Hokage didn't even give him a chance to express how he felt about it at all.
It was a one-way communication; it was an order.
Hikaru couldn't feel more worried than ever before.
...
Two days earlier
The report on the assessment of the promising children from the academy early graduation competition lay on the table underground.
Skimming through the intel, Shimura Danzō raised his head, looking at his subordinate, and asked, "This is all the information we have on the kids?"
"Report! Danzō-sama; this is the report from yesterday's competition that you requested," one of the three Root members, wearing a mask, reported.
Danzō nodded slightly and said, "Check if all the kids on the list could be useful for us."
"If necessary," Danzō looked closely at the report and slowly said, "Make sure you keep it quiet," then threw the report to one of his subordinates from the Aburame clan.
He was one of the students who infiltrated the academy to assess potential recruits, along with the other member of the Root organization, known by the code name Sugaru.
He immediately picked up the report and noticed that the first name on the list of promising talents was shown as
Muranaka Hikaru
...
Four days later, after Hiruzen visit,
It took another four days for Hikaru to fully heal from his injuries.
Examining his body, Hikaru felt like a new person. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in his body right now.
Medical ninjutsu is indeed amazing.
The impact of chakra exhaustion was truly terrifying; it took him a total of seven days to heal all his injuries from the moment he passed out.
In the past four days since he woke up, Kajiwara Ryōta would always drop by, visit him, and express his apologies for putting him through so much trouble to defeat the Uchiha boy.
He also congratulated him on his early graduation. Ryōta was a bit jealous, but Hikaru could feel his sincerity, so he accepted his apology with a bitter smile.
Graduating from the academy earlier was totally unexpected.
This surprise ruined his training plan, necessitating revisions for the future. He even felt guilty for pushing the idea of postponing the graduation date to later for his friend, but fate took him down a different path.
A path that his friend wanted, but he kept denying.
Hikaru was panicked, frustrated, and stressed for two days before finally accepting the fact that he could not change anything because it was the Third Hokage himself who gave the order.
Every Shinobi must follow orders; this has always been the rule for a ninja. Denying the order would be the same as denying his identity as a Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves) ninja.
Ryōta also shared the news of training with Taketa Kenta, a new friend he made at the academy from the same class for the summer. Hikaru expressed his willingness to train together, but Ryōta declined, saying he didn't want to drag him down, as training Kenta would likely take a long time.
It would be the same as when Hikaru initially trains Ryōta from the beginning.
Hikaru could train much faster on his own, and Ryōta didn't want to hold him back, especially knowing he had already graduated from the academy. Ryōta accepted the result that he wouldn't be able to graduate anytime soon but still kept his promise that he would never give up trying again if there was a chance.
On his final day at the hospital, Takayama Koji-sensei came to visit him in the morning and informed him that the arrangements were complete. He handed Hikaru a leaf forehead protector and congratulated him with a smile.
Hikaru, holding the leaf forehead protector in his hand, felt its heaviness—not because of the weight itself, but because of the responsibility that came with it.
Hikaru sighed with a bitter smile and said, "Thanks, Koji-sensei."
"Of course, you're my student," Koji-sensei said happily, gazing at his most proud pupil. "Oh, and you've been given permission to rest for a month before reporting to your new sensei."
"Koji-sensei, do you know who will be my sensei for the Genin rank?" Hikaru asked curiously.
Koji-sensei shook his head and said, "No one knows but Sandaime Hokage himself."
"He is the one that usually assigns students from the academy to a squad."
Hikaru could only nod and accept the news, wondering if he would get a competent instructor.
Before parting ways, Hikaru mustered his courage and asked, "Koji-sensei."
"Yes?" Koji-sensei looked at him and raised an eyebrow, evoking a sense of déjà vu.
"Can you teach me a technique?" Hikaru asked hopefully. "As a gift for congratulating me on my early graduation?"
Koji-sensei sighed, crossing his arms and thinking for a moment before saying, "I can teach you rank D skills at best; what do you want to learn?"
Hikaru smiled happily at his agreement, lifted a finger indicating a number, and spoke.
"I want to learn..."
...
"You've already graduated early?" Ayako asked, confused by the news she had just heard. After Hikaru received permission to leave the hospital, having completely recovered from his injuries, they were on their way back home.
Hikaru massaged his head, held up the leaf forehead protector, and said, "This is the evidence I recently received from sensei." After a brief pause, he continued, "It was officially confirmed when Koji sensei visited this morning."
Ayako was rendered speechless as she complained that Hikaru had just told her this news. When Ayako saw the leaf forehead protector, she couldn't help but think of their parents. They used to wear this piece of equipment over their heads before going on missions.
In less than a year, her brother had already become a shinobi, following in their parents' footsteps. This news was undoubtedly overwhelming for her, and her brother had only learned about it four days before sharing it with her.
Ayako's tears began to shimmer in her eyes, and she tightly hugged Hikaru, worried for him.
Hikaru could only comfort his sister; he too was shocked when he heard the order. After considering the situation for the entire week, he concluded that he could not simply apply his previous world's logic to justify the actions of the people here.
Different worlds, customs, and traditions made everything different.
In the previous world, people considered him a normal teenager at his age, but here, they considered him grown enough to perform duties in war if necessary. Only then did he begin to accept reality.
After Ayako felt a bit calmer, she decided, "Let's go visit Otou-san (father) and Okaa-san (mother)."
"Let's tell them about your progress; they should be proud of you."
Hikaru nodded at her suggestion and followed her to the memorial stone. When they arrived, the place was empty, with no one around.
Ayako approached the memorial stone, showed respect, and prayed for her brother's safety. Hikaru could only follow behind and do the same.
The silence was overwhelming for both siblings at the memorial stone as the wind blew through, carrying a heatwave toward them.
Even though the weather was hot and not to their liking, they stayed there for almost half an hour before leaving the area.
On the way back, Ayako decided to prepare another feast for her brother's graduation in the afternoon. But Hikaru disapproved, reasoning, 'After all the tension we encountered this week, both of us deserved some delicious foods.' He then led her to a restaurant he had always wanted her to try.
"Ramen Ichiraku?" asked Ayako, staring at her brother after arriving at the famous place.
Hikaru nodded and said, "I think having ramen for lunch will be a nice change; don't you think?"
Ayako snorted at her brother and pouted, "This better be good or you'll regret suggesting it!"
Looking at his sister walking in, Hikaru couldn't help but smile while shaking his head. Looking over the restaurant, he could easily spot the Hokage Rock landmark.
His eye gazed at the Third Hokage rock face for a moment, and then quietly said,
"I guess whatever happens, happens."
...
End of Academy Arc