Graduating from the Ninja Academy did not automatically make someone a ninja.
They needed to pass evaluations from their supervising teachers regarding character and temperament. Only students who passed could become ninjas. Those who failed would be sent back to the academy for further training.
For example, trying to snatch the teacher's bell was considered a serious violation.
This evaluation only applied during peacetime. If a student graduated during wartime, they could become a ninja regardless.
War was all about attrition—even the consumption of cannon fodder.
Renya couldn't be bothered with such formalities. While other supervising teachers were testing their students, he was already preparing dinner for his.
After all, his three students weren't cannon-fodder weaklings—they were descendants of the Legendary Three Ninja.
For them, evaluations were just a waste of time, and Renya naturally wasn't idle.
He wondered if Salamander Hanzo had survived. If not, then Tsunade and the others might lose the title of [Legendary Three Ninja].
Hopefully, that guy was still alive—otherwise, the war would be meaningless.
He knew the war wouldn't disappear. Even if Salamander Hanzo didn't start one, other villages would.
In that case, it was better to have Hanzo around; at least he was somewhat familiar with things.
"I'm going to start eating."
At the table, Tsunade and the others kept picking up food and shoving it into their mouths. It had been a long time since they had eaten something delicious.
Even Orochimaru was noticeably faster at serving himself.
Although he had once sneakily learned cooking techniques, what he made could never match Renya's cooking.
The three of them enjoyed the meal immensely.
After dinner, Renya didn't let them leave. Instead, he led them to the riverbank.
"Renya-san, are you going to test us?" Tsunade asked curiously.
Graduation required passing a teacher's evaluation to become a ninja—this was common knowledge among academy students.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya braced themselves, waiting for Renya to announce the test.
"Renya-sensei, I will definitely pass your test!" Jiraiya clenched his fists, his expression serious.
He had always looked up to Renya. Now that he had become his disciple, he naturally wanted to give his all to pass the evaluation.
Orochimaru said nothing, but his serious expression spoke volumes.
He absolutely could not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Renya looked at the three of them seriously and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm not interested in this kind of formality."
"Renya-sensei, do you mean…" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.
"I'm not testing you. You are already my disciples," Renya said.
Upon hearing this, all three showed joy. They hadn't expected it to be so easy to become Renya's disciples.
"I called you here to teach you the importance of respecting your master," Renya said seriously. "A ninja will face countless choices in their life… no matter how strong you are, you must never harbor ill intentions toward your teacher!"
He worried that Orochimaru might follow the path of the original story and betray his teacher. He wanted to prevent any mishap in the future when his own mobility might be limited and he could fall victim to Orochimaru's treachery.
Now was the time to instill the concept of respecting one's teacher, to prevent a scenario like that of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
If Orochimaru actually killed him in the future, it would be catastrophic.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were stunned, not understanding why their teacher would say such a thing.
No matter what, they could never harbor ill intentions toward him.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, sensing there was a hidden meaning in Renya's words. Was he hinting at someone?
"The main point is this: never commit the crime of betraying your master. I don't expect you to support me in old age, as long as you don't entertain evil thoughts toward me, that's enough."
Renya was genuinely afraid that when he got old, Orochimaru would drag him off for human experiments.
After all, this guy had a criminal record!
"Don't worry, sensei!" Jiraiya spoke first. "I could never do such a terrible thing."
"Renya-san, you can rest assured," Tsunade said with a smile. "When you're old, I'll take care of you."
Renya: "..."
If he remembered correctly, in the future, Tsunade would not only lose all her money gambling, but also accumulate a huge debt.
If she really had to support him, he would probably end up scavenging through trash bins by the roadside.
Luckily, with the support of the pawnshop owner, he was fairly well off and didn't have to worry about old age.
The only real concern was whether Orochimaru would turn evil and betray him…
"No matter what happens in the future, sensei, what you worry about will never come to pass," Orochimaru said seriously.
For some reason, he felt Renya's words were aimed at him…
Hearing this, Renya nodded with relief. "Hearing that from you puts my mind at ease."
Hopefully, when Orochimaru destroys Konoha in the future, he'll remember what he said today.
Renya couldn't guarantee that Orochimaru wouldn't turn evil; such things were unpredictable.
After all, during Orochimaru's early pursuit of immortality, he certainly hadn't developed an elixir for eternal life, right?
"All right, you can head back for now," Renya said to the three. "Come here tomorrow morning. I'll lead you to receive your mission."
As a supervising teacher, he needed to take students on missions, which essentially meant ensuring their safety.
"Understood!" the three answered in unison.
"Renya-san, don't be late again," Tsunade couldn't help but complain. "We've been waiting all afternoon."
If their supervising teacher wasn't Renya, she would have already reported it to Grandpa.
"An unexpected situation arose today. It won't happen tomorrow," Renya said awkwardly.
He could never tell them that he had forgotten the students' graduation date.
At first, he thought it was tomorrow—but it turned out to be today…
Renya returned home and packed the prepared meal into a lunchbox, intending to deliver it to Senju Tobirama.
...
Laboratory.
"You didn't knock again!" Senju Tobirama hurriedly cleared the documents on his desk.
"What kind of jutsu are you developing that you won't even show me?" Renya asked, puzzled.
He didn't understand why Tobirama was so secretive about his jutsu development.
"You shouldn't pry into things that aren't yours to know," Tobirama said irritably. "Use your time to properly teach your disciples."
"Understood," Renya said with a hint of helplessness.
If you don't want to say, fine—but why lecture me about it?
"Leave the meal on the table, then you can go," Tobirama waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly.
Renya lingering would affect his jutsu development…
"Tomorrow I'll be taking Tsunade and the others on a mission. In the meantime, prepare some ration pills yourself."
After saying this, Renya turned and left, not bothering with the old man's feelings.
Tobirama: "..."
He watched Renya's departing back and sighed helplessly.