As his training intensity rose, his body would take damage. Hospital visits would bleed money.
He did not want to stand out too much, but he refused to be average. That was Hiko's aim.
If he wanted attention, he could skip the application and stroll around with the Sharingan turned on.
Finding the balance was not easy. Early graduation would draw eyes, but it could also bring unexpected benefits.
"Why?"
The teacher's smile froze. Hiko had changed and begun to work hard. That made him happy. But a child just starting to flap his wings, already wanting to fly, was asking to fall.
"Because I am out of money. Only after graduation can I take missions and get paid."
"Ah?!"
The teacher was stunned. He had not expected a five-year-old to use him as leverage. He grew serious and shook his head.
"No. I do not agree. You are five. You cannot apply for early graduation."
He refused on the spot, leaving no room.
Hiko shrugged and fell silent. Yes, he was using the teacher a little. In his heart he apologized.
It was a nudge, not a trap. He would never burn a teacher who treated him fairly.
To show determination, the teacher stood at once and left before Hiko could argue. He did not know Hiko had nothing more to say.
I cannot drag my feet. After class I will go to the Hokage's office myself.
In the teacher's mind, if Hiko kept working, he would grow into a fine shinobi.
Early graduation, though, would do him no favors. The man did not want to see potential ruined.
Annoyingly, a teacher could object but not block the process. Any application went to the Hokage's office. Approval or denial rested with the Third Hokage.
If the Hokage refused, the form came back. If he agreed, they stamped it and scheduled a test.
AHHH!
Jiraiya's cry drew every eye. Hiko lay on the grass with a stem between his teeth and smiled. He had seen this coming. Jiraiya was on his knees.
He only hoped Tsunade would remember the teacher and go easy. Against Tsunade, he never fought back. He was the class caboose, lagging behind Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Being weaker and giving up resistance were not the same, but both applied to him today.
Jiraiya clutched his head and ran. Tsunade, hair flying, chased him in fury. Maybe his love for her had been building grain by grain since childhood.
At first he probably did not know. By the time he did, it was too late.
One-sided feelings were common. Endings were rare.
But that was the old story. With Hiko here, would the path still match the original?
Probably not.
"Hokage-sama!"
After class, the teacher went straight to the Hokage's office. Academy instructors had the right to report directly.
Aside from the academy head, no one else could meddle with the school.
The academy was a pillar of the Hokage's authority. Touching it meant challenging him.
The school forged Konoha's future. If outsiders meddled, how would it keep producing strength for the village?
"Hm."
The Third was younger than people later remembered, but the pipe already sat easy in his teeth. He had picked up smoking after taking the post in wartime. Pressure needed an outlet, and tobacco was the common choice.
He nodded, set the pipe down, and asked, "Why are you here today?"
The teacher knelt.
"Hokage-sama, there is a very special student in my class. I request that he be added to the priority watch list."
Each intake had only a few such names. Orochimaru. Tsunade. Jiraiya. The watching stayed quiet until graduation, when the benefit took shape.
A strong teacher meant better missions and more doors. Ordinary students were on their own.
Look at Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya. The Third Hokage himself would teach them. What special jounin or jounin could compare?
The Third would not accompany them like a regular instructor, but if you could choose, ninety-nine of a hundred would pick him.
"Oh? Who is it?"
The Hokage watched the academy closely. Whenever a good seedling appeared, he nurtured it. Those people would be the beams that held Konoha in years to come, carrying the Will of Fire onward.
"It is Uchiha Hiko," the teacher said.
"Uchiha Hiko?" The Third blinked. He had not expected that name.
Hiko had been ordinary enough to vanish in a crowd. Then he changed and stepped into view. Even with his link to Uchiha Kagami, he had not yet seemed worth prioritizing.
He had not expected a teacher to walk in and ask that Hiko be watched at the top level.
The man's eyes were serious. No one joked about this in the Hokage's office. Instructors could ask, but permission was the Hokage's alone.
"Why?" the Third asked.
"Does the child truly stand out?"
If he truly did, the Third would support him, both for the village's sake and out of regard for Kagami's line.
Resources were not infinite. To pour them into the wrong person would be wasteful. Priority students had to warrant it.
Sometimes a year produced several. Sometimes several years produced none.
The last was Hatake Sakumo, the future White Fang. Later came Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. After that, Namikaze Minato...
It looked fair on the surface. It was not. Fairness was a word for show.
"I believe in him," the teacher said without hesitation. "His future will not be beneath Orochimaru, Tsunade, or Jiraiya."
It was a bold judgment, setting Hiko beside the academy's brightest. Families knew the Hokage favored certain students, but beyond instructors and the Third, few saw the details.
To most, Orochimaru and the Senju princess topped the list. Jiraiya seemed like an outlier, yet he kept catching up.
"Mmm..."
The Hokage said nothing. He lit the pipe. Smoke filled the office.
After a long pause he spoke.
"Understood. See to your students. If this child applies for early graduation, I will not approve it. I will handle other matters."
"Yes."
No clear promise. The teacher left, a little disappointed.
Uchiha Hiko, I can only help you this far. The rest is your effort, and the Hokage's decision.
No one swayed the Third's judgment. Once he had been young, his authority shaken by Senju and Uchiha bickering. After the war, the doubts died.
Even if both clans shouted now, they would not budge him.
"Uchiha Hiko..."
He opened Hiko's file again. Pipe smoke rolled until the office felt like a small clouded realm.