The reward had been so small that Tatsuma could almost guess the reason. First, Minato Namikaze had shared some of the credit. Second, the gap in skill between him and Hatake Sakumo was just too large—his so-called victory had relied on sheer luck.
Plus, Sakumo had deliberately declared Tatsuma the winner in advance, making the sparring match incomplete. All of this added up to why Tatsuma only received such a tiny reward after "defeating" Sakumo.
Even knowing the reasons, Tatsuma couldn't help feeling a bit frustrated. Sparring with Sakumo was far more thrilling—and dangerous—than facing Minato, who was practically a walking target.
If he hadn't known about the Thousand Years of Death technique ahead of time, he might have lost his… dignity. And before that, he'd taken a solid kick from Sakumo, which left his ribs still aching.
His emotions showed on his face, and Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the occasional expression of displeasure. He gave Sakumo a mildly reproachful glance.
Hiruzen didn't know how elaborate Tatsuma's inner thoughts were—he only saw the boy terrified by Sakumo's Taijutsu Secret Technique. Even Hiruzen himself, the Hokage, had felt phantom pain during Sakumo's demonstration. The real Tatsuma had gone through it firsthand.
With a twinge of guilt, Hiruzen looked at the two children and said:
"Tatsuma, Minato, both of you performed very well. In the future, you will surely become strong ninja capable of protecting the village."
Minato should have been thrilled at the praise, but the lingering terror of survival kept him frozen. He simply nodded, still dazed.
Seeing Minato still panicked, Hiruzen's guilt deepened. He said, "Today's training ends here. You're still very young, and such intense exercises are unsuitable for your age.
"How about this? I'll treat you to a barbecue. After that, Sakumo can take you to get some ninja tools."
"Hokage-sama, we…"
Tatsuma hesitated. Accepting such attention would draw the wrong kind of notice. With their current identities and skills, too much outside attention could only be a distraction.
Before he could speak, Hiruzen interrupted: "As an exchange, just promise not to reveal my subordinate's… crude taijutsu, okay?"
Hearing this, Tatsuma realized refusing would be impolite. He nodded and smiled. "Thank you for your generosity, Hokage-sama."
The honorific didn't make Tatsuma feel inferior. To him, it was no different than addressing a manager or supervisor in his previous life.
That night, after entering this world, Tatsuma enjoyed his first meal of meat until he was completely full. He returned to his small apartment with several large bags of brand-new ninja tools.
The tools were extremely expensive for him, but for an upper ninja like Sakumo, they were ordinary consumables. The set he gave was meant to fully equip the boys—not just basic kunai, shuriken, or senbon.
There were windmill shuriken, giant shuriken, caltrops, ninja swords, daggers, chainmail, ninja boots, gloves, and more. If Tatsuma and Minato hadn't intervened, there would have been even more unusual tools.
Even just examining the collection made Tatsuma's eyes widen. Some items surprised him—like the chainmail, which he had always imagined as some kind of fishing net from the manga he read in his previous life.
Back at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen looked at Sakumo. "What do you think of the two children?"
Sakumo, ready to change clothes, paused and considered. "They have Jiraiya's sunny disposition and Orochimaru's restraint. They work well together and trust each other—both are good children."
Hiruzen didn't take offense at Sakumo comparing them to his former students. By rank and experience, Sakumo was senior to both Jiraiya and Orochimaru, so it wasn't disrespectful.
Moreover, Sakumo's judgment matched Hiruzen's own. Hiruzen nodded. "The teacher for Class One is Gappu, right? Have him keep a closer eye on these two."
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama," Sakumo replied.
Hiruzen sighed. "The ninja world has barely recovered from the Great Ninja Wars. Friction is rising everywhere again. I wish we had more time to let you—and those other children—grow properly."
As a Hokage's bodyguard, Sakumo knew the state of the world too. His smile vanished, replaced by seriousness. "I'll go extinguish some of the sparks myself."
Hiruzen shook his head. "Some things can only be delayed. Not everything needs your personal attention. Danzo has run the Root for a while now; it's time to see how he's doing."
Just as he finished speaking, a deep voice rang from the office:
"Sarutobi! Are you questioning my ability?!"
"Danzo? You've waited until now?"
Seeing the old acquaintance, Hiruzen groaned inwardly. Danzo stepped forward, huffing: "Hmph! If I hadn't come, you'd sit there suppressing the Shimura clan?! Using two war orphans as an excuse—impressive, Sarutobi."
"That's enough, Danzo! I am the Hokage. Return to your Root. How I manage it is none of your business."
Hiruzen refused to argue, cutting the conversation short. Danzo twitched with anger, pointing at him before finally saying through gritted teeth:
"You'll regret this, Sarutobi!"
With that, Danzo stormed off. Hiruzen sank into his chair, rubbing his temples.
Sakumo, feeling slightly awkward, was about to leave when Hiruzen said:
"Sakumo, you should rest. I want some peace and quiet."
Sakumo nodded, bowing. "Yes, Third Hokage-sama."
The next morning, at seven o'clock, Tatsuma and Minato finished their morning training and arrived at the Ninja Academy. Today was even more lively than yesterday—there were more students, new arrivals, and rarely seen upper ninja and core clan members.
Seeing the freshmen holding their parents' hands, Minato felt a twinge of sadness. Tatsuma placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're envious, aren't you?"
Minato thought for a moment, then nodded honestly. "Yeah."
Seeing Minato's expression, Tatsuma, who had been about to joke, suddenly lost his nerve. Patting his shoulder, he said instead:
"The past can't be changed, but we can make the future a little kinder for orphans like us."
"Yeah. I'll make sure of it," Minato replied solemnly.
Nearby, three adult ninja huddled with three similarly young students, all watching the pair. One with a pineapple-shaped haircut said:
"So these are the two kids the Hokage personally visited yesterday? What remarkable dreams. Shikaku, and you, Taza, and Ichi, try to befriend them. But remember your limits and your attitude. You're students of the Ninja Academy and future Konoha ninja—never think you're above anyone else. Understand?"
The pineapple-headed child sighed. "Dad, you're so annoying… and making friends is such a hassle."
The father ruffled his child's hair. "Do a little now, save a lot later. Don't seek fleeting pleasure."
"I understand."