"You want to enter the Ninja Academy?"
Senju Hashirama looked at Hatake Sora in surprise, his expression turning a little strange.
"I want to become a qualified ninja!"
Hatake Sora met Hashirama's gaze head-on. In those small eyes burned an unwavering resolve and a fearless determination.
Sensing the sincerity behind those words, Hashirama's expression grew even more complicated. He couldn't help but wonder to himself—did this little fellow truly understand what he was choosing?
"You should think carefully," Hashirama said with a chuckle. "The headmaster of the Ninja Academy is Tobirama, you know…"
Mentioning his rigid younger brother made Hashirama laugh even harder.
"You just taught little Tsunade how to gamble. If you enter his school, I'm afraid you won't have an easy time."
Hashirama made no attempt to give Senju Tobirama any face at all, plainly implying that Tobirama would definitely make things difficult for Hatake Sora.
In truth, the First Hokage had always been this kind of man—innocent, warm-hearted, and broad-minded to a fault.
"I know that," Hatake Sora replied calmly. "But I still have to enter the Ninja Academy."
If he picked up the brick, he couldn't hold you.If he put the brick down, he couldn't feed you.
So Hatake Sora chose a third path—Let you hold the brick, while I hold you.
A clanless, ordinary ninja who didn't attend the Ninja Academy would spend his entire life as nothing more than cannon fodder.
Seeing Hatake Sora's firm resolve, Hashirama finally nodded.
Although most of the Academy's students were children from major clans, once Hashirama spoke, Hatake Sora's enrollment was essentially settled.
"I'll arrange it for you," Hashirama said. "On September tenth, just go straight to the Academy and register."
Hatake Sora couldn't help twitching his lips.
Even after escaping into the Naruto world… he still couldn't escape the nightmare date of September tenth?
With his goal achieved, Hatake Sora naturally took his leave. The First Hokage didn't ask him to stay for a meal—after all, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.
"I stayed out so long today… Uncle Guy is probably worried."
Hatake Sora shook his head with a smile. In his previous life, he'd had no family. He never expected that after coming here, he'd get to experience the feeling of being worried about by someone else.
But when he pushed open the worn, creaking door, Might Guy simply nodded as usual, then lowered his head and continued processing herbs.
"Mm…"
Hatake Sora nodded absentmindedly. After a moment, he couldn't help asking,
"Don't you want to ask what I went out to do?"
Without pausing his hands, Might Guy replied calmly,
"I knew from the beginning that you weren't like ordinary children. You probably have things you need to do, right?"
So… he'd known all along?
Thinking about it, that made sense. Might Guy was simple-minded, but he wasn't stupid. After all these days, he was bound to notice something. He just hadn't said anything.
In his eyes, if Hatake Sora didn't want to talk about his secrets, then they weren't something he should pry into.
"You really are something else…"
Hatake Sora felt a surge of emotion. At that moment, he finally understood why so many people loved the straightforward, honest Might Guy.
"I want to train in taijutsu."
Hatake Sora handed over the entire one hundred thousand ryō he had won from Tsunade.
The moment he took the money, Might Guy's expression became more serious than ever. He stared straight at Hatake Sora.
"Are you sure you want to train taijutsu with me? It's exhausting."
Exhausting was putting it mildly—It was downright inhuman training.
But—
"I'm sure."
Hatake Sora nodded decisively.
"No matter how hard it is, I'll stick with it."
One large pair of eyes and one small pair met in midair, their gazes colliding fiercely.
After a long moment…
As if sensing something, Might Guy suddenly grabbed the money and barked out an order:
"I'm going to buy herbs! While I'm gone, do five hundred push-ups!"
The moment he finished speaking, Might Guy bounded away—hopping off in exaggerated frog jumps.
Watching him go, Hatake Sora understood something clearly.
The taijutsu training unique to the Might family had officially begun.