Someone even whispered a suggestion: "Hey... should we change the 'Six Heroes of the Academy' to the 'Seven Heroes'? We should add Lord Senju Makoto."
This comment was like a stone thrown into a pond, immediately drawing a ripple of low-voiced agreement. Many students nodded along.
Hearing the word "Lord" attached to his name, Senju Makoto's smile deepened. Being low-key? Not a chance. He had no interest in playing the "pig eating the tiger" trope or the cliché of hiding his strength just to slap someone's face later. It was too tacky.
The sole disciple of the First Hokage—this status in the current Konoha carried immense weight. It was ridiculously high.
Although Senju Hashirama had children, they hadn't followed the path of the shinobi; instead, they had gone to the Land of Fire to marry into the Daimyo's family. It was common knowledge in Konoha that the succession of the Hokage followed two paths: master-student lineage or bloodline.
Right now, he was the "Crown Prince" of Konoha with a legitimate pedigree. Even his sweat was more precious than other people's blood.
Sarutobi Sasuke looked at Senju Makoto, who was lingering on the podium, and waved his hand helplessly. "Senju Makoto, go ahead and pick a seat."
Makoto's gaze swept the room. How convenient—there was an empty spot right between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
He raised an eyebrow and walked straight over, sitting down without a hint of politeness under their slightly startled gazes. In an instant, he shattered the subtle, brotherly atmosphere between the two.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo froze almost simultaneously, instinctively glancing at each other, seemingly hoping the other would say something first. In the end, both remained silent.
Once Makoto was settled, Sarutobi Sasuke cleared his throat and wrote four large characters on the blackboard: "The Will of Fire."
"For our first lesson today, we will discuss this," his voice turned solemn.
This was content that the Hokage's assistant, Senju Tobirama, had specifically come by to insist upon the night before, ensuring it was taught to Senju Makoto.
The students, including Hiruzen and Danzo, instinctively straightened their backs.
At this time, the Will of Fire had not yet been distorted by the future Sarutobi Hiruzen. Its core remained the conviction held by the First Hokage: "Protecting comrades, protecting Konoha, and the belief that old leaves must burn so that new leaves may grow." it was a light that truly illuminated the path for the younger generation.
Even in the original story, Senju Tobirama eventually sacrificed himself to light the way for his successors.
Sarutobi Sasuke taught with great sincerity. As Senju Makoto listened, his eyelids began to fight. One word described his state: exhausted.
Last night, he had been dragged into an all-night conversation by Senju Hashirama about Uchiha Madara. He had barely slept. Now, this low, serious lecturing voice was more effective than a lullaby.
He forced himself to glance at the two beside him. Shimura Danzo was listening with an excited expression, his eyes practically glowing. He gripped his pen tightly as if trying to carve every single word into his brain.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat ramrod straight, looking solemn and nodding occasionally with a "deeply inspired" look on his face.
Makoto really couldn't help himself. He leaned over and, in a voice only the two could hear, complained with forced familiarity:
"A-Zang—er, I mean Danzo, don't you think this stuff is... incredibly boring?"
Shimura Danzo turned his head immediately, his brow furrowed. He hissed back with an air of self-righteousness, "How could you! Teacher Sasuke is teaching exceptionally well! The Will of Fire is the foundation of our Konoha! I must study hard so I can give my all to protect the village in the future!"
He looked exactly like a fanatical "Will of Fire" loyalist.
"Danzo! No talking during class!" Sarutobi Hiruzen scolded in a low voice. But when he turned to look at Senju Makoto, his tone softened slightly. He didn't quite dare to raise his voice at the First Lord's disciple.
Danzo glanced at Hiruzen and snorted defiantly. "Hmph, Hiruzen, you weakling! You don't even have the courage to correct a classmate's mistake. How will you handle great responsibilities in the future? You'll regret it sooner or later!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen frowned and whispered, "Shut up! I'm the class president!"
"You—!"
Makoto watched the two bicker, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward. The seeds of their lifelong bond were clearly there even as children. They truly were childhood friends.
The sleepiness grew heavier, surging like a tide. Makoto finally gave up resisting, flopped onto the desk, and fell asleep instantly. He even let out a faint, rhythmic little snore.
Shimura Danzo glanced at him, his brow furrowing even deeper. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Hmph, Teacher Sasuke is working so hard to teach, and he's actually sleeping. How is he going to protect Konoha like that?"
His tone was full of "disappointment in a peer," as if Makoto had committed some unpardonable sin.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also saw the sleeping Makoto. He initially wanted to reach out and swat him awake, but he hesitated. Finally, he raised his hand.
"Father!"
At this, Sarutobi Sasuke immediately barked an angry reprimand. "Hiruzen, how many times have I told you? Use the official title during working hours!"
"...Yes, Lord Vice Principal!" Hiruzen quickly corrected himself, pointing at the person next to him. "He's sleeping in class!"
Sarutobi Sasuke was clutching a piece of chalk, and his first instinct was to throw it to wake the boy up—his usual trick for sleeping students. But halfway through the motion, his hand froze. This was the First Lord's only disciple.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the jumping vein on his temple, and called out in as peaceful a tone as possible: "Senju Makoto... Student Senju Makoto, wake up."
After two or three calls, Makoto finally lifted his head groppily, rubbing his eyes with a dazed expression. "Huh? Is school over?"
As he spoke, he started packing his things, looking ready to stand up and leave.
The vein on Sarutobi Sasuke's temple finally snapped. He gritted his teeth, forcing back his rage. "School is not over! Why were you sleeping in class!?"
"Do you think this is your house? You sleep whenever you want!"
Makoto snapped awake instantly. His eyes darted around, and he immediately adopted an expression of righteous indignation and concern for the nation. He sat up straight and said with total seriousness:
"Teacher, last night I had an all-night discussion with the First Hokage. We were deliberating the future development plans for the Land of Fire and Konoha, as well as some crucial matters regarding world peace. Because of that, I didn't rest well. Just now, I simply couldn't hold on any longer and accidentally drifted off."
"....."
The entire class went dead silent. The muscles in Sarutobi Sasuke's face twitched twice. The knuckles of the hand holding the chalk turned white. He couldn't help but roast him internally:
Do any of those words you just used have anything to do with the First Lord? Don't think I don't know—he's either slacking off or on his way to slack off every single day...
But no matter how angry he was, he couldn't publicly question the authority of the First Hokage. He could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a few words:
"Student Senju Makoto... has worked hard. Then... sleep a bit longer. Just... don't disturb the others..."