A few days later, early in the morning, the entire grade was gathered on the training field.
A simple platform had been set up at the front, and several teachers stood nearby, looking even more serious than usual.
Standing in line, Shin-chan rose up on tiptoe to peek ahead. "Toru, what's today?"
"Teacher Ibuki mentioned it before. The Third Hokage is coming," Uchiha Toru reminded him.
"The Hokage..." Shin-chan muttered under his breath. "I wonder if he can do something about bell peppers."
Kids around them had started whispering too.
"Is the Third Hokage really coming?"
"I heard the top three get a reward, and the Hokage himself is coming to hand it out."
"The top three? Then Kakashi's definitely one of them."
"Uchiha Toru too."
"And who was the last one again?"
"I think it's that kid in red from Class A."
Shin-chan's ears twitched.
A reward?
Would getting rid of bell peppers count as a reward?
The front of the line suddenly fell silent.
Shin-chan looked up and saw a man in a white Hokage robe and red hat step onto the platform.
He wasn't tall. A little on the short side, actually. Some of his beard had already turned white.
He looked very approachable.
But not a single person below dared make a sound.
The Third Hokage stood in the center of the platform, looked over the children below, and smiled.
"Sit down, everyone."
The children all dropped to the ground in a rustle.
The Third Hokage cleared his throat and began speaking.
He talked about the Will of Fire.
He talked about how wherever the leaves danced, the fire would keep burning.
He talked about how the shadow of the fire would illuminate the village, and new leaves would sprout again.
The longer Shin-chan listened, the heavier his eyelids got.
He secretly glanced at Uchiha Toru beside him.
Toru was sitting ramrod straight, eyes fixed on the stage, looking impossibly serious.
Then Shin-chan glanced the other way at Guy.
Guy's eyes were already red, his lips trembling as if he might yell "Youth!" at any second.
Shin-chan: "..."
Was it really that serious?
He yawned and kept listening.
Not that he really understood any of it anyway.
The Third Hokage talked for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping.
A wave of applause broke out below.
Shin-chan clapped too. He hadn't understood much, but everyone else was clapping, so he clapped too.
Once the applause died down, the Third Hokage smiled again.
"Alright, now, would the top three from this exam please come up."
A stir ran through the group.
"Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi got up and walked forward.
"Uchiha Toru."
Uchiha Toru stood up and followed.
"Nohara Shinnosuke."
Shin-chan froze for a second, then Guy shoved him from the side.
"Shin-chan, that's you!"
Only then did Shin-chan react. He hurried to his feet, ran a few steps, and caught up with Kakashi and Uchiha Toru.
The three children stood in front of the platform, facing the Third Hokage.
Countless eyes were fixed on them from below.
Envious eyes, resentful eyes, curious eyes, admiring eyes—there was every kind.
Obito was crouched in the crowd, staring at Kakashi without blinking.
Rin sat beside him, also looking at the stage, and said softly, "Kakashi and the others are amazing."
Obito pressed his lips together and said nothing, but he didn't look away either.
The Third Hokage looked at the three children in front of him and smiled.
He looked at Kakashi first.
"Hatake Kakashi. Sakumo's son."
Kakashi nodded.
The Third Hokage smiled. "Your father is an outstanding ninja, and you are excellent as well."
Then he turned to Uchiha Toru.
"A child of the Uchiha clan. Being able to use Fire Style at your age is impressive."
Uchiha Toru bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Lord Third."
Finally, he looked at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was staring up at him, blinking.
The Third Hokage paused.
This child...
He remembered the reports the teachers had submitted earlier.
"Nohara Shinnosuke. Civilian background, no clan support, no prior training before enrollment."
"But astonishing talent, with a rate of improvement far beyond his peers."
"Exceptionally fast reactions in actual combat, with sharp instincts."
"And during the match, he took Uchiha Toru's Fire Style head-on in order to protect the students behind him."
The Third Hokage looked at the little red figure in front of him and smiled.
"Nohara Shinnosuke?"
Shin-chan nodded and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hi, Grandpa Third."
The Third Hokage froze for a second.
Grandpa?
Asuma, down in the crowd, froze too. Did that mean he had just gotten bumped up a generation?
Teacher Ibuki quickly coughed from the side and frantically signaled Shin-chan with his eyes.
But the Third Hokage wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled. "A good child capable of inheriting the Will of Fire."
Then he stepped forward and stopped in front of the three of them.
"You three—do you have any dreams?"
He looked at Kakashi first.
Kakashi was silent for two seconds. "To become an excellent ninja."
The Third Hokage nodded, said nothing, and turned to Uchiha Toru.
Uchiha Toru hesitated for a few seconds, remembering what his mother had told him.
"I want the name of my clan to be respected by everyone."
The Third Hokage nodded again.
Finally, he looked at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan tilted his head. His reward was supposed to be getting rid of bell peppers, so as for his dream...
The Third Hokage waited.
Everyone below waited too.
Then Shin-chan's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I want to eat food cooked by Kakashi every day."
The whole field went silent for one second.
Then someone couldn't help laughing.
The Third Hokage froze too—then burst out laughing.
His laughter echoed across the training field, startling several of the teachers nearby.
"Interesting. Very interesting." The Third Hokage laughed so hard his beard shook. "That is a very good dream. Very good."
Shin-chan blinked, not understanding why it was so funny.
"Grandpa Third, can my dream come true?"
Still smiling, the Third Hokage shook his head, then pointed at Kakashi. "That's something you'll have to ask him, not me."
Shin-chan turned to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't look back at him.
But he didn't say no, either.
Once the Third Hokage had laughed enough, he cleared his throat.
"Alright. Next, I'll give the three of you some personal guidance."
A fresh stir rippled through the crowd.
They had already known the Third Hokage would guide them personally.
But this treatment was way too good, wasn't it?
Obito sat in the crowd with his eyes wide.
The Third Hokage was going to personally guide Kakashi?
Beside him, Rin asked softly, "Obito, how long do you think Kakashi can last?"
Obito froze. "Huh?"
"I mean, if he spars with the Third Hokage, how long do you think Kakashi can hold out?"
Obito opened his mouth as if to answer, but in the end just muttered, "I don't know."
But his eyes never left the stage.
The Third Hokage led the three children to the open space in the center of the field.
The other children were told to move back and clear the middle.
"One at a time," the Third Hokage said. "Who wants to go first?"
Kakashi stepped forward.
The Third Hokage nodded.
"Alright."
He took off his Hokage robe, revealing the ninja outfit underneath, and rolled his wrists.
"Come. Attack me with everything you've got."
Kakashi drew his wooden sword and bowed slightly.
~~~
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