Ninja Academy, the second day of graduation results.
Gai didn't come to school at all today. He already knew beforehand that he would be added to the squad led by his father, Maito Dai.
Over the past two hours, students had been picked up one by one. By now, most of the seats in the classroom were empty.
The Third Shinobi World War had entered its mid-game. Konoha had finally managed to expel the various enemy forces that had intruded into the Land of Fire, and while stabilizing the front lines, they were beginning to attempt a counter-offensive.
Although there were signs of improvement, Konoha's situation was still far from optimistic. To win the war, they had to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, which required offense rather than mere defense. The reality was that even under a defensive strategy, Konoha's manpower was scarce; shifting to an offensive stance would squeeze their military strength to the absolute limit.
Therefore, these fresh graduates were being rushed to the front—likely without even a moment to adjust.
Fortunately, because this was a time of war, the curriculum at the Academy was far more targeted and practical than it would be in Naruto's future era of peace. Basic chakra control methods like tree-climbing and water-walking were part of the foundational courses.
Of course, even so, these newcomers wouldn't truly change the tide of war. While their deployment could close the gap in raw numbers, they added little in terms of actual combat power for the time being. What Konoha was doing was a cruel process of "separating the wheat from the chaff": mediocre students would quickly be eliminated by the war, while the remaining geniuses would rapidly rise to prominence.
Hagoromo felt neither resistance nor enthusiasm regarding the front lines. This second life was a free gift, and for now, his plan was simply to go with the flow.
As a ninja, if he went to the battlefield, he would be absolute cannon fodder. Fortunately, he had other abilities to rely on.
This was also one of the reasons Hagoromo had few friends. Aside from a few fangirls and "idiots" like Gai and Obito, most people found Hagoromo mysterious and difficult to trust...
As groups of students left the classroom with their assigned teachers, Hagoromo's gaze occasionally drifted toward the door. He was curious about who his Jonin leader would be. If possible, he hoped for someone high-level so he could learn more ninjutsu. In a sense, the level of a team leader decided the future achievements of their students; students of the same caliber could have vastly different futures under different teachers.
Then, he saw a handsome ninja with blond hair and a gentle smile walk into the classroom, followed by a cocky little ninja with silver hair and a mask.
Yes, it was the famous Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. He was already a major figure in Konoha.
As for the one beside him, it was naturally Hatake Kakashi.
Hagoromo's gaze first swept over Kakashi. Indeed, the current Kakashi, carrying the title of the White Fang's son, was incredibly arrogant and held himself in very high regard despite his young age.
Hagoromo curled his lip slightly. Who do you think you are, Saiki Kusuo? Or Kakarot? You're just Hatake Kakashi.
Alright, Hagoromo's attitude did contain a hint of jealousy.
Geniuses like Kakashi, who graduated early, were rare exceptions. Most people, like Hagoromo, spent three years in the Academy. Of course, if Hagoromo had wanted to, he could have graduated early too; he had simply chosen to linger.
Kakashi did have the capital to be proud—not because of his father's name, but because of his own strength. At this point, Kakashi had graduated at five, became a Chunin at six, and now at age nine, he already possessed strength comparable to a Special Jonin.
Hagoromo's gaze then shifted to Minato Namikaze—the future Fourth Hokage. To be honest, Orochimaru losing the position to Minato wasn't an injustice. While Orochimaru was powerful, he was cold and dark. Minato was the perfect candidate for Hokage: commoner origins, exquisite ninjutsu, clear thinking, and a personality both resilient and gentle. He was the perfect embodiment of the "Will of Fire." The Third Hokage's choice wasn't wrong.
When Jiraiya said, "If compared to the Fourth, anyone would pale in comparison; he was the most talented ninja in history," he wasn't just bragging about his student. He was stating a fact, and it was the consensus of the entire village.
This was likely the biggest "big shot" Hagoromo had ever seen—excluding the Third Hokage, who frequently wandered the Academy like a friendly neighborhood grandpa, lacking a certain intimidating aura that led students to be somewhat informal with him.
Hagoromo would have loved to be Minato's student, but he knew it was impossible. Even with his limited knowledge of the plot, he knew who the members of Team Minato were.
What he didn't know was that he would soon be interacting with Minato Namikaze in a much more... unconventional way.
If Minato walked down the street, he'd get a 100% turn-rate. But in the Academy, while the students had heard the name of the Yellow Flash, they didn't actually know what he looked like. Thus, they didn't realize their idol had just entered the room.
Besides, there were fewer than ten people left in the classroom.
"Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin."
As expected, Minato called out the names of Obito and Rin immediately.
"Hey! You! Isn't that Kakashi? Why are you here?!" Obito saw a tuft of white hair appear before his eyes. After confirming it wasn't Hagoromo's, he immediately identified the owner and started shouting.
Unexpectedly, Obito didn't recognize Minato, but he recognized Hatake Kakashi, whom he hadn't seen in three years. This deep, etched-in-the-soul obsession... is this what they call "best friends for life"?
Upon hearing Kakashi's name, everyone remaining in the room focused their attention.
"Obito, Rin, you know Kakashi? We can talk more after we leave," Minato interrupted quickly, before Kakashi could say something to provoke the hot-headed Obito again.