Chapter – 14 The Three Disciples of Hokage! (Patreon)

"Alright, everyone, listen up. Theory classes for today are over, and the next class is Practical Training. Before I take all of you to the Training Grounds for the Practical Training, there is an announcement, so please stay quiet and listen.” The loud and burly voice of Nishimura Akio, also known as Uncle Black Face, the homeroom teacher of the class, echoed throughout the classroom, prompting all the trainees to quiet down and listen to his words.

Noting that all the children had become quiet and attentive, and taken their respective seats, Nishimura nodded in satisfaction and continued, “As everyone may have already heard, the course for today’s Practical Training has been changed a little. Instead of our regular training and assessment, today there will be a special workshop and assessment conducted by the three disciples of Hokage-sama, who have returned to the village after performing a long mission."

“I believe that everyone will be on their best behavior and will not embarrass themselves in front of them. Keep in mind that any disrespectful behavior toward your senior officers will not go unpunished. Is everyone clear?”

“Yesssss, Nishimura-Sensei!” A unanimous voice of all the trainees in the class echoed in response to Nishimura-Sensei’s question.

“Very good,” nodded Nishimura Akio. “Now, everyone, please form a line, and let’s move to the training ground.”

“Hai~” In response to Nishimura Akio’s instruction, all the trainees picked up their respective Shinobi bags and tools, preparing to move to the Training Ground.

As the trainees of Nishimura Akio’s class left the classroom, they were surprised to find that the hallways were crowded. The reason for the crowded hallways is that not just one section, but all the sections of all six years in the Ninja Academy are going to be participating in the special workshop and assessment conducted by the disciples of Hokage-sama. Since the timings are the same, almost all the classes are making their way towards the training ground at the same time, hence the crowded hallways.

Seeing this, Nishimura-Sensei remarked, “Slow down and move in order. Do not crowd the hallways!” The children quickly followed Nishimura-Sensei’s instructions, attempting to clear the hallways as fast as possible.

Strangely enough, Nishimura Akio is neither a high-ranking Shinobi nor does he have any major accomplishments. However, as a teacher, he appears highly capable, given that almost all the children followed his instructions without voicing any objection!

…

Within the next few moments, all the children of the Ninja Academy assembled at the wide-open field they call the training grounds.

Observing hundreds of children lined up in files without making a sound, Tatsumi felt a wave of surprise. 'Scenes like these remind me that I am no longer in an ordinary world, and these children are all soldiers,' he thought with a melancholic expression as he moved towards the position his class had to stand.

Unaware of Tatsumi’s thoughts, Mikoto followed him closely and stood behind him, maintaining complete silence. Noting her quiet state and solemn expression, Tatsumi pondered, ‘It seems Mikoto-chan is also very concerned about the Practical Training conducted by the disciples of Hokage-sama.’

Tatsumi hadn’t given it much thought before, but now it seemed that the trio of pornographers, gamblers, and kidnappers were truly extremely popular in Konoha despite not being entitled as the Legendary Sannin yet.

And as Tatsumi contemplated, it indeed made sense. Despite their peculiar characters, hobbies, and fetishes, all three of them were exceptionally strong by normal standards, proving their might time and again. Moreover, being the disciples of Konoha’s Hokage, they undoubtedly commanded high respect from the people of Konoha, including the Uchiha Clansmen!

Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted Tatsumi's thoughts, “Alright, now that everyone is here… let’s commence the Special Workshop!” The speaker was none other than Jiraiya.

Given that only 26 years had passed since the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan collaborated to establish Konoha, the disciples of Hokage-sama were still young boys and girls in their mid-teens. In contrast to his appearance in canon, where he aged into an old man in his fifties, the present Jiraiya was an immature young man in his mid-teens with messy white hair. He seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

Wearing his Jonin vest, he stood on the makeshift stage, addressing all the trainees at the academy. Despite not using a megaphone, his voice resonated loud and clear, reaching every corner of the training ground due to the attentive silence of the trainees.

Jiraiya continued, “Let’s start with introducing myself first… I believe everyone here should know my identity… Konoha’s most outstanding shinobi, beloved by all the women on the continent… The brave, courageous, valiant, and the most handsome Jonin…” he declared with dramatic flair, “That’s right, brats, I am the one and only, Jiraiya-sama.”

Suddenly, a stunned silence enveloped the training ground.

Aho! Aho! Aho!

Okay, that was embarrassing, and even the appearance of the Aho-Crow signified that Jiraiya had made a fool of himself.

‘Pfft–’ Tatsumi stifled the urge to laugh. It wasn’t just Tatsumi; more than half of the crowd, including his two teammates, resisted the urge to burst into laughter.

Seeing that his attempt at humor didn't land as he hoped, and he had inadvertently embarrassed himself, Jiraiya blushed and cleared his throat to shift the topic. He proceeded to introduce his two companions, “Well, enough about me… now let me introduce you to my teammates, standing on my left is Tsunade-hime, a Jonin as excellent as me who is also very skilled in Iryō-Ninjutsu, and standing on my right is my subordinate Orochimaru. Although he is good, he still has a lot to learn to catch up to my charm and skills.”

As Jiraiya introduced her, Tsunade nodded and lightly waved at the crowd of trainees, instantly earning the affection of more than ninety percent of boys and girls for her beautiful appearance and formidable strength.

Different from Tsunade, Orochimaru showed a malicious smile at being referred to as a 'subordinate' by Jiraiya. He muttered lightly, “We will talk about this 'subordinate' thing after this,” then looked indifferently at the crowd of young trainees.

Not caring about Orochimaru’s words, Jiraiya continued, “This time, we have come to the Ninja Academy at the request of Hokage-sama, who wants us to impart our knowledge and experience to the children who will grow up to become the future of the village. Heeding his instructions, we have decided to conduct this workshop. Of course, in the future when he has some free time, Hokage-sama will also come to the Academy and personally impart his knowledge and experience to all of you, so look forward to it.”

“Hokage-sama will personally come to teach us? That’s… that’s amazing!”

“Long live Hokage-sama!”

“Long live Jiraiya-sama!”

“Long live Tsunade-sama!”

“Long live Orochimaru-sama!”

Hearing Jiraiya’s words, the atmosphere heated up, and everyone started to chant slogans of worship for Hokage and his disciples. They were excited about the promise made by Hokage-sama and looked forward to the time when they would have an opportunity to learn from Konoha’s Hokage in person!

Of course, the ones most excited were naturally the children from civilian backgrounds. Since most of the trainees were children, therefore, most of the crowd was excited.

However, the things happening here were not as simple as they seem on the surface. Anyone who heard Jiraiya’s words may have thought that this is a promise made by the Hokage of Konoha and this is a good thing; however, that’s just what appears on the surface. On a deeper level, things are more complex.

These young minds may not be able to understand it; however, they were being subtly brainwashed. To ensure that all the Shinobi graduating from Konoha Ninja Academy admire the Hokage and remain loyal to the Hokage, several levels of subtle brainwashing are performed. Only in this way can the Hokage maintain full control over the village.

At the same time, a fire is ignited within them so that they give their all in all the missions to earn status, wealth, and class.

Of course, neither the Hokage nor the disciples of the Hokage will personally guide all the trainees at the Ninja Academy. There are hundreds of trainees, and it’s just not possible for them to individually train all of them. The most they would do is train a few selected individuals who show talent and potential. However, even this small effort from the Hokage and their disciples will convey a powerful message to all the trainees and ignite a thought in their minds: 'If I work hard and show my talent, then I too can be among the people trained by them.'

The moment such a thought appears in the young minds, it will take root, and they will give their everything to be recognized. Through dedication, effort, and hard work, some will indeed gain recognition. However, not everyone will achieve that recognition. Even if most fail, they won’t blame the 'Hokage' or his disciples because they did nothing wrong. The problem was with themselves—they did not work hard enough. They will guide the next generation and pass on their hopes and aspirations so that they, too, can work hard enough.

Because of these subtle actions of revered figures, the village will continue to flourish over the years and produce many talented Shinobi from the next generation and the generation after that. This is one of the core aspects of the Shinobi Schooling System established by the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Sandaime Hokage isn’t to be blamed for continuing such a method because he, too, was a victim of this approach. Personally, Tatsumi doesn’t see anything wrong with this method either; this is how society as a whole functions—at least, the Shinobi Society.

And precisely because there is such a Schooling System, Konoha can continue to give birth to geniuses after geniuses and is hailed as the cradle of geniuses. Even if there are people like Shimura Danzō who have the hobby of destroying Konoha’s geniuses on weekdays, Konoha will still flourish and rightfully maintain the title of the Strongest Shinobi Village!

As Tatsumi looked at the excited crowd with a mocking smile, Jiraiya saw that the mood had been set up. He stepped back and handed over the next matter to his supposed ‘Subordinate,’ saying, 'Orochimaru, it’s on you from here on.'

“Hmm,” nodded Orochimaru calmly as he stepped to the center of the stage. Unlike Jiraiya, he did not begin to speak right away but stared at all the trainees, licking his thin lips. Orochimaru’s serpent-like eyes, piercing gaze, extremely pale skin, and cold temperament made the trainees nervous, prompting them to become quiet.

As the excitement died down and the training ground once again returned to silence with just his gaze, Orochimaru nodded with a satisfied expression and began to speak, “We have only one day’s worth of time at the academy, which, of course, is not enough to personally guide all the children on a one-to-one basis, so things will have to be changed a little…”

Then, he weaved hand signs and pressed both of his hands on the ground. As Orochimaru’s chakra entered the ground, the surface of the training ground began to stir, and soon enough, several square platforms appeared on the training ground with a height of one meter above the ground.

While the stone platforms took shape, Orochimaru continued, “Since it is impossible for branches of a tree to live long and grow unless and until they go through wind, rain, and storms.”

As the square platforms were completed, Orochimaru explained, “These platforms are going to be used for duels between trainees. Each year will hold duels among themselves until the three best of that year are selected. These three students from each year will form a team, resulting in six teams which will then compete against each other until only three students remain standing. The last three trainees will have the opportunity to gain our personal guidance and will also have the chance of receiving our guidance in the future.”

As all the trainees processed the rules, Orochimaru added, “If there is any trainee who shows outstanding talent and potential but isn’t selected among the top three, they need not worry. If I find them valuable enough, I will still consider giving them my personal guidance. Therefore, there's no need to restrain yourself for the fear that you may not get selected in the top three. Show all your abilities and potential to impress us.”

Orochimaru’s words instantly made the nervous trainees excited. The Ninja Academy is a place where they not only learn theoretical knowledge but also combat skills, fighting against each other using weapons meant for lethal purposes. The thought of combat did not scare anyone; rather, it excited them. The idea of being able to show their talent to the disciples of the Hokage made everyone’s blood boil.

As Orochimaru finished explaining the details, Jiraiya once again spoke, pointing at the six cubical boxes placed at the end of the makeshift stage, “These are the drawing lots. Each box is separated by the Academy Year you are in, and each one of you will draw a number from the respective box. Each number is placed twice inside so the ones who get the same number will engage in combat.”

As the trainees lined up in a queue in front of the boxes, Jiraiya said, “Don’t rush; come one by one. Everyone will have their turn.”

Among the trainees lined up in front of the box with (II) written on it, Tatsumi was also present with Mikoto beside him. Since Tatsumi is at the top of the year, naturally, he has the right to be the first one to draw a number. However, because he was discussing something with Minato, the one standing in front of him was Mikoto, so she was the first one to draw—a fact Tatsumi didn’t really care about.

As she was about to put her hand inside the hole in the box, Tatsumi suddenly noticed something and said, grabbing her hand, “Mikoto-chan, wait a second.”

“Tatsumi-kun, what’s the matter?” she asked in confusion, realizing that something must be wrong with the box.

Tatsumi didn’t answer. Instead, he weaved a hand sign and placed it on the surface of the box as a kunai fell. Looking at the kunai, Tatsumi said to Jiraiya, “Jiraiya-sama, it’s not a good thing to use such means on young children like us.”

Jiraiya didn’t care about Tatsumi’s words; rather, he was surprised by Tatsumi’s actions and chuckled, “A minimum vigilance is necessary for every situation. This was done just to check if you kids are vigilant of your surroundings.” And added in an impressed tone, “Seeing that you were able to see through it, despite being only a second year, this is surprising. Say, kid, what’s your name?”

“Uchiha Tatsumi,” answered Tatsumi.

Jiraiya nodded, “So, you're from the Uchiha Clan, huh? Well, that makes sense... but still, you're good,” noting the Uchiwa-fan on the turtle-neck T-shirts of both Tatsumi and Mikoto.

Tatsumi shrugged, “It wasn’t that impressive.” Exactly as he had said, even the trainees of the fourth, fifth, and sixth year had also seen through the trick. The only ones who were tricked were the first year and the third year.

Without caring about the trick, he released Mikoto’s hand and gestured to her, “Now you can go on.”

Mikoto nodded lightly, “Hmm,” and took out a piece of paper from the box.

As she unfolded the paper, Tatsumi asked, “What’s your number?”

“It’s number six,” answered Mikoto as she stepped aside, giving space for Tatsumi to draw a number from the box.

“It’s my turn now,” muttered Tatsumi, and similar to Mikoto, he too inserted his hand inside the hole in the box and took out a piece of paper. Upon unfolding it, he muttered, “It’s number eight.” and stepped aside.

After Tatsumi, it was Nawaki’s turn, then Minato drew a number. Following that, the trio of Hiroshi, Kazama, and Ryota took turns. After them, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and so on.

While the others were taking their turns, Tatsumi turned to Minato and asked, “What’s your number?”

“It’s one; I will be the debut,” said Minato with a smile. After doing a few light stretches, he slowly walked toward the platform.