Deep within the devastated forest, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head after hearing Kakashi Hatake compare Yoruha to Might Guy.
“They’re not on the same level.”
Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed slightly.
The Third Hokage continued:
“And I still don’t know whether he’s good at ninjutsu.”
“Because he hasn’t formally learned offensive ninjutsu yet.”
Silence.
Kakashi stared at Hiruzen blankly.
“…What?”
“He hasn’t formally learned ninjutsu?”
That statement alone already sounded absurd enough.
Yet the next sentence nearly shattered Kakashi’s understanding of reality entirely.
Hiruzen calmly added:
“Tomorrow is his official graduation day.”
Kakashi froze completely.
A newly graduated academy student—
Capable of creating battlefield-scale destruction with a single punch—
And simultaneously rejecting direct training from the Hokage himself?
Even Kakashi wondered briefly whether he was trapped inside some bizarre genjutsu.
“…You’re serious?”
The Third Hokage sighed.
“Why would I joke about something like this?”
Then Hiruzen looked genuinely troubled again.
“Kakashi.”
“How exactly do I persuade him to join my side?”
“I already invited him personally.”
“He refused because he wasn’t interested.”
“How can someone reject an offer like that so casually?”
Kakashi fell silent briefly before answering carefully:
“Maybe… because he dislikes restrictions?”
“He’s still young.”
“Perhaps becoming your direct subordinate feels too restrictive to him.”
Hiruzen paused thoughtfully.
Then he slowly nodded.
“…That’s possible.”
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
Yoruha deliberately concealed his abilities throughout his academy years.
That alone suggested he disliked unnecessary attention.
Perhaps he simply preferred freedom.
Hiruzen muttered to himself quietly:
“So that’s the issue…”
“Kakashi, you may have solved part of the problem.”
Watching the Third Hokage seriously contemplate how to “convince” a twelve-year-old child to accept special treatment, Kakashi felt strangely speechless.
Still—
After witnessing the battlefield personally, he understood Hiruzen’s urgency.
At Hiruzen’s age, successor problems had already become increasingly pressing.
And Konoha currently lacked a truly ideal candidate.
Kakashi himself understood that Hiruzen once intended to groom him gradually.
Otherwise, he would never have been promoted into ANBU leadership so early.
After all—
ANBU directly served the Hokage.
Yet Kakashi also understood his own limitations.
For years now, his combat ability remained stuck around elite Jonin level.
His progress slowed dramatically after losing emotional direction following the deaths of Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara.
As for Hiruzen’s actual son—
Asuma Sarutobi lacked both sufficient strength and political standing.
He simply was not Hokage material.
Meanwhile—
Jiraiya wandered endlessly searching for the so-called Child of Prophecy.
Tsunade remained broken psychologically after losing Dan and Nawaki, developing severe hemophobia.
Neither wished to return and shoulder the burden of Hokage.
As for Orochimaru—
Hiruzen once favored him deeply.
But even before discovering Orochimaru’s human experiments fully, Hiruzen already understood something important:
Orochimaru was unsuitable for Hokage.
The man lacked the necessary emotional warmth toward the village.
Compared to Orochimaru, Hiruzen would rather entrust the future to Kakashi despite Kakashi’s flaws.
Which made Yoruha’s appearance even more shocking.
Kakashi finally asked:
“Is he part of tomorrow’s graduating class?”
The Third Hokage nodded.
“Yes.”
“He’s in Naruto and Sasuke’s class.”
Kakashi frowned slightly.
He instinctively began reviewing academy records mentally.
Naruto.
Sasuke.
Shikamaru.
Hinata.
Kiba.
Choji.
Sakura.
Ino.
None of them matched the monster Hiruzen described.
The reason was simple.
Kakashi naturally paid more attention to students from important clans or those with exceptional grades.
Yoruha—
Quiet.
Average.
Academically mediocre.
Clanless.
Completely escaped Kakashi’s attention.
No matter how hard he searched his memories, Kakashi could not recall such a person.
Seeing Kakashi’s confusion, Hiruzen waved his hand.
“No need to think too much.”
“You’ll know tomorrow.”
Then the old Hokage sighed heavily again.
“The real headache now…”
“…is deciding who should guide him.”
“Suitable Jonin are already assigned.”
“But he refuses to join my side directly.”
“It seems I’ll have to discuss the matter with him tomorrow.”
Kakashi’s mouth twitched slightly.
“…Discuss?”
“We need his agreement just to assign an instructor now?”
Even Kakashi found Hiruzen’s treatment excessive.
The Third Hokage always showed extraordinary leniency toward people he valued emotionally.
Years ago, he tolerated Orochimaru’s increasingly dangerous behavior far longer than he should have.
With Naruto, Hiruzen continuously overlooked prank after prank throughout the village because of his promise to Minato Namikaze.
Ironically, this excessive indulgence only worsened the villagers’ resentment toward Naruto.
People already feared the Nine-Tails.
Adding constant unpunished mischief only deepened negative opinions.
And now—
Hiruzen was treating Yoruha similarly.
Even consulting him personally regarding instructor assignments.
Not even Asuma received such treatment from his father.
Yet from Hiruzen’s perspective—
Yoruha’s talent genuinely justified special handling.
That level of strength at twelve years old was simply too valuable.
That night, only Yoruha slept peacefully.
Although repeatedly disturbed by unexpected visitors and sparring sessions, his mind finally relaxed completely after confirming his own strength.
The next morning—
Yoruha calmly walked toward Konoha Ninja Academy.
His ninja forehead protector was tied casually around his arm rather than worn traditionally.
His clothes remained simple and plain.
Nothing about him attracted attention.
When he entered the classroom—
Almost nobody looked at him.
Yoruha remained nearly invisible within class social circles.
He had no close friends.
No famous clan background.
No notable academic reputation.
Although objectively handsome, he lacked the cold natural charisma that made Sasuke Uchiha overwhelmingly popular among the girls.
Meanwhile, Naruto sat nearby loudly bragging to others.
“I’m telling you, my Shadow Clone Technique is incredible now!”
“I can definitely become Hokage someday!”
But the moment Naruto saw Yoruha enter—
His entire body stiffened visibly.
The horrifying memory from last night resurfaced instantly.
One punch.
Just one punch reduced Mizuki into a bloody wreck.
Naruto subconsciously swallowed hard.
Beside him, Shikamaru Nara looked confused.
“…Naruto?”
“Why’d you suddenly go quiet?”
Naruto forced an awkward smile.
“N-Nothing.”
Then he carefully avoided eye contact with Yoruha entirely.
Fortunately for him, Yoruha ignored everyone completely.
He simply returned to his seat, rested his head on the desk, and closed his eyes calmly.
Only then did Naruto slowly relax.
Deep down, Naruto felt genuinely fortunate.
Thankfully—
He never targeted Yoruha with pranks previously.
Of course, that mainly happened because Yoruha was too inconspicuous.
Naruto preferred causing trouble around famous students or clan heirs to attract attention.
Students like Sasuke naturally became his primary targets.
Before last night—
Naruto barely remembered Yoruha existed.
Meanwhile, Iruka specifically warned Naruto earlier not to tell anyone about the previous night’s events.
Even someone as straightforward as Iruka understood the implications of Yoruha’s hidden strength.
Such things could not spread casually.
The reason Iruka reported everything directly to the Third Hokage was because Naruto already witnessed it anyway—
And because Iruka genuinely wanted Yoruha to receive fair treatment.
Based on Yoruha’s academy records alone—
No one would ever assign him an appropriate mentor otherwise.