Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his face twitch uncontrollably, but in the end, he
reluctantly pinky-promised
Youyu and sealed the ridiculous deal.
"Alright then... Just make sure the sake is ready, and I'll cut down anyone who comes to take the exam!" Youyu declared proudly, patting his chest.
Sarutobi
froze.
"Wait!"
He had just started to feel relieved, but Youyu's words sent his heart into chaos all over again.
How could he
forget
this?!
This brat was
just as likely to attack Konoha's own candidates
as he was to defeat foreign ones!
Kakashi and the others were
living proof
of this!
If Youyu
started hacking down Konoha's own genin
, the whole Chūnin Exam would turn into a complete disaster. Instead of proving Konoha's strength, they'd become the
laughingstock
of the shinobi world!
"Youyu... Can you at least
not drink
during the exams?" Sarutobi
pleaded
, his voice laced with exhaustion.
"No drinking?!"
Youyu
whipped around instantly
, already turning toward the door.
"Not going."
"Wait! Wait!"
Sarutobi
lunged forward and grabbed Youyu
, his face filled with pure
desperation.
If it were
anyone else
, he would have already scolded them harshly.
But this was
Youyu.
This was a kid who,
because of his own past mistakes as Hokage, had grown up without a family.
Sarutobi sometimes wondered—
if Youyu had a complete family, would he have ever turned to drinking like this?
"Fine! You can drink! But even if you're drunk, you need to recognize Konoha shinobi so you don't accidentally attack them," Sarutobi bargained helplessly.
"That's it?" Youyu scoffed, looking unimpressed.
An hour later...
"What is this?" Sarutobi held up a
Kumo headband
.
Youyu squinted at it for a long moment.
"Uh... Konoha?" he guessed confidently.
Sarutobi's
jaw dropped.
"Didn't you just say you could recognize it?! You've been at this for half an hour, and you still
can't tell the difference
!"
Sarutobi was
on the verge of a breakdown.
Knowing Youyu's tendencies, he had prepared for
every possible disaster scenario.
He even
let Youyu drink more
just to make sure he could recognize allies while intoxicated.
The result?
Absolute failure.
He needed to think of something—fast.
If Youyu went into the exams like this, Konoha's
own genin would be at risk!
Frowning, Sarutobi racked his brain.
"Maybe... we could use this?"
At that moment, Youyu
pulled something from his pocket.
Sarutobi glanced at it.
The moment he saw what it was, his
face contorted violently.
The next morning...
"Alright, it's settled then. I'll recognize this sign, and I'll cut down everyone else," Youyu declared casually as he strolled out of the principal's office.
Sarutobi
didn't respond.
His face was frozen in a strained, unreadable expression as he
watched Youyu leave.
His
eye twitched violently.
"...This is the best solution we have? This...
this
is how we're keeping Youyu from killing his own people?"
He
rubbed his face aggressively.
"Forget it... Losing a few people is still better than letting Youyu wipe out half the village..."
Outside the office, Kurenai and Rin
rushed to Youyu's side.
"Youyu-kun, are you okay?"
"How do you feel? Did you drink again?"
They
immediately supported him
, fussing over him like worried wives as they guided him out of the building.
Meanwhile, inside, Sarutobi
stared blankly
at the object Youyu had left behind.
After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.
"I need a vacation."
News of
Youyu's early graduation
and his entry into the Chūnin Exams spread
like wildfire
throughout the Academy.
Everyone was
talking about it.
But...
no one questioned it.
Because
who would dare?
This was the same
Youyu
who had already beaten **Kakashi—**a genius who was
already a Chūnin.
Some people even joked that Youyu should just
skip the Chūnin Exams and take the Jōnin test instead.
For most students, it was
just another topic of gossip.
For Obito?
It was the best news of his life.
"Yes!!"
Obito
cheered internally.
Finally!
Finally, he could
go to class without worrying about getting randomly cut down!
For Kurenai and Rin?
It was a different story.
They felt a deep sense of
reluctance
at the idea of Youyu leaving.
But for
Tanaka Hideichi?
It was the
beginning of his suffering.
At the Academy...
"Youyu, do you understand this question?"
Tanaka asked, his voice
cautious.
"Huh? What?"
Youyu cracked one eye open,
clearly having been asleep.
Tanaka swallowed.
Youyu's
face was full of annoyance.
"This teacher wasn't so annoying before," Youyu muttered. "Why's he being such a pain now?"
"Uh—n-never mind! You must be tired! Go ahead and sleep a little longer!"
Tanaka waved his hands nervously.
Teaching Youyu a theory lesson?
What a
joke.
Yes, this was
his mission
—assigned
directly by the Hokage himself.
Since the
first exam
was a
written test
, Sarutobi had personally ordered
intensive tutoring
for Youyu.
Because if Youyu
failed the written exam
, he wouldn't even get to the fighting rounds.
Sarutobi had assumed it would be
a simple fix.
For Tanaka?
It was
a living nightmare.
Youyu
couldn't be punished.
He
slept through most of the lessons.
And worst of all?
He
didn't care.
"Come on, Youyu-kun, just try listening a little," Kurenai encouraged gently.
"Yeah, Youyu, we're right here with you!" Rin added.
Tanaka
almost cried.
"You guys... You're my saviors!"
Youyu
sighed.
"Fine, I'll do it," he muttered. "I'm a genius anyway. This stuff is easy."
"Youyu-kun, I believe in you!" Kurenai said admiringly.
Youyu grabbed the textbook and
opened it dramatically.
A long silence followed.
"...Uh, Youyu?"
Tanaka's voice was hesitant.
"Your book is upside-down."
The entire room
froze.
Youyu blinked.
"Oh. That's why I couldn't read it."
Silence.
But then—
Youyu
snapped the book shut with a loud
bang
.
"You have
too much mouth!
" he barked. "Of course, I knew that! I was just
testing myself!
I can even read it backwards! That's how good I am!"
Tanaka's
soul left his body.
"You know what? Forget it. Forget everything. Just... forget it."
And with that, Youyu
stormed out of the classroom
—with Kurenai and Rin
cheerfully following him.
Tanaka stared at the empty room.
"...Hokage-sama, I'm going to die."
That evening...
Tanaka stood before Sarutobi's desk, looking
completely defeated.
"Hokage-sama... it's hopeless."
Sarutobi sighed heavily, rubbing his temples.
"I expected as much... Youyu is impossible to teach."
Tanaka
slumped in relief.
Sarutobi, meanwhile, massaged his temples.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this kid..."
"You could just let him fail."
A smug voice cut in.
Sarutobi
looked up.
A young man with white hair and two distinct tear lines smirked at him.
Sarutobi
narrowed his eyes.
"Shut up, Jiraiya."
Word Count: 1,127
Author Notes:
Tanaka:
"I fear no man, but that thing..."
Sarutobi:
"What thing?"
Tanaka:
"Youyu with a test paper."
Next Chapter:???