“That’s wonderful,” Tsukuyomi said with a beaming smile as she looked at Matsuake.
“We’ll be able to fight side by side from now on.” Hearing this, Matsuake also smiled and replied, “Yes, if it’s you, Tsukuyomi, I can feel much more at ease.” “Mhm.” Upon hearing these words, a faint blush appeared on Tsukuyomi’s face, and she softly acknowledged.
“I wonder which Jōnin will be our instructor,” Matsuake said curiously.
The two were currently walking up the stairs toward the rooftop of the school building.
They were about to bid farewell to the Ninja Academy, where they had spent a year, and couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.
However, not wanting to keep their instructor waiting, they both unconsciously quickened their pace.
Once they reached the rooftop, their view opened up.
Not only could they see most of the Ninja Academy’s scenery, but they could even catch glimpses of passersby coming and going outside the academy.
The rooftop itself was typically a place where students of the Ninja Academy chatted and ate during breaks.
Since it was currently class time, there were no students on the rooftop, making it appear quite spacious.
Aside from the two who had just arrived, there was only one person there beforehand.
That figure had long black hair, wore a Konohagakure forehead protector neatly on their head, and was dressed in black tight-fitting combat attire.
Over the black combat attire, they wore a set of red layered armor, looking quite imposing.
Seeing this person, Tsukuyomi covered her mouth in surprise, and Matsuake was equally stunned.
“Lord Hokage!?” “Uncle Hashirama?” Responding to them was Hashirama’s hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, you’ve finally arrived.” Since yesterday, he had been curious about how Matsuake and Tsukuyomi would react upon meeting their Jōnin instructor.
And now, their reactions certainly didn’t disappoint Hashirama.
Although Matsuake was surprised, he quickly regained his composure due to his familiarity with Hashirama.
Tsukuyomi, on the other hand, was so shocked by the news that she was left speechless.
In the eyes of Konohagakure’s ninjas, Hashirama was like a god.
To them, as long as Hashirama was in Konohagakure, there was no need to worry about threats from other ninja villages.
Hashirama and Madara were unquestionably the top two ninjas in the entire shinobi world.
In the current perception of ninjas, they could roughly be categorized as Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin, Kage, and then Hashirama and Madara.
From what she remembered, even the Main Family elders of the Hyūga Clan spoke of Hashirama with reverence and caution.
“So, Uncle, you’re our Jōnin instructor?” Matsuake confirmed, though he had already guessed the answer.
“That’s right,” Hashirama replied with a nod and a smile.
“Considering that Genin of similar ages tend to have comparable strength and growth rates, the academy prioritizes grouping students from the same grade together.
“The graduating class and those who graduated early from other grades happened to be multiples of three, so only the two of you were left.” At this point, Hashirama added with praise.
“But then again, among this year’s newly graduated Genin, you two are the youngest, yet your strength surpasses the others.
This is the first time I’ve seen such a situation.” As for his team having only one teammate, Matsuake didn’t find anything unusual about it.
He actually felt somewhat relieved that he had instantly defeated Suke during yesterday’s Graduation Exam.
Although he wasn’t sure whether that was the reason the other failed to graduate, he guessed the cause was probably similar.
If the other had also graduated successfully, he would likely have one more difficult teammate today.
It wasn’t a weak teammate he feared, but a disastrous one.
A teammate with poor skills could still be anticipated and prepared for, but a disastrous teammate was truly unpredictable and impossible to guard against.
As for Hashirama’s praise, Matsuake inwardly agreed.
Even without relying on any shortcuts, his own talent was not weak.
Whether he had the potential to become a Kage was debatable, but becoming an elite Jōnin would not be a problem.
Elite Jōnin were already rare treasures within a shinobi village.
And Tsukuyomi, who had awakened her eyes early, clearly possessed considerable talent in her Kekkei Genkai, showing the potential to become a powerful shinobi.
“But Hokage-sama, you must be very busy normally, right?
Wouldn’t guiding us take up your energy and affect the village?” Tsukuyomi wore a nervous expression, voicing her concern.
Rather than feeling joy at the Hokage becoming their instructor, Tsukuyomi was more worried about this point.
At this, Hashirama scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and said, “Don’t worry, most of the time, what appears before you will just be my Wood Clone.” Even though it was just a clone, this was the Wood Clone of the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
It would be more than sufficient to guide and lead two Genin.
As if afraid the two would misunderstand, he quickly added an explanation.
“Right now, I’m the real me, not a Wood Clone.
After all, this is the first meeting of our Team Eleven.” “Team Eleven?” Matsuake and Tsukuyomi exchanged glances.
“That’s right, this is the designation for our small team, formed by me and the two of you—Team Eleven.” As he spoke, Hashirama took out two forehead protectors from behind and handed them to the two.
They accepted the forehead protectors, both feeling a surge of excitement.
After a moment’s thought, Matsuake tied his forehead protector around his forehead, securing it with a knot at the back.
The purpose of the forehead protector was right in its name—to protect the vital area of a shinobi’s forehead.
Of course, some preferred to tie it elsewhere.
For example, at this moment, Tsukuyomi fastened her forehead protector around her neck.
Protecting the vulnerable neck with the forehead protector was also a good choice.
“But I remember, Uncle, you haven’t been a Jōnin instructor before, right?” Thinking of this, Matsuake showed a skeptical expression.
“Hey, little Matsuake.” Hearing this, Hashirama hurriedly defended himself.
“When Tobirama was the Jōnin instructor for Sarutobi and the others, I also helped out with some guidance.” “And just like when Tobirama led the team before, if I’m occasionally unavailable this time, Tobirama will temporarily take over my duties.” “Uncle Tobirama, then I’m relieved.” Matsuake let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Hashirama.
It was just that he knew how unreliable his uncle could sometimes seem in daily life.
When it came to major matters, Hashirama was dependable, but with small things…
In comparison, the steady, decisive, and ruthless Tobirama gave off a much more reliable feeling.
For instance, right now, hearing Matsuake say this, Hashirama’s expression instantly fell.
It felt as though the air pressure around them had dropped considerably.
Matsuake was already used to scenes like this.
Tsukuyomi hesitated over whether to offer words of comfort.
The Hokage-sama she had seen up close felt quite different from the image her elders had described…