Ninja Academy
"Good morning!"
"Morning, Sensei!"
With a sunny smile on his face, Isamu walked through the corridor that led to his class, greeting fellow teachers along the way politely—everyone noticing he was in a good mood.
A female Chunin teacher, probably a few years older than him, couldn't help but stop upon seeing him like this. Walking up to him while tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked at him with bright eyes.
"Did something good happen, Hojo Sensei? The last time I saw you so happy was when you had passed the academy interview," said Sumire in a soft tone, the round, bright eyes that gazed at Isamu holding much more than just curiosity. She was quite petite, probably around 156 cm, with fringed black hair that reached her waist—fair, soft, and cute facial features.
She was a Chunin in her early twenties, having joined the academy a year before him.
"Well~ you could say that. But I didn't expect it to be so obvious just from my face," said Isamu, a bit taken by surprise.
"Hehe, 'I'm in a good mood' is practically written on your face," replied Sumire with a giggle, Isamu shrugging his shoulders in response and moving his face a little closer to hers.
"Hmm~ you seem to be focusing on my face a lot lately, am I right, Sumire Sensei?" asked Isamu, his eyes peering into hers, his warm breath tickling her cheeks, which turned red at an alarming rate.
"Umm… no, it's just so obvious anyone would notice," Sumire averted her eyes from his gaze and, with red cheeks, took a few steps back, replying in a nervous and broken tone.
"Hmm… really?" said Isamu, and at his words, Sumire dared to look into his eyes again—only to avert them once more, feeling like those eyes saw through every single hidden thought of hers.
"Oh, there you are, Isamu-Sensei."A voice with the gradual sound of footsteps drew Isamu's attention, and he noticed a middle-aged man donning a Chunin attire walking toward him, holding a scroll.
"Good morning, Vice-Principal.""Good morning."
Greeted Isamu. The middle-aged man—the vice-principal of the academy appointed personally by Principal Senju Tobirama himself—was also greeted by Sumire, who had just managed to calm her fast heartbeat.
"Good morning! Here you go. An order from the top—someone else will take care of your classes today, so head there quickly."
Saying that, the vice-principal pushed the scroll into Isamu's hand, who, curious, unsealed it and went through it immediately.
"Then I'll be off."Rolling the scroll back, Isamu bowed slightly to the vice-principal and, nodding at Sumire, walked toward the exit.
Konoha 44th Training Ground
Also known as the Forest of Death with its 44 entrances, the forest within the confines of the village harbored pretty dangerous animals and poisons capable of taking the life of anyone even slightly weak or inexperienced.
At the center of the Death Forest was a huge tower, which had been built just last year and was now being used as a testing and sparring ground.
Even at full speed, it took Isamu nearly three hours to reach the tower, dealing with a few snakes on the way as well. At the entrance stood a member of the Anbu Black Ops, the tiger mask making it hard to see his expression.
Isamu handed him the scroll he had received from the vice-principal, and the Anbu, after thoroughly checking it, finally spoke.
"Follow me."
Isamu followed him into the tower and was led to a wide hall, a raised platform with railings above to watch from.
At the raised platform, Isamu saw the star lineup of Konoha. A man with silver hair, a stern look, and red eyes stood at the forefront with arms crossed over his chest—Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Behind him stood his six famous subordinates: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Kagami, Akimichi Torifu, Koharu Utatane, and Mitokado Homura.
There were a few other important jonin present as well—Isamu noticing a man with pure white eyes, and the heads of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Uchiha clans were present too.
Finally, at the last row of the raised platform stood some Chunin, and Isamu walked up and stood beside them.
"Since everyone is here, then let's not waste any more time. The rules are simple: if any of you want to be promoted, either defeat a Chunin or survive five minutes any way you can."
True to his nature, Tobirama was pretty straightforward and got to the point immediately, speaking to a group of Genin standing directly beneath the raised platform.
It was that time of year when the Chunin Exams took place. But unlike the future exams in Isamu's memory, the current exams only involved shinobi from within the village—no outsiders.
During these exams, there was also a rule where Genin who made it this far would fight real Chunin to prove themselves strong enough—a simple and direct method.
After explaining the rules, Tobirama motioned everyone toward the railings, clearing the hall for the upcoming fight.
Isamu looked down from above and noticed some familiar yet unfamiliar faces in the Genin lineup. He turned to look at the big screen, where names of candidates and Chunin began to flash by—finally stopping on two names:
Hatake Sakumo vs. Chunin Hojo Isamu
Read chapters ahead on my P@treon.com/Snape777(There are only a few chapters ahead today, but I'll bring it to the said amount in the P@treon tier description in the next 3 days.)