"What are you all whispering about over there?"
Noticing the situation between Rin and Jin, another little girl came over-
It's none other than Kurenai.
"Adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt."
Jin waved his hand, signaling for Kurenai to go away.
"Rin is the same age as me!"
Kurenai puffed out her cheeks.
Kurenai was very unconvinced. She felt that she was clearly prettier than her best friend, so why did it seem like Jin was much nicer to Rin than to her?
Well, this was mainly a difference in male and female aesthetic preferences.
In terms of looks, Kurenai was indeed a bit better looking than Rin. But only a bit.
The main advantage was Rin's personality.
Sweet but not ostentatious features, coupled with a very gentle personality.
To make an analogy:
Kurenai was the type of school belle in school who seemed unattainable for the average boy. This kind of girl was often too out of reach for ordinary guys and usually ended up with rich or influential second-generation heirs. And indeed, that's exactly what happened, as she was won over by Asuma, the second-generation heir.
Meanwhile, Rin was more like the sweet, childhood friend living next door. She just really hit the straight male dog's taste.
It's no wonder Obito went off the deep end and never returned after Rin's death.
"Now announcing the successful entrants for this year's enrollment. First, overall score first place, Hatake Kakashi..."
At that moment, the proctor teacher came out, holding a list and calling out names one after another:
"Sarutobi Asuma... Shiranui Genma... Nohara Rin..."
In the line, Obito clenched his fists tightly.
"Uchiha Obito."
When he heard his name, Obito almost couldn't resist pumping his fist and shouting for joy.
Another boy with a bowl-cut hairstyle looked dejected. He had failed.
Although his Taijutsu test score was much better than Obito's, his Ninjutsu test and written exam were disastrous.
For a Ninja, this was fatal.
"It's okay, Guy. There's still a chance in the make-up exam. Isn't youth always accompanied by failure?" Another bowl-cut man patted his son on the shoulder.
"Yes! Father!"
"Good! As a practice run for the make-up exam, run 200 laps around the village today!"
"Yes!"
Obito had no mind to pay attention to these two idiots. He was frantically searching the crowd for the angel who had just encouraged him.
…
Unlike the joyful atmosphere at the Ninja Academy, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office was extremely heavy, even faintly revealing a hint of killing intent.
"Dodai-dono, are you joking with me?"
Hiruzen asked with a dark face, addressing Dodai, the representative of the Kumogakure's envoy team standing before him. He felt like they might be here to tell him a story.
'Uchiha Madara attacked Kumogakure? Stole the Eight-Tails? And used Wood Release? You might as well say Senju Hashirama was resurrected… that would be more believable.'
"Hokage-dono, do you think we came all this way just to joke with you?" Dodai said coldly, "We have already confirmed that the Eight-Tails, which is currently in a wild state, is located in the border region of the Land of Fire."
Swoosh!
Just then, a blur flashed into existence beside Hiruzen.
Minato suddenly appeared. This scene made A, standing beside Dodai, change his expression sharply.
'This speed... was probably not much inferior to the old man's.'
"Hokage-sama..." Minato, now a member of the Jonin Team, whispered the results of his investigation into Hiruzen's ear.
Just as Dodai had said, the Eight-Tails was indeed in a wild state, sunbathing in the southeastern coastal area of the Land of Fire.
Hiruzen's face turned somewhat ugly, 'The Eight-Tails was really in the Land of Fire? That was undoubtedly a hot potato.'
"Regardless, this matter has nothing to do with Konoha!" Hiruzen said sternly.
Dodai retorted without backing down, "Uchiha Madara is a Missing-Nin from Konoha! Since he attacked Kumogakure, Konoha should be held responsible!"
Hiruzen: "The whole world knows Uchiha Madara died in the battle with the First Hokage at the Valley of the End!"
Dodai: "Then that means Senju Hashirama failed to kill Uchiha Madara! Whether it's the Sharingan or Wood Release, they are both Konoha's Jutsu. You must take responsibility! Or perhaps, you wish to settle this with war?!"
Upon hearing the word 'war', Hiruzen's momentum noticeably weakened. The Second Great Ninja War had ended less than three months ago, so how can he afford another one already?
While Konoha was superficially the victorious nation, its losses were not small. The Senju Clan was severely weakened and the White Fang died.
If not for Konoha's vast resources and large population, these two points alone could have been fatal. Not to mention the countless unnamed Ninjas like Rin's parents, whose names aren't even remembered by posterity.
Kumogakure did not participate in the Second Great Ninja War and was in peak condition, so if a war broke out now... Hiruzen truly wasn't confident of winning.
"So, what does Kumogakure want?" Hiruzen asked, barely suppressing the anger in his heart, his face dark.
"We need Konoha to assist us in capturing the Eight-Tails and provide compensation for the damages caused by Uchiha Madara's attack on Kumogakure. Thirty billion ryo!" Dodai raised three fingers on his right hand.
Orochimaru, who is standing beside Hiruzen, as one of the masterminds behind the scenes, almost couldn't hold back a laugh, 'Damn, such ridiculous conditions, who would agree... Huh?!'
Just as Orochimaru thought this, he suddenly noticed his teacher lowering his head slightly, holding his chin with one hand, lost in thought.
Orochimaru was speechless, 'No way... You're actually considering agreeing?!'
Although Orochimaru knew his teacher was timid, he didn't realize he could be this timid, 'When you dealt with your own people in the White Fang incident, weren't you quite assertive? How come you become so cowardly when facing outsiders?'
'Konoha has become strong, so outsiders can't bully us anymore? Because it's always our own people bullying our own people?'