Sarutobi Shinnosuke stared in shock at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was lost in his memories.
A mere test paper written by a kid from the Ninja Academy could move the Hokage of Konoha Village so much, and it was even written by a kid from the Uchiha Clan...
This was truly astonishing.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was incredibly curious. Sarutobi Hiruzen first shifted from seriousness to joy, and then from joy to sorrow.
What exactly had he seen?
"Father, Father..."
After Sarutobi Shinnosuke called out softly several times, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally awoke from his memories.
He slowly moved his gaze away from the picture frame of the Second Hokage, first glaring discontentedly at his impatient eldest son, then solemnly handed Aomi's paper over to Shinnosuke.
"Look at this, as the Head of the Anbu. Can you write the Will of Fire with such literary flair?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke noncommittally took Aomi's test paper, glanced at it, and his pupils trembled as he began to seriously read it.
It was unavoidable.
The answers written by Aomi combined the heartfelt reflections of Sarutobi Hiruzen at his deathbed and the words of Senju Tobirama in his youth.
Combining the essence of the Second and Third Hokages, calling it the Will of Fire was an understatement; it should be called the "Will of Flame."
"Aomi, truly a worthy descendant of Uncle Kagami... Father, I think we should widely promote this test paper and even extract some sentences from it as promotional phrases for the Will of Fire, as this would help the village's ninjas deepen their understanding of the Will of Fire..."
"On a larger scale, each village has its own spiritual pillar, such as our Will of Fire and the Will of Stone from the Hidden Rock Village. Concise, catchy phrases are very helpful for spreading the Will of Fire."
As the Head of the Anbu, Sarutobi Shinnosuke keenly caught onto this.
"Go ahead, Shinnosuke, this is a meaningful task."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in agreement, took back Aomi's test paper, and without hesitation wrote a perfect score on it, but then hesitated.
He wanted to give Aomi a serious critique.
After a moment, he picked up his pen and wrote: [I am delighted to see the Will of Fire shining so brightly in your hands, Aomi. May the love for Konoha take root and flourish within your heart.]
But Sarutobi Hiruzen still shook his head, unsatisfied: "In a few days, I want to meet Aomi in person. He's a good kid..."
"Currently, the hawkish faction within the Uchiha Clan is on the rise. Uchiha Obito has already been tainted by them. Aomi, as a descendant of Kagami and an excellent heir of the Will of Fire, must be thoroughly protected."
"I have a premonition that Aomi might be the key to resolving the issues of the Uchiha Clan in the future."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke silently nodded, indicating he understood.
While words can be deceitful, taking the Will of Fire to the heights of the Hokage's words reduces the likelihood of deception significantly.
"Let's continue to review the children's test papers. As an old man, I must not be too biased towards Aomi; fairness is essential..."
The Third Hokage cheerfully reviewed each test, giving scores ranging from low to high, with none failing, but without adding any more comments.
Until only two test papers were left.
"It truly has been a tough night, yet a beautiful one, witnessing the growth of the children..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen massaged his back, rallying his energy as he picked up a paper: "Inada Kojiro, clearly a child from a civilian family."
Almost immediately, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned peculiar.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke gave his father a curious glance; this was the first to cause such a strong reaction from Sarutobi Hiruzen since Obito and Aomi's tests.
"..." Sarutobi Hiruzen squinted, his expression becoming increasingly odd.
There was a mix of agreement, displeasure, and even a hint of anger.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke grew more curious. Even Uchiha Obito's test only made his father serious, so who was this Inada Kojiro that could provoke such an emotional spectrum in the Hokage?
"There's a slight understanding, but with no respect for elders and being audacious, this little brat is daring to teach me how to be a Hokage, even questioning the current village policies and ordering me to make adjustments. Whose family brought up this child..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed the anger in his heart and picked up the practical test score sent by the Ninja School's guidance department.
If Inada Kojiro were a genius, perhaps he could be granted some leniency.
But upon seeing Inada Kojiro's dismal practical scores, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled heavily.
Just a paper warrior!
At such a young age, not seriously learning the basics and fundamental ninjutsu, yet condescendingly critiquing village affairs and even implying how to be a truly good Hokage.
If the Second Hokage were directly telling him this...
Sarutobi Hiruzen would undoubtedly humbly admit he still had much room for improvement, gratefully receiving his old teacher's guidance, believing he could do better with every suggestion being absolutely true!
But Senju Tobirama, who never experienced a written exam in his life, doesn't understand how to transition from the mindset of the Second Hokage and a mentor to an ordinary test-taker.
Even with some restraint, his narrative couldn't hide the instructive and advisory tone, already heating up Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Criticism tends to yield drastically different effects based on the identities of the speaker and recipient...
"Nonsense, absurd!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table, picked up a red pen, and wrote a stern critique on Inada Kojiro's test:
[Overambitious and restless, the Will of Fire is not your paper theory; learning to be a ninja is your immediate priority!]
He fairly gave a zero!
Sarutobi Shinnosuke shrugged after reading Inada Kojiro's test paper.
This was just bad luck for the kid.
If an ordinary teacher had graded it, he would have probably just been scolded a bit; instead, he had the misfortune of the Hokage himself grading it, and there's nothing to be done...
And the last test paper combined with Inada Kojiro's critical answers, thoroughly angered Sarutobi Hiruzen, who generally maintained good composure.
Test taker: Sarutobi Asuma.
In the rebellious teenager Asuma's test, this famous second-generation shadow was entirely unreserved, openly criticizing the Will of Fire and his father's hypocrisy, believing that the current Third Hokage doesn't understand the Will of Fire at all, just using vague rhetoric to deceive people.
The bluntness of his words and sharpness of his language was unparalleled in Konoha.
Even Shimura Danzo dared not criticize him like this!
"Alright, alright, you're treating my test like this, huh?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly pulled open his desk drawer, searching for something.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched in bewilderment as his father grabbed a belt and rushed out of the Hokage Building in a hurry, sneaking a peek at the test paper on the desk and covering his face.
This was truly a scandal at the house's doorstep.
But soon, Sarutobi Shinnosuke laughed.
Kid, you like stealing my cigarettes, huh?
Sarutobi Shinnosuke leisurely picked up his father's forgotten pipe on the desk, enjoying a smoke.