I, Konoha's Sage of Life

"Sensei! Sensei! We heard you went for the promotion exam today. How did it go?"

"Yeah, what's the result?"

"Come on, do we even need to ask? If sensei went, he must have passed!"

When Kanda Kyoichi returned home, he saw a group of kids already waiting at his doorstep.

At the front of the group was Obito.

This kid was straightforward and always rushed in first. Naturally, he was also the one who took the blame most often. But Kyoichi knew it couldn't have been Obito who stirred things up this time.

His eyes scanned the group and finally settled on a girl standing in the back.

Kurenai Yuhi.

Her father had been one of the proctors for the first and second exams.

"Kurenai, you're the one who told them, weren't you?"

"Sensei, I just… accidentally let it slip."

Kurenai fidgeted with her sleeves nervously.

Accidentally? Who'd believe that…

Still, he wasn't going to blame her. The kids' excitement was genuine, after all.

Kyoichi smiled and said, "Come on in…"

The group consisted of Obito, Shisui, Asuma, Kurenai, and even Might Guy, who had already graduated but somehow still hung out with them. It seemed like he might've just run into them by chance.

But one person didn't seem to be a coincidence.

Kyoichi glanced toward a certain spot on the roof and called out, "You up there, why not come down and join us?"

"Huh? Who's up there?"

Obito looked up curiously and saw a silver-haired boy with a mask covering his face.

"Kakashi! Hmph, sneaking around like that—are you upset that Sensei got promoted to jōnin?"

Obito mocked him, but Kakashi remained silent.

Upset? Hardly…

He wasn't that petty.

To him, it was only natural that someone as strong as Kyoichi would be promoted. If anything, it would've been strange if he hadn't passed.

He was simply curious.

Just how strong was Kyoichi?

And he couldn't stop thinking about what Kyoichi had said to him before.

"Congratulations…"

Kakashi mumbled before turning to leave.

"Ugh, what's his problem?"

Obito pouted. He and Kakashi had known each other for a while, and the two of them never got along. If they didn't bicker upon meeting, it felt wrong.

"Alright, Kakashi became a chūnin at six. You've all graduated this year, so how about focusing on catching up instead of pointless arguing?"

Kyoichi waved a hand to dismiss the squabble. Kakashi had already left, and bad-mouthing someone behind their back was pointless since Kakashi wouldn't care anyway.

Everyone nodded.

They couldn't deny it—Kakashi graduated at five and became a chūnin at six, a feat that had shocked the entire village. None of them could compare to that.

It was better to focus on themselves.

But then, something unexpected happened.

They all turned to stare at Shisui.

"Shisui, are you planning to graduate early? Don't tell me…"

Asuma was particularly surprised.

Shisui was a prodigy of the Uchiha clan and was well-known for his talent. During mixed training sessions, Shisui often outperformed older students.

Everyone was aware of his abilities.

But he was only five years old.

If he graduated this year, wouldn't that put him on par with Kakashi?

Could it be that the Uchiha clan was pushing him to graduate for the sake of their reputation?

Asuma's mind raced, and he quickly arrived at this conclusion.

"Yeah…"

Shisui nodded lightly.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Kurenai hesitated for a moment before asking, "Will you be joining the Police Force or forming a team with us?"

Typically, graduates would be assigned to a team for missions.

But it was different for major clans.

The Hyuga, for example, didn't even send their main family's children to the academy—only branch family members who were considered unimportant attended.

The Uchiha were slightly different.

Their children attended the academy but often joined the Police Force upon graduation instead of forming regular teams.

Kyoichi looked at Shisui, curious about his choice. He knew what Shisui wanted, but whether Fugaku Uchiha would approve was another matter.

"I hope to become your student, Sensei. I just don't know if the village will allow it," Shisui said, scratching his head.

Everyone was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that Kyoichi had just been promoted to jōnin.

It wasn't out of the question for the village to approve.

"Wait, you applied for this before Sensei even finished his exam?"

Obito exclaimed as he pieced it together.

So that's why…

Shisui had submitted a request in advance, which probably meant that his application was already sitting on the Hokage's desk.

Clever!

Damn it… why didn't I think of that?!

The others were having the same realization.

"Sensei, I'd like to—"

"Every jōnin is highly skilled. No matter who you're assigned to, you'll learn a lot, so don't stress about it too much."

Kyoichi reassured them.

Except for Rin, they were all from prominent clans. They had no reason to worry.

Especially Asuma.

As the Third Hokage's son, how could he not find a good mentor?

But then again…

In the original timeline, Asuma's mentor wasn't mentioned, and he was relatively slow to become a chūnin. Maybe his mentor really wasn't that great.

Asuma's eyes darted around as he bowed suddenly.

"Sensei, I just remembered something urgent. I'll come back to visit another time!"

"Alright, go ahead…"

Everyone could guess what Asuma was up to.

He was likely rushing to secure Kyoichi as his teacher.

The remaining kids couldn't deny being tempted, but they lacked the connections to act on it.

And there was only one spot left under Kyoichi.

Rather than fighting over it, they decided to leave it to chance.

They all felt more at ease with that decision.

---

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office…

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished issuing jōnin credentials to four individuals and returned to his desk when an ANBU operative delivered a letter.

"What's this?"

"It's from the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku Uchiha?

Hiruzen frowned slightly as he took the letter and began reading.

Moments later, his frown eased, and he set the letter down, deep in thought.

Shisui wanted to become Kyoichi's student…

It wasn't a bad idea.

Kyoichi was a descendant of the Senju. Using Tsunade as a link, the village could secure him as an ally of the Hokage faction.

If Shisui became his student, it might even lead to integrating Shisui into their faction, further weakening the Uchiha from within.

Yes…

This could be an opportunity.

Ever since the time of Tobirama, the village's stance toward the Uchiha had been conflicted.

But while Tobirama had a detailed plan for dealing with them, Hiruzen lacked the ability to implement such strategies, leaving him to rely on suppression instead.

Now, with both Shisui and Obito in play, he saw a potential breakthrough.

Without hesitation, Hiruzen signed the approval.

But just as he put down his pen, there was a knock at the door.

He sensed who it was and frowned again.

Asuma? What's he doing here?

His rebellious son rarely sought him out, and whenever he did, it was usually a headache.

"Come in…"

"Father."

Asuma entered, unusually formal. He hesitated briefly before bowing deeply.

"May I join Kyoichi-sensei's team?"

Hiruzen looked up at him, surprised.

Kyoichi again?

First Shisui, and now his own son wanted to join Kyoichi's team.

In less than a month of teaching, Kyoichi had won over so many people.

How?

"Why do you want to join his team?"

"Because Sensei is strong, wise, and inspiring. I believe I can learn a lot from him."

Asuma bowed even lower.

He rarely made requests of his father, so this was a rare moment of sincerity.

Hiruzen studied him for a long moment before nodding.

"Kyoichi may be suitable for Shisui, but I'm not sure he's the best fit for you. However, if this is your choice, I'll respect it."

"Thank you, Father!"

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