I started a cult in Naruto world Chapter 5

Chapter 6: Trial

"Third Hokage, here's the list of this year's Class 1 and the new students' exam papers for your review."

In the Hokage's office, a shadowy figure from ANBU suddenly appeared, placing a stack of exam papers and enrollment notices on the table. Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, scanning the list at the top and furrowing his brows.

"So, Danzo's clansman, Shin from the Shimura clan, didn't make it into Class 1? Danzo's going to come to me again, accusing me of being biased against his Shimura clan."

ANBU responded, "It seems that two extremely talented children secured the top spots, displacing Danzo's clansman's rank."

"Is that so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swiftly swept over the list. He recognized most of the names on it, given his role as the Third Hokage of Konohagakure. Moreover, these names all bore the surnames of various clans or were children of high-ranking ninjas within the village. Therefore, he quickly identified the two unusual names.

"Sakamoto Tatsuma and Namikaze Minato. I believe I've heard of them. Are they the two kids who have been running past the Hokage Building lately?"

"Yes, Third Hokage."

ANBU nodded, confirming Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicion. These two children had been passing by the Hokage Building every day in the past month. As ANBU operatives, they had to investigate, which was part of their duty.

However, both of these kids were innocent. The investigation revealed that they were merely passing by to train and exercise, so no further probing was done. After all, there were more individuals like them.

In Konoha, there was another genin who, since before entering the Ninja Academy until now, had been running past the Hokage Building multiple times each day, not just once.

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled that genin who always shouted about youthfulness. Meanwhile, he had opened the enrollment notices and exam papers for Tatsuma and Minato.

Seeing that both of them had received the highest scores in the first two sections of the test, Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised. As the head of the Sarutobi clan and the Third Hokage, he understood the influence of clans on ninjas.

Ninjas with the backing of their clans possessed resources that civilian ninjas didn't. Whether it was material resources or the educational guidance from their clan elders, clan-affiliated ninjas had a head start over civilian ones even before entering the academy.

Thus, for a civilian ninja to stand out, they needed talent and effort several times greater than that of clan ninjas. And if they were war orphans, the challenge was even more significant.

After all, families of civilians could manage to scrape together funds to buy introductory ninja books and practice tools. But for war orphans, the allowance provided by the village just barely ensured their survival, leaving no room for additional expenses.

In the realm of civilians and war orphans, the appearance of extraordinary talents wasn't unprecedented. For instance, his two apprentices, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, were prime examples.

However, over the years, only these two disciples emerged from civilian backgrounds as noteworthy geniuses. Now, there were two more. This greatly astonished Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Then, he quickly looked at the exam papers of the two boys. Such children were more likely to stray from the right path compared to other ninjas, given that the village had treated them "unfairly."

However, as he read their explanations of the Will of Fire, Hiruzen's furrowed brow gradually relaxed. After a while, he looked at the ANBU ninja and asked:

"Where are these two kids now?"

"They should still be at the Training Ground."

"Good, they're not arrogant. Let's go see how these two are doing. It'll save us from having to listen to Danzo's complaints later."

"Yes, Third Hokage."

The ANBU ninja nodded and quickly departed. Hiruzen Sarutobi tidied up a bit and then left the Hokage Building. As he stepped out, a white-haired young ninja approached him.

Seeing the serious expression on the ninja's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and said, "I've told you countless times, once you take off your ANBU attire, you're just Hatake Sakumo. No need to be so gloomy."

Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo's expression brightened, and he replied, "Hokage-sama, please refrain from using such impure words. Especially when you are higher rank than me."

"... I don't mean anything impure! You.."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly. He had figured out the current generation of the Hatake clan, especially when they donned the ANBU attire and masks, became ruthless killing machines.

But when they were out of uniform, they turned into... Well, Hiruzen couldn't find an untarnished word to describe them at the moment. So, he shook his head again and headed toward the Third Training Ground.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama!"

"Third Hokage."

On his way, Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted countless Konoha shinobi and civilians. When he arrived at the Third Training Ground, he spotted two kids in a corner, practicing their projectile skills with discarded targets.

With his experience, Hiruzen immediately gauged their skill levels. The kid with blue and white hair, Tatsuma Sakamoto, had already reached the level of a graduated ninja in terms of projectile accuracy.

As for the boy with golden hair, Namikaze Minato, while slightly behind, was still more impressive than many current academy students.

"Are they truly geniuses?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself and then walked forward.

"Minato, you're making quick progress. However, in this round, my skills still surpass yours!"

As he got closer, Hiruzen overheard a conversation between the two kids. The conversation halted abruptly upon noticing Hiruzen's distinctive attire.

"Third Hokage."

"Third Hokage."

Tatsuma and Minato quickly saluted. Tatsuma also observed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hatake Sakumo, wondering why they were there. Their performance today had been good, but it shouldn't have warranted the presence of the Hokage.

Even though Tatsuma was someone who had been reincarnated, he likely never thought that his sudden appearance had bumped a child from the Shimura clan out of the class, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to come out of Hokage tower to avoid accusations from Danzo.

Sarutobi observed the boy watching him and, in turn, secretly observed Tatsuma. Hiruzen's initial impression of Tatsuma was quite positive; perhaps it was due to the boy's smile.

"Are you students from the Ninja Academy?"

Although he knew the identities of the two before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi still deliberately asked. Tatsuma and Minato nodded, and Minato answered, "Yes, Third Hokage. We just started today."

"I'm Namikaze Minato, and this is my friend, Sakamoto Tatsuma."

"To possess such impressive projectile skills right after entering the academy is truly remarkable. Back in my day, we weren't as outstanding as you two."

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Minato's eyes visibly lit up. Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "However, targets are ultimately lifeless. A ninja's opponents are always living beings. When it comes to moving targets, do you have the confidence to hit them?"

"What do you mean?"

Minato asked, puzzled. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the shinobi practicing in the distance, Hatake Sakumo, and said, "This is the most exceptional ninja by my side, also my guard. Would you like to test your skills against him?"

"Sakumo, why don't you evaluate our future Konoha ninjas? If you find them satisfactory, how about giving them some rewards?"

"Huh? Me?"

Hatake Sakumo snapped back to attention, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's complicated gaze. He knew he had spaced out too much, so he quickly refocused his attention. He looked at the two small children before him and said, "One minute. If you last for one minute, I'll..."

Hatake Sakumo glanced at the worn-out ninja tools in the boys' hands and continued, "I'll give each of you a new set of ninja tools. How does that sound?"

Tatsuma felt intrigued, but he still looked at Minato, seeking his opinion. Tatsuma wasn't particularly interested in the ninja tools; rather, it was the opportunity to spar with the Hokage's guard that enticed him, an opportunity too rare to pass up.

Even though Minato and Tatsuma had only been friends for a day, Minato understood Tatsuma's intentions. He nodded and said, "Really? Old mister, to become the Hokage's guard, your strength must be impressive. However, if it's just for a minute, I'll definitely hold on."

"Old mister?" "So uncute," Hatake Sakumo's face darkened. In his early twenties, he was being referred to as "old mister"?!

The corner of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched as well. Indeed, once he took off his ANBU attire, Hatake Sakumo was someone who couldn't be relied upon at all.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to continue with this little test. It wasn't a bad thing for Hatake Sakumo to show some fighting spirit. Otherwise, given his personality, he might just hold out for a minute and then give these two kids a set of ninja tools.

"Then let's begin!"

As the words fell, Tatsuma and Minato quickly moved to both sides.