The Days of Being Hokage (Part One)

"Remember what I said. Go back and get some proper rest… See you tomorrow!"

After stealing a kiss from Tsunade, Gu Sheng did not continue his assault. Instead, he withdrew his hand, said goodbye, and swaggered out of the room.

"Ah~~ Oh~"

Tsunade stood stunned for quite a while. It was not until Gu Sheng closed the door that she came to her senses. Surprisingly, she neither shouted nor made a scene. Instead, she propped her cheek up and sat at the table, her little face as red as Hinata’s after seeing Naruto.

"That guy kissed me. He kissed me. How could he kiss me? He…"

Tsunade’s mind was in turmoil. She was both embarrassed and annoyed at being kissed by surprise, yet she also felt the warmth of being cared for. Her emotions were a complete jumble, and her face felt terribly hot.

"That little brat is quite handsome, and he has a great physique too. He’s much stronger than Jiraiya and Orochimaru. He’s just a little young…"

Tsunade recalled Gu Sheng’s condition. She had treated him for a long time, and as a doctor, how could she not know the exact state of her patient? She knew better than anyone how strong Gu Sheng’s body was. Because she had secretly seen it and now had something to fantasize about, her face grew even hotter.

She mentally calculated things. Aside from Gu Sheng’s Uchiha origins, the difference in their seniority—he was Orochimaru’s disciple—and the age gap between them, he was an exceptionally suitable partner for her, Tsunade.

But in truth, she also knew that these so-called three points were merely excuses she had found by nitpicking because she was too nervous.

By this era, talking about an ancient feud between the Uchiha and Senju no longer held much meaning. If Tsunade had truly cared about Gu Sheng’s origins, she would have ordered Nawaki not to associate with him long ago, and she herself would have drawn a clear line between them. But what had actually happened? She had done no such thing.

The difference in seniority was really nothing. The Naruto World did not place much importance on that. Jiraiya had even successively accepted Minato and Naruto, father and son, as his disciples!

As for the age gap, it was not actually so enormous, and the two of them had not even taken the first step toward a relationship! Considering it now was rather like worrying about a nonexistent problem.

At Konoha Ninja Academy, the campus was especially lively today. Aside from the latest school term beginning, the greater reason was the arrival of a heavyweight guest.

Children and teenagers of all sizes filled the athletic field, ranging in age from four to eleven or twelve.

The graduation age at the Naruto Academy was not fixed. During peacetime, students had to be at least ten to qualify, and they generally had to be twelve before they could officially graduate. During wartime, however, this restriction was relaxed.

Kakashi, for example, graduated at five, while Obito and Rin Nohara’s class generally graduated at nine. This showed that Konoha had suffered a shortage of manpower at the time and had been forced to lower the graduation age.

At present, Konoha was still following the peacetime rules, and students were generally not allowed to graduate until they were twelve.

However, the war had been intense recently, so the age had been lowered somewhat. That was why Nawaki and Uchiha Sheng, who had just turned twelve, had been rushed straight onto the battlefield.

Graduating at twelve was the result of Konoha’s many years of educational experience. Ninjas who graduated at that age were more likely to mature and could better train the next generation. Therefore, as long as circumstances allowed, the higher-ups did not want to change the graduation age.

"I heard that the Acting Hokage appointed by the Third Hokage will be coming to the school today!"

"Wow! I heard that Lord Sheng is a genius of the Uchiha Clan…"

"I heard from someone else that the Acting Hokage is only twelve years old!"

The athletic field was somewhat noisy, filled with voices discussing the matter. Naturally, the focus of their discussion was the main character who would soon arrive… Gu Sheng.

"He’s here! He’s here!"

"He’s really that young…"

"The Acting Hokage!"

Gu Sheng’s arrival ignited the atmosphere. The teenagers grew restless one after another.

"Wherever leaves dance in the wind, fire will burn. The firelight will illuminate the village, and then new leaves will sprout once more!"

Standing on the high platform, Gu Sheng began his speech with the words the Third Hokage had spoken shortly before his death. His speech was rather plain. He imitated the lecturers from his memories, and with the added weight of his position, it still managed to be somewhat inspiring.

The Hokage’s prestige in Konoha and the Will of Fire passed down by word of mouth throughout the village gave these new academy students a deeper sense of belonging to the village.

The speech went better than Gu Sheng had expected. Looking at the new students around him, who resembled fanatical believers, Gu Sheng felt a little reluctant to continue. Was it really all right to fool people like this?

He actually detested this kind of political work, but he had no choice. He was the Hokage now. Although he was only the Acting Hokage, he had to do his job properly for as long as he remained in office.

"Let us work together for the future of the village!!!"

With Gu Sheng’s final words, this "moving" speech came to an end. The new students were divided into classes under the guidance of their teachers, while students approaching graduation—or those who had met the graduation requirements but had not yet reached the required age—entered a large auditorium in groups of three or four under their teachers’ direction.

Students at the Konoha Ninja Academy could become ninjas as long as they passed the graduation exam. However, because the standards were strict, few students under twelve could pass. Even among twelve-year-olds, most only passed because their teachers had pulled strings and lowered the requirements.

After all, ninja students did not engage in production, and raising them until the age of twelve already placed considerable pressure on the village. Keeping them in school any longer would merely be a waste, which was why most ninjas graduated at twelve.

Of course, there were no shortage of geniuses at the ninja academy. White Fang, the Three Ninja, the future Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi had all graduated early after completely meeting every requirement aside from age. These were the universally acknowledged geniuses.

As for Sasuke, who was hailed as a genius, it could only be said that, without awakening Indra’s potential, he was completely unable to compare with those people.

Sasuke already possessed the strength of a Genin, and perhaps even approached Chunin level, while still at the ninja academy. Perhaps for certain reasons, he was held back until the age of twelve, when he graduated alongside Naruto.

But all the people mentioned earlier had possessed Chunin-level strength before turning twelve. Their early talents were far beyond Sasuke’s. If Sasuke was a genius, then they were geniuses among geniuses.

After taking office, Gu Sheng had deliberately shifted a large amount of routine administrative work onto Danzo. That old schemer would never refuse power. As long as Gu Sheng kept control of the overall situation, he would not be usurped from the rear. Besides, with Danzo occupied and worked half to death, where would he find the ability to make trouble under Gu Sheng’s watch?

He had handed a large amount of mundane work to Danzo, after which he and Tsunade focused on reforming the ninja academy’s educational system. That was right—his ambitions were vast. He wanted to reform the education system of the entire ninja academy, not merely that of the Medical Ninja program.