Checkpoint: 4, Loads: 44

Several more months passed before we were told the ninja would be coming by. I was four years old by now, so it didn't take much convincing for the caretakers to let me join the older kids when the shinobi talked to them.

Finally, the day came. I saw the indignation of a few of the other kids when I was allowed to listen to the ninja despite my age.

"Quiet!" The excited ramblings of the children came to a stop at the firm voice of one of the older women, Moichi-san was her name.

"The shinobi are coming here to tell you about the Academy. You can ask questions, but be polite and don't interrupt them, understand?"

We all nodded and reluctantly muttered our approval. "Now, they'll be here in a few minutes; if you're not on your best behavior the entire time, then none of you get to play on the playground for the next week."

At this, there were a few cries of protest at the unfairness of her statement, but they fell silent once again at her voice. "I guess I'll have to make it two weeks and cancel the ninja presentation, then. You don't want that, do you?" Of course, she didn't actually have the power to cancel the presentation… but the other kids didn't know that.

Now there were shouts of remorse that soon turned into the quiet shaking of heads at Moichi-san's finger to the lips. "All right then, now go sit down and wait."

We all took spots on the carpeted floor and moved around with barely hidden excitement.

Minutes later, three chuunin walked through the door. I couldn't hide my surprise when I realized that they were the same team from two years ago. The chuunin with jet black hair and bold red eyes caught most of the boys' attention. A lot of the girls stared at her in awe, too.

Yuuhi Kurenai. She smiled at each of us. I wondered if she remembered me from so long ago. I assumed so when she gave me a small wave, and just like last time, I gave one back.

She stepped up to speak to us. "As you probably already know, we're here to talk about the Academy and answer any questions you might have about enrolling or about shinobi and kunoichi in general."

She pointed to herself. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai," she gestured to the guy with jet-black hair beside her, "this is Sarutobi Asuma," another gesture to the last member of her team, "and that's Namiashi Raido."

The two guys nodded to us at their respective introductions. Kurenai proceeded to explain what the Academy was, what it taught, and a few of the key parts of being a ninja.

"Any questions?" she finally asked.

Some of the kids nudged a boy who raised his hand hesitantly. Kurenai smiled. "Yes?"

He looked at her nervously with a blush. "C-can you show us a jutsu?"

She nodded, and made a few hand seals. "This is one of the first jutsu you'll learn, and one you'll have to master to graduate the Academy. Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Two identical copies of her appeared on each of her sides. Everyone around me made sounds of surprise and astonishment at the fact that there were now three of the girl.

She then demonstrated the Henge no Jutsu as well, which similarly amazed the kids. When I didn't see anyone else asking a question, I raised my own hand.

Kurenai looked at me and nodded.

"What's the minimum age you can enroll?" I asked. She didn't appear surprised by my question.

"Well, it depends on the amount of potential you show, but if you do especially well on the entrance exam, you can begin at age six. However, most students enroll at eight and graduate at twelve to ensure they can pass the entrance exam and have enough time to learn the material to graduate. You'll probably have to wait a couple years," she told me, confirming my suspicions.

I tried to look a little disappointed while a couple other kids asked more questions.

"How do you do jutsu?" this one came from a girl who I think was about seven.

Kurenai let Asuma answer this one. He sighed and stepped closer. "Shinobi have something called 'chakra' that we can control with hand seals to perform techniques of all kinds. Some basic exercises with chakra let us do things like walk on walls or even water."

At this, everyone inevitably clamored for him to demonstrate. With another sigh, this time accompanied by an indulgent smile, he moved to the wall and put a single foot against it. I saw the chakra flow to his feet as he put the other one up and began walking at a ninety degree angle. Once again, everyone was amazed.

A while later, Asuma said, "All right, unless one of you has something else to add, I think we're finished with the presentation." His teammates shook their heads, and he looked back at us. "Anymore questions from you guys?"

When no one said anything, he nodded at Moichi-san, and looked us over for the last time. "Make sure to try out for the Academy in a few months if you're interested, maybe one of us will be your jounin-sensei by the time you graduate if you're lucky," he said with a chuckle. It was amusing to me as well because I knew both he and Kurenai wouldn't be jounin-sensei for at least another seven years.

"I'll be a jounin before you, Asuma-san!" one of the older kids said with laughter. Kurenai and Raido shook slightly in mirth at Asuma's look of dismay.

Asuma shook his head and mock-glared at the boy. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll see you brats around."

Moichi-san smiled at his team. "Thank you, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, Raido-san. The presentation was just as good as last year's."

They smiled back. "Of course, it was nothing," Kurenai said on behalf of all three of them.

And with a few waves, they turned around and began to leave. I quickly ran to Moichi-san's side and asked her if I could tell the ninja something before they left.

"Sure, Kenshi-kun, just be quick."

This was my chance. I had to convince them that I had enough potential to make it in the Academy. I sprinted down the hallway and out the door, feeling the cool evening air brush my face. I caught the attention of the chuunin before they could shunshin away.

I saw Kurenai, Asuma, and Raido turn toward me in curiosity. I stopped my impromptu sprint and caught my breath quickly. I looked up at Asuma, who was closest to me. While he was still a teenager, he looked like a giant from my point of view. "What is it, kid? Forget to ask us something?"

I shook my head. "Asuma-san… can I show you something?" He and his teammates shared looks. "Yeah, sure, kid."

Now that they were watching me, I walked up to the wall of the orphanage. "I… I can do what you did."

I walked up the side of the wall, now comfortable in doing so, and turned to see the team looking at me in surprise. Asuma quickly collected himself and asked the question they were all wondering. "That's impressive, kid. What's your name?"

"Kenshi. Kimura Kenshi," I told him. Of course, he didn't recognize the name.

Kurenai cut in. "More importantly, who taught you that?" she asked, looking at me.

I shrugged. "I figured it out myself."

Asuma looked at his teammates again. "And how old are you?" He shook his head in disbelief when I told him. At this point, Kurenai spoke up again.

"Asuma, you don't really think a four-year-old could have the reserves to even perform the tree-walking exercise, let alone master it himself?" she said, shaking her head at him.

"The evidence is right there, Kurenai, but…" he trailed off as he looked at his male teammate.

Raido's brow furrowed as he watched me. "His chakra… it's barely discernible. I believe he is suppressing it." At this, they turned to me.

I looked to Raido specifically. "You mean… you can see it too? Chakra?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

He nodded. "Yes. I sensed that you had unlocked your chakra the last time we were here." That explained why they looked at me in particular back then.

Kurenai sighed, then looked to Asuma. "Well, what do we do?" I guess Asuma was the leader of the three.

He stared at me in thought. A few moments passed before he came to a conclusion. "If he's a natural sensor, it's possible that he could've learned to apply his chakra like that by trial and error. I'll let the Hokage know, maybe he can start in the Academy earlier than usual. You wanna be a ninja, right?" At my affirmation, he continued. "Is there anything else you can do that we should know about?"

I told him about how I could walk on water, stick things to myself, and suppress my chakra. I explained the suppression by saying it was distracting when I saw myself, so I tried to make it less visible. I didn't know how believable that was, but I had no better excuse. His teammates made noises of shock at the list, but he just shook his head again. "Kid, you're something else. I don't know how you figured out how to do half of that, but I think you'd do fine in the Academy."

He scratched his chin, then waved me over. "We're gonna go talk to my old man about your situation, all right kid?"

I nodded, and he set his hand on my shoulder. "Instead of walking, we ninja have something called the Shunshin no Jutsu. Hold on tight, kid."

The slight smiles of pity on Kurenai and Raido's faces made me worry a bit. Maybe I could ask him to walk inst-

I was swept up in a rush of wind and pressure, and since I didn't get a chance to shut my eyes, I felt dust fly into them the moment we stopped. I'd had a good head for vertigo in my past life and keeping myself from vomiting wasn't hard. But even knowing what to expect, it hurt more than I thought it should've.

"A little rough, yeah?" I nodded in agreement at Asuma's voice.

But when I finished rubbing my eyes, I looked up to see what I knew to be the Hokage Building. And though I'd anticipated this meeting, I couldn't help but feel a little scared.

I had prepared myself for this, even rehearsing specific lines to persuade the Sandaime to let me enroll in the Academy, but I wasn't certain I'd get to use them. Asuma seemed pretty confident that I'd be allowed to join at my age, after all.

Regardless, I now had a good view of the most important building in the village. I took in the red stone walls wrapped around like blood stained bandages and remembered what the Hokage represented. It wasn't the strength of the Leaf or the "will of fire" or even the culmination of all the hopes and dreams each villager had and could only reach under a reign of peace. It was the shadow of the Land of Fire… the darkness in which all evil hid, kept away from innocence where it couldn't hurt anything else. The Hokage was a representation of ninja… of all the hatred and malice in this world in material being.

And here I was, about to experience one of the turning points of my life in the Elemental Nations. I was going to meet the Sandaime, the God of Shinobi. I looked myself over and pushed a hand through my hair. The caretakers had let me grow it out since last year when I asked them not to cut it. It made me feel more like my past self.

Asuma noticed my movements, and he grinned at me. "You recognize this building, kid?" I nodded nervously.

Kurenai and Raido appeared beside us in twin swirls of leaves. We followed him as he pulled open the pair of beige doors that marked the entrance to the Hokage building. A chuunin gave us permission to climb the flight of stairs that led to yet another pair of doors that Asuma knocked on sharply. "You may enter," I heard an elderly yet rich voice say.

Asuma patted my back before he pushed open the door to the Hokage's office. I pushed down the uncontainable feeling of nervousness that had suddenly welled up inside of me, and stepped over the threshold.

I took in the scene of a room resembling the Oval Office in style, with windows lining the wall across from the entrance and a muted color scheme. At the center was a wooden desk with the kanji for shadow interrupted by the leaf symbol. Behind that desk was a man in white and red robes with a matching pyramidal hat.

This was the Hokage. He looked up and smiled at Asuma and his team, then quirked a brow when he noticed me beside them. "And who's this?"

Asuma grinned at his father. "This here is Kimura Kenshi, we met him at the orphanage today."

The Hokage nodded gravely. "I see. So you and Kurenai have decided to adopt, eh?" His words caught me so much by surprise that I snorted involuntarily.

Asuma and Kurenai's reactions were even better, with furious blushing and fierce denials. I saw a slight smile on Raido's face as he watched his teammates. Soon, Asuma recovered enough to glare at his father. "Come on old man, at least let us explain the situation."

The Hokage smiled and shook his head a little. "Let an old man have his joke, Asuma. Still, I assume you have a good reason to bring a civilian child here?"

Raido looked over to me. "First, Kenshi-kun, please stop suppressing your chakra." The Hokage's brow furrowed in slight confusion at this. I did as he requested, and saw surprise on both his and Raido's faces.

Raido then turned to the Hokage. "Kenshi-kun claims he has taught himself the leaf-sticking, tree-walking, and water-walking exercises without having ever heard of them. We believe his abilities can be attributed to the unique combination of natural chakra sense and the accidental unlocking of his chakra as a very young child."

Asuma took the lead. "The kid only showed us the tree-walking exercise, but I don't see any reason for him to lie about the other two." His father nodded in consideration.

After a few moments, the Hokage looked to me. "Kenshi-kun, if you could enroll in the Academy right now, would you be willing to?" At my confirmation, he continued. "And why is that? Why do you want to be a shinobi?"

I wouldn't need to lie here. Even if I had, I didn't think I could fool the God of Shinobi. So I told him the truth. "I want... to bring peace to this world." I saw him flinch very slightly. It wasn't just a childish dream. I knew the way I said it made it seem like a real possibility, but that was only because I had been given power I knew could accomplish it.

He smiled at me. "Well, it's my duty as a Hokage to encourage the Will of Fire in my people… and I can't very well turn down someone with such a noble goal, can I?" I tried to hold in my grin, but I still smiled a bit. Then I bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Then he shook his head. "Don't thank me yet, Kenshi-kun. You still have to pass the entrance exam, after all." I nodded, knowing it wouldn't be a problem. Though I had another question.

"Hokage-sama… would it be possible to get my own apartment?" This was something I really needed. My training would be very difficult if I were to stay at the orphanage. And any private activities I could do were severely limited without my own place.

"Of course. It's customary to give orphans entering the Academy the chance to have their own place." Oh, that made sense. It wasn't like I'd have been the first one. Then the Hokage looked to Asuma.

"Asuma-kun, could you take Kenshi-kun down to Matoshi-san? Tell her to give him the enrollment exam so he can start before the semester ends." Asuma nodded and took my shoulder. "And Kenshi-kun, if you do well, I'll have your new living quarters sorted out by the time you're done."

At this, I smiled gratefully to the Hokage. This was going better than I'd ever hoped. As Asuma and I walked out of his office, I heard Kurenai and Raido giving their reports on the orphanage "mission". I wondered what they had to say about the kids there. Maybe they were going to tell the Hokage other things they noticed about me. That was a scary train of thought, so I cut it off and focused on the walk toward the Academy building, which was attached to the Administrative one.

"You're one lucky kid, you know that? I don't know why, but my old man seems to like you." Asuma looked down at me with a serious look. "You better not let him down, kid. No pressure." I would've responded, but we opened another door and saw an older woman with dark hair and eyes at a desk.

She stood at his entrance. "Asuma-kun! I haven't seen you around in a while. How are Kurenai-chan and Raido-kun?" She must've taught them when they were students. He grinned at her sheepishly. "Sorry Matoshi-sensei, we've been busy with missions lately... you know how it is. Kurenai and Raido are giving their mission report to the old man right now."

She shook her head slightly. "Well, at least you three are still all right. But who's the little one?" she looked to me with a quirk of the eyebrow.

Asuma chuckled and ruffled my hair. "His name's Kimura Kenshi. The old man made me bring him down here to take the Academy enrollment exam." Matoshi-san turned to me in surprise, then back to Asuma. "Really? There are only a few weeks left of the semester, you know."

"Yeah, apparently Kenshi-kun here is a child prodigy, but you'll find out about that soon enough." I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "Child". If only he knew.

She looked me over critically. "Well, I guess there's no reason to wait." She reached for something in a drawer, then pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil. "Come with me, Kenshi-kun. The first part is basic academics." I glanced back at Asuma as I followed Matoshi-san. He nodded at me with a grin, probably suspecting how overqualified I was for this exam.

A quick walk to an empty classroom, and she set down the materials at a desk. I sat on the solid wooden bench, then looked to her expectantly. "This is a multiple-choice test. You have fifteen minutes to answer every question to the best of your abilities. I'll tell you when time is up. Do you have any questions?" I shook my head. This was relatively straight-forward. Then again, it was geared towards kids in the single digits.

"Then begin." I picked up the pencil and turned to the test. Which shinobi was not involved in the creation of Konoha? Yeah, this was gonna be a breeze. Next was some basic arithmetic and a few multiplication problems.

After five minutes, I had completed the quiz, and checked my answers quickly. I set down the pencil and looked to Matoshi-san. Once again, she quirked an eyebrow, but stopped her timer and picked up my test. She glanced through my answers with speed indicating long practice.

At the end, she gave me an appraising look. "I'm impressed. A perfect score." I kept my look blank. Yeah, it felt like a test for little kids, but then again, it was. I was happy with everyone thinking I was just a genius rather than a now twenty-year-old in a child's body.

Then she smiled. "Let me give you another quiz." She noticed my look of confusion and explained. "You seemed to know your academics very well. If you want to skip a year or two, I'll need to know just how good you are." So she left and came back with a few other tests.

As I took them, I noticed the increasing difficulty of the material. The last two tests were not multiple choice, and instead, completely short-answer. Still, I didn't have trouble with any of the questions because of my combined knowledge from watching Naruto and reading so many books from the library.

After checking the last test, she shook her head at me. "Kenshi-kun, I don't know how, but you managed a perfect score on each test. It'll be refreshing to have such a driven student in the Academy." I looked at her blankly. In my past life, no one would ever have called me "driven".

Then she sighed. "Well, there's only one other part of the test." She waved for me to follow her and walked out of the classroom. We headed down the hallway where I could see multiple ongoing classes. One of those would be mine. Soon, we reached the door leading outside, which she pushed open.

I stepped outside to see a grassy green field with targets and a length of wooden structures that I recognized as an obstacle course. The sun still shone in the sky; it was a little past midday. The classes would probably be let out soon. "Now. There are a couple ways to do this, but I prefer the obstacle course." At my questioning look, she explained.

"I'm sure you know, but to be admitted into the Academy, a child must show they first have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work. They then must show they are healthy in mind and body." I nodded, having heard as much from Kurenai's team earlier today.

"Well, we usually forego tests altogether for children from ninja families. Civilians like you are generally allowed in without an exam as well, since the rules are rather vague." I frowned a bit, wondering where she was going with this.

"However, if someone wants to enroll at a very young age, we have to be sure they can handle the physical and mental problems that come with the training." At this, I understood. That must've been why Sasuke and the others didn't join till they were eight. Naruto, on the other hand, had failed twice, and thus probably began when he was six. Actually, I don't see how he could've passed the written test, but the Hokage could've made an exception.

She smiled at my understanding. "I know you have the mental strength. Now, I just need you to complete this course within a certain time limit, and you'll be admitted without issue." I looked it over. This wouldn't be a problem either.

She pointed to the line in front of the course, and I dutifully stood behind it. "Are you ready?" she looked at me. I gave a firm nod. "Then… begin!"

I ignored the ladder, and used what I had learned from the tree-walking exercise to channel chakra to my feet. I immediately jumped halfway up the wall, then ran up the rest of the way. At the top, I looked to see monkey bars leading to the next platform. Once again, I took a chakra-enhanced jump and barely reached the platform. Oddly spaced wooden cylinders acted as the next obstacle, and I hopped across them, skipping one or two each time, still using chakra for balance.

At the end, there was a rope leading back to the ground, but I took a chance and jumped off, rolling to soften my fall. I stood up to see Matoshi-san standing in front of me with a smile. "That was… impressive, Kenshi-kun. Easily the fastest time I've seen from a pre-Academy student." I grinned a little in spite of myself.

Then she shook her head. "I see what Asuma-kun meant by 'child prodigy'." She bit her lip. "From what I've seen, you could certainly enroll at a higher level. If there's anything else besides tree-walking that you can show me, I might be able to get you in a class that graduates in the fall."

"I can walk on water, suppress my chakra, and Raido-san said I was a sensor, but that's about it…" I tried to act nonchalant. After all, I wasn't supposed to know that those were genin and chuunin-level abilities.

Matoshi-san's face showed clear surprise. "Wow… yes, that would easily qualify you for early graduation. Kenshi-kun, what do you think of my proposition?" I smiled at her a bit.

"I would very much appreciate the opportunity to graduate this fall." And she smiled back. "In that case, I will see you tomorrow in class, Kenshi-kun. Let me show you the room."

Later, after Matoshi-sensei (as I would now call her) explained in more detail the Academy curriculum and traditions, I left the Academy building and began the short trip back to the Hokage's office. I quickly reached the doors again, and knocked the same way I had seen Asuma do not long ago.

"Come in." At this, I opened the doors and stepped inside, closing them behind me. "Hokage-sama." I bowed slightly.

He waved his hand in dismissal. "You needn't bow to me, Kenshi-kun. You're not yet in my service, you know." I smiled at his kindness. Konoha was definitely the right choice. "But I assume you did well?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Matoshi-sensei decided to place me in her class." He nodded, apparently unsurprised. "The one which is set to take the graduation exam in a few months?" At my affirmation, he chuckled. "And you believe yourself capable of passing?"

I nodded again. "Well, it may displease you, Kenshi-kun, but I cannot let you graduate at such a young age without at least a year of the Academy." My disappointment was probably visible. I didn't dare complain, of course, but it had been such a great opportunity.

Yes, it was definitely visible. He sighed loudly, and I saw him reach for his pipe, probably involuntarily. He managed to stop himself in time, however. "...all right," I smiled, but I could tell something else was coming, "but on a few conditions."

He raised three fingers in demonstration, dropping one at each statement. "You must have perfect grades the entire time." Well, that wasn't so bad. "You must win every single taijutsu match, no matter how unfair it seems. And finally, you must graduate as the Rookie of the Year, meaning number one in your class. There are no exceptions."

I couldn't hold in my indignation, which came out as a slight opening of the mouth and a dismayed look. Sure, I understood his reservations, but he might as well have just given me no chance at all. "Well, Kenshi-kun?" The Hokage smiled at me challengingly. "I guess you'll have to wait till next year, eh?"

I frowned. If I couldn't do this, I didn't deserve the power I had been given. I didn't deserve to have such a mission as world peace. So I grinned back at him. "I am sorry, Hokage-sama, but come fall, I will be under your command."

He chuckled. "As I thought. And here Kurenai-chan was so worried about you being too young and unprepared." He gave me an appraising look. "We could use more shinobi with your fire, Kenshi-kun." I filled with pride. Here was one of the most powerful men to ever live, complimenting me.

"But enough about that. I've found a place I think will be perfect for you." He stood, and I looked at him in confusion. I expected him to tell me the location, or at most, ask one of his ninja to take me there. Of course, he noticed my look, and shook his head disapprovingly.

"What, you think I'm too old to go on a walk with our newest addition to the Academy?" I shook my head quickly, and hid my smile. "Then let's go, shall we?" It dawned on me then, why he was doing all this. I was an unknown. A prodigious child that could very well become a threat to the village without the right guidance. Even though he knew my mission, there were people like Nagato that would go to extreme and often misguided lengths to achieve their goals. He was building my trust in the Hokage, and through him, the Leaf.

My smile quickly faded as the realization built in my mind. By now, we were walking through the village as he greeted shinobi and civilians alike that we passed in the street. The constant bows of respect and words of gratitude to the Hokage reminded me that even though that might be a large part of the incentive for his actions, it wasn't inherently wrong. He was doing it to protect the village he loved.

As Phoebus continued his journey across the sky, we reached a very familiar stand instead of the apartment I had expected. He pulled aside one of the flaps and I sat on a stool beside him. "Hokage-sama! It's been too long since you've come by here!" I looked up to see the genial man I knew was Ichiraku Teuchi. I was disappointed to see that his eyes were not, in fact, constantly closed.

The Hokage smiled. "Ah, Teuchi-san, the paperwork is always keeping me at the office. But I made it today, didn't I?" Teuchi gave a somewhat rumbling laugh. "That you did! But anyway, you two came here for ramen, right?"

"Yes, you're right. I think… a bowl of miso for me, and Kenshi-kun…," he looked to me, "will have the same." Teuchi nodded, and as he got to work masterfully creating what I had heard many times from Naruto to be heavenly goodness, the Hokage turned to me.

"You haven't had ramen before, have you?" I shook my head. "Teuchi-san has always made some of the best ramen in the Leaf; I'm afraid to admit, coming by here has always been one of my indulgences." I felt like, somehow, this place was missing something… someone. I wondered if the Hokage had come by here with Naruto already.

"Now, Kenshi-kun, you may have guessed, but you'll be receiving a monthly stipend directly from me until you graduate. Feel free to spend it on shinobi equipment or other things, but make sure you're careful about food." I nodded. "If you need assistance designing a budget or if something comes up, just come to my office and I'll do my best to help you." A four-year-old might have difficulty managing money, but I wasn't a four-year-old.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'll be very careful when it comes to spending." Just then, Teuchi set two bowls in front of us.

"Here you are." I'd had those Americanized ramen noodles in my past life, and I knew they'd be much different, but I was surprised by just how much.

"So, what do you think?" This time, it came from Teuchi and was directed to me. The Hokage looked similarly interested in my response, having remarked that the ramen was as great as always. To me, the taste was so foreign that I didn't know how to react. I had gotten used to some forms of Japanese food in the orphanage, but relatively high-quality ramen was not something I had tried. However, I quickly got used to the taste and appreciated it greatly.

"It's… incredible. Thank you, Teuchi-san." The Hokage smiled and Teuchi chuckled. "It's nothing! If my ramen weren't the best in the Land of Fire after all these years, I'd have retired a long time ago." I smiled. At least I made a good impression on someone I knew was close to Naruto.

"So, are you a student?" I nodded, and the Hokage explained on my behalf. "Kenshi-kun here has shown impressive skill, so he's enrolled in the Academy starting tomorrow." Teuchi looked at me in approval.

"It's always good to see manners in kids like you, gives me hope for the next generation." He laughed again. I could see why people liked Ichiraku's so much. Teuchi was able to create such a jovial and calming environment with nothing more than good ramen and words. It wasn't hard to imagine a shinobi coming here after a long, difficult mission to relax.

After the meal, the Hokage talked to me about my apartment and my responsibilities now that I would be living by myself. He reminded me to come to him if I ever had any issues. Then we said our goodbyes to Teuchi and began the walk toward my apartment. I memorized the path he took, not that the village was especially big or easy to get lost in.

"Kenshi-kun, what would you say to having a roommate in a couple years?" I looked at him questioningly. "He's about your age, and he's an orphan too, but…" Oh. He means Naruto. That'd be kind of scary. I didn't like the idea of influencing the person who was supposed to bring peace to the world. Sure, that was what I wanted too, but I was an intruder here. Four years didn't change that. And to take his story… it just felt wrong. Then again, Naruto would be Naruto even if I lived with him.

After all, people don't change Naruto. Naruto changes people.

With that, it was settled in my mind. I was still here to do my best to prevent the deaths that happened in Naruto, and even if his loneliness helped shape him into who he was in the end, he'd had four years of it. That was more than enough.

"...he's not well-liked by many people in the village." the Hokage finished. I nodded to him. "That's fine, Hokage-sama." Then I grinned.

"Besides, I'll probably be a chuunin by then, so I'll be out on missions often." He looked at me in dismay, then laughed.

"If you're a chuunin by six, I might have to give you my position before you're in the double digits." I laughed a little too, but shook my head. That job was for Naruto.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama, but I'm not interested in the job." He seemed surprised at my immediate rejection, and frowned a bit.

"Really? But with a goal like yours, the natural path is that of becoming Hokage." I inwardly laughed again. It wasn't just that Naruto should be Hokage. Not only did I not fit in here, I didn't deserve to be here. The people of this world suffered unimaginable pain to realize their dreams and ambitions… but not I. I was born in a time and place of relative peace and happiness, and my birth here didn't affect my past. That made me question my goal even more.

Should I even interfere? No… I had told myself many times, for reasons I didn't need to remind myself, that it was my responsibility to bring peace to this world. Still, I didn't feel as strongly as I should have. I... I wanted to be happy. And I wanted to make a better, happier world. I wanted a legacy. I didn't get the chance in my last life. Now, I had both the power and time to do so.

But regardless, I couldn't refrain from changing things. I would accomplish my goal… I would be a weapon for peace. In the end, I couldn't lead a village. I could fight, I could create, and I could teach, but… ah, I see. That was what I was missing. There was something each Hokage needed, the most important part of all.

The strength to love each and every person, to work and live each day for countless other people. Not to be the queen of the nest, but to be a worker, to be a worker in a leader's position. I couldn't do that. Sure, I lived for my family and friends, but I was driven by myself and myself alone. I was far too selfish and misanthropic to be Hokage.

I must've been silent for a while. "Kenshi-kun?" And I looked up into the eyes of a man who was my polar opposite, a man who was driven by his love for his village and its people. I admired him. But I didn't want to be like him. I was myself for a reason, and I had changed enough by giving myself that "Motivated" ability.

"I can't love the people the way the Hokage has to. I can sacrifice myself for the village, for my goal of peace, but I can't love the people." That was my answer.

The Hokage didn't speak for a few moments. "Kenshi-kun… you're not wrong. The Hokage must love both the people and the village." He glanced at the purple sky, and to the monument where his own face rested, carved out of unyielding stone. "But the Hokage is a figure, not a person."

We were at the apartment. I recognized it peripherally as Naruto's. The Hokage's statement still rang in my ears. I felt a pat on my shoulder, and something cold was pressed into my hand. I looked down to see a metal key glinting in my palm.

"Remember, if you have any problems, just come to me." He smiled at me. "Have a good first day at the Academy, Kenshi-kun."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I bowed to him. He waved before turning around and heading back toward the Administrative Building. I gave a slight wave as well, not that he could see it. I watched his… his figure… silhouetted by the glow of the setting sun.

I didn't speak to a person today. I spoke to a figure.

Checkpoint Reached!