I looked around, the Hokage monument was right over our heard, Naruto's father looking down at us with a shadow of a smile. I smiled and looked at Naruto, for the first time the kid had been silent for more than five minutes. He looked at the other Hokages and smiled, I swear that kid must have known somewhere deep down who his real father was.
"Gather around children," Iruka called out making us sit facing the monument, "now, does anyone know why we are here?"
I raised my hand, "the Hokage is going to speak to us."
Iruka smiled and nodded, "very good Yami, but do you know why?"
"Because we're going to be kick ass ninjas!" Naruto cried out making everyone laugh.
"Naruto! Behave! This isn't the classroom where you can do whatever you wish!" Iruka yelled, his head seemingly growing many sizes bigger, huh, I have got to know how he does that!
"Oh it's fine Iruka-sensei, the children need to act their age after all," came an old and gravely, but kind voice. We all looked around and there he was, standing right under his own stone face carved over him, the third hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage Lv- ?
REP- 5 The man smiled, "hello, it is nice to see such fine young boys and girls sitting here before me. Tell me Iruka, have they given you any trouble?"
Iruka smiled, "no lord Hokage, they are a very well behaved batch, well, expect Naruto."
"Hey!" Naruto cried out, "that's no way to speak to your future boss!" The third smiled, "ah, yes, but you know Naruto, you actually have to get this hat to become the Hokage yes? Until then, Iruka is still your teacher and you must obey him, understood?"
Naruto grumbled, "yes jiji, sorry Iruka-sensei."
The teacher looked like he just saw a ghost. He turned to the Third with a look of awe, "how did you do that?"
The older man chuckled, "I'm not called 'the Professor' for nothing."
"Hey Yami, isn't that your nickname?" Naruto asked in his usual loud voice drawing everyone's attention to me. I wanted to hit him up the head, can't he learn to shut up?!
I sighed, "no Naruto, Mizuki-sensei calls me the 'Little Professor', obviously it's supposed to be derived from the old man's nickname." "Yami! Don't called the Hokage old!" Iruka cried out.
I raised an eyebrow, "why?"
"It's disrespectful!"
"What's so disrespectful about it?" I asked, "he's old, that's a fact isn't it?"
"Yes, that is true," the Third smiled, "but you see, most people don't like it when you point out their shortcomings."
I snorted, "being old isn't a shortcoming, especially when you're old in an occupation where men die young. That just means you're the kind of person who shouldn't be taken lightly."
The Hokage's smile faltered, the grandfatherly image he had slipped away. He lowered his headgear and took a drag from his cigar, "tell me, what is your name?"
"Yami," I told the man, "orphan." The Hokage nodded, "Yami, tell me, what does it mean to be a ninja?"
I closed my eyes and thought. I remembered the great ninjas of this story, Itachi, Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, Zabuza, all of them fought for what they believe in. But what do I believe in?
I had my answer.
I looked at the old man, "ninjas are killers and thieves," my answer was blunt, the Hokage's face betrayed a look of disappointment, "but," I continued, "that's not the kind of ninja I want to be. For me, a ninja is someone with power to change the world, be it with a murder or with an idea. A ninja can be a hero to one person and the devil to another.
"But the kind of ninja I want to be is someone who can make this world less horrible, the kind who can protect the people he cares about and make the world a peaceful place." "To be able to do that one would suffer a great deal of pain," the old man countered.
"And? I'm an orphan, I sleep alone with no idea what I'm going to live for in the future. I may not have a future, but if my actions can save the life of another, then why shouldn't I at least try? Why shouldn't I try and make this world a better place to live in?"
"You can't make the world a peaceful place Yami," the man spoke softly, "it's a dangerous place that will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. Trying to create peace in such a world...it's impossible."
I had but two words for the man, "watch me."
He raised a single eyebrow and met my gaze. We looked at each other for a moment before he smiled, "tell me Yami, if you had to kill your best friend in order to ensure peace reigned forever, would you do it?" "Peace gained through killing is not a peace that will last," I told him.
"So that's a no?"
I nodded, "yes, if I had to betray Naruto or put him into prison to ensure peace, then I would do it, no questions asked, but if the only way the world will be happy is if I killed my best friend...then the world isn't ready for peace."
The man nodded, "smart answer. Tell me, who gave you that nick name? The Little Professor?"
"Mizuki-sensei."
"Well, it's certainly apt," the man smiled turning to address the children, "your classmate isn't wrong, in fact his beliefs closely mirrors that of the First Hokage himself, the founder of this village." People gasped as they looked at me in awe and respect. "That's my best friend!" Naruto cheered joyfully.
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