Once the graduation results were announced, there wasn't much left for Hagoromo and the others to do at school, so everyone headed home to find their parents.
However, before Hagoromo could go back to his own place, he took it upon himself to escort the injured Gai home. Although Gai repeatedly insisted he was fine, Hagoromo still felt a lingering sense of guilt.
Hagoromo's house was located on the outskirts of Konoha. Just across the street was the famous Uchiha District—a place that practically held extraterritorial rights within the village. To be honest, being neighbors with a bunch of people prone to "Red-Eye Disease" made Hagoromo a bit cautious; after all, he was harboring quite a few secrets of his own.
During the day, Konoha didn't show much of a wartime atmosphere. But as night fell, one could feel the village sinking into a tense state. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and squads of ninjas—both in the light and the shadows—patrolled constantly, executing orders to defend the village.
Hagoromo looked up. At this time, only three faces were carved into the Hokage Rock: the First, Second, and Third Hokage. The Third was arguably in the prime of his life, while the future Fourth was currently active on various battlefields under the title of the "Yellow Flash," striking fear into enemies and allies alike.
Soon, Hagoromo arrived home. This was originally the residence of the Kamishiraishi family; now, only Hagoromo remained, but he had long since grown used to it.
He had no real concept of Naruto's cramped apartment. If he had a point of comparison, he would realize that his current living situation, compared to Naruto's, could definitely be called "Protagonist Treatment."
Since both his parents were dead, Hagoromo had been raised by Konoha's childcare institutions until he was five. After five, Konoha distributed living expenses to orphans like him, and they were expected to become self-reliant. At age seven, Hagoromo entered the Ninja Academy.
Three years had passed, and he was now ten years old. In his original world, a ten-year-old child going to a battlefield would be a joke. But in the world of Naruto, this was what they called reality. There were plenty of minors active on the battlefield. Even in Konoha, where management was relatively more humane, the village had no choice but to send these fresh graduates to war. While the Land of Fire was powerful, it was inevitably besieged on four sides, and a shortage of manpower was the norm in every war.
While pondering the current war situation, Hagoromo pushed open his door and skillfully began preparing dinner. He had no idea that a "conspiracy" by the Konoha higher-ups was currently brewing against him.
Ahem, don't worry. This author doesn't play with dark conspiracy theories; that phrasing was a bit hyperbolic. Read on, and you'll see what's actually happening.
Once upon a time, Konoha had a legendary troublemaker. She had three hobbies: gambling, gambling, and gambling. Her skills were terrible, and she basically lost every time she bet. Normally, someone who corrupted social morals like that would be detained by the police or urban management. But because of her special status, practically no one dared to cross her. She was the type who would burn the Third Hokage's beard on a whim... Yes, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the disciple of the Third, the Princess of the Senju and Konoha: Tsunade.
Eventually, Tsunade grew up. Though her love for gambling remained, she finally became sensible and stopped causing chaos. The great Konoha Village finally returned to peace... right? Wrong. Not a chance.
Tsunade-hime grew up and graduated from being a hooligan, which was fine. The problem was that shortly thereafter, "Demon Lord No. 2" descended upon Konoha. Although her background wasn't as staggering as Tsunade's, almost no one dared to provoke her either. Her destructive power and penchant for mischief were even greater than Tsunade's... Indeed, her name was Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, known to the world as the "Tomato" or "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero."
Currently, the Habanero was at her most "Red." Generally, when she walked outside, she had the words "Don't Mess With Me" written across her forehead. Even those "Red-Eyed Rabbits" of the Uchiha clan would get a beating if they crossed her.
There was no helping it. She was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, her boyfriend was basically invincible in a 1-on-1 fight (and didn't fear a crowd), her boyfriend's teacher was Jiraiya of the Sannin, and she herself was close friends with Tsunade... Put it this way: theoretically, she could also burn the Hokage's beard.
Since it was wartime, Kushina wasn't being very well-behaved. She frequently caused disturbances in the village—some trivial, some giving the Hokage a massive headache. But as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she had to remain in the village under the Hokage's protection, never leaving the range of Konoha's barrier. However, her mild "hyperactivity" hadn't been cured yet. How could she stay still? She had applied to go to the front lines several times, which was obviously denied, so she even tried to sneak out. Luckily, she was caught by the Hokage every time.
If she ever went to the front, the "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze—one of Konoha's pillars—plus a member of the Sannin would have to stop everything they were doing. Guarding Kushina would become their entire job.
The Hokage lectured Kushina like a middle-aged woman, explaining the facts and reasoning over and over, but the Habanero still did as she pleased. Thus, the Hokage started arranging jobs for her to give her something proper to do.
Of course, that wasn't enough. She needed a fun, durable "toy."
The Hokage had to scout for this toy carefully.
Minato Namikaze had a disciple named Kakashi, who was incredibly strong at a young age and possessed immense talent. This made Kushina very envious. She had always wanted to experience being a teacher, but because of Minato's precedent, she didn't want her own student to lose to Minato's. Therefore, the quality of this student had to be high—at least not inferior to Kakashi.
This caused the Hokage to worry until his hair turned white. Is a genius like Kakashi that easy to find?
During this period, he had been scouting the Ninja Academy for such a candidate. Gradually, he discovered a very interesting student.
Can you guess who this smart, highly talented, and capable person is? Upon which "lucky soul" will the vital mission of playing with Kushina fall?
Well, this candidate is truly difficult to guess.
Our protagonist currently has no idea that his fate has already been arranged. He is planning which items to bring to the battlefield, how to kill enemies, and how to stay alive.
He would never have imagined that while his classmates are all rushing to the front lines, he—someone who prides himself on being good at combat—won't even have a chance to see the battlefield in the short term. He has no choice but to stay obediently in Konoha.