Sasuke opened his eyes to the early morning light reflecting off the ceiling, accompanied by the sound of birds chirping. Daytime had arrived.
He lay quietly for a while before getting up. He pulled open the bright, white cloth door, and the sunlight streaming in was a bit dazzling. After washing up and dressing, he saw his young face in the mirror. The cold indifference he had grown accustomed to over the years, surprising for someone his age, was once again the expression he wore as he prepared to face others.
The heat of the day had yet to rise. As Sasuke ate breakfast, he glanced at the calendar on the wall, knowing that today was the day of the graduation exam.
The written test and the Three Body Technique test were scheduled for the morning. For those aspiring to become Ninjas, this should have been a moment of nervous anticipation, but Sasuke felt no such anxiety.
He didn't feel the need to prepare very carefully. With consistently excellent grades and combat skills surpassing most of his peers, he viewed the exam as merely another task, like climbing a tree or walking along a lake, very easy.
Yet, he felt that there was something different about today. After finishing his meal and washing his dishes, Sasuke glanced casually at his bedroom before putting on his shoes at the entrance.
The house was quiet. There were no last-minute reminders or gentle words of encouragement from others. With the clan's fan crest on his back, he opened the door and walked into the sunlight, gradually moving away.
…
"Uchiha Sasuke, your overall grades are excellent." The assessment teacher in front of him held the roster in his hand, looked up and smiled slightly at him, "Congratulations, you have graduated."
Sasuke's expression remained unchanged. He nodded, walked over, bowed, and received his Ninja Registration Number and forehead protector.
"From now on, you are a Ninja of Konoha Village."
His homeroom teacher, Iruka, smiled warmly and patted his shoulder in congratulation.
Ninja of Konoha Village, a term that always held a special meaning.
While waiting at the back, he observed classmates, both familiar and unfamiliar, finishing their exams with expressions of joy or disappointment. Outside the examination room, the atmosphere was lively and strange as family and friends gathered at the Academy's entrance.
"Thank you, sensei." Sasuke bowed to Iruka, and then took the forehead protector.
The familiar emblem of his village gleamed under the light. He then saw someone who passed the exam joyfully put on their forehead protector and run into their parents' arms. Amid the occasional laughter, Sasuke felt Iruka was right. At this moment, he had graduated and became a Konoha's Ninja, but there was no one for him to run to.
The ordinary exam, the ordinary passing, and the excitement of the people around him left him at a loss for a while. Suddenly, a familiar cry of frustration brought him back to reality. Looking towards the tense examination room, he saw a blond-haired figure struggling with the Clone Technique.
Clutching his forehead protector tightly, a figure appeared in Sasuke's mind. Three years ago, they had parted ways without a proper farewell. He hid the letter left by the other party in his bedroom and read it many times.
After standing alone for a while, Sasuke did not see the person he was hoping to find among the crowd at the Academy's entrance. As the day moved from morning to afternoon, he realized he had nothing to do after the exam and would have to return to the Academy tomorrow. He went back to the classroom, packed his bag, and sat by the window in a daze.
Before he knew it, the exams were coming to an end. The last group of people left under the warm yellow light of the setting sun. Sasuke's gaze remained on the Academy's entrance. Seeing the adults gradually left, he picked up his schoolbag and jumped out the window directly.
"Liar."
He walked out through the main gate, turned around and took another reluctant look. He didn't see the person he was searching for. Instead, further away, he spotted someone sitting dejectedly on the swing under a lush tree.
"Dead last..." Sasuke's gaze shifted. Looking at the other party like that, he knew that he had failed the exam, 'What a joke… The person who clamored to become the Hokage couldn't even become a Genin.'
Walking alone down the road, the scenery felt indifferent. The merging of his emotions and the sunset light left him in a daze as he slowly reached his home's entrance.
"?"
Sasuke suddenly froze. He saw his house's door open, with the sound of clattering coming from inside.
His emotions were unclear for a moment, and he instinctively picked up a stone from the ground, a habit drilled into him by safety training.
"Click." Seemingly sensing a change at the entrance, the door of the room was opened from the inside, and a man poked his head out as if opening the door of his own house. The other party was stunned for a moment upon seeing Sasuke, then immediately waved cheerfully. "You're back, Sasuke! Why are you so late!"
Sasuke stood awkwardly in place. The man glanced at the stone in Sasuke's hand and jumped back in an exaggerated manner, " Come on, it's only been a few years, there's no need to be so exaggerated. Or do you not recognize me anymore?"
The familiar tone and expected reaction made Sasuke bite his lip. He threw the stone away and walked towards the house. The man was still grinning. It was really strange why that face was still so young, seemingly untouched by time. Sasuke, maintaining his cold demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the unexpected first words of their reunion, "Heh... I thought you were a thief."
"What kind of thief would leave the front door wide open?" The man stepped aside, letting Sasuke get a better look. It was indeed his former mentor, Hattori, who had returned after three years.
"I came by this afternoon and saw no one was home. Waiting outside seemed silly, so I let myself in and found the key to open the door." Logan explained, blinking innocently, "Anyway..."
"I'm back."
…
After Logan came out of Hiruzen's office in the morning, he was feeling rather confused, but in the end, he refrained from voicing any objections during Hiruzen's subtle dismissal.
'Learn from Kakashi how to lead a team... So now I have to follow Kakashi?' Adding an extra person to a squad out of nowhere, learning while also assisting with the Instructor Jonin's tasks, Hiruzen's 'teaching assistant' concept was indeed unconventional, but Logan had to respect the ingenuity.
In an instant, Logan thought clearly. Although the route was a bit strange, it did not conflict with his goal, so he chose not to comment, tacitly agreeing.
When the ANBU came out to escort them out, Kakashi was visibly displeased. He stood there, metaphorically as if he had arrows stuck in his knees. He loudly resisted this unreasonable distribution and said, "Such a scenario has never happened in the village before." "It's too reckless, unreliable, absurd." and so on...
In response, Hiruzen simply acknowledged his concerns but ignored them.
"Just consider Hattori an addition to the team." "You are still the Jonin Instructor in the team." "The difference from the usual one is that there is an additional teacher." "Just treat Hattori like a minor inconvenience who occasionally helps out, but otherwise, you can ignore him."
Thus, in this strange turn of events, the matter was settled. And the once-joking notion of the 'laziest teacher duo' had now become a reality.
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Logan wanted to bid farewell to Kakashi, but the other party turned his back on him with a dark face. Yu Logan could only awkwardly retract his hand and go back on his own.
After returning home, Logan embarked on a thorough cleaning spree. After not returning for three years, he was thankful the village hadn't demolished his unattended house. After clearing away the dust and decay, Logan thought of Sasuke, who was about to graduate.
However, knowing that Sasuke would be taking his graduation exams in the morning, Logan decided not to disturb him and instead visited the Hyuga Clan's compound to catch up with his old friend, Aida.
Unexpectedly, the other party was extremely enthusiastic. Not only did he invited him to stay for lunch, but the forty-year-old Aida also gave Logan a stern lecture and inquisitive probing about Logan's years of adventures...
The heartfelt reunion left Logan feeling warm and he couldn't refuse him. They chatted for a long time, and it wasn't until late afternoon that he left since he has something to do. When he rushed to Sasuke's house, he found that there was no one there.
'The exam should be over. And with Sasuke's level, there won't be any problem, so he should have been home by this time.' Logan was puzzled. As evening approached, he decided to start cooking until he sensed someone's presence at the door.
Seeing the forehead protector in the boy's hand, Logan felt a wave of emotions.