On a usual Sunday morning, in Konoha, a young child lay on his luxurious bed, lazing around with a book on top of his head.
Not long after, the boy - obviously Akira - relented and embraced his cruel fate of doing homework.
"Argh! What even is this dang equation anyways?!"
"I can understand the first term's multiplication perfectly, the second terms crazy calculations, but this term? Oh, hell no!"
"Are they trying to make us mathematicians?!"
Suddenly, the door slammed open with a 'bang', revealing a more than slightly irritated Tsunade.
"Hey, keep it down alright? You've been complaining and screeching the entire afternoon! Some people actually want to study."
Akira merely groaned in response, lying completely limp on his mattress.
With a long-suffering sigh, she backed out of the room to return to her own studying.
'Wait, I know! I'll complain to Ooji-san about this ridiculous homework!'
Had anyone heard his thoughts, they would have thought he was crazy and beat some sense into the poor boy, thinking what lunatic would complain to the freakin' Hokage just because of some ten-page homework.
It was really more of a joke and a excuse to visit him, than actually asking his great-uncle for help, though he was admantent on still bringing that thick book of everlasting homework.
"I'll go ask Grandma Mito for where he is!"
Happily skipping out the house, and onto the road towards the grand Uzumaki estate where Mito stayed, Akira hummed a jolly tune along the way.
.
.
.
"Obaa-san! Are you home?"
A racket was heard coming from inside the large mansion, before a red-haired, still-beautiful woman answered the door. Despite being in her forties to fifties, thanks to her Uzumaki bloodline Mito still looked quite young and beautiful, though a few wrinkles were starting to show.
"Ah, it's you Akira-chan! Come in and have some tea!" Mito opened the door with a grandmotherly smile, showcasing her white teeth.
"No need, obaa-san! I just want to know where ooji-san is!" Akira chirped back happily.
"Hm? Alright, then. He should probably be in the Hokage's office right now. Why, may I ask?"
"I'm having problems with my homework! Okaa-san and otou-san aren't home so I can only ask him!"
Mito, taken aback, looked at him in surprise before chuckling softly and ruffling his hair up playfully. Of course, it would be for that. The only one in the entire village who had such audacity to take a visit to the Hokage's office just for that would be him.
"Why didn't you just ask me?"
"Eh? Because I didn't want to trouble you, so I'll trouble ooji-san instead!"
'So you'd rather trouble the Hokage instead of me, huh? I don't know if I should feel flattered or what.' she deadpanned in her mind.
"I'll be off then!"
Continuing the song he was humming previously, Akira went along his merry way, homework and pencil in hand.
Upon entering the Hokage's office, Akira greeted the secretary, whom he had got closer to after his many visits there.
"Ohayoo, Miyuki-san!"
"Ohayoo, Akira-chan!"
The two exchanged greetings before she let him into his office without any further delay, knowing their familial relationship.
When the door creaked open, exactly four heads snapped towards the intruder, specifically the Hokage's, Hiruzen's, Koharu's, and Mitokado's heads.
"Hey ooji-san! I need help with my-"
It seemed his timing was just immaculate, though everyone present had already sensed his chakra signature miles away.
Their thoughts and feelings were mixed.
Hiruzen scanned the young boy head to toe, scrutinising every little aspect.
'Hmm...this is sensei's grand-nephew is it? Not bad, though if he had been anyone else, he might've face some punishment for interrupting a mission report.'
Koharu on the other hand, was focusing on something completely different. Her young and pretty face held no emotion, but inside, she was feeling something alright.
'Kawaii! Why didn't sensei ever tell us his grand-nephew was this cute?'
Mitokado, was feeling nothing in particular.
'Sensei's grand-nephew? His chakra signature is probably stronger than a average genin, quite talented indeed.'
The Hokage, Akira's great-uncle, and their sensei, had the most negative response of all though.
'This brat...one, two, three! This is the third time he walked in on a mission report, and all important ones as well!'
Taking a deep breath, trying to keep his composure and dignity as the Second Hokage, Tobirama asked irritatedly, slowly enunciating every word and syllable, "Akira,"
He started dangerously low, "Do you realise this is the third time you've barged into my office?"
'Third time?!' his three students thought simutalously.
*Gulp* Akira swallowed nervously.
"Oh, no, that's not what I'm angry at, don't worry. But during mission reports? What's your ridiculous excuse this time?" he said threateningly, with a smile that was not a smile.
"Um *gulp* I needed help with my, uh, homework?"
A twitch of his eyes was clear and visible for all to see.
"Homework. First it was you were out of pocket money from gambling, then it was you were hiding from your mother, and now it's homework?!"
'Gambling?!' the three thought simitalously again.
"Uh, hehe, yes?"
'I'm dead'
***
"Itai!" (Ouch!)
"Ooji-san ... I've learnt my mistake ...I won't barge into your office for stupid reasons again ... please ... let go..."
Tobirama's three students could only sweatdrop and watch as their oh-so esteemed teacher go completely out of character and punish the poor child, relentlessly yanking his ear.
"Don't call me that in the Hokage's office!" he snapped.
"I'm sorry...Hokage-sama..."
Sighing a deep sigh, he finally let go, causing Akira to drop onto the floor, limp and unmoving.
"Anyways, where were we?"
Only Koharu was brave enough to speak up, "Ano...are we just gonna leave him lying there?"
"Yes," their sensei replied, equally brutally and bluntly.
Once again, all three students of his sweatdropped before continuing their mission report, with Akira there or without.
'Itai...ooji-san really doesn't hold back...'
Turning his gaze over to his students, Akira scrutinised them just as Hiruzen did to him.
'Hmmm....Hiruzen, the future third Hokage, huh? I don't know what to feel about him - he cares for the village but let Danzo do all that stuff just because they were friends. Koharu? She seems nice enough but when she grows older, she will probably become that annoying elder anyways. Mitokado? Eh, no one really cared about him anyways.'
As if on cue, all three of them sneezed.
Tobirama frowned before criticising them without a care for their wellbeing, "Hiruzen, Koharu and Mitokado. If you can't even prevent a small cold, I might as well step up your training."
Hiruzen froze up, knowing the brutality and difficulty of their training already, Koharu outright shivered, while Mitokado adjusted his glasses that had slipped down.
"Yes, sensei!"
After that, Akira tuned them out, which might as well been the correct choice, given that all missions above D-rank were supposed to be kept secret, not to mention the A-rank that was being discussed right now.
"...-you can all be dismissed now. Akira, stay back."
Snapping out of his stupor, he nodded before the other three exited.
"Why did you want me to stay back ooji-san?"
Tobirama scowled. "I told you to stop calling me that. Address me as Hokage-sama or Nidaime-sama or at least a more respectful tone when in the office."
"Alright, Hokage-sama" he replied, putting emphasis on the '-sama' just to anger him
'This brat...'
"Are you applying for the early graduation? If you aren't, I'd advise you to do so. Several students from your class had already applied."
'Huh? Several students? I thought only like one or two would even try to apply!'
"Um, can I ask who they are?"
"Uchiha Minoru, Hyuga Hikaru, Hyuga Yutaka, Ogata Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Senju Tsunade," he listed out, reading from the scroll in his hands.
"Wait, wait, wait! Jiraiya and Orochimaru already applied but they didn't tell me?!"
"You know them?" he rose a eyebrow.
"Yeah! They're my friends from the academy, but I can't believe they didn't tell me!" Akira replied enthusiastically, frowning at the last part though.
"So are you going to apply or not?"
"Yeah, of course!"
***
Words ~ 1362
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