Chapter 43 : The Dark Side of Konoha's Top level Leaders

…

Watanabe's cooking skills did not disappoint Jiraiya and the others, and the three of them had a hearty meal at Watanabe's house.

"It's a pity we are not yet adults, otherwise we would have more fun if we drank some wine." Jiraiya smacked his lips and sighed.

Watanabe was surprised to hear this, and he felt that Jiraiya was unexpectedly well-behaved.

"You can drink if you want. We are both orphans and No one will care about us anyway." Watanabe said.

Jiraiya shook his head vigorously and said seriously: "No, underage drinking will affect the development of the lower body... Well, Watanabe, you are an exception, you are already fully developed."

Watanabe was speechless: "..."

"After graduating today, it will be impossible for us to attend classes in the same classroom every day like before, and we will meet less and less often in the future." Jiraiya expressed his true feelings and began to say some emotional words.

"Don't think that I, Jiraiya, am always laughing and joking. In fact, the only people who can be considered my friends are Orochimaru, Higurashi, and you three, Watanabe. If Tsunade didn't hit me regularly, she could barely be considered one of them."

Higurashi and Orochimaru were quite touched. Jiraiya considered them his friends, so why not them? After all,

there was a gap in status between them and the children of the ninja families in the class. They could not really open up to each other, and they could feel it themselves.

"If you encounter any troubles in the future, just let me know and I will do my best to help." Higurashi was silent for a moment and suddenly spoke.

Orochimaru nodded.

Jiraiya laughed loudly and patted Higurashi on the shoulder: "Aren't you taking advantage of them? Watanabe and Orochimaru graduated with first and second place respectively. Their future prospects will definitely be better than ours."

Having his thoughts exposed, Higurashi's face immediately turned red, and he stammered, "I..I didn't mean that!"

Orochimaru's expression gradually became strange.

Watanabe laughed in silence, feeling that the three people at the same table were all quite funny in their own ways.

The graduation examination of the Ninja School is like the ancient Chinese imperial examination. After graduation, one will first go to the lower level to perform tasks for a few years to hone one's skills, and then he/she will steadily advance through the ranks. The ultimate goal is to join the core management of Konoha. This is also the only chance for children of ordinary people to make the leap.

The better the graduation results, the better the resources and benefits allocated after graduation and the speed of promotion will naturally be. Just as Jiraiya said, with Watanabe and Orochimaru's results, their future prospects are indeed very good.

…

The four of them chatted until late at night before leaving and agreed to have dinner at Watanabe's house again next time if they had the chance.

Before falling asleep, Watanabe felt quite magical. He didn't expect that he could become friends with Jiraiya, Higurashi, and Orochimaru in the last few days of graduation. Finally, he was not without relatives in Konoha except Tsunade.

The next morning, Watanabe was woken up by the alarm clock on time.

The graduation exam is over, and the result will come out at noon. With nothing to do, Watanabe lies on the bed reviewing ninjutsu.

At around eight o'clock, there was a knock on the door and Watanabe got out of bed quickly.

"Mito-senpai, why are you here?"

Watanabe was surprised when he saw the familiar 'girl' in white robe outside the door.

"Would it be convenient for me to come in and sit down?" Mito asked politely.

"Of course it's convenient. Please come in."

Watanabe treated her as if she were his mother-in-law, fearing that he had failed to entertain her well previously so he ran to the kitchen to boil water and make tea.

Mito looked around calmly and saw that the house was very tidy, without any trace of dirt or mess. Her good impression of Watanabe increased a little bit.

'He is a clean boy, not like other boys at his age'

"Mito-senpai, have a cup of tea."

Soon, Watanabe brought the brewed tea to Mito.

Mito smiled faintly and said, "Don't be so reserved, just treat me as an ordinary person."

Watanabe said as a matter of course: "Mito-senpai is an elder in my eyes."

Mito was slightly stunned, feeling that there was something indescribable strangeness in Watanabe's words.

'Has he already decided that he will be with Tsunade?'

After taking two sips of tea, Mito stated her purpose directly: "I came to you this time to tell you something. Hiruzen has already decided on the candidate for his apprentice."

"You are not among those candidates."

Watanabe raised his eyebrows, and a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

"Can I ask who he has accepted?" Watanabe's smile was bitter.

Mito didn't hold back: "Orochimaru and Jiraiya."

"It's these two..."

Watanabe was not surprised at this point. Even he, who ranked first in grades, was eliminated. It was not surprising for Hiruzen to accept Jiraiya, who was in the middle to upper range of grades, as his disciple.

"Do you know why Hiruzen didn't consider you?" Mito asked him.

Watanabe nodded: "I guessed a little bit."

Mito was a little surprised. She thought Watanabe would know nothing about the question, but she didn't expect him to be able to answer it.

"Tell me about it."

"The Third Hokage probably wants to check and balance Tsunade, try not to let her become too outstanding, and also support a few candidates who can compete with Tsunade for the Fourth Hokage."

Mito fell silent upon hearing this, and the air around her became heavy as she remained silent.

Watanabe didn't care. Since Mito asked him to express his opinion, he just spoke frankly and boldly.

"Why do you think Hiruzen has such thoughts?" Mito asked.

Watanabe: "Because other than that, I really can't think of any reason why the Third Hokage wouldn't accept me. In terms of strength and qualifications, I am stronger than Orochimaru and Jiraiya."

Mito retorted, "But have you ever thought that Orochimaru and Jiraiya are both commoners. If Hiruzen wants to support a competitor for Tsunade, he should recruit Hyuga Zero or another ninja clan member."

Watanabe shook his head: "The ninja clan's children will follow their own family, and he/she will not completely follow the Third Hokage's wishes. The Third Hokage will certainly want to accept disciples who listen to him."

Mito was silent again, and after a long moment he let out a long sigh and said, "I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be able to think of this."

After these conversations, Mito refreshed her understanding of Watanabe.

'This child is not only extremely capable, but also extremely intelligent and precocious. His perspective on problems is even more thorough than that of most adults.'

"Does Senior Mito think so too?" Watanabe asked tentatively.

"Um."

Mito admitted it without hesitation.

"I watched Hiruzen grow up. When Tobirama accepted him as his apprentice, he was about the same age as you are now."

"Huruzen's contribution to Konoha is greater than even mine. I must admit that he is a very competent Hokage, even more competent than Hashirama and Tobirama. But no one is perfect, and he also has shortcomings."

"His shortcoming is his greed for power. He has been in the position of Hokage for more than ten years, longer than Hashirama and Tobirama combined. Many outstanding talents have emerged in Konoha over the years, but they have been suppressed by Hiruzen in secret. He has no intention of abdicating and letting others do the right thing."

Mito did not treat Watanabe as an outsider and told him the unknown dark side of Konoha's high-level officials. This was also the main purpose of her coming to find Watanabe today.

Watanabe listened very carefully, knowing that Mito's words to him meant that she accepted him as her grandson-in-law.

  (Continued…)