"Whitebeard… he's a man who also carries the Will of Fire."
During one of his hyperspace browsing sessions, Hiruzen Sarutobi whose ranking had already surpassed 6,000 points and reached Super Kage tier left this comment under a video clip of the "Paramount War" from another dimension.
Ding. A new friend request popped up from a user named "Ace."
Request accepted.
—
Chūnin Exams, Written Test Site
The moment the test papers were handed out, nearly every foreign examinee realized what this exam was really about: intelligence gathering.
Question 1: What is the Third Hokage's favorite color?
Question 2: What is the Third Hokage's greatest accomplishment?
Question 3: What are the three core tenets of the Will of Fire?
...
And so on.
To make matters worse, there was even an essay prompt about the Will of Fire.
How the hell are we supposed to know this stuff?! We're not even from Konoha! This whole exam is full of biased nonsense!
Foreign participants scrambled to cheat in whatever ways they could. Those who did it well obtained the answers. Those who didn't were promptly escorted out of the room.
Meanwhile, most of the local Konoha candidates were pulling their hair out. None of them had expected that even in a joint exam with other villages, they'd still end up tested on the Will of Fire.
Uchiha Sasuke was practically fuming. With his new mastery of Chidori, he had been sure he'd stand out in the Chūnin Exams. Yet here he was, stonewalled by the written portion.
Not a single question I can answer… Who even knows the Hokage's favorite color?! This is ridiculous.
Fine. Time to cheat. Sharingan, activate!
With a single glance around him, he saw Sakura writing at lightning speed, which was to be expected. But then he spotted Naruto, scribbling away with surprising confidence.
How the hell is the class dunce answering faster than me?
Confused and indignant, Sasuke hesitated.
Naruto, on the other hand, was filled with unwavering confidence. Sure, he had to guess his way through the early questions, but after all the training he'd gone through with Jiraiya the self-proclaimed top student of the Hokage who else understood the Will of Fire better than him?
He skipped straight to the final essay and poured his heart into it:
"It's not becoming Hokage that earns recognition, but being recognized that makes someone worthy of becoming Hokage."
Hinata Hyūga secretly glanced over at Naruto. She had initially planned to let him copy her answers, but seeing him so focused and serious, her heart skipped a beat. Blushing, she quietly returned to her own work.
Torn between ego and doubt, Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and began writing. No way I'm losing to a dead last like him.
First question: The Third Hokage's favorite color.
Red. Obviously. Fire is red. The Will of Fire is red. It makes sense.
Shikamaru Nara sat frozen in disbelief. As someone sharp enough to recognize the intelligence-gathering nature of the exam from the outset, he had assumed the real challenge was in detecting the surveillance. But after watching for a while, he realized: only the foreigners were cheating. Was he the only Konoha kid who had noticed this?
Could it be that for foreign candidates, this is an intel test, while for locals… it's just a loyalty test?
Why is no one questioning why Naruto is the one being copied from? That bright orange jumpsuit is practically screaming for attention.
Wait… was there a key instruction Asuma gave that I zoned out on?
—
"Even the spring breeze has mercy for the flowers. Could it not spare me one more youth?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, standing side-by-side with the "Kazekage." Behind them, the proctors were watching the exam unfold through a massive crystal screen. The Third had even put the Secret Observation Jutsu to use for this year's written test.
As he watched the new generation taking shape, Hiruzen felt a swell of nostalgia. Back when his teacher, Tobirama, was still around... back when Kagami was alive, when Koharu and Homura weren't insufferable, and even Danzo hadn't yet turned dark.
"Is Lord Hokage feeling his age?" the Kazekage asked, half-teasing.
Hiruzen chuckled, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Time passes quickly. Looking at these children, I can't help but feel a little sentimental."
The "Kazekage" nodded and turned his gaze toward the screen as well, eyes settling on Uchiha Sasuke.
"This test doesn't really measure knowledge," he said. "But it does reflect your village's core ideology. The Will of Fire… quite an interesting design. But I wonder can those burdened by hatred truly understand it? People like that need power rooted in reality, not ideals."
Hiruzen tapped his pipe lightly and began to speak.
"The Will of Fire grants ninja great potential. I once had a student, poor character, poor grades, but dreamed of becoming Hokage."
Was he talking about young Jiraiya? Orochimaru wondered, half amused.
"That's right. I'm talking about Orochimaru."
What?!
Hiruzen's tone grew nostalgic. "He had the greatest talent of them all, the sharpest mind. But because he lacked the Will of Fire, lacked conviction, he ultimately became the weakest of the Sannin. He made contracts with all three great summoning realms, yet never mastered Sage Mode. He struggled with genjutsu. He never stood a chance of becoming Hokage."
And the counterexample, of course, was my student's student Minato Namikaze, the living embodiment of the Will of Fire.
You senile old fool, Orochimaru seethed silently. You dare… You truly have a death wish.
He had been hesitant about the Konoha Crush Plan, especially after seeing Hiruzen rejuvenated, but now? Now it was personal. He was absolutely going to cause a scene.
Outwardly, though, Orochimaru remained calm.
"Is Lord Hokage trying to send me a message?"
Hiruzen shook his head and smiled. "Just sharing my thoughts. The Will of Fire is more powerful than mere jutsu or brute strength. Hatred may make one strong, but it also blinds. Only those who understand the Will of Fire can truly find their own path."
You naïve old fool. You think spouting shōnen manga ideals will work forever? Keep this up, and one day they'll all be calling someone else "Dad."
The "Kazekage" let out a dry chuckle. "Perhaps the Will of Fire only suits the idealistic."
At that moment, the crystal screen flickered. A commotion erupted within the test hall. The exam was ending.
Both men turned to watch.
Uzumaki Naruto had just stood up and raised his completed paper high above his head.
"I've finished! The Will of Fire is about protecting your comrades and defending your village! That's my answer!"
Hiruzen took several long drags from his pipe and nodded in satisfaction.
"Uzumaki Naruto... truly has the makings of a Hokage."
All around Naruto, students turned to stare in disbelief.
Is this how all Konoha ninja are? So… unironically passionate? Are we even in the same series?
Even Sasuke paused mid-answer, secretly acknowledging that maybe the so-called "dead last" wasn't just talk.
Ibiki Morino entered the exam room, clapping as he walked.
"Looks like you really do understand the Will of Fire, kid."
He then launched into a full explanation of the exam.
This time around, there was no infamous "tenth question" with its bluff of "pass or fail." Konoha had no say over which candidates from other villages advanced. And honestly, with how things were going, this might be the last joint exam they ever hosted. Doing it that way again would've been pure comedy.
—
Back in his cell, Danzo Shimura, one-eyed and one-armed, unfolded the latest newspaper.
Front-page headline:
"Uzumaki Naruto's Perfect Score Essay: A Full Reprint and Analysis"
Danzo did not have a good day.