Chapter 4: The Man Who Aspires to Be a Homemaker

"Iruka, Itachi're here this time for the upcoming graduation exam, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi removed his pipe from his mouth and exhaled a faint wisp of smoke.

He looked up at Iruka.

"Itachi're absolutely right, Third Hokage."

Iruka immediately stood up, bowing slightly with his head lowered, posture respectful.

He then extended the neatly organized files in his hands toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, reached out, and took the files, beginning to examine them carefully.

The soft rustling of turning pages echoed gently in the quiet office.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in its glow.

Hyuga, Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki...

When he turned to a certain page, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hand paused ever so slightly.

His previously stern expression softened slightly.

His gaze settled on one name.

Rojie.

He held a particularly strong impression of this child.

After all, a boy of this age who understood the Will of Fire so deeply was exceedingly rare.

(Not because Rojie flattered him awkwardly.)

The last boy who could think like a Hokage at seven was Uchiha Weasel.

Yet compared to that Uchiha filial son, Rojie earned Hiruzen Sarutobi’s greater fondness.

It wasn’t because Rojie was orphaned, with only his name left on the household registry, making it impossible to mimic Weasel’s outrageous antics.

It was because Rojie came from a commoner background, with a clean record.

Beyond that, Hiruzen Sarutobi had faintly sensed in this child the shadow of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Though Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat aged and forgetful, he wasn’t blind.

He had not mistaken it.

That love for the village and sense of responsibility were identical to Minato’s.

Rojie has the makings of a Hokage!

In Hiruzen Sarutobi’s view, if Rojie grew up properly, he might one day become a pillar of the village’s future.

Yet, thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t help but sigh softly.

He had once stolen a moment from his busy schedule—when he wasn’t peeping at the women’s bathhouse—to briefly interact with Rojie.

He had to admit, this child’s ninja talent was truly mediocre.

His performance in ninjutsu study fell far short of his profound grasp of the Will of Fire.

Perhaps he could never become a second Minato.

But this child was well-suited for administrative work, such as serving as Hokage’s secretary.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly planned to find Rojie a suitable mentor to nurture him carefully.

Once Rojie successfully advanced to Chunin, he would transfer him to the Hokage’s office for administrative duties.

Perhaps, in the future, he could even keep him as a core member for the next Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had heard that Rojie was close to the daughter of the Yamanaka clan, one of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

A future loyal pillar of the Hokage faction.

Yet he could not violate tradition by breaking up the Ino-Shika-Cho combination.

As he pondered, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly recalled that this child also seemed quite close to the girl from the Kurama clan.

At this thought, he had an idea and began searching through the files in his hands.

Several days later, the Ninja Academy.

"Next, Rojie."

Hearing his name, Rojie straightened his clothes and entered the examination room.

Inside the room, the examiners were two familiar faces.

The kind and amiable Teacher Iruka, and...

The newbie village mini-boss, Mizuki.

It’s Itachi, Prison King!

Seeing Rojie enter, Prisoner Mizuki showed no reaction.

Teacher Iruka, however, smiled warmly, his eyes filled with encouragement.

"The test is the Transformation Technique. Begin when Itachi’re ready."

Iruka had always taken special care of Rojie.

They had both lost their parents in the Nine-Tails attack.

Their similar experiences gave Iruka a special emotional bond with this hardworking child.

Brotherly affection.

In his eyes, Rojie was not the top student of his class, but his grades consistently ranked among the highest—he was an outstanding student.

This graduation exam should be child’s play for a top student like Rojie.

He absolutely wouldn’t fail.

Rojie nodded slightly, swiftly forming hand seals.

As a faint cloud of smoke rose, his form shifted, transforming into Iruka’s likeness.

Iruka studied the "himself" before him, nodding in satisfaction.

"Excellent. No surprise from a top student."

"Your Transformation Technique is highly refined."

"It’s already better than mine."

With that, Iruka took the headband from Mizuki’s hands, stood up, and personally handed it to Rojie.

"This is your headband. From now on, Itachi are a qualified ninja."

Rojie accepted the headband with both hands.

"Thank Itachi, Teacher Iruka."

Iruka patted his shoulder with a smile, speaking earnestly: "Now Itachi can stand on your own. Work hard."

After a few pleasantries, just as Rojie was about to leave...

His gaze accidentally fell upon Mizuki.

At that moment, clueless Mizuki offered him a friendly smile.

Rojie paused slightly, then politely returned the smile.

Cherish every day Itachi see Mizuki.

Next time Itachi meet, prison bars await Itachi.

I hope Mizuki will someday truly awaken, and not stray further down the furry path.

This isn’t the neighboring pirate set.

Being furry has no future.

Mizuki, seeing Rojie’s bright, sunny smile, froze for a moment.

By the time he came to his senses, Rojie had already turned and left the examination room.

Just as he stepped out...

The next instant, a tall figure leapt forward and landed firmly on Rojie’s back.

In an instant, a familiar fragrance filled his nostrils, strands of golden hair falling onto his shoulders.

The familiar soft pressure against his back told him instantly who it was.

"Ino, have Itachi finished your exam?"

Rojie’s lips curved slightly, a tender smile in his voice as he asked.

The girl on his back was Yamanaka Ino.

She lay like a lazy, noble golden tabby, nuzzling her head against his shoulder, cooing:

"Hmph, of course I finished. The great Miss Ino doesn’t even break a sweat!"

Hearing this, Rojie couldn’t help but laugh.

"Then congratulations, our dear Miss Ino, on passing your exam."

Thanks to Rojie’s outstanding looks,

he had no shortage of admirers at the Ninja Academy.

Yamanaka Ino was one of them.

Looking back, Ino had been fond of his appearance, but not yet obsessed.

Back then, she was mostly competing quietly with her fake best friend, Sakura Haruno.

Sakura’s heart and eyes belonged entirely to Sasuke Uchiha.

Ino, naturally unwilling to lose, chose Rojie—whose looks matched Sasuke’s.

As for how the two later became so close,

that was all due to Rojie’s efforts!

Before gaining his cheat ability, Rojie deeply understood how hard it was to survive in this ninja world.

To live a stable life as a proper Hidden Leaf villager, he worked hard to build good relations with the noble daughters of ninja clans.

Rojie was determined to become a homemaker.

Shikamaru Nara’s childhood friend Ino Yamanaka had a great figure, outstanding looks, and an exceptionally likable personality.

She was kind-hearted, and when Sakura Haruno was mocked by their peers for her broad forehead, she would instantly step forward to defend her.

She never casually insulted others with cruel words.

After Asuma’s death, Ino actively encouraged the depressed Shikamaru and Choji Akimichi.

In Rojie’s eyes, she was the perfect wife material—even more suitable than Hinata Hyuga.

Compared to Sakura Haruno’s early-stage, obnoxious personality, Ino was immeasurably superior.

Besides Ino, Rojie unexpectedly met another noble daughter from a ninja clan.

As his thoughts drifted, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from afar.

“Ino Pig, what are Itachi doing? Get down right now!”

Rojie instinctively looked up and saw a brown-haired girl standing nearby, one hand on her hip, the other pointing directly at Ino, who was lying on her back.

The girl was none other than Kurenai’s student, Yamato Hachirō.

At that moment, her face was flushed with anger, as if someone had stolen her favorite toy.

(End of Chapter)