Chapter 108: The Dream

"There is one final matter," Tonbo said.

Kiba had eaten enough praise with his lunch that he now regarded every word as part of a secret Hokage curriculum. "What is it?"

"Your future classmates. If one of them constantly says he will become Hokage, do you believe him?"

"No. I'm going to be Hokage."

"That does not answer the question."

Kiba scratched Akamaru behind the ears. "Then maybe he wants it too."

"Good. And if his grades are terrible?"

"Then he can't become Hokage. You said so."

"Or he may be hiding his ability until graduation."

Kiba's eyes widened. A rival who performed badly on purpose seemed both dishonest and dangerously clever. "That's cheating."

"It is secrecy. Shinobi use it often. If your rival wants the Hokage's seat, he will not necessarily announce every step he takes toward it."

Tonbo served Kiba and Akamaru another portion before continuing. The child trusted people who fed him, praised him, and treated Akamaru as part of the conversation. None of that required genjutsu; ordinary attention was sufficient.

At the Academy, psychology appeared inside intelligence training for good reason. A shinobi who understood what another person wanted could guide choices without issuing a command. Kiba wanted recognition, competition, and a future shared with Akamaru. Tonbo aligned the lesson with those wants instead of demanding obedience for its own sake.

"How do I beat someone who studies in secret?" Kiba asked.

"By making your own progress impossible to deny. Earn the best marks you can in every examination. Train openly. Help your teammates improve so they want you to succeed. A Hokage does not seize the office through one surprise performance; the village must already believe he can carry it."

"What if the other boy gets good marks too?"

"Then he knows part of the same path. You will need to work harder."

Kiba looked offended by the existence of an imaginary classmate who had not yet enrolled. "Fine. I'll get better marks."

"The Third and Fourth Hokage both excelled in the Academy. Strength came later, but discipline began there. Can you do the same?"

Kiba knew little about Hiruzen's school years, and Minato had graduated before most of the present curriculum existed. The exact marks did not matter. Both men were remembered as students who learned quickly, worked beyond what teachers required, and mastered more than one kind of problem. That was the example Tonbo wanted Kiba to follow.

"Yes."

"What if you discover that you dislike studying?"

"I'll still do it."

"What if training becomes difficult and someone tells you that the Inuzuka are unsuited to leadership?"

Kiba bared his small canines. "I'll prove them wrong."

"What if Hana scores higher than you?"

"She won't."

Hana nearly choked on her food.

Tonbo nodded gravely. "Then make an oath."

Kiba's confidence hesitated. Oaths belonged to serious things. "What kind?"

Tonbo gestured toward Akamaru. "You are young. The office sounds impressive, but perhaps that is not enough to carry years of work. Decide what becoming Hokage will allow you to do for the partner who trusts you."

Kiba studied the puppy. Akamaru returned the look with complete faith.

"A Hokage can establish village celebrations," Tonbo said. "You could create a day honoring Konoha's ninken. Akamaru could lead the procession. Every dog in the village would know his name."

Akamaru stood with both forepaws on the table and barked. In his imagination, the Haimaru Brothers already followed him through streets filled with treats and cheering children.

Kiba felt the same vision catch. Becoming Hokage was no longer only a title he wanted because powerful people had held it. It became a promise he could make to the companion who would train, fight, and grow beside him.

The Inuzuka raised children and ninken together so that neither partner imagined the other as equipment. Their ambitions became shared by habit. Tonbo could have offered Kiba wealth, a monument, or authority. Giving Akamaru a place inside the dream ensured that every training session would remind Kiba why he had accepted it.

He placed one hand on Akamaru's head. "I swear I'll become Hokage and give Konoha a ninken festival. Akamaru will lead it."

The puppy licked his wrist.

Hana and the Haimaru Brothers exchanged looks. Their sympathy for Kiba had increased, but so had their interest. If the promise made him study without their parents chasing him through the compound, Tonbo's manipulation might qualify as a public service.

Tonbo did not attach punishment to failure. Kiba's competitive nature and bond with Akamaru supplied enough pressure. Years later, the boy might understand how the promise had been constructed. By then, he would also be old enough to decide whether the dream remained his.

Children in a shinobi village confronted responsibility early. At six, they handled sharpened weapons. Before adolescence, some graduated into missions where mistakes could kill teammates. Tonbo disliked pretending that such children were incapable of serious commitments, but he also refused to treat a four-year-old oath as permanent consent. Kiba would receive opportunities to change direction.

For now, Tonbo ordered more food until the young Inuzuka and his puppy could eat no more.

"That was amazing," Kiba said as he leaned back.

Akamaru gave a tired bark.

Hana had expected a genjutsu exercise. Instead, her brother had volunteered for years of schoolwork and received lunch as payment. She could not decide whether he had escaped or suffered something worse.

Tonbo turned to her. "You graduate in a year and a half. How are your studies?"

The Haimaru Brothers became alert.

"Adequate," Hana said carefully.

"I can tutor you. I am a jōnin, an Analysis Team leader, and familiar with your clan techniques. I would charge a fee so you learn to value professional instruction."

"How much?" Hana asked.

"That depends upon frequency and how often your dogs attempt to escape."

The Haimaru Brothers objected more loudly.

All three dogs objected at once.

Hana pointed at Kiba. "He needs tutoring more than I do. Our parents may pay you if they think it will help him become Hokage."

Kiba's ears caught the suggestion. "Yes. Teach me the secret path. I'll tell them you agreed."

Tonbo stroked his chin. The arrangement had advantages. He needed to remain near home for Tenyu and Maki, and a student could train beside them without requiring travel. Kiba possessed strong senses, an active mind, and more talent than his present behavior suggested. Proper foundations might alter the limits he accepted later.

"Ask your parents," Tonbo said. "If they agree to the terms, I will teach you."

"They'll agree."

Kiba jumped down, already planning the argument. Akamaru followed. Hana and the Haimaru Brothers remained long enough to enjoy the final plates, quietly grateful that someone else had become Tonbo's chosen project.

"You are going to make him study until he hates you," Hana said.

"Possibly."

"And if he actually gets perfect marks?"

"Then Konoha gains an unusually educated Inuzuka, and I will accept the blame."

Hana shook her head. She remembered how Tonbo had turned three children's attempt to ambush him into months of training, then convinced their families that the punishment was an opportunity. Kiba had volunteered before the first exercise. That might make him easier to teach, or merely give Tonbo more freedom to invent methods.

"At least warn our parents that he bites," she said.

"Akamaru or Kiba?"

"Both."

Research could wait until evening. Tonbo watched Kiba describe his future Hokage monument to a puppy that understood only half the words and all the enthusiasm.

A childish dream was not yet a plan. Today it had acquired its first obligations.