Civilians in Konoha, forging their own paths

The next day, Dihuangwan was helping his mother in his own fruit shop when a figure wearing a black robe and a mask appeared and said to Dihuangwan, "Dihuangwan Genin, the Hokage has summoned you. Please go to the Hokage's office immediately!"

"Huh? It's someone from the Anbu!" Dihuangwan was stunned.

"Hi! I'll be there right away!" Dihuang Wan said immediately.

The Anbu nodded and flashed away, disappearing!

"This is my first time to come into contact with Anbu personnel, and it is also the first time that the Sandaime summoned me! Could it be because of the Chunin Exam?" Dihuangwan couldn't help but think.

He turned around and said hello to his mother, then left the fruit shop and headed towards the Hokage Building.

Boom boom boom!

Dihuangwan knocked on the door of the Hokage's office. He was very familiar with the Hokage's office from watching anime in his previous life, but after traveling through time, this was the first time he came here!

There was even some nervousness.

"Come in!" The voice of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen came from inside.

Dihuang Wan responded, opened the door and walked in.

As soon as you enter the door, what catches your eye is the iconic desk, and the Sandaime sitting behind the desk. The Sandaime at this moment is much younger than in the anime timeline, and unlike his amiable appearance in the anime timeline, he now carries the majesty of a superior.

"Lord Hokage! The Genin Dihuangwan has been summoned. I wonder what you want me to do for you!" Dihuangwan knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

"Dihuangwan, don't be nervous! I called you here just for a talk, there is no mission to issue! Get up!" Sarutobi Hiruzen took two puffs of his pipe.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Dihuangwan stood up in response.

The two looked at each other, and Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke first: "Dihuangmaru, your performance in the Chunin Exam surprised me. You were able to push Tsunade to that extent, and almost made Orochimaru suffer a loss. Most jonin can't do that!"

"Hokage, you're too kind! It's just luck. Both Orochimaru and Tsunade have conserved their strength. If they had used their full strength from the beginning, I would not have been able to deal with them!" Dihuangmaru was telling the truth. Orochimaru and Tsunade were just testing Dihuangmaru's level, so they allowed him to display his abilities bit by bit. Dihuangmaru was not so proud that he lost his head and really thought he could compete with the current three ninjas.

After hearing Dihuangwan's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen secretly thought that it was good, he knew the big picture and could recognize himself, and then said: "Even so, your performance is very good, you are a rare good seedling in recent years!"

"Hokage, thank you for the compliment!" Dihuangmaru was waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen's next words.

"In fact, a long time ago, before you graduated from the Ninja School, your homeroom teacher Sarutobi Kiyoshi mentioned your name to me more than once, hoping that we could be well assigned to different classes!" said Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Teacher Sarutobi Kiyomi has always taken good care of me in the Ninja School over the years. He has no prejudice and treats us children of commoner origin and the children of the Ninja Clan equally. I would not be where I am today without his teachings back then!" Dihuangwan said.

After hearing what Dihuangwan said, Sarutobi Hiruzen was obviously very satisfied, and his face was smiling even more. "When the classes were divided, I originally assigned you to another class, but at that time, Kurama Heiji Jonin took the initiative to ask you to join his class. After thinking about it, I thought that the overall distribution and strength of Class 11 would be more balanced, which would be more beneficial to your growth, so I did not object."

"I'm doing well in Team 11. Ye, Feiyun and I were always together when we were in Ninja School. Sensei Heiji really treated us as his disciples and taught us a lot. He even showed me the Kurama clan's water-style ninjutsu scrolls, which laid the foundation for me to develop my own water-style ninjutsu. I can make the progress I have today thanks to your decision!" After saying that, Dihuangmaru bowed deeply to Sarutobi Hiruzen to express his sincere gratitude.

As for the class division, Dihuangwan knew about it because Feiyun had talked about it in front of his father.

After listening to Dihuangmaru's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded again, and his favorable impression of Dihuangmaru soared!

"I have read the mission files of your 11th team. You encountered a B-level difficulty in the first mission, but you led the team to complete it perfectly without the help of a team leader. The subsequent missions also relied on your leadership ability to be successfully completed. Dihuangmaru, the outstanding ninja talent shown in your resume is what I value most!" said Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"This determines your future development direction. Will you be a single soldier? A military advisor? A commander? Or a chief commander!" said Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"It's obvious that with your outstanding performance, you already have the potential to play the role of a commander!" Sarutobi Hiruzen took two puffs of his pipe.

"Hokage, you are too kind! I am still far from it and need more tasks to hone my skills!" Dihuangwan didn't know why the Sandaime was praising him so much.

"Before the Chunin Exams, Maruboshi Kosuke came to me and told me some things about you. He was very optimistic about your talent for water jutsu, and your performance in the Chunin Exams verified his judgment. Your talent for water jutsu is no less than that of my teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!" After saying that, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the photos of the Shodaime and the Second Hokage hanging on the side wall of the office with a nostalgic look on his face.

"I didn't expect that Senior Gujie would come and talk about me to you. The Second Generation has always been my idol. Becoming a powerful water-style ninja like him is my goal! I will keep working hard for it!" Dihuangwan said.

"As expected of you, you are the younger generation that Kosuke has his eyes on. You already have your own ninja way to practice. I can also see the bonds between you, your companions, and the village!" said Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Hearing this, Dihuang Wan knew that the young man had been laying the groundwork for so long, and the highlight was finally coming!

"You have passed the Chunin Exam. Next, you will face a choice. I have three paths for you to choose from. One is to be a Chunin of the village, accept missions normally, and form a team freely."

This is the path that most Chunins take.

"The other way is to enter the Hokage Building and work in the United Front Department!"

This is obviously a recognition of Dihuang Wan's command ability. If he is trained to be a commander, he can at least be a military advisor. He does not have to leave the camp and go to the battlefield in person. This will greatly improve his safety during wartime.

"The third way is to join the Anbu directly under the Hokage and become an Anbu member!"

After hearing the first two paths, Dihuangwan guessed that the third path might be this one.

"These three paths correspond to different development directions, but they all contribute to the glory of Konoha Village and are the manifestation of the will of fire. There is no distinction between high and low!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said, taking two more puffs of his pipe.

"What a strong addiction to smoking!" Dihuang Wan couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"So, Dihuangmaru, what is your choice?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Dihuangmaru.