The large-scale infrastructure development in Shadow Leaf City wouldn't stop anytime soon. However, the truly troublesome aspect was actually the influx of civilians; the day-to-day minutiae of family life can be quite cumbersome. Nevertheless, the city's political functions had already begun operating.
The Land of Fire's high officials, the central Shogunate apparatus, and most national records had already been relocated here. Various agencies commenced normal operations, making this place the de facto national capital.
Beyond city and transportation construction, the extensive development and population increase meant that designating the entire Shadow Leaf Mountain behind the city as Daigo's exclusive secret realm was no longer feasible. With increasingly frequent human activity, someone would eventually notice the anomaly of being unable to enter the mountain.
To maintain the security and secrecy of this realm, Habara naturally had to make adjustments. The methods were straightforward: reduce its scale and increase the strength and density of the protective barriers.
If the entire mountain couldn't serve as the secret realm, then the realm would be hidden within the mountain—like hiding a tree in a forest. In any case, the realm itself never required such a vast area; it merely housed Daigo's main body and a large collection of summoned beasts, both strong and weak.
In the future, ninja training facilities would undoubtedly be developed in these mountain forests. With such layers of concealment, Daigo's main body would be extremely difficult to discover.
While Hatake Kakashi was hospitalized due to a minor experimental accident, the decisive Tsunade had already established the framework for the new city's "Temporary Early Childhood Education Institution," officially named the "Ninja School Preschool Nurturing Garden." Habara, however, preferred to call it the Spring Flower Flower Kindergarten.
Based on the principle of letting certain individuals contribute value, the late Third Hokage's widow, Biwako Sarutobi, became the honorary headmistress of this kindergarten. However, considering no actual managing head had been appointed yet, Biwako was effectively in charge.
Biwako had originally decided to completely withdraw from the ninja world, yet she couldn't refuse a position in education. It represented the future of Konoha, something the Third Hokage had always valued most. Therefore, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, she accepted the job. After all, being a kindergarten headmistress seemed entirely detached from high-level politics; she just needed to look after the children.
One could only say Lady Tsunade had a keen eye; this was a very successful rehiring.
Due to the Nurturing Garden's focus, the students currently enrolled were generally younger than the standard Ninja Academy entrance age. Soon after Tsunade decided to establish this preschool institution, it quickly enrolled over 30 students. Among the older ones was Neji Hyuga, already proficient in chakra usage and possessing some combat ability. The youngest, however, were infants still struggling to crawl properly.
Given its small scale, besides Biwako Sarutobi, the Nurturing Garden currently had only two and a half staff members or teachers. "One" was an ordinary Chunin named Takahashi Akinori; she was no longer young, and her ninja skills were unremarkable, but she projected an aura of kindness, warmth, and approachability.
"One" was Jonin Asuma Sarutobi. The remaining "half" was Uchiha Izumi of the Uchiha clan; her younger age meant she only counted as half a staff member for now.
Asuma Sarutobi's appointment was due to his mother's command; she didn't want her only remaining son embroiled in high-level political struggles, at least for the time being. Letting Asuma play house with little kids seemed best. Uchiha Izumi becoming a kindergarten teacher at such a young age stemmed from her own desire; she immediately volunteered upon hearing about the initiative. The current Hokage had no reason to hold prejudice against such an Uchiha and thus approved Izumi's request.
Speaking of Asuma Sarutobi, since returning to Konoha from the Fire Capital, he had been experiencing profound anguish.
On one hand, his father's death had come too suddenly, and his last memory of his father was an argument, after which he had stormed out of Konoha to the Fire Capital. He hadn't even returned when his elder brother died unexpectedly. Countless times, waking startled in the middle of the night, he couldn't help but ask himself: while his father and brother fought and died for Konoha, what was he, the son and younger brother, doing?
On the other hand, shortly after returning to Konoha, he heard the news that the Daimyo was also dead... Privately, he felt immense guilt towards his father; publicly, he had failed in his duty. Asuma Sarutobi had fallen into severe self-doubt.
Under these circumstances, placing him in the kindergarten seemed like the right decision. Elsewhere, he likely wouldn't have been able to function effectively.
Fortunately, time is a great healer. With Tsunade becoming both Hokage and State Lord, Konoha and the Land of Fire were back on track. Everything was visibly improving; the city beneath their feet changed daily. Consequently, Asuma Sarutobi's spirits had lifted somewhat.
This morning, during work hours, Asuma was not at the Nurturing Garden. Not because the school had just opened and he dared to slack off, but because he had other matters to attend to today.
He arrived at a temporary detention facility. After presenting a formal order bearing the Hokage's signature, he authorized the release of the individuals held within.
The guarding ninja opened the cell door and addressed the occupants, "Chiriku, Kitane, Seima, Tōu. It has been verified that you are not connected to the death of the previous Daimyo. Furthermore, you were already expelled prior to the incident's occurrence. Therefore, you bear no responsibility for the Daimyo's death… Innocent and without liability, you are free to leave."
Footsteps shuffled, and a short while later, Asuma's former colleagues stood before him. After the former Daimyo's death, to prevent further instability and compounding chaos, Konoha had temporarily detained the Daimyo's remaining guardian ninja under suspicion.
Now that the dust had settled, they could naturally be released.
Asuma gathered his thoughts, first nodding to the Konoha guards present, then addressed Chiriku, "Let's talk as we walk."
Speaking of which, after the Third Hokage's death, Asuma naturally lost the title of "Hokage's Son," and he felt a certain disparity because of it. It was a minor difference, not entirely unbearable, and no one was overtly mocking him as a 'dog who lost his home' or anything like that, but…
Asuma suspected it might just be his own hypersensitivity, but the attitude of Konoha ninja towards him seemed unchanged; they remained polite.
Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was different from before, though he couldn't articulate exactly what.
As they left the detention area, Asuma spoke to the group, "The matter concerning the Daimyo is concluded. The Guardian Shinobi can only become a part of history… What are your plans for the future? If you're willing, perhaps you could stay in Konoha. I believe I could help with that."
Chiriku shook his head. "Since the Land of Fire no longer needs us, we have no reason to stay in Konoha. We've already discussed it; everyone will return with me to the temple."
He had originally been the head monk of the Fire Temple. Since the Daimyo no longer existed, returning whence he came was the natural course.
Asuma was prepared for his offer to be refused, but he found himself unable to find the right words to continue the conversation.
Tsunade herself certainly knew she had been forced into her position, had done nothing wrong, and if asked whether she wanted to be State Lord, her honest answer would be no. However, from an outsider's perspective, the situation looked entirely different. People like Chiriku universally believed the Hokage had orchestrated the entire affair, with that Jonin Habara acting as her enforcer. Who else benefited the most afterward?
The Daimyo died at the hands of the Hokage's faction. Chiriku possessed a strong sense of professional ethics; how could he possibly choose to stay in Konoha? Because of this, a rift had even formed between him and Asuma, despite Asuma's Konoha origins.
The group walked in silence until they reached the city gate. Chiriku and the others departed without a word. Asuma, left standing there, watched their retreating backs and suddenly understood: this must be what they call "parting ways."
Kakashi suspected Tenzo was outwardly proper but inwardly malicious. During his period of hospitalized listlessness, Tenzo visited him almost every single day. This was highly abnormal, clearly exceeding the bounds of normal concern. Kakashi sensed it might be a form of morbid curiosity—enjoying his misfortune.
For instance, Tenzo would sometimes visit Kakashi and take the opportunity to eat a meal there. While eating, he'd look at Kakashi lying half-dead in the hospital bed, and proceed to eat with extra gusto, consuming unusually large portions. If this wasn't watching a spectacle, what was it? Shouldn't a normal person's reaction to seeing an injured friend be a loss of appetite?
What made it worse was that Kakashi had to endure it. The man was visiting him; basic etiquette prevented him from kicking Tenzo out.
Kakashi and Tenzo didn't have much to talk about. Kakashi felt like Tenzo was constantly asking him with his eyes, "Why are you so entertaining to watch while I eat?" It was deeply depressing, like suffering a massive mental attack.
But the two couldn't just sit in the hospital room in silence. So now, for example, Kakashi had to force conversation. Thinking about it, they didn't actually have that many shared experiences, so the topic naturally shifted to a certain individual.
"What about Habara? What's he up to now?" Kakashi asked.
The absurdity lay here: Tenzo, an unrelated party, visited constantly, while Habara, the actual perpetrator responsible for Kakashi's miserable state, hadn't shown up even once.
"Habara? He's taken a keen interest in Lady Tsunade's newly established school, so he volunteered to go over and teach," Tenzo replied.
"Habara teaching?" Kakashi felt a jolt of surprise. He reached for a banana on the bedside table, peeling it as he asked, "What's he teaching?"
Tenzo seemed to pause for a second or two before continuing, "Physical education… no, I mean Taijutsu."
"Ahem! Cough, cough!" Kakashi choked violently, as if the banana had gone down the wrong way. "Habara? Teaching Taijutsu?"
Misleading the youth! Corrupting the children! he thought despairingly. Destroying their Taijutsu from the very beginning! How can a person teach others something they don't know themselves? Using a keyboard?!
One could only say Kakashi's prejudice against Habara ran too deep. Why couldn't Habara teach Taijutsu? Isn't a Taijutsu teacher just a physical education teacher? What's the fundamental difference?
The Nurturing Garden was located within the new city's Konoha ninja residential district, easily visible from the rooftop of the more central Hokage office building. This morning, Habara had indeed gone to teach "physical education."
Among the 30-odd students, the infants and toddlers up to age four were naturally spared the ordeal of Habara's class. The remaining unfortunate students, aged four to six, were led en masse to a small temporary training ground.
The children's line was straggly; it took them over ten minutes just to assemble before Habara. Of course, not everyone dawdled. The kids who knew Habara or had some familiarity with him acted much more crisply—like Neji Hyuga, like Naruto Uzumaki.
Habara looked at the little ones before him, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. There were already quite a few "familiar faces" among them: Neji, Naruto, and others like Torune Aburame, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sasuke Uchiha.
Seeing them wasn't entirely unexpected either. Apart from Sasuke Uchiha, the other familiar faces all belonged to the families of former Akakammuri members.
Good. All sturdy little boys.
Habara skipped the self-introduction entirely. "Excellent, very good," he began directly. "Now, divide yourselves into two groups: those who can mold chakra in one group, those who cannot in the other. It's just gym class. For the first lesson, we'll play something simple. Dodgeball."
With the help of Chunin Takahashi Akinori, the twenty-odd children were sorted into two groups. It couldn't be helped; one shouldn't overestimate the intelligence of human cubs. Some kids didn't even know whether they could mold chakra or not.
One group was slightly larger, the other smaller. Habara addressed Takahashi, "These children—teach them the basics as quickly as possible."
"I understand, Jonin Habara," Takahashi nodded in acknowledgment.
Chakra was the foundation of everything. Those who couldn't yet mold it were temporarily spared the… necessity of suffering through gym class.
Habara led the children who could mold chakra to the center of the training ground.
Naruto immediately couldn't contain himself. "Me! Let me throw! I promise I'll throw really accurately!"
Habara raised an eyebrow. You think such a good opportunity would fall to you? "Uzumaki Naruto, please find your proper position."
His tone was calm, but Naruto instantly fell silent, a bad premonition washing over him. He then found his proper position: standing next to Neji.
Habara stood at the edge of the field, a basket of tennis-ball-sized solid cotton balls beside him. They felt quite soft; getting hit probably wouldn't cause any real injury.
Habara picked up a cotton ball and began calling names. "Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto: "Huh?"
Then came a thwack and an "Oww!" Naruto clutched his forehead, rolling on the ground.
"So painful…"
The other children glanced over nervously. Had they just heard something break the sound barrier?
"Naruto, your basics aren't solid either," Habara lectured. "Gather chakra in your lower limbs to ensure mobility. Concentrate, keep your eyes fixed on the trajectory of the dodgeball. Once you see it clearly, leave the rest to your reflexes… Your reflexes are your only advantage, understand?"
Did Naruto understand? As if.
"Neji."
Habara called Neji's name next. Neji focused intently. With a whoosh, the dodgeball struck his left shoulder, the impact knocking him backward onto the ground.
"Stereotyping, aren't we?" Habara chided. "Do you think all dodgeballs travel at the same speed? Just because I aimed for his head means I'll aim for yours? Cleverness won't save you. Use your Byakugan."
Neji was a year older, giving him a significant advantage in physical ability. Combined with his Byakugan, he could have dodged the ball if Habara had thrown it at the same speed used against Naruto. However, Habara was a good teacher. And a good teacher, naturally, adapts their methods to the student.
"Yes, Habara-sensei!" Unlike Naruto, Neji immediately clutched his shoulder and stood back up. "Let me try again!"
Habara ignored him. "Next!"
With so many children, he had to hit them all, one by one.
Habara certainly wasn't abusing the children. In truth, getting hit by him would only cause pain for a while. The pain was real, but it wouldn't cause any other problems; Habara exercised restraint.
He was merely conducting basic training, aiming to instill in these children the instinctive integration of chakra manipulation into their physical movements from a young age. Such ingrained skill, theoretically, could only be effectively developed through early training.
Forty minutes later, when the class ended, the scene was one of utter devastation. Children lay scattered across the ground, looking completely drained, barely able to breathe.
Fortunately, no one had fled the class mid-session. The children possessed good potential and a willingness to learn. Of course, they might also have been too terrified to run, having witnessed their teacher's unerring aim with the dodgeballs.
It had to be said, however, that even with identical training, some individuals performed better than others. The best among them was Neji Hyuga. Although he never successfully dodged a single throw by the end, he showed slight improvement with each attempt, which was the most valuable progress.
Second was the slightly younger Sasuke Uchiha, who remained silent throughout. As for Naruto, setting aside questions of talent, he was somewhat hyperactive, possessing excessive energy, almost bordering on having ADHD.
After this single lesson, every child bore red welts. Exhausted, hungry, and sore, they were led by Chunin Takahashi to quickly clean up. After lunch, they immediately went down for a nap. This time, absolutely no one caused trouble during rest time. Contrasting with the intense training, the facility employed fully enclosed management.
Habara's methods might seem harsh, but it was because he genuinely intended to teach the students real skills within the school. Or, more bluntly, this level of rigor was how major ninja clans trained their young successors.
The Imperial Examination system took a century or two from its inception to become truly effective. Since its founding, the Ninja Academy had often felt more like a formality. Habara wanted it to actually fulfill its function.
Once everyone was asleep during the midday break, Habara approached Naruto's side. He first formed a hand seal, then concentrated, placing his palm on Naruto's forehead.
Nature energy spread outwards. The unique perceptive ability of the Manas Consciousness Nine Strings activated. In the next instant, Habara's consciousness sank into utter darkness.
He took two steps forward and saw a massive iron-barred cage. Inside, there seemed to be nothing.
But then, two crimson lights flared to life. A presence filled with malice, carrying a strongly corrosive aura, began to emanate from within.
"Nine-Tails."
Habara approached, once again feeling the extraordinary power of the Tailed Beast.
And just like Habara, the Nine-Tails, upon this person's arrival, felt a bone-deep sense of unease emanating from the 'little animal protector.'