"Today is a happy day."
"We've just welcomed fresh faces into our beloved Konoha."
"From today on, you all take on a new identity."
"However, being a ninja has never been an easy profession. You might even have to give your life for it."
"Becoming a Genin is just the beginning—you're still far too weak."
"There's something important I'd like to announce today."
Lord Kawaki paused briefly, giving everyone a moment to take in his words.
Hidetada Onoda immediately sensed something was off—the new principal was definitely about to shake things up.
The children in the crowd had already begun whispering among themselves. Even Kushina found herself bombarded with questions from her classmates, all assuming she must have inside information. No one realized it was simply a spur-of-the-moment decision by Kawaki.
"I've decided to establish advanced courses divided into four categories: combat, interrogation, command, and medical training."
"Enrollment isn't mandatory, but those who complete them will have much better prospects in the future."
Kawaki laid out his initial plan and stood silently as murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Onoda was already quite old. He had served as Vice Principal since the time of the Second Hokage, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't dared to propose anything this radical.
Training skilled ninja wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it meant significantly higher costs and more manpower.
Konoha couldn't afford such luxuries yet—or maybe they were just unwilling to invest that much.
From Kawaki's tone, it was clear these classes wouldn't be for regular Genin.
Graduates would likely be at least Chunin, if not Jonin.
How much money and effort would that require?
"Lord Kawaki, perhaps we should reconsider this decision," Onoda stepped forward and asked softly, though his brows were already knotted tightly.
"Easy for you to say when you're not the one worrying about rice and firewood!" he muttered under his breath.
"Do you know what position I hold?" Kawaki set aside his microphone and countered.
"You are the principal," Onoda understood exactly what Kawaki meant—and how determined he was.
After responding respectfully, he silently stepped back. Why should he, just a vice principal, go to so much trouble?
"Lord Kawaki, what are the requirements for these four classes?" someone quickly shouted from the crowd below. The promise of a brighter future had captured the attention of every child and parent.
"Naturally, there are requirements. We'll conduct tests to assign applicants into these four groups."
"Those who don't pass? Well then, we can only apologize."
"Think of them as advanced classes—each offering you the chance to develop your unique talents."
Kawaki knew not every Genin possessed extraordinary talent. Absolute fairness didn't exist in this world.
His goal was simply to give civilian ninjas more opportunities while also strengthening Konoha's overall strength.
If sustained over the long term, Konoha could easily surpass the other hidden villages.
As for funding and staffing, he'd discuss it with Tsunade.
Even if it required some funding, he'd gladly provide it.
Ultimately, they'd all be his students—and Tsunade would take the credit.
There was no need to explain who truly ran Konoha.
"I'm signing up!"
Hardly had Kawaki finished speaking when hands shot up across the crowd.
Kushina had no interest—her path was already set.
Finding a teacher wasn't difficult at all. She no longer wanted to sit through those dull classes—it would take too much time away from being with Minato.
"Alright, you should first sign up with Master Shun."
"We'll announce the exam schedule once we're ready."
Lord Kawaki then gestured toward a teacher and lazily tossed the registration forms his way.
A routine graduation ceremony was cut short by Lord Kawaki's sudden impulse.
Yet, the atmosphere on-site was the most enthusiastic it had been in years.
Mindless indoctrination was too primitive and brought no real gain—no one would just blindly follow along.
Kawaki was very satisfied with the current situation. With Tsunade in charge, Konoha would surely be well taken care of under his supervision.
He walked back to his seat, planning to rest for a while.
"Lord Kawaki, things are basically settled now."
"Shouldn't we discuss the details further?"
Hidetada Onoda, realizing the Ninja Academy reforms were inevitable, had no choice but to go along with them.
Offending the leader was definitely not wise.
"You can share your thoughts," Kawaki said.
Truth be told, he rather liked Onoda's character—cautious, yet not stubborn.
"If we really open these four specialized classes," Onoda began,
"the first hurdles we need to overcome are staffing and funding."
"The academy's current budget isn't nearly sufficient to cover four advanced classes at once."
"Besides, most of our instructors are only regular chunin. Very few of them are qualified to teach the courses you've proposed."
"And regarding the exams—we don't even know how to conduct them."
"And then there's..."
Seeing how many problems Onoda raised, Kawaki quickly interrupted. Listening made him feel like he'd rushed into things.
"Fine. I'll handle the personnel and funding."
"As for the exams, you'll have to handle the content yourselves."
After saying that, Kawaki tried to slip away—he was used to leaving everything to others.
"Lord Kawaki, I haven't finished yet!"
Onoda grabbed the sleeve of Kawaki's robe. He wasn't foolish—he knew there'd be no one else to turn to if Kawaki walked away.
He was getting old and certainly couldn't manage all this alone.
"Stop talking. Just listen to me."
Unable to just walk out on him, Kawaki sighed and reluctantly sat back down, resorting to smooth talking to convince Onoda.
"Let me ask you something first—if these four new classes succeed,"
"will the Ninja Academy remain what it is today?"
Kawaki stared seriously at Hidetada Onoda.
"What do you mean?"
His mind was a little slow due to age, and he felt confused by Kawaki's logic.
"Think about it—if these four specialized classes get off the ground,"
"In a few years' time, won't there be a batch of outstanding ninjas?"
Onoda nodded at Kawaki's words—there was no doubt about that.
"So, won't our Ninja Academy become a base for training talent?"
"Won't it gain a critical position within Konoha?"
"And when attending meetings afterward, will people still mock us behind our backs?"
"Will they still say we're only good for producing cannon fodder?"
"One day, maybe even everyone at those meetings could be your own students."
"Just think about it. Wouldn't that give you an incredible sense of accomplishment?"
Kawaki painted a vision of the future for Hidetada Onoda, a middle-aged man who had dedicated most of his life to the academy.
"There is one."
Hidetada was momentarily dazzled by Kawaki's silver tongue. What a dazzling sight that would be—one he had never dared to imagine before.
"Then can you handle these little trivial matters?"
Kawaki immediately brought up the final topic, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
This was an old trick—child's play for someone with experience.
"I can."
Hidetada agreed without hesitation, resolute in his answer.
"I believe in you. Good luck."
Seeing his scheme succeed, Kawaki scurried off like oil-slicked shoes were carrying him.
It wasn't out of laziness—he just preferred to have someone else foot the bill and leave the question-making to a more capable person.
After Kawaki had long vanished from sight, Hidetada finally snapped back to reality.
"Principal Hidetada, how should we set the test questions?"
A teacher responsible for creating questions finally dared to ask.
"What test questions?"
Hidetada was jerked back to reality from his daydream about a promising future.
"The test questions you promised the principal you'd handle."
The question-creator batted innocent eyes.
"This is outrageous!"
It was already too late when Hidetada realized he'd been tricked. He pounded the table angrily.
"Don't you dare tell anyone about this!"
He shot the teacher a threatening glare.
If anyone found out that he—a man of his age—had been conned by some young kid, how could he face anyone ever again?
"Mmm..."
The question-creator nodded rapidly, like a startled baby chick.
...
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