Chapter 714: A Year of Changing Circumstances
Chapter 714: A Year of Changing Circumstances
On April 1st, the Ninja Academy officially opened its doors for the new school year, as was customary.
However, this year's opening ceremony was slightly different from previous ones.
The reason was that the Ninja Academy's reform was officially implemented this year.
Starting this year, the six-year system at the Ninja Academy became history, replaced by a four-year primary school and a three-year middle school.
Nevertheless, the rule allowing early graduation was still retained.
As long as one possessed sufficient skills, even if they had only attended school for two months, they could directly apply for graduation and become a ninja.
However, with the addition of primary and middle schools, those aiming to graduate early and become ninjas would now have to undergo two separate graduation exams, making the process slightly more complicated than before.
"Please welcome our esteemed Hokage to deliver an important speech. Let's give a warm round of applause to the Fourth Hokage!"
The host announced solemnly with a magnetic voice during the opening ceremony.
Clap, clap, clap!
The auditorium immediately erupted with thunderous applause, like waves crashing against the shore, one after another, seemingly endless. Teachers and students alike clapped enthusiastically, and the teachers were even more excited than the students.
When the Hokage election took place, they had all cast their votes for Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
At this moment, seeing Yu Sheng Mu Yue as the Hokage giving a speech at the Ninja Academy, they felt a sense of pride.
In this enthusiastic atmosphere, Yu Sheng Mu Yue slowly stood up, smiled, and walked steadily towards the podium, greeting the audience below.
"All students are the most valuable assets of the school and the future flowers of Konoha..."
Yu Sheng Mu Yue didn't spend too much time on lengthy speeches. Instead, he offered a few brief words of blessing and then shared a vision of the future with the students.
After all, this wasn't a pre-war mobilization.
Moreover, with the title of Hokage and his reputation at the Ninja Academy, even a few short words from him were enough to stir the students' emotions.
"I will definitely study harder in the future and contribute to Konoha like the Fourth Hokage!" The students below were filled with enthusiasm.
Asuka, who was among the crowd, was also inspired and couldn't wait to apply for early graduation and become a ninja.
However, this wasn't a rash decision made in the heat of the moment. He had originally planned not to complete the second year and didn't even want to finish the first semester.
The main reason was the pressure he felt from his fellow disciples.
While he was still in school, Kaito had already become a squad leader of Jonin, and his team members were all Chunin. Even as a temporary captain, it showed that Yu Sheng Mu Yue recognized Kaito's abilities.
Asuka felt a sense of urgency as he lagged behind in strength and was falling far behind in other aspects.
"Asuka, you're graduating this year, right?" Hyuga Hizashi asked Asuka.
Asuka didn't hide his desire to graduate early, as he had shared this with his friends before.
"If nothing unexpected happens, it will be within these few weeks," Asuka replied with a nod.
If it weren't for wanting to spend more time with his friends and the absence of war, he would have graduated at the end of his first year.
"Keep up the good work after graduation. If it's you, you might become a great ninja," Hyuga Hizashi encouraged him.
She didn't think much of Asuka's early graduation.
Asuka was simply too strong; even the teachers at the school would marvel that they had never seen such formidable strength in their lives.
Even Asuma Sarutobi, the newly appointed Jonin, had almost lost to Asuka in a battle.
Asuka's leap in strength was extraordinary. During the holiday special training, Kaito's team defeating a Chunin was already considered outstanding, and Asuka, who almost defeated a Jonin, instantly became famous.
It would have been strange if Asuka didn't graduate early. With the strength to rival a Jonin, not graduating and becoming a full-fledged ninja to contribute to Konoha, he would have been a mere primary school student at the Ninja Academy.
"If you keep working hard, you can also become an excellent ninja, Hizashi," Asuka smiled and encouraged Hyuga Hizashi.
"Yes!" Hyuga Hizashi nodded vigorously, clenching her small fist.
"Next, please welcome our esteemed principal to deliver a speech. Let's give a round of applause to Monkey Dachi Principal."
After Yu Sheng Mu Yue finished speaking, the host took the stage again and said a few words before inviting Enma to give a speech.
Since the middle school department was newly established and had few students, it wasn't separated from the primary school. Instead, some new departments were added, so there wasn't a separate middle school principal.
Enma happily walked up to the podium to deliver his speech; he quite enjoyed occasions like this.
"It's finally officially started. I'm really looking forward to seeing the performance of the Ninja Academy graduates in a few years," Fuyuki Kamizono, sitting next to Yu Sheng Mu Yue, said with a smile as he looked at the students in the auditorium.
The reform was proposed by Yu Sheng Mu Yue, and the plan was also tailored by him. However, the execution was mostly carried out by Fuyuki Kamizono, who had a high level of involvement.
Fuyuki Kamizono eagerly anticipated the fruits of his labor, as he had diligently watered and fertilized this tree.
Besides hoping for the prosperity of Konoha as a Konoha ninja, Fuyuki Kamizono also wanted to prove his and Yu Sheng Mu Yue's abilities.
Since the Second Hokage's establishment, the Ninja Academy hadn't undergone significant changes. Now, with their major reforms, some ninjas, such as high-ranking officials like Mizuki Gate and Tenzo Shukuren, had some complaints.
If the Ninja Academy reform succeeded, those who believed that they were too young to govern the village well would have to keep quiet. This would be a political achievement that would stand the test of time.
"I won't let you down," Yu Sheng Mu Yue said with a faint smile.
Based on his experience in the previous world and the teaching experience in the Ninja World, he made this reform. Even if the results fell short of expectations, they wouldn't be worse than before.
"I have confidence, but I want to see that day come sooner," Fuyuki Kamizono said.
As the planner of the reform, Fuyuki Kamizono had the second-most understanding of the Ninja Academy reform, right after Yu Sheng Mu Yue. He had full confidence in this reform.
Thinking about how his children would receive a better education than him, Fuyuki Kamizono's smile became even brighter.
This was the original intention of Konoha's establishment and their Will of Fire.
...
Since the three great ninja villages had deployed a large number of intelligence forces in the Rain Country, and Shinshu didn't deliberately conceal it.
Konoha and Shinshu's cooperation in puppet limbs was quickly discovered by the three great ninja villages that had already joined forces.
The reason for the alliance between the Stone and Sand Hidden Villages was Shinshu and Konoha. Upon hearing that these two forces were cooperating, they couldn't remain calm.
They quickly gathered more intelligence and held a meeting to discuss the matter.
Fortunately, after a meticulous analysis of the intelligence, it was determined that this was a mutually beneficial cooperation between Shinshu and Konoha.
Shinshu obtained money and technology, while Konoha gained prosthetic limbs, allowing disabled ninjas to become combat-ready again.
However, due to this matter, the Cloud and Stone Hidden Villages expressed their doubts to the Sand Hidden Village. With such a good opportunity, why didn't the Sand Hidden Village take advantage of it? Puppetry was the Sand Hidden Village's specialty.
Action: Rojuro felt embarrassed and humiliated, but this incident sparked an idea.
If Shinshu could create prosthetic limbs, then surely the Sand Hidden Village, with its many skilled puppet masters, could do the same.
With the combined efforts of the three villages, Rojuro acquired a prosthetic limb from Shinshu and gathered the Sand Village's puppet masters to decipher its technology.
The Stone and Cloud Hidden Villages were also keenly interested in prosthetic technology, as they too had their share of disabled ninjas.
After years of war and dangerous missions, it was a rare occurrence for ninjas to return unscathed. Surviving with limb loss was considered fortunate, as many more perished on the battlefield.
The three great ninja villages deepened their alliance, with the Cloud and Stone villages providing funds and the Sand Village contributing their expertise. Together, they secretly established a research institute dedicated to prosthetic development.
In reality, it would have been more cost-effective for the Stone and Cloud villages to purchase ready-made prosthetics from Shinshu.
However, they were reluctant to directly fund Shinshu, so even if it meant spending more, they chose to invest in research rather than buying ready-made products.
As the three villages carried out various operations, they also gathered information about the Leaf Ninja Academy's reforms, but none of them immediately followed suit.
Just as the Mist Village was attempting to strengthen itself through the Bloody Mist policy, the other great ninja villages had also experimented with reforms in ninja training to varying degrees.
However, these attempts either resulted in side effects like those of the Mist Village or had minimal impact, leaving graduates' strengths largely unchanged after a period of upheaval.
As a result, the current great ninja villages were not enthusiastic about educational reforms, generally believing that the current education system was already sufficient and that changes might be unnecessary.
Additionally, the Leaf Village's reform efforts were substantial, making the three villages even more hesitant to follow in their footsteps, fearing the potential consequences of any missteps.
Therefore, the three villages watched the Leaf Village's reforms with a sense of satisfaction, eagerly awaiting their failure.
The reform, which extended from six to seven years and was divided into two parts, could have significant repercussions if it encountered problems.
Not paying much attention to the Ninja Academy's reforms, the three villages further strengthened their cooperation, sending ninjas to infiltrate Shinshu and gather intelligence on Sonryouka.
However, the infiltration of Shinshu and the investigation into Sonryouka's intelligence remained stagnant, while the research institute quickly yielded results.
With a prototype in hand, the institute achieved a milestone within six months, successfully transplanting a prosthetic limb onto a disabled ninja without any adverse side effects.
This was exhilarating news for the three villages.
The next step was to make a breakthrough in the chakra meridian system of the puppet limbs. If they could achieve this, the research would be considered a complete success.
Even this milestone was not without value; they could sell the prosthetics to wealthy disabled civilians.
However, for the three villages, the significance of this achievement lay not in monetary gain but in solidifying their alliance.
Just a year or two ago, these three ninja villages were at war with each other.
Even though they were forced into cooperation due to the pressure from Shinshu, there were still many ninjas within the villages who opposed this alliance.
Especially without any apparent benefits from the cooperation, the dissenting voices within the villages grew louder.
Collaborating with enemies they despised and having nothing to show for it was not a desirable situation.
But with tangible results, the situation improved. Most ninja wars were fought over interests, and with sufficient benefits, even enemies could become friends.
However, what the three villages did not anticipate was the difficulty of taking that final step.
The Sand Village's puppet masters, after achieving the milestone, continued their research for over half a year, yet they still failed to replicate Shinshu's prosthetic limbs.
The research institute hit a temporary bottleneck, and the situation was even worse for Sonryouka's assassination squad, which had yet to produce any meaningful results since its establishment.
For an entire year, they failed to gather any valuable intelligence. No matter how they assessed the situation, the conclusion was always the same: the assassination would fail, even if the Wind, Earth, and Lightning Shadows attempted it together.
"Are we destined to watch Shinshu rise under Sonryouka's leadership?" Daimoku sat in the Earth Shadow's chair, his face clouded with worry.
If not for the threat posed by the Leaf and Mist villages, he suspected the three-village alliance would have already fallen apart.
Sonryouka and Shinshu were the primary reasons they had united.
Unable to assassinate Sonryouka or curb Shinshu's growth, coupled with internal conflicts, the alliance was on the brink of dissolution.
Daimoku rubbed his temples, the only bright spot in the past year being the birth of his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, to his wife, Kitsuchi.
Daimoku had high hopes for his granddaughter, wishing for her to follow in his footsteps and ensure the Dust Style's legacy.
The Dust Style was a complex ninjutsu, and even with a teacher, it was extremely challenging to master. With only written materials, the chances of comprehension were slim.
Daimoku planned to personally mentor Kurotsuchi once she was a bit older, ensuring she didn't inherit Kitsuchi's overly cautious nature.
As a leader, he wanted his subordinates to be obedient, but he didn't want his successor to be the same.
Being too obedient could have negative consequences for a leader.
As if their troubles weren't enough, just as various conflicts arose within the three-village alliance, Shinshu made a technological breakthrough in ninjutsu scrolls.
When this intelligence reached the base of Sonryouka's assassination squad, the Supreme Commander and Deputy Commander were immediately notified and convened a meeting to discuss the matter.
This was not a technology on par with prosthetic limbs.
What were ninjutsu scrolls? As the name suggested, they were scrolls that could be used to perform ninjutsu.
Some sealed ninjutsu within the scrolls, while others used special crafting techniques to create seals, such as explosive tags.
Even a freshly graduated genin could understand the impact of such a breakthrough.
Ninja tools were a part of a ninja's strength, and some jounin even specialized in them.
Ninjutsu scrolls were undoubtedly advanced ninja tools, and any breakthroughs in this technology would benefit all ninjas within a force, enhancing their overall military might.
(End of Chapter)
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