Konoha Notes

Chapter 216 Chaos
The bell, signaling the end of get out of class, finally rang, a sound that brought Iruka nothing short of a relief.

He shuffled out of the classroom, his back soaked with cold sweat. He had barely stood in the corridor when a burly, stern-faced senior teacher called out to him.

After exchanging a few words in hushed tones, Iruka lowered his head and followed the other person, disappearing into the end of the corridor, looking utterly dejected.

As soon as the teacher left, the oppressive atmosphere in the classroom dissipated, and it instantly became noisy.

Naruto watched his classmates chattering about what was happening in class. In the past two years, there had been more adults in the village showing him kindness and less harsh insults, but the low-pressure atmosphere emanating from the adults was still unsettling.

He only felt much better breathing in a classroom full of children, like this one.

Even though some classmates still looked at me with distance or disgust, it was still much easier than facing the invisible pressure from adults.

"Tell me, tell me, who is that black-haired older brother?" Naruto couldn't contain his curiosity and asked his classmate next to him.

"I don't know it." Choji Akimichi pulled out a bag of potato chips.

Nara Shikamaru, sitting in the back row, propped his chin on his hand and lazily replied, "He's a big shot in the village, that's why Iruka-sensei was so nervous."

He yawned: "He's probably been called in for a lecture now."

"What big shot? He's just a troublemaker." Sasuke said calmly with his eyes closed.

The moment he finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind rise in front of him.

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a head of fiery red hair.

The red-haired girl braced herself on the table, leaning forward, her eyes behind her glasses wide open, burning with obvious anger.

Almost simultaneously, a series of sharp, dissatisfied female voices rang out behind her.

"What the heck! Why are you suddenly getting close to Sasuke-kun!"

"That's right, it hasn't been decided yet who can get close to Sasuke."

"Who gave you permission to get so close to Sasuke-kun? Get away from me!"

Several small hands reached out, trying to tug at Karin's sleeves and arms.

Karin forcefully shook off the hand that was pulling her away, staring intently at Sasuke's slightly confused face, her voice sharp: "Someone like you! You have no idea how powerful Captain Shuuji is! You arrogant jerk!"

"I am oblivious!"

Sasuke frowned slightly. This girl was completely inexplicable. And that person was his brother's captain; what did she have to do with him?

"and who are you?"

"Karin!" she called out her name loudly.

"Ah—! You're trying to make Sasuke remember you this way, aren't you!"

"So cunning!"

"Red-haired weirdo! Cheating is not allowed!"

As Karin announced her name, the shoving intensified. Karin, whose elbow struck the corner of the table, was overcome by pain and frustration, and she turned and lunged at the girls pulling at her from behind.

"Who wants this arrogant guy to remember them!"

Fists and nails became the most direct language. The girls' screams, curses, and tuggings instantly mingled together. Textbooks and stationery were knocked to the ground with a clattering sound, and desks and chairs were pushed askew.

Choji, clutching his potato chips, retreated outside the battle zone. Shikamaru sighed and slowly followed suit, retreating to a corner of the classroom.

Naruto stared in disbelief at the sudden melee: "Wow, that's amazing..."

"Hey! If you don't get out of the way, you'll get caught up in this."

A lazy voice sounded.

Naruto looked around, then pointed to himself: "Me?" "What else?" Shikamaru glanced at him. "You were the one who asked the question just now. Standing in that kind of place, it's easy to get caught in their chaotic attacks. It wouldn't be fun to be blamed."

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked to the two of them: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and you are?"

"Tsk... Nara Shikamaru, he's Choji, Akimichi Choji."

"I'll talk, I'll talk, does Shikamaru know who that black-haired older brother is?" He felt like he had met him somewhere before, but he had a vague memory of it.

"I've heard my father mention him. His name is Shuuji."

"Shuji? Is he a very important person?"

"Hmm...right..."
-
"You sent me to the Ninja Academy to do some research, and you still managed to cause trouble?" Tsunade complained, watching Shuuji observe the activity of the tree branches. "When the old man went there, Iruka almost submitted his resignation."

Shuji chuckled. He really hadn't expected to put so much pressure on Iruka. But for someone who had just started working, having someone barge into their first class was a very unpleasant experience.

But since we've already sat down, we can't just leave right away.

“Before I left, I also advised Iruka not to take it to heart,” Shuji said.

"Hmph, aside from causing trouble for Iruka, how do you feel about the Ninja Academy?"

"The overall teaching framework and process are fine. It's just that some content is clearly outdated and doesn't meet the actual needs of the village."

Tsunade became more serious: "Backward?"

“Yes, the age of graduates from the Ninja Academy is not fixed and can vary depending on the circumstances,” Shuuji said.

"By the fifth or sixth grade, while there is still a lot of academic content, the new things that can be learned in terms of ninja-related skills become increasingly limited, almost to the point of stagnation."

"However, the ninja academy has very low requirements for academic subjects, which results in many senior students lacking motivation to study at the ninja academy."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade said, "There's no better way. There are a lot of commoners and orphans in the Ninja Academy. They don't get any proper training before they enroll, so they have a huge gap in starting line with the children of ninjas."

"If we blindly increase the teaching content and difficulty of the ninja academy now, those children with average aptitude will only have more difficulty keeping up with the pace, which will only exacerbate inequality."

Shuuji nodded: "Therefore, the existing six-year education system of the Ninja Academy alone cannot meet the needs of the village."

"Moreover, even the children of ninjas often cannot keep up with the upbringing of their children due to their constant presence on duty."

"so what?"

“We will add preschool education,” Shuji said.

Tsunade frowned: "This is not just a matter of a single sum of money, but a long-term financial expenditure."

“This investment is necessary for the future stability and development of the village.” Shuji said calmly. “Children from the ninja clan can receive a good early education and lay a solid foundation before entering school, even if their parents do not have time, by relying on the clan’s resources and the clan school environment.”

"This is an innate gap that ordinary ninja families, especially commoner children, cannot bridge through their own efforts."

He paused, looked directly at Tsunade, and made his core purpose clear.

"The long-term existence of this gap will also make ordinary ninjas more dependent on the existence and support of their clan, because it is difficult for them to break through the resource barrier individually."

"But on the other hand," Shuuji changed the subject, "when a clan like the Uchiha is unable to awaken their Sharingan, the resources and support that the clan can provide to its ordinary members are simply incomparable to the systematic preschool education that the village is about to establish."

"Even those Uchiha who can awaken their Sharingan can master most Sharingan techniques instinctively through their bloodline without needing additional training. The clan's advantage in teaching ninjutsu is not absolute."

"And even the most core, secret techniques of each race, which are never passed on to outsiders..."

"In fact, there are villages, not entirely none."

Just like the Izanagi used by Danzo Shimura. At that time, the Uchiha clan still existed, but he had already mastered and used it.

"These are the changes needed to maintain the balance of power between the village and the ninja clan, and to reduce the excessive dependence of the clan on individual ninjas."

(End of this chapter)