Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

The Heavenly Path, the Human Path, the Hell Path, the Asura Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, the Animal Path, and the Outer Path—each path's power is so profound and complex. Unlike eye techniques, these powers exist in a chaotic and primordial state. Apart from a handful of techniques such as Earth Explosion Star, Divine Luo Heavenly Conquest, and Sealing Technique Absorption Seal, the rest of the techniques require him to develop them.

For example, the animal realm,

He needs to capture creatures and form contracts with them to turn them into his summoned beasts in order to summon them to fight for him. However, his Animal Path ability is not so weak. The Animal Path ability is not just about summoning, but its true power is the ability to promote the evolution of non-human creatures.

To what extent one can achieve this depends on the degree to which one can control the power of the animal realm.

There is also the Asura Path.

Like the Animal Realm, this realm also requires time to cultivate before it can form combat power. Unlike the Animal Realm, which promotes the evolution of non-human creatures, the power of the Asura Realm promotes the evolution of weapons, allowing the summoning of all sorts of incredible weapons to fight.

Perhaps, we could try 'growing mushrooms'? Zongxian couldn't help but think of this during his research.

Of course, it is uncertain whether it can be achieved to that extent. Even if it can be achieved, it is certainly not something that can be accomplished by simply acting on impulse and shouting a few passionate slogans.

but,

To say which is the most difficult to deal with,

It also belongs to the Heavenly Path and the Outer Path. The former's power encompasses Yin and Yang, water, fire, wind, thunder, and earth, and its abilities are so comprehensive that it is almost omnipotent. Ninjutsu, illusion, sealing techniques, and barrier techniques can all be included in the power of the Heavenly Path. Then there is the Outer Path, whose essence is the power to control life and death, but its abilities are so obscure that Zongxian can only slowly decipher and study it little by little.

In general,

Opening one's eyes is just the beginning.

To truly unleash the full potential of the Rinnegan, one still needs to spend time figuring it out.

"Lord Hokage? Lord Hokage?"

The voice of the secretary, Kabuto, brought Sogen back from his reverie.

His gaze passed over the pile of documents waiting for him to process, which looked like a small hill on the table, and met Kurama Murakumo's somewhat puzzled eyes. He realized that he had been daydreaming again. He was listening to Kurama Murakumo's work report, but in the middle of it he couldn't help but think about the power of the Rinnegan.

Even though I've already sent three shadow clones to train, my main body still gets distracted.

"Ahem, excuse me, um... Cong Yun, where were we?"

Zong Xian cleared his throat and asked, "I remember you meant... graduation exam?"

"Yes."

Kurama Congyun nodded.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

When Sogen became the Sixth Hokage, his followers and supporters naturally received corresponding rewards. The Kurama clan was a staunch supporter of Sogen, and Kurama Yakumo, the clan's future head and strongest member, was Sogen's eldest disciple.

The Kurama clan certainly benefits from all the advantages.

This is not,

The Ministry of Education, one of the six departments of Konoha Village, was handed over to Kurama Murakumo, who is now the new head of the Ministry of Education. He came to see Sogen today to report on the upcoming graduation of the senior students of the Ninja Academy.

As winter fades and spring arrives, the early cherry blossoms in Konoha Village quietly bloom with a delicate pink hue.

It was already March of the 60th year of the Konoha calendar.

outside the window,

The soft sunlight shines down, dispelling the lingering chill of winter. Even the air seems to become light and airy, creating a dreamy and intoxicating atmosphere. In this increasingly busy Konoha Village, only during this time of year, perfect for cherry blossom viewing, can one experience a touch of leisure.

"Yakumo, Fujika, and Hotaru are graduating too!"

Zongxian pinched the bridge of his nose, temporarily and completely shifting his attention to the important matter at hand.

"The graduation exam is in three days. Although the instructors can only be assigned after the exam and the list of students who have passed is finalized, the teachers generally know how many people will pass. Even if there are one or two exceptions, they can be adjusted later. If there are no major mistakes, we will probably need about 230 instructors this time."

"It's that time of year again!"

Although this was the first time Sogen had handled the graduation of Ninja Academy students since becoming Hokage, his five years as Hokage's assistant hadn't been in vain. Given Akimichi Torifu's frequent sick leave, he was basically in charge of these matters. It's been said that back then, apart from the Anbu, there wasn't a single department he didn't get involved in.

"Are there over 700 new genin this year? That's a good year!"

Konoha's rule is that one instructor ninja leads three graduating genin. There are 230 instructor ninjas, which means there are more than 690, nearly 700, graduates.

This number is quite good. The number of students graduating from the Ninja Academy each year generally hovers around six hundred, sometimes less, sometimes more. Ninety percent of them are commoner ninjas, and only about ten percent are ninjas from various clans. Most clan ninjas still receive their family education at home.

This is not to say that the clans are rigid and inflexible. On the contrary, few of these ninja clans that have survived from the brutal Warring States period are inflexible. Sending their heirs to ninja academies is clear evidence of their adaptability.

The reason why not all members of the clan were sent to ninja academies is simple: the education provided by ninja academies could not meet their needs.

Bloodline clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga require targeted training from a young age to master their respective bloodline limits. Similarly, the secret techniques of clans like the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Aburamezuka also require instruction from elders.

As the saying goes, existence is its own justification.

Zongxian doesn't think there's anything wrong with the current education system. In the nearly fifty years since the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, Konoha's education system has gradually developed into what it is today, and it still has vitality and hasn't become stagnant.

Reforms are not something to be done haphazardly. The police department can be drastically overhauled, and the secret service can be adjusted, but in Zongxian's view, the administrative department and the education department are functioning quite well.

Therefore, Xiao Gui and Cao Ji could follow suit.

"According to statistics compiled by senior instructors at the Ninja Academy, more than 796 students successfully graduated as Genin. Of course, this figure does not include cases of large-scale returns." The 'return' situation Kurama Murakumo mentioned refers to instructors who were dissatisfied with the students assigned to them and thus returned them to the Ninja Academy.

This kind of thing is very common and happens almost every year.

Passing the Ninja Academy's graduation exam doesn't guarantee you'll become a Genin. In fact, the supervising ninjas have a second hurdle to overcome. They use various methods to assess the graduates assigned to them, and only those who pass the supervising ninjas' tests can be considered true ninjas.

Once these students are deemed unqualified, their headbands will be revoked, and they will be sent back to the Ninja Academy to continue their studies.

after all,

Being a ninja is not child's play.

Even though genin generally don't participate in high-difficulty missions, it's not 100% safe. A simple D-rank mission can turn into a B-rank mission with combat involved, and an ordinary C-rank mission can suddenly turn into a high-difficulty A-rank or even S-rank mission. Such things are not uncommon, but there are always unlucky ones who will encounter them.

Honestly, don't be fooled by the fact that it seems like Konoha can produce tens of thousands more new ninjas in less than ten years, even if it's only half that number.

The injury rate among genin is very high.

Of the nearly 700 genin this year, it would be good if half of them could last a year. Most of the time, only a third of the genin can persevere. The other two-thirds are either crippled, scared out of their wits, or unable to bear the true lifestyle of ninjas.

In short, for various reasons, every year many genin choose to give up being a ninja and would rather go home to be a farmer, a peddler, or a clerk in a trading company. Students who graduate from ninja academies, aside from anything else, have no problem reading and writing, and are also quite capable in combat, making them highly sought-after human resources.

"Also, Hokage-sama, this year's graduates... include quite a few students with special backgrounds," Kurama Murakumo said carefully.

You mean Naruto?

The first person Zongxian thought of was Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"It's not just the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but also quite a few direct descendants of various clans!" Kurama Murakumo reminded him. "It involves arrangements for training ninjas, and I estimate that someone will come here soon." He didn't mince words, but Kurama Murakumo was a staunch supporter of Sogen, so there was no need for him to use any roundabout rhetoric.

"...That's true!"

Zongxian nodded.

This is true.

This year is quite special. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, these young men and women who represent the future of Konoha will leave the greenhouse of the Ninja Academy and venture into the storms of the ninja world.

Even if the future has already been completely altered by Zongxian,

But putting everything else aside, Naruto, with half of the Nine-Tails sealed within him, is destined for a future filled with uncertainty.

Where will the future lead?

It makes one eagerly anticipate it.

Ahem, we've gotten a bit off-topic. Kurama Murakumo refers to Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and others, all of whom are direct descendants of their respective clans, and if they hadn't died young, they would have become the next clan leaders.

Someone will definitely try to use connections to interfere in arranging and guiding the ninjas.

Instructing ninjas is not just about guiding these recent graduates to adapt to the real ninja world.

Moreover, it is also an important interpersonal network.

Although the relationship between instructors and students is not as close as that of formal apprenticeship, instructors are still addressed as "teacher" by the genin. This relationship is recognized by the ninjas, so the status and skill of the instructor will affect the future of the students.

In order to give their children a better future and a higher starting point,

Using connections is something that happens every year.

but,

The situation is expected to be even worse this year.

"Speaking of which... Cong Yun, you were one of the people who came looking for us, right?"

"That's not the case. With you, Hokage-sama, as my master, I don't think I need to worry about Yakumo's affairs at all. However... I'm just a little curious, who are you planning to appoint as Yakumo and the others' mentor? Also, Yakumo is supposed to be teamed up with Fujika and Hotaru, right?"

"Anma Congyun" is a typical example of saying one thing and meaning another.

However, it's not hard to understand. Yakumo is his only precious daughter, and she was frail and sickly from a young age. Even after she became healthy, her father couldn't resist his love for her.

"Kabuto, go find Shikaku and have him compile a list of Jonin and Special Jonin who do not hold specific positions." Sogen didn't answer Kurama Murakumo's question, but instead gave Kabuto a task. Kabuto left after receiving the order.

"The mentor is a guide for Yakumo and Fujika. With their abilities, they would probably be at least Special Jonin by now if it were wartime. You don't need to worry about them at all. As my disciples, they are destined to become one of the brightest stars in the ninja world."

Zongxian's words sounded very impolite, like a peddler praising his own wares.

However, this is indeed Zongxian's true feeling.

Kurama Yakumo, Tsuchigumo Hotaru, Uchiha Fujika... These girls all possess extraordinary talent, and some even have bloodline limits or family secret techniques. To be honest, all Sogen did was guide them to avoid detours and then strive forward with great strides.

Once they make up for their lack of combat experience, becoming a Jonin will be a natural progression for them.

"Compared to their arrangements, who Naruto should team up with... that's the most troublesome thing right now." Sogen flipped through the student list sent by Kurama Murakumo, tapped the table with his fingers. The current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a super genius who is no less than Yakumo. For the sake of balance, he needs to find a partner who won't hold him back.

Sasuke Uchiha is one of them.

but,

Haruno Sakura,

Can this child keep up with the pace of those two geniuses, Naruto and Sasuke?

In the original history, Naruto and Sasuke almost wasted their entire ninja academy studies for different reasons, and never even did basic training such as climbing trees or wading. So there was no problem for them to team up with Sakura Haruno, a smart girl, in the early stages. Moreover, Naruto showed strong affection for Sakura Haruno at that time.

To be honest, if Zongxian were to come and see,

In the original story, Naruto likes Sakura.

This is probably the real reason why Sakura can team up with Naruto and Sasuke! Having someone she likes by her side can effectively stabilize the mental state of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and use the bond system to firmly bind the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to Konoha.

However, Naruto now has Jiraiya's meticulous guidance, and Sasuke also has his father and older brother giving him extra lessons. He, along with Yakumo, Fujika, and Hotaru, are among the top geniuses of their graduating class at the Ninja Academy. Furthermore, Naruto has never shown any romantic feelings for Sakura Haruno, or more accurately, he hasn't shown any romantic interest in any of the girls at the Ninja Academy...

Just to clarify,

This isn't because Sogen has nothing better to do than stare at the boys and girls at the ninja academy. He's not that perverted, and frankly, he doesn't have that kind of free time. Rather, the Anbu regularly sends over monitoring reports on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, which includes reports on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's psychological state.