Early the next morning, the Kurama Clan compound came alive as all manner of goods were loaded onto carriage after carriage. Hizashi Hyuga stood in an inconspicuous corner, watching the clan servants fill dozens of carts. He could not help but sigh to himself. The Kurama Clan really was rich!
Hizashi Hyuga quietly approached Ming Jing and asked, "Didn't you say the few of us would set out first? How did you put together a whole convoy in such a short time?"
"How else could we cover for Sir's departure from Konoha?" Ming Jing smiled, offering no explanation for where the convoy had come from.
After bidding farewell to Mai Kurama and Hinata once more, Ming Jing, Yuexi, Qing Yan, Yakumo, Mirai Kurama, Upper and Lower Brothers, Up, Down, Left, Right, and numerous drivers set off! Since Yuexi was injured, she was arranged to rest in Ming Jing's carriage. Hizashi Hyuga also quietly slipped into a cargo cart and followed the convoy as it slowly headed toward Konoha's gates.
Asuma had been waiting at the gates early on. In that regard, he was far more reliable than Kakashi. When he saw the Kurama Clan's massive convoy, Asuma froze. He found Ming Jing's carriage, knocked on its door, and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing, Ming Jing? We're carrying out a mission, not running a business! What's with bringing a whole convoy?"
"These are all preparations for the mission!" Ming Jing said seriously.
"That too?!" Asuma pointed at Yakumo's carriage, struggling to suppress his anger.
"Ahem... Isn't it only right to seek benefits for one's family?" Ming Jing continued to look utterly serious.
"Sigh... Forget it. Let's go!" Asuma stared at Ming Jing for a while, hoping the brat would show at least a little shame. Instead, this guy's gaze was remarkably innocent, making it seem as though Asuma had done something wrong. He could only compromise.
"Wise decision, Captain!" Ming Jing tossed out a casual compliment and ducked back into the carriage. Asuma gave a bitter smile, walked to the gate guards, and handed the mission order to the chunin on duty. The two chunin stared blankly at the convoy as well. It was their first time seeing a mission team like this. Truly, one lived long enough to see anything!
"Alright, there's no problem with the mission order." After checking it, the chunin returned it to Asuma. He looked somewhat lost, unsure whether he ought to give the usual instructions described in the Work Manual.
"Thanks!" Asuma did not want to linger either. He only wanted to leave immediately. On his first mission as team leader, he had already run into such bizarre teammates. He was thoroughly embarrassed.
The entire convoy slowly passed through Konoha's gates and headed toward the Land of Rain. Ming Jing lifted the window curtain and watched Konoha's gates grow farther and farther away, unable to keep a touch of melancholy from rising in his heart. In the end, he had still left this place. A larger stage awaited him next.
The route to the Land of Rain would pass through the Royal Capital. When they arrived, he would arrange for Yakumo and Mirai to stay with Koji Kurama. Aside from Yakumo and Mirai, Ming Jing also planned to leave Yuexi and Upper and Lower Brothers in the Royal Capital.
After hearing Ming Jing's arrangements, Yuexi anxiously tried to kneel and beg forgiveness, but Ming Jing stopped her. She grabbed his hand, tears in her eyes as she pleaded, "Young Master, I know I was wrong. Please, please don't abandon me, alright?... Young Master, Yuexi only wants to stay by your side. Please don't abandon me..."
"Are you an idiot? Lie down and listen to me!" Ming Jing helped Yuexi lie back down before saying apologetically, "Yuexi, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have taken my temper out on you. I apologize to you, Yuexi. I'm sorry!"
"Young Master, please don't say that. No matter what, Yuexi will never blame you." Yuexi struggled to kneel, pressing her forehead against the carriage floor as she said, "My life was given to me by Young Master, and everything I know now was taught to me by Young Master. Young Master, please... don't abandon Yuexi!"
"Yuexi, I raised you with my own hands. To me, you're far more than just a subordinate!" Ming Jing gazed upward at a forty-five-degree angle. "I've always treated you like family. This time, I wasn't angry because of you, but because I was afraid. Now, I'm leaving you in the Royal Capital because only you, by my side, can bear this responsibility! Yuexi, you can help me shoulder some of the burden, right?"
Tsukishiro Yuexi looked up at Ming Jing, then wiped away the tears streaming down her face and asked, "Young Master, you... you're not abandoning me?"
"Silly girl, you're a talent I painstakingly cultivated through countless hardships. How could I abandon you over my own mistakes?" Ming Jing gave a bitter smile. He had never imagined that someone in this world would rely on him and trust him so deeply. Yuexi's reaction left him at a loss, while also giving him, for the first time, a more direct understanding of the Naruto World's cruelty. This was a truly cruel, decayed world!
"Mhm, mhm! As long as Young Master doesn't abandon me, that's enough." Tears still flowed from Yuexi's eyes, yet she revealed a gentle smile. Ming Jing stared blankly at her. At that moment, he finally understood what the ancients meant by "a pear blossom in spring rain."
"Alright, can you listen to my arrangements now?" Seeing that Yuexi had calmed down, Ming Jing asked softly.
"Please speak, Young Master." Yuexi wiped away her tears and straightened her posture. Ming Jing sighed faintly to himself. Having a subordinate like this by his side really was a kind of happiness!
He gathered his thoughts and said, "The Daimyo once spoke with me. The Land of Fire has many problems, and we have to deal with them one at a time. Right now, the most urgent matter is disaster relief, so I need to personally visit the disaster area and see the situation before I can feel assured. But we can't delay other matters because of disaster relief. My plan is this: I'll take Qing Yan and Left and Right Brothers to the disaster area, while Yuexi will take Upper and Lower Brothers and remain in the Royal Capital."
"Young Master needs us to remain in the Royal Capital because you have other arrangements?" Yuexi quickly entered work mode and asked.
"Correct." Ming Jing nodded. "After the disaster relief, I'll conduct a census of farmland across the country. I expect that among the Land of Fire's current officials, some will pay lip service to the Prime Minister's Residence's orders while secretly defying them. Since that's the case, we have no need for such useless officials who occupy positions without doing any work. Therefore, I need the three of you to establish a school within the Prime Minister's Residence and cultivate a group of seeds for officials who will listen to us. As for their teaching materials, I'll put them together as soon as possible."
"Understood. Yuexi definitely won't let Young Master down!" Yuexi nodded solemnly and promised.
"Mm, I believe in you!" Ming Jing patted Yuexi's shoulder approvingly in encouragement.
After thinking for a moment, Yuexi asked, "Young Master, the school needs a name, doesn't it? Have you decided on one?"
"This..." Ming Jing thought for a moment, then said with a grin, "Let's call it the Inner Study Hall!"
The Inner Study Hall was a school established within the imperial palace by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for eunuchs to study. It had once cultivated talents such as Xiao Jing and Bi Yun, as well as Wang Zhen, that kind of... talent, in a certain sense.
Imagine it: in the future, Land of Fire officials would be out and about when someone asked where they had once studied and trained. They would proudly announce the resounding name, "Inner Study Hall"! Mm... Ming Jing suddenly felt a faint pain in his groin...
"Inner Study Hall?? Everything will be as Young Master wishes." Yuexi murmured the name once before speaking. For some reason, she felt as though Young Master was fooling around again! But what did that have to do with Yuexi? She was only responsible for teaching.
Mm, those qualified to teach at the Ming Dynasty's Inner Study Hall were no ordinary people. Most instructors were learned officials from the Hanlin Academy, such as editors, reviewers, and compilers. There were many renowned scholars among them, including Lu Shen, Qian Pu, Ni Qian, and Jiao Hong. Quite a few entered the Inner Cabinet as a result. Yan Song, for example, had once taught at the Inner Study Hall. But in the Naruto World, those teaching at the "Inner Study Hall" had become Tsukishiro Yuexi, Upper, and Lower. All three were Ming Jing's trusted confidants, and Yuexi was even regarded as his right-hand woman. From a political perspective, Yuexi's future was bright indeed!
"Then it's settled! Next, I need to sort out my thoughts. Yuexi should get some proper rest too. Tonight, I'll explain to the three of you what you need to do!" Ming Jing nodded, had Yuexi lie on her side in the carriage, then took out paper and brush, writing as he pondered.
During university, Ming Jing had once worked as a librarian for a while. Since he had been bored, he read many books. Among them were three books that even he did not know how he had managed to finish. They were China's Ancient and Modern Official Ethics Research Series, The Great Wisdom of Honest Governance in Ancient Poetry and Prose, and If We Do Not Step Forward, What Will Become of the Common People?
Ming Jing thought for a moment, then wrote on the paper: Equal emphasis on ability and cultivation; diligence and integrity advancing together; history and humanities proceeding side by side.
Then... he tore up the sheet!
What the hell!
Forget the natives of the Naruto World—even Ming Jing himself had no idea what that meant!
"If I'd known, I should've finished reading Thick Black Theory back then!" Ming Jing's eyes welled up. Being an official in a hot-blooded anime world felt even harder than being one in ancient China!
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