Rewards and Legacy
A complete overhaul of the teaching materials is a major undertaking. Even if Shuichi can disregard the influence of advisors and others, he cannot gamble with the students' future.
Therefore, only a small batch of textbooks was printed for experimental purposes. Two weeks after the start of classes, he instructed the school to immediately arrange periodic quizzes.
The observation that the children's acceptance level was extremely high and their learning efficiency far exceeded that of the past naturally silenced the doubters.
Even with Konoha's economic strength, equipping thousands of students with colored textbooks would be extremely expensive. However, no one can find fault with spending resources on cultivating talent.
"What about the courses in the second half of the semester...?"
"I'll get the village to speed up the printing; we'll definitely be able to finish before the teaching schedule," Shuichi relaxed expression. "The students are in your hands now."
With the new textbooks, teaching methods also need to change, which will put a lot of pressure on teachers. Can you adapt?
Iruka said solemnly, "This is one of our responsibilities. The Lord Hokage has put in far more effort than we have; it is our duty to cultivate outstanding students."
"Um..."
Shuichi walked to the windowsill, stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "I happen to have quite a bit of free time. Last year I was busy with various things and didn't have a good chat with the children. I can't fall behind this year."
"Well then..." Shuichi coughed, "In order to fully implement quality education and stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning, at the end of each semester, outstanding students will receive my individual guidance as a special reward."
Iruka felt a surge of joy; the Lord Hokage's personal instruction would definitely be something every child would flock to.
However, after the initial excitement, he noticed a small problem, so he gritted his teeth and tentatively said:
"But... Lord Hokage, if only the top student in each grade receives the reward, then most of the other children might never get to experience it?"
"However, after some top students receive multiple awards, the gap will widen further, and over time, this could create a sense of distance between them in the same class."
"Good, I'm pleased that you thought of that." Shuichi in agreement, then smiled slyly, "But I didn't say only the first place would receive a reward. The criteria for judging outstanding performance will be determined by me personally."
"You can relay these words directly to the students to show that I am paying close attention to each and every one of their performances."
Taking a breath, and to reassure Iruka and the other teachers, Shuichi continued, "The distribution of rewards will definitely follow several criteria: a significant number of participants, students in their third year or above who have access to chakra, and those who excel in a particular area will also be eligible, etc..."
"In short, I guarantee that there will be more than 10, even 20 or 30, award recipients each semester... and the awards will be rotated as much as possible. For example, students who work very hard but don't have good grades will also get a chance because of their hard work."
"Starting with my generation of Hokage, I hope this can become a tradition."
Beneath his straw hat, Shuichi's face seemed to gleam with light. "Children are the future; they are the pillars of the village's future. It's nothing for me to spend some time on them. Let's continue with this arrangement."
"That's absolutely no problem, Lord Hokage!" Iruka said with a look of utmost respect. "I'm sure this will boost everyone's morale. I'll spread the word right away."
"Okay, you can get back to work now!"
After Iruka left the Hokage's Office, Shuichi let out a sigh of relief, walked to a corner, and sank deep into a rocking, reclining armchair.
He then took out a black-and-white screen handheld game console, the latest product developed by his company, and started playing it.
"Damn it, this is inhuman!" complained the Wood Clone working at the computer.
"We have no human rights whatsoever, juggling childcare and work. And you, you manage to spare a little time to teach students, and people admire you? Iruka is definitely a bit foolish."
Regarding taking care of Takuma is the one who takes care of him most of the time, with the Wood Clone occasionally helping out, and Kotaro also playing with him at home.
With her two-year-old son almost weaned and Kurenai's status now that of the Hokage's wife, it's no longer appropriate for her to be at the forefront of battle. The village has lost another skilled female ninja, which is truly a pity.
Now, the diamond-shaped mark of the Yin Seal is also etched on her forehead, and her entire ninja style has been transformed.
The Hokage must set an example and not abuse his power for personal gain. Therefore, Shuichi decided to follow the example of the Third Hokage and arrange for Kurenai to work in the Sealing Squad after Takuma became independent.
This department is similar to the Medical Department; it's a bit tedious but extremely important to the village. Nothing major usually happens here, so people have a lot of time to take care of their families.
Hearing the Wood Clone's complaint, Shuichi stopped what he was doing and squinted at it.
The Wood Clone seemed to sense the malicious gaze beside it.
Just as he turned his head, he saw Shuichi hand, which swiftly wrapped around the Wood Clone and absorbed it into his body.
The scream was cut off halfway through, sending shivers down the spines of the other person organizing documents.
Once his newly created teammates were back at their computers, he immediately resumed his work with complete focus, without a single complaint.
"Hey!" Shuichi pouted.
Feeling that the village's various documents were too complicated and put "heavy" pressure on the Hokage's work, he first made minor adjustments to the administrative department, and then assigned all D-rank mission to an administrative team, while he himself was only responsible for assigning C-rank and above missions.
Meanwhile, the village has recently begun to fully adopt computer-based office work. Even the scientist Orochimaru has been using it for a long time. Konoha clearly has more resources and technology, so there's no reason for Shuichi to need to bury himself in hard work.
Because it was the first time using it, there was a lot of data to enter, and the Wood Clone inevitably felt bored, but then...
After this series of operations, coupled with the endurance of his clones, Shuichi body was exceptionally free.
Tap tap, tap tap tap--
After playing Game Boy for a full half hour, Shuichi realized that his battery was almost depleted. Just as he was about to finish the last level, he suddenly noticed a ninja rushing towards the office within his perception range.
Knock knock...
"Come in."
Shuichi's movements were extremely skillful; he had already concealed the game console and made his two Wood Clone disappear instantly, allowing him to seamlessly take over their work.
The person who appeared before the Konoha Ninja was a dedicated and hardworking Hokage who devoted himself to the village!
"Lord Hokage, the new Battery is ready!"
The staff members were full of admiration; the young Fifth Generation was even more diligent than the Third Lord. No wonder the village was getting better and better.
Do you have time to finish this week's recording schedule? If you're too busy, I can reschedule.
"No need, I have time now..." Shuichi put down his work and explained with a smile, "We can organize the remaining documents when we get back; preserving the village's heritage is more important."
"..."
The ninja became even more respectful after hearing this, and obediently led the way, accompanying Shuichi to the Konoha Ancient Books Repository.
The Ancient Books Hall doesn't look very tall, with three floors in total, but each floor has a considerable amount of space, making it the largest library in the village.
Its importance far surpasses that of the others, because much information related to ninjas is stored here.
The two arrived at a newly opened training ground behind the building.
At this moment, several ninjas were surrounding a machine at the edge of the field, which looked somewhat like a large camera with a stand, with a tube connected to the end to Solution Bottle.