Merging Classes

Having calmed Tong's emotions and given her a hopeful reassurance—though perhaps the girl hadn't taken it seriously at all. In her eyes, if even her father, a Jonin, couldn't do anything about it, what could Kaede, just a child, possibly manage?

She followed Kaede home, silently resolving that from now on she would never show any weakness in front of him again. Steeling herself, she thought: even if she couldn't become a ninja, she could still do many other things.

She had already decided that if she couldn't be a ninja, she would learn cooking from her mother. Cuisine also held extraordinary power; there was always something suited for her. Thinking this, she squinted and smiled.

Kaede walked ahead, not noticing the rich play of expressions on Tong's face behind him. His mind was occupied with how to get Tsunade to treat Tong.

In his view, Tsunade's reputation in Konoha was so great that Tong's father must have considered seeking her out to cure Tong's congenital defect. So why hadn't he?

It all came down to the tangled history between the Uchiha and Senju clans—a real headache. If Tong were an ordinary villager, Tsunade would definitely be willing to try. But an Uchiha? Considering how she had treated him the other day, it was clear how much she loathed the Uchiha.

Thus, the only way to get Tsunade to attempt treating Tong's illness was to play to her preferences.

What did the Big Fat Sheep like?

"Gambling?"

"No, it should be money. With money, she can gamble. Right now, she's definitely broke. Only a large sum of money could move this princess of Konoha."

And that would merely tip the scales between Tsunade's disgust and her desire, making her choose the money she liked. That way, she could treat Tong as an ordinary villager. Thinking this, he suddenly felt his thoughts clear up considerably.

This was the predicament of the Uchiha clan in Konoha—they could barely take a step without hitting a wall. Apart from their own people in the clan compound, almost no one held any goodwill toward the Uchiha.

"And our fine clan head, Fugaku, is truly lacking in talent. He lets this situation worsen without doing anything about it, and instead keeps his eyes fixed on the village's power. How foolish.

Doesn't he know that those who win the people's hearts win the world? To gain power, you first need the recognition of the villagers!"

Just like in the Fourth Hokage selection, when Minato Namikaze emerged victorious. The villagers' approval of him surpassed even Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin who shook the ninja world. In the end, it was Minato who became Hokage, not Orochimaru.

When the tide of public opinion was that strong, even the Third Hokage couldn't change it. And he had always favored his own disciple, Orochimaru, for the position.

"Gaining the villagers' recognition, getting close to the Hokage faction—maybe this is a way to save the Uchiha. Worth a try," Kaede thought to himself.

"Kaede, I'm home." Tong's crisp voice came from behind him.

Kaede turned to look. She stood there timidly, head down, quietly staring at her toes.

"Yeah, go on in. Once I figure out what to do, I'll come find you. Don't give up on your dreams before our attempts fail, Tong~"

With that, he waved goodbye, completely missing the hint of disappointment in her eyes. He needed to go back and think things through more carefully, to make sure he didn't slip up.

The Big Fat Sheep wasn't easy to fool. If he messed up, even a flick on the forehead from her might cost him half his life.

"Hmph! Stupid man. So annoying."

Watching Kaede walk away, Tong stomped her foot angrily, opened the gate, and went inside.

After thinking for a long time in the basement, he finally sorted out the chain of logic. Now there was one most critical element left: "money."

He was dead broke—his pockets were cleaner than his face. Tong didn't seem to have money either. He'd have to talk to her father and see if they could scrape something together to feed the Big Fat Sheep.

"Too bad Dad isn't here. He should have quite a bit of secret savings, I just don't know where he's hidden them."

Kaede maliciously considered whether he should secretly steal all of his father's hidden money.

"Too bad the Sharingan can't see through things like the Byakugan. Otherwise, I could search for it."

Speaking of the Byakugan, Kaede remembered that in their year, there wasn't a single Hyuga child. He'd been hoping to see those Hyuga cataracts for himself.

The Hyuga clan definitely had children of the right age, yet not one of them was sent to the Ninja Academy. They could openly defy the Third Hokage like that and get away with it scot-free, while the Uchiha actively answered the call of the Hokage's Will of Fire...

And yet they were targeted at every turn.

Clearly, the root of the problem wasn't in the present but in the past. Kaede's resentment toward the Second Hokage Tobirama deepened a little more.

"Now's not the time to think about that. Tomorrow after school, I'll go to Tong's house and talk to Uncle Tangdong. As a Jonin, you should have a decent amount of money, right? For the sake of your precious daughter, give it all up!"

As far as Kaede knew, Jonin could indeed earn a lot. They took on dangerous missions, and the rewards were generous. But Jonin also spent money fast.

The most expensive ninja tools—Chakra metal weapons—you'd need at least one of those, right?

You'd have to stock up on essentials like soldier pills.

Explosive tags, sealing scrolls, some medicines, rare herbs, the family's food and clothing, daily expenses—add it all up, and the money was pretty much gone.

In peacetime, the village didn't supply these things to ninja; they had to buy them themselves.

So saving money wasn't easy. But a Sarutobi Asuma should still have some funds. If he could cough up a bit of his retirement savings to feed the Big Fat Sheep, that might be a good start.

The next day, before he could go see Tong's father, "Today, I have some bad news to tell everyone..." Kimura Oishi stood at the podium, looking at the dwindling number of students, a little dejected.

"Because our class has too few students, the school has decided to merge classes. Class B will combine with Class C, and I will co-manage the new Class C together with Teacher Fujiwara."

Kimura Oishi's words finally stirred the silent Class B into commotion again. Everyone started discussing it, some unable to accept it, the gist being why Class C wasn't merging into Class B instead.

"And there's one piece of good news to tell everyone. Starting today, the entrance tests are over. Those of you who remain can study peacefully at the Ninja Academy for six years. After that, if you pass the exam, you'll become real ninja!"

A moment of silence, then thunderous cheers. After enduring for so long, they had finally made it through. At this moment, everyone felt a weight lift off their shoulders.

"Going to Class C, huh..."

There were quite a few people there he wanted to meet. This would be a good chance to get familiar with them.

Walking home on the road, the two of them were silent.

"Kaede, are you really coming to my house today?" Tong held back as best she could, but still asked again.

"That's the tenth time, Tong."

He shot her a disdainful glance. It's just going to your place—what's there to be nervous about?

"Kaede?"

"What now?"

"We... we're here."

Tong pointed at the door beside her.

"Oh! Sorry, I spaced out."

Kaede stepped through the gate first. In the heart of Konoha, anyone with a spacious courtyard like this surely held no small status. Even if the Uchiha weren't well-liked, strength was the true proof in the shinobi world.

The Uchiha's power was plain for all to see. Even if they lacked a standout figure at the top tier of combat strength right now, their average level absolutely made them the number one clan in the ninja world.