Talent Cultivation System

Year 60 of Konoha, April. Spring.

The Ninja Academy welcomed another annual start to the school year.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before a hastily erected platform, the white Hokage robes fluttering gently in the breeze. He cleared his throat, about to deliver his opening address. Below him, hundreds of people packed the grounds, their eyes fixed on the imposing, if somewhat short, figure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face glowed with pleasure as he nodded in satisfaction. With the words, "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on. The fire's light will illuminate the village and make the new leaves sprout," he instantly set off a storm of cheers and applause. The cries surged from every direction like a roaring ocean, nearly overturning the entire athletic field.

Every word Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke came from the heart. The crowd below listened with blood pounding in their veins, eager to rush the stage and pledge their loyalty, ready to brave any danger for Konoha and fight its enemies for three hundred rounds.

Kitagawa Akimizu stood among the teachers.

He wasn't as fervent as those around him, but he wore a sincere smile all the same. At last, he had escaped his post as a roving operative, a job that sent him anywhere in the country and could put his life in danger at any moment.

Akimizu wasn't a local. He was a transmigrator who'd gotten lucky, born in Year 42 of Konoha to parents who were both ordinary Chunin. When he was six, they went out on a mission and never returned.

A shinobi with no talent, no bloodline, and no connections, Akimizu had a clear-eyed view of his own abilities.

Having grown up in a peaceful era in his previous life, he found it hard to keep up the monotonous routine of either killing or being killed. So, after becoming a Chunin, he'd decisively run off to work as a teacher at the Academy.

Akimizu knew that the peace wouldn't last long. Over the next eight short years, he'd face Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha, Pain's "how many floors can a bag of rice carry" plan to nuke the village, and the plan by Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara to launch the Fourth Shinobi World War and trap everyone in a dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi.

But Akimizu wasn't too worried. When the time came, he could just hide out at Ichiraku Ramen or travel abroad, and wait for the chosen ones, Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke, to save the world.

Just as Akimizu was seriously considering how to avoid getting caught up in that series of terrifying attacks, an electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind. A nearly transparent blue panel popped up before his eyes.

[The system may be late, but it has arrived]

[Player meets the conditions. Talent Cultivation System officially activated]

[You can earn rewards by cultivating talents. The higher the quality of the talents you cultivate, the greater the rewards]

[You can bind high-quality talents for focused cultivation. As their strength improves, the host will receive corresponding rewards]

[Reminder: Binding requires the other party's genuine approval. Forced binding is not allowed]

Akimizu reflexively went on alert, but as soon as he heard the voice clearly, a complicated mix of excitement and resignation welled up in him. He looked at the blue panel, which had two options: [Personal Attribute Panel] and [High-Quality Talent Cultivation List].

Akimizu opened the Personal Attribute Panel:

[Name: Kitagawa Akimizu]

[Age: 18]

[Chakra Nature: Fire]

[Chakra: 3300]

[Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques, Fire Style: Fireball Technique, Fire Release: Fire Phoenix Immortal Technique, Shadow Clone Technique]

[Taijutsu: Konoha-Style Taijutsu]

[Evaluation: A Chunin cannon fodder who was lucky enough to survive the war]

Akimizu ignored the last line and opened the High-Quality Talent Cultivation List. There was no one on it yet, so it was completely blank. The limit was three.

Two hours later, the opening ceremony ended, and the crowd dispersed in an orderly fashion.

Akimizu followed the flow of people toward the classroom building. Iruka couldn't accept that the Nine-Tails sealed inside Naruto was the culprit who'd killed his parents, leaving him far too emotionally unstable to teach. So Akimizu was currently the acting homeroom teacher for Class 1 of the 4th Grade.

Akimizu stopped five or six meters from the classroom door. After checking that his clothes were in order, he put on a sunny, gentle smile and walked in.

The classroom had been noisy, but fell silent at his arrival. Satisfied, Akimizu nodded and calmly walked to the middle of the podium under the gaze of more than twenty students.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Akimizu felt the students staring intently at him. They looked nervous, and a few even seemed excited.

He had just opened the chalk box when a palm-sized frog jumped out and croaked at him.

Akimizu kept a straight face and asked calmly, "Who did this?"

Naruto Uzumaki shot to his feet from the aisle seat in the fourth row and said proudly, "I did."

Akimizu clapped his hands and smiled. "Good on you for owning up to your mistake and taking responsibility. Very well, your reward is to stand through all four of my classes this morning. After school, you'll stay behind and clean the classroom by yourself."

Naruto didn't give a damn. He'd be alone at home anyway, with nothing to do. His prank might not have worked, but when he noticed everyone looking at him, the emptiness in his heart was instantly filled.

Akimizu picked up a piece of chalk and wrote Kitagawa Akimizu on the blackboard in five large characters. Then he turned to face the students and introduced himself.

"My name is Kitagawa Akimizu. I'm eighteen years old, and I like keeping a diary. Due to health reasons, Iruka-sensei has stepped down as your homeroom teacher. He'll only teach your history classes from now on. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next two years. I dislike people who don't follow the rules, and my dream is to see our village grow ever more prosperous. Though you're already fourth-year students, this is our first time meeting, and we don't know one another very well. So, everyone will take turns coming up here to introduce themselves."

When Akimizu finished, he moved beside the podium, leaving the space open for the students who were about to come up.

Their hobbies, dislikes, and dreams were all over the place—some were interesting, others downright fanciful.

Akimizu didn't correct their unrealistic ideas. Instead, he offered every student sincere encouragement after their introduction.

The students gradually realized that their new teacher wasn't nearly as stern as they'd imagined.

Taking advantage of the moment, Akimizu tried binding Naruto and Sasuke.

[System notification: Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke's favorability toward the player has not reached the binding requirement. Binding failed]

Akimizu looked at the message that appeared before him and felt no disappointment at all. The system had already warned him about the requirement; he'd only wanted to try.

If it worked, he'd gain something. If it failed, he'd lose nothing.

When it was Naruto Uzumaki's turn to come up, he announced that his dream was to surpass all the previous Hokage and become the greatest Hokage. Laughter broke out in the classroom at once, completely unrestrained.