Twenty days later, March 28.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, came to the Ninja Academy to make final preparations for the opening ceremony. He happened to see Taiichi and Guy drenched in sweat, then asked the teachers about them.
Such hardworking juniors. With juniors like them, Konoha's future would surely be bright!
The next day, Might Guy's name appeared on the Ninja Academy notice board.
"Guy, congratulations. Hard work will always pay off," Taiichi said with a sincere smile.
He had known it. How could this class possibly be missing Might Guy? The Third Hokage must have seen Guy's performance afterward and added him to the enrollment list.
"Thank you, Taiichi." Guy was delighted as well. His hard work had finally paid off, and nothing could have made him happier.
"Let's keep working hard! Today, we'll run eight hundred laps around the academy. If we can't finish, we'll do eight hundred handstand laps!"
April 1.
More than three hundred children aged five or six gathered on the Ninja Academy training grounds. The Third Hokage stood on the platform, passionately preaching the "Will of Fire."
The influence of the Will of Fire should not be underestimated. Though the ideal itself was vague, and though the higher-ups who promoted it sometimes took the lead in doing reckless things, the Will of Fire truly suited the current circumstances of the Land of Fire and Konoha.
Taiichi would not look down on the Will of Fire, but neither would he believe in it. When necessary, it was quite useful to wield.
Compared to Taiichi, who had lived two lifetimes, the poorly educated civilians of the Land of Fire and the Konoha Ninja focused solely on battle were highly receptive to the Will of Fire. Its perfectly timed spiritual encouragement and simple, easy-to-understand logic were among the key reasons Konoha surpassed the other four great ninja villages.
"Wherever leaves dance, fire endures. The light of the flames illuminates the village and allows new leaves to sprout." The Third Hokage finished his speech with fervor.
The new students and ninja responded with thunderous applause. The opening ceremony was over.
Classes would officially begin tomorrow. Taiichi Matsushita and Might Guy walked home with their arms around each other's shoulders when they spotted Obito Uchiha, panting heavily. Sure enough, he was late again.
Kakashi stopped and glanced sideways at Obito. "Someone who can even be late for the opening ceremony..."
Obito Uchiha turned around furiously. Of course it was him—Kakashi. He could still make snide remarks at a time like this.
Taiichi stopped as well and turned to watch the show.
Back then, Obito Uchiha had been the brightest among the children, until Kakashi appeared and stole all the attention from him, especially Rin's. Sure enough, when he saw Rin looking at Kakashi again, Obito grew even more enraged.
No wonder Obito awakened his Mangekyo the instant he saw Rin Nohara die in the future. He had already been pining for Rin Nohara at such a young age.
Indeed, Obito, Rin, and Kakashi had already been familiar playmates before entering the academy. Unlike Taiichi, who had lived in the Orphanage until then, he currently only knew Might Guy.
"Here, this is for you."
Rin Nohara held out a document envelope to Obito. "I knew you'd be late, so I took care of everything for you."
"Huh?"
Obito Uchiha froze for a moment, then happily accepted the envelope. "You're the best, Rin. Thank you! I was worried sick. If not for you, Grandma would scold me again when I got home."
What a wonderful scene. Hopefully, they would cherish this moment while they still could.
Taiichi Matsushita sighed inwardly, then patted Guy on the shoulder. "Let's go!"
"What is it, Taiichi? Do you know them?" Guy turned to look back as well.
"More or less. That white-haired guy is the son of the famous White Fang of Konoha."
"I see. Looks like there's another opponent in the future."
"More than one. There are quite a few talented people in our class. I need to work even harder."
"Of course! How about we compete now and see who reaches your house first?"
"Alright." With that, the two of them dashed off.
When they returned to Taiichi's new home, the long-unoccupied house had already been cleaned by Sister Nonō and several older orphans. What no one had expected was that Might Duy had come to help clean as well. Duy was usually busy taking missions. After all, as a Genin, he had to support two Taijutsu ninja, so he could not afford not to work desperately.
Seeing how completely transformed the room was compared to when he had received it yesterday, Taiichi stepped forward and took Nonō's hand. "You've worked hard, Sister Nonō!" Then he turned to everyone else. "And all of you, stay for dinner today. No running off!"
"Yay! We get to taste Brother Taiichi's cooking again!" The little kids cheered excitedly. Taiichi's cooking had been honed over two lifetimes. If cooking had levels, he would at least have been Level 20.
"Uncle Duy, you should stay too. Try my cooking—I guarantee the trip will be worth it."
Might Duy had intended to leave after helping, but he stopped in his tracks. Flashing his gleaming white teeth, he smiled. "Yo, then I really have to thank you, Taiichi. This uncle will stay and try your cooking today!"
"Haha, everyone, please wait a moment. I'll go cook now." Taiichi headed straight for the kitchen. He had bought the ingredients early that morning after training. Knowing Nonō would bring people to help today, he had deliberately bought plenty extra. Otherwise, there really would not have been enough for everyone.
"I'm telling you, Brother Taiichi's cooking is the very, very best in all of Konoha! You'll know once you taste it!" one little kid declared exaggeratedly.
"Really?" Guy's eyes widened in surprise. "Taiichi never told me!"
An hour later, Guy and Duy stared dumbfounded at the dishes on the table. They looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful, and were clearly very different from ordinary Japanese cuisine. Could all this really have been made in such a short time?
"See? I didn't lie to you!"
"Don't listen to these little brats' nonsense. Uncle Duy, Guy, hurry and eat while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it gets cold."
"Mm, let's eat!" The two pressed their hands together, then picked up the dishes in front of them and put them into their mouths. Immediately, tears poured down their faces like waterfalls. "This is so delicious!"
"Haha, I knew this would happen." The little kid from before laughed exaggeratedly again.
"Hurry up and eat. Food can't even keep your mouth shut. Look at everyone else—if you don't eat now, there won't be any left."
"Ah! You're all so disloyal! Why didn't you wait for me?" Saying that, he joined the scramble for food.
Only Nonō sat to the side, watching the lively scene as she ate slowly. A faint smile occasionally appeared on her lips.
After the lavish lunch, once they had cleaned up, Might Duy and Might Guy were the first to say goodbye. Taiichi then walked Nonō and the group of little companions to the door.
"Sister Nonō, don't worry. I can take care of myself alone. Besides, you can come see me often."
Taiichi said this to Nonō, who kept giving him all kinds of reminders.
Nonō smiled and nodded. "I believe you. But if you ever run into any difficulties, you must come back to the Orphanage and tell me. The Orphanage will always be your home, remember?"
"Mm, I will!" Taiichi nodded solemnly.
Nonō took out a notebook she had prepared long ago and handed it to Taiichi. "These are my notes from the years I spent studying Medical Ninjutsu. Once you cultivate chakra, you can try practicing it. If there's anything you don't understand, come back and ask me. Consider this a housewarming gift for your new home."
Taiichi snatched up the notebook and happily hugged Nonō around the waist. "Ah, thank you so much, Sister!"
Nonō stroked Taiichi's head. "From today onward, Taiichi is a little grown-up who can stand on his own. Keep it up!"
"Mm..."
Taiichi released Nonō and watched as she and the little companions slowly walked away, disappearing at the end of his sight.
Thinking of Nonō's future, she was only just over twenty now. There should still be at least ten years before her death.
Ten years!
Taiichi Matsushita withdrew his gaze and returned to the house. "I have to become a Jonin, or even reach Kage Level, within these ten years. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect Nonō and everyone at the Orphanage."
Of course, the best way would be to find an opportunity to get rid of Danzo. How many of Konoha's tragedies had that man orchestrated from the shadows?
An opportunity would come. During the Third Shinobi World War, that man often went out on missions. As long as Taiichi was strong enough then, killing Danzo would not be impossible. The key was still strength.
Setting his thoughts aside, Taiichi took the notebook and headed for the study.
Before you continue