"What? Uncle Third, you want me to manage the Ninja Academy for a while? You want me to be the principal?" Liuxia's voice held a hint of surprise and uncertainty.
The Third Hokage smiled faintly, wisdom glimmering in his eyes as his fingers lightly tapped the pipe in his hand. "No, Liuxia, not as principal. I just think the Ninja Academy needs a bit of fresh, youthful change. Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns on. The light of fire will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout. The Ninja Academy needs young people's perspectives, too." As he spoke, the Third Hokage lit his pipe, took a deep breath, and exhaled a faint wisp of smoke. "Besides, you did an excellent job on your mission during the Chunin Ninja Exams. The countries around us that had been wavering are now firmly on our side."
Liuxia froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Young people's perspectives? Come on, Uncle Third. I've only been practicing—no, I mean studying—for two and a half years! I don't know the first thing about education or management."
The Third Hokage patted Liuxia on the shoulder encouragingly. "Liuxia, don't underestimate yourself. Your wisdom, courage, and leadership are all things the Ninja Academy needs. I believe you can bring new energy to the school and inspire the young ninja's potential. Anyway, I'm counting on you. Your mission team is still being arranged, so take charge of the Ninja Academy for a while. You can inspire your juniors and help them understand the Will of Fire. That's your mission."
Liuxia opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but the Third Hokage cut him off in a firm voice. "No buts. Go carry out your mission, Chunin Liuxia. Follow the village's orders!"
Liuxia reluctantly nodded. "All right, Uncle Third. When should I report for duty?"
"I've already spoken to them. You'll be in charge of teaching the Will of Fire to Kushina's class." The Third Hokage's tone left no room for argument.
"Huh?" Liuxia's mouth fell open in surprise.
"What do you mean, 'huh'? That's settled. Go report for duty and prepare well. I'll make sure they give you some leeway." The Third Hokage waved him off, then took another deep draw from his pipe and sank back into his thoughts.
Liuxia had no choice but to accept the order. Though he felt a little nervous, he was also excited. This isn't just a new challenge. Tch, I'll be their teacher and their older brother. Could this get any more exciting? I can also keep an eye on that kid Minato and see if he's got any designs on my little sister. He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and promised firmly, "Yes, Lord Third Hokage! I'll do my best to complete the mission!"
The Third Hokage was very pleased with his arrangement. Liuxia is still just a child, after all. Children are full of potential and need proper guidance. The Will of Fire will move him and help him grow into a pillar of the village. Having him teach the Will of Fire means the preparation itself will naturally immerse him in it. What a brilliant plan. And to keep him from refusing, I've assigned him to Kushina's class. That'll give him a greater sense of responsibility and purpose.
The more the Third Hokage thought about it, the more he felt like a little Zhuge Liang reborn. He gently blew the smoke away from his pipe, then contentedly took it in his mouth and pulled a crystal ball from his desk drawer, preparing to "inspect" the village and see how prosperously it was developing.
"Bang!"
With a deafening crash, the door shot away like a meteor. The Third Hokage was about to lose his temper when he heard Tsunade's familiar voice.
"Old man, we're back! Huh, spying again? Why not take a break and do some actual work?" Tsunade saw the Third Hokage staring into that crystal ball again and knew he was carrying out another one of his so-called "inspections."
"Old man, what are you looking at this time? I've told you to teach me that Telescope Technique! You're always keeping all the fun to yourself. Let me join in." Jiraiya was practically bouncing with excitement. Beside him, Orochimaru stood quietly, staring at the others with a bemused expression. What kind of people are these? Experiments are much more fun. I've been away on a mission for so long; I wonder how my precious little ones are doing.
"Cough, cough, cough!" The Third Hokage was so exasperated by the group that he started coughing. "Tsunade, how many times have I told you to knock? I was inspecting the village! I'm deducting the cost of the door from your mission reward this time. You'd only gamble the money away anyway."
"I was just unlucky for once!" Tsunade fumed. He was deducting her money again. What a cheapskate.
The Third Hokage turned to Jiraiya and pushed him away in disgust. "Enough, Jiraiya. I've told you: the Telescope Technique can only be entrusted to the Hokage, and it's used to inspect the village!"
"Tch, stingy old man!" Jiraiya muttered, clearly unconvinced.
The Third Hokage looked at his prized student, Orochimaru, the most well-behaved of the three, and thought that Orochimaru was the best of them. He had no idea that Orochimaru might also be silently complaining about him. "Good, you're back. There are a few things I need to discuss with you."
While the Third Hokage and the future Legendary Sannin met in secret in his office, Liuxia had already made his way to the Ninja Academy gates with a spring in his step. Looking at the gates that had witnessed his growth over the past two and a half years, he felt a surge of excitement he could barely contain. He couldn't help wanting to show off a bit of his original sing-and-dance R-Ninjutsu.
But school had already started, and the grounds were quiet, with only the occasional birdcall breaking the silence. Liuxia was about to push open the gate when he suddenly heard someone call out.
"You there, young student. Come here." Liuxia turned and saw the old ninja who had been guarding the gate for years. They said he had been here ever since Konoha was founded, quietly protecting the entrance. Later, when the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, he was assigned to guard its gates. He had been doing so for countless years.
"Old man at the gate, what is it?" Liuxia asked, walking over in confusion.
"Young student, you're late. Come over and write your name down." The old ninja's voice was hoarse, but carried an unmistakable sternness.
"Old man, it's me, Liuxia! Don't you recognize me?" Liuxia couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. He was something of a celebrity in the village, yet he'd been mistaken for a late student.
"Liu what?" The old ninja frowned, clearly unfamiliar with Liuxia's name.
"Liuxia!" Liuxia raised his voice, hoping the old man would hear him this time.
"What Xia?!" The old ninja still seemed unable to understand, his face blank with confusion.
Liuxia sighed helplessly, amused that his reputation meant nothing to the old man. He leaned down close to the ninja's ear and enunciated each word. "Old man, it's me, Liuxia. I graduated a while back. I even said goodbye to you!"
The old ninja blinked as if trying hard to remember, then suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, Nawaki! Didn't you graduate? What are you doing here? Graduates aren't allowed inside!"
Clearly, the old ninja still hadn't remembered Liuxia and had mistaken him for Nawaki instead. Liuxia was about to explain when he heard a familiar voice. "Liuxia, you're here. Why aren't you going inside? I thought Lord Third hadn't told you." A school administrator came out and saw Liuxia still talking with the old gatekeeper.
Liuxia turned and smiled at the administrator. "Oh, it's fine. I was just chatting with the old man. Let's head in."
"Sure!"
The old ninja finally smiled. He still hadn't quite figured out what was going on, but seeing Liuxia interact with the administrator put him at ease. He settled back into his rocking chair.
The administrator led Liuxia through the familiar school grounds, past the training fields and classrooms he had visited countless times, each one full of memories. Then they arrived at an area Liuxia had never visited before—the administrative offices. It was quiet and solemn, a striking contrast to the school life he knew. Good student Liuxia had never been here, though Nawaki must have known it well. Just as Liuxia was looking around curiously, the administrator finished explaining, and he quickly focused his attention.
Just as Liuxia was taking in his new surroundings, the administrator's words interrupted his thoughts. "Anyway, you'll be in charge of two classes. Your main job will be teaching the Will of Fire. This is your office, and all the teaching materials are here. Come on, I'll introduce you to the students."
At the thought of meeting the students, Liuxia felt a surge of excitement he could barely contain. He imagined the look on Kushina's face, along with the other students', when they saw him serving as their temporary teacher. He couldn't help smiling in anticipation.
"All right, Director. I can't wait to meet them." Liuxia's voice was full of enthusiasm and energy.
The administrator nodded, seeming pleased by Liuxia's attitude. "Good. I'm sure you'll be able to bring out the students' potential and help them understand the Will of Fire better."
They walked down the corridor and stopped outside a classroom. The administrator knocked gently, then opened the door and introduced him to the students. "Everyone, this is your new teacher, Liuxia. He'll be teaching your upcoming classes."
Liuxia walked into the classroom and looked over the young faces. Their eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation. When his gaze met Kushina's, he saw surprise and joy in her eyes.
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