I'll Take Care of It!

"Besides, sending her to school would stop Uncle Hashirama from taking her to places he shouldn't. As for what you said about the Senju Clan leading the way, isn't Princess Tsunade, a true-blooded member of the main family, enough?"

Hibari shook his head like a rattle drum. "A proper princess showing up to lend her support carries plenty of weight. As for that second thing you mentioned..." He curled his lip. "I really don't want to hang around with a bunch of little brats.

"At best, there's someone like Orochimaru, who I don't mind and can have a bit of fun teasing. Apart from Tsunade, I really have nothing to talk about with the others."

He spoke with absolute resolve, but Lord Tobirama still wanted to try persuading him.

Hibari, however, didn't give him the chance. He immediately added, his tone tinged with a little grievance, "Besides, Second Grandpa, making me go to that so-called school on a schedule would be a complete waste of time! I mastered all those basic—no, ridiculously basic—things ages ago.

"Think about it. I've already developed S-rank composite ninjutsu and A-rank hand-seal-free ninjutsu. What do I need to learn that stuff for? I'd be better off spending the time continuing my training with you.

"You can't push me out as a sacrifice for your 'political goals.' I still haven't fully recovered from my condition!"

Hearing how reasonable yet stubbornly unyielding he sounded, Second Grandpa Tobirama and Sarutobi Sasuke, who was beside him, exchanged a glance and laughed instead.

Second Grandpa Tobirama smiled at his old friend. "Well, Sarutobi? Didn't I tell you this kid wouldn't go?"

Sarutobi Sasuke shook his head helplessly, looking a little embarrassed. "Seems I was worrying over nothing. I was just wondering if Hibari might feel..."

"I'm not lonely! Not one bit!" Hibari hurriedly cut him off, thumping his chest. "I couldn't be happier!"

So after all that, Grandpa Sarutobi had been the one to suggest it. Hibari felt warm inside and wanted to laugh at the same time. The old man had been worried he was lonely.

"Fine. Since you're so determined, we'll drop the matter of school." Second Grandpa Tobirama waved a hand. He hadn't expected to get very far with it anyway.

Then he changed tack, narrowed his eyes at Hibari, and threatened him with a grin. "But there's one thing you have to keep up with. Otherwise, I'll cut off your allowance for three months!"

Hibari frowned. "What thing? Keep up with what?"

"You don't have to attend classes on a set schedule. That's fine." Second Grandpa Tobirama's smile faded, and he spoke seriously. "But as you said, there are 'political' considerations behind establishing this Ninja Academy.

"You're a member of the Senju Clan, and you enjoy the privileges that come with it. When it's time to do your part, you have to step up. Right now, the Senju Clan needs to set an example.

"So whether you like it or not, your name has to be on the school roster. And you'll have to make time to 'study' there, just for appearances, so the other clans in the village can see that we're serious about establishing a school. We're not playing around!"

"Can't I just be a teacher?" Hibari's eyes lit up. "I already know all the basics!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Second Grandpa Tobirama glared at him. "Think about it. If we set that precedent, what will the other clans think? Will the Uchiha bunch send a few little brats who know some 'basics' to teach, too?

"How would the school function then?"

Sarutobi Sasuke chimed in, grinning like an old fox. "That's right, Hibari. If the village's 'greatest genius' showed up at the school as its representative, it would make a world of difference.

"Once people saw that even you had gone, would they really have the nerve not to send their own little ones, who aren't as good as you? Before long, the school would be bustling with students."

To get Hibari to agree, the old man had even bestowed the title of "greatest genius" on him.

But thinking it over, Hibari had developed the hand-seal-free Rasengan at such a young age, completed an S-rank mission, and recently even worked with Hiruzen to create an S-rank composite technique... There were plenty of geniuses in the village,

but there really wasn't anyone else his age who was so active and accomplished so much so quickly. Calling him the greatest genius wasn't all that outrageous.

Second Grandpa had made a good point, and Grandpa Sarutobi had even put his reputation on the line to praise him. If Hibari refused again, he really would seem ungrateful. Just as Second Grandpa had said, as a member of the Senju Clan, he enjoyed its privileges. When it was time to do his part, he should do it. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

With that in mind, Hibari sighed, ready to accept his fate.

But then his eyes shifted, and he caught sight of someone in the corner doing his best to make himself invisible. An idea immediately came to him.

Hibari put on a sincere smile. "Since Second Grandpa and Grandpa Sarutobi have both put it that way, it'd be rude of me to keep refusing. I'll take care of it! But..."

He deliberately drew out the last word and pointed toward the corner. "What do you think of Yaoji? Surely it'd be fine to send him to school instead?"

"Are you kidding me, Hibari? I'll say it again..." As soon as Yaoji heard that, he exploded out of his "invisible" state and jumped up, ready to curse him out.

"I understand the reasoning!" Hibari cut him off with a grin, looking completely innocent.

Second Grandpa Tobirama glanced at Yaoji, who was jumping around in agitation, then at Hibari, who was clearly up to something. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Then it's between the two of you." He spoke slowly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. "I don't care which of you does it, as long as one of you gets it taken care of."

Setting up the Ninja Academy was both difficult and easy.

The difficult part was that it would take a share of every major clan's resources and strike at the heart of the entire shinobi training system. There was bound to be resistance—or rather, opposition.

The easy part was that once the key issues were settled, the school could open its doors right away!

It wasn't a major construction project, after all. They just had to designate a plot of land, put up a few buildings, prepare the teaching materials, and find some reliable teachers. Then they could get the whole operation going.

Second Grandpa Tobirama moved with incredible speed. He had barely finished explaining things to Hibari the day before

when he put up a notice outside the Hokage Building the next day. The news spread through the village like wildfire. In less than half a day, it had become the hottest topic of conversation in households across Konoha.

Being a shinobi was dangerous. You had to risk your life at every turn. But for ordinary people in Konoha, it was a real path to changing their family's fortunes.

Just think: once the Ninja Academy opened, how many powerful shinobi from ordinary families would emerge? Weren't Jiraiya and Orochimaru, two of the legendary Sannin who shook the Shinobi World, products of the Academy?

Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had come from an ordinary family!

So once the news spread, even the villagers' greetings changed. "Have you heard? The village is opening a Ninja Academy! I'm thinking of signing my brat up. What are you planning to do?"

The other person would usually slap their thigh. "Of course I've heard! My little rascal's going in, too!"

Meanwhile, the village's prominent clans had naturally heard the news as well.

At the Nara Clan compound, the heads of the Yamanaka Clan and the Akimichi Clan had gathered.

The Ino-Shika-Cho clans had always stood together, so close that they wouldn't have had room to breathe if they shared a pair of trousers. Naturally, they would meet to discuss an important matter like this.

The Nara Clan had always come up with the plans, while the Yamanaka and Akimichi followed along. That was how they had joined Konoha in the first place.

In the courtyard, Yamanaka Kiyono, the head of the Yamanaka Clan, sat opposite Nara Lvxun, both of them studying the shogi board. Akimichi Kira sat nearby, with more than half the plate of snacks already gone.

"You know why we're here today." Yamanaka Kiyono made a move, his voice low. "How should we position ourselves on this? Your Nara Clan needs to come up with a plan."

Nara Lvxun considered the piece in his hand, then placed it down firmly. "We don't have a choice. We go along with whatever the people at the top decide."

Akimichi Kira, who had been hunkered down and eating, raised his head, his cheeks still full. "Lvxun, you mean... we really are going to hand over our family's special skills? This..."

"Whether we hand over our skills is a question for later." Yamanaka Kiyono cut him off, his expression somber. "What worries me is that if this path for civilian shinobi opens up, the meat in our bowls won't taste so good anymore."

Nara Lvxun smiled and shook his head. "You're both right, but that's no reason for us to go against it. The Hokage may not be as good at governing the village as he is at fighting, but who's standing behind him?

"Lord Tobirama! With that man's methods, if he dares to announce this plan, it means the Senju Clan has already prepared for every eventuality. They're not afraid of a fight."

He raised his teacup and took a sip, then calmly moved a piece. "Besides... this policy has the people on its side. Just take a walk outside and you'll see. The whole village is praising it." He tapped the shogi board with his finger. "Checkmate."

Yamanaka Kiyono stared at his checkmated position, his expression falling. He'd lost to that old fox again.

Before he could say anything, Nara Lvxun continued, "Just like this game, the tide has us in checkmate. Kiyono, think about it. What matters most to Konoha? The people! Their support! And who has that support right now?

"The Senju Clan! If anyone speaks out against this now... The Hokage won't even need to act. All it'll take is for someone to leak the list in secret,

and people will be lining up outside your house to curse you out. I don't want to go out and have people pointing at me. And what if I get pelted with rotten eggs...? The Ino-Shika-Cho clans can't afford that kind of humiliation."

Yamanaka Kiyono fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowed so tightly it looked like he could trap a fly between his eyebrows. "So you're saying... we should support it wholeheartedly?"

"Not only should we support it, we should get ahead of the other clans and be the first to pledge our loyalty!" Nara Lvxun's mouth curved into a sly smile.

"That way, we'll win favor with the Hokage and earn a good reputation with the people... Who knows? If we play this move right, we might even get an unexpected bonus."

Akimichi Kira, who had been focused on the snacks, immediately perked up. "An unexpected bonus? What kind?"

Nara Lvxun looked at the two of them and spoke unhurriedly. "The village has only just established itself, and the troubles outside have just been dealt with. Next, the Hokage and the few people closest to him

will surely turn their attention back from the outside and start figuring out how to put our own affairs in order.

"Once they start working on those internal projects, the Hokage Building won't have nearly enough staff as it is."