The Telescope Technique Is Really Useful (⊙▽⊙)

"Ring, ring—!"

The clear class bell rang, cutting off the argument before it could escalate.

The ninjutsu teacher appeared at the classroom door right on time, wearing a smile slightly different from usual. He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"All right, little ones, it looks like you've all noticed what's outside?"

The teacher swept his gaze across the classroom, lingering especially on the three future Sannin, each wearing a different expression.

"Today, we won't be going to the training ground. We'll be having an outdoor 'practical experience class.' Bring your curiosity, and also..."

He pointed out the window.

"Your most basic chakra control. Let me see whether you're really only good with your mouths."

Jiraiya swallowed the retort that had reached his lips. He looked a little dejected, but his eyes still shone with defiance.

Tsunade confidently smoothed her hair, while Orochimaru had already silently risen to his feet. His gaze returned to the window as he calmly assessed the difficulty of the obstacles and the best strategy for clearing them.

In Nangō Kumoi's education reform, the first quantitative test to directly affect every student—a straightforward yet rather entertaining, or perhaps "torturous," assessment—was about to unfold beneath the sunlight.

It was not merely a survey of the students' abilities. It was more like a stone cast into a calm lake.

The ripples it raised might exceed many people's expectations.

And the little episode in the classroom also foreshadowed that this reform would inevitably be accompanied by differing attitudes, clashes, and growth as it was implemented.

On the training ground, the children took the test in the order listed, nervous yet expectant.

When Tsunade stepped up, her movements carried the steady bearing unique to the Senju. Though she had been too eager to move quickly across the plum blossom posts and sloshed a small circle of water from her cup, her overall performance was smooth.

She received an "excellent" rating.

She lifted her chin as she returned to the line, her golden ponytail swinging in a smug arc behind her.

Orochimaru, who followed, displayed precision that was nearly inhuman.

As he stepped onto the obstacles, his body seemed to have no unnecessary tremors. Every foothold was perfectly placed, and the cup balanced on his head might as well have been welded there, its surface as still as a mirror.

When he completed the course in flawless fashion, even the teacher recording the results showed a flash of admiration and decisively gave him a "perfect score."

Now it was Jiraiya's turn to sweat as he stood behind Orochimaru, with Tsunade behind him.

He looked at Tsunade's "excellent," then at Orochimaru's dazzling "perfect score," before sneaking a glance at the cold black-haired boy beside him—Uchiha Gen, who was also said to have gotten full marks. His heart pounded uneasily.

"Next, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya stepped forward stiffly, took a deep breath, and tried his best to recall the essentials of chakra control.

Things went fairly smoothly at first, but while passing beneath the low net, he lost focus for a moment and his body went off balance. Half the water in his cup splashed out with a crash.

His face went pale. He hurriedly steadied the cup, then stumbled through the second half almost entirely on brute bodily control and a bit of luck, barely finishing within the time limit.

"Jiraiya... pass." The teacher checked the record and gave his verdict.

"Pass?! I passed?!"

Jiraiya froze for a moment, then overwhelming joy washed away his tension. He jumped in place, nearly sloshing out the remaining water in his cup.

"Awesome! I thought I was going to fail! Hahaha!" In an instant, he was back to his overly energetic, smug self.

"Hmph, you only passed. Look how happy you are."

Tsunade stood nearby with her arms crossed, habitually pouring cold water on him. "Someone who nearly turned into a drowned rat has the nerve to laugh?"

"Hey! Tsunade! Passing is still passing! It's better than someone who got 'excellent' but still spilled water!" Jiraiya immediately craned his neck and shot back.

"Who are you saying spilled water?!"

"You! I saw it!"

The two were on the verge of arguing again when the teacher helplessly shouted them down.

Meanwhile, atop a desk in the Hokage Office—

The scene projected by the crystal ball was displayed before the two men. Nangō Kumoi and Hiruzen Sarutobi had witnessed the entire little test.

"Senior Brother, your Telescope Technique really is convenient for observing teaching results."

Nangō Kumoi stroked his chin as he watched Jiraiya's foolish, relieved grin in the crystal ball and could not help laughing.

Then, as if recalling something, he tilted his head and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with the teasing expression of a man who knew exactly what another man was thinking.

"But speaking of which, when you invented this technique... could its original purpose have been for something else men like to watch? Like checking out bathhouses or something?"

"Pfft—!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been drinking tea, immediately choked and began coughing repeatedly. His face reddened slightly as he hurriedly waved his hands.

"Cough, cough... Kumoi! Don't talk nonsense! Do you think I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, am that kind of person? This technique was created to make managing the village and monitoring vital locations more convenient. It has proper uses!"

He retorted righteously, but his eyes wandered as though he were eager to end the topic.

"Cough, cough... Look, Orochimaru's talent truly is extraordinary. And that Uchiha Gen, Kagami's younger brother, has also performed exceptionally well."

Seeing his embarrassment, Nangō Kumoi stopped while he was ahead. His teasing expression faded as he nodded.

"Mm, they are indeed outstanding."

"I reviewed all of their recent academic scores and physical fitness reports. These two are far ahead of everyone else, especially in theoretical comprehension and precise chakra manipulation. They received full marks across the board."

"They are genuine genius prospects."

He paused, turned around, and pulled three prepared files from the desk before solemnly placing them in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Senior Brother, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya... once those three children graduate from the Ninja Academy, I want to formally entrust them to you. I want you to teach them personally."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. Looking at the three files before him—especially Jiraiya's, which even had a ridiculous doodle of a silly face on it, though no one knew whose handiwork it was—he instinctively wanted to refuse.

"Kumoi, this... Tsunade would be manageable, but Jiraiya's temperament is far too unruly, while Orochimaru is overly quiet. This..."

"That is precisely because their personalities differ so greatly that they need a steady and tolerant teacher who can guide them according to their individual aptitudes."

Nangō Kumoi cut him off, his tone leaving no room for doubt as he pushed the files forward again.

"They will become important pillars of Konoha in the future. Senior Brother, no one but you will do. This matter is settled."

Seeing the rare, almost entrusting resolve in his junior brother's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi swallowed the words of refusal.

He smiled helplessly and finally accepted the three somewhat weighty files, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow heavier still.

He flipped through them, then seemed to remember something and asked,

"Then... what about Uchiha Gen? His talent and temperament both seem excellent. As Kagami's younger brother, he should also find it easier to accept these new ideas."

"Shouldn't we consider him as well?"

Nangō Kumoi pondered for a moment and looked out the window toward the Uchiha Compound, his gaze becoming deeper.

"Uchiha Gen... his talent is indeed dazzling."

"But precisely because he is an Uchiha, and Kagami's younger brother, we need to observe him more cautiously and establish a more natural channel of contact."

"Binding him to those children too early, or giving him special attention, may not be a good thing."

"For him, for the Uchiha, and for the village, we must let things happen naturally."

He withdrew his gaze. "We can see how things develop with him later. There's no rush."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in understanding, knowing that more complicated clan relations and balances were involved.

He weighed the three files in his hands, especially as he imagined himself teaching a Senju princess, a troublesome child, and a budding genius scientist all at once in the future.

He could not help showing another wry smile, though deep in his eyes, a faint glimmer of anticipation also appeared.

Konoha's tender shoots were growing, while a gardener's work seemed forever full of "surprises."