Iruka

The Hyuga Clan compound, at Hyuga Hiashi's residence.

After sending Kakashi away, Hyuga Hiashi found the matter stranger the more he thought about it. For such a minor issue involving Tianyun Hyuga, the Third Hokage had actually sent Kakashi to inquire about it. There had to be something behind this.

So Hyuga Hiashi had someone look into Tianyun Hyuga and Meicun Hyuga, only to discover that they were ordinary members of the Hyuga Clan with nothing particularly special about them.

At five that afternoon, just as Hyuga Hiashi had put Tianyun Hyuga's affairs out of his mind, he received another report from his guards. The Third Hokage had sent Kakashi to Meicun Hyuga's home to tell her to bring Tianyun Hyuga to the Konoha Ninja Academy the next day to study in the Elite Class.

Hyuga Hiashi wondered whether the Third Hokage was deliberately trying to win over the Hyuga Branch Family and weaken the main family's power.

But he quickly dismissed that thought. The Caged Bird Seal's Cursed Seal already made it impossible for the Hyuga Branch Family to betray the main family, so that probably wasn't the Third Hokage's reason.

Unfortunately, no matter how long Hyuga Hiashi pondered it, he couldn't think of anything about Tianyun Hyuga that would make the Third Hokage want to win him over. In the end, after a moment's hesitation, he sent someone to Meicun Hyuga's family with some household supplies and money to congratulate Tianyun Hyuga on being admitted to the Elite Class.

Hyuga Hiashi's reasoning was that, whether Tianyun Hyuga had any talent for training or not, sending him some money and gifts would show that the Hyuga Clan hadn't mistreated him. That way, even if Tianyun Hyuga became successful in the future, he would still have to acknowledge their kindness.

At Meicun Hyuga's residence, Tianyun Hyuga took advantage of the arrival of Hyuga Hiashi's gift bearers to finally escape Meicun Hyuga's nagging. He found somewhere to get some proper rest and prepare for attending the Ninja Academy the next day.

Tianyun Hyuga had already begun making plans. He would start with the children at the Konoha Academy and earn every bit of their pocket money. Once his strength improved a little, he would gradually expand his business throughout Konoha, then slowly spread it across the shinobi world.

If he followed that plan, ten years should be enough for him to conquer the entire world. Then he could go back and reunite with his five wives.

Satisfied with that thought, Tianyun Hyuga returned to his room to rest. Even when Meicun Hyuga called him to dinner, he brushed her off with the excuse that he was preparing for school and didn't talk to her any further.

Early the next morning, Meicun Hyuga brought Tianyun Hyuga to the entrance of the Konoha Ninja Academy, where they stared blankly at the gates.

Meicun Hyuga was staring because she had suddenly realized that she had no idea where the Elite Class was. All she could do was look around and see which classroom the other children headed toward after entering the Konoha Academy.

As for Tianyun Hyuga, he was looking at the Konoha Ninja Academy and wondering how it differed from the one in the anime he had watched. He found that there were some differences, though they weren't particularly large.

While Meicun Hyuga and Tianyun Hyuga were both lost in thought, a middle-aged ninja in chunin attire whom Tianyun Hyuga didn't recognize approached them and said politely, "You must be Miss Meicun Hyuga and Tianyun Hyuga! I'm the Ninja Academy's receptionist. Lord Hokage has already instructed me to welcome you both and take you to the office to sit for a while. Once the Elite Class teacher arrives, he'll take Tianyun to class."

With that, the middle-aged ninja smiled and explained to the slightly puzzled Meicun Hyuga, "Tianyun is still young, after all. Lord Hokage wants the teacher to introduce him so he can get along with the other students and settle into the class."

"Oh, I see! Lord Hokage really has gone to a lot of trouble for my Tianyun. I'll have to go thank him later," Meicun Hyuga said, understanding at last and immediately expressing her wish to thank the Third Hokage.

The middle-aged ninja shook his head. "Lord Hokage is very busy. There's no need to disturb him over such a small matter, Miss Meicun. Please don't worry about it."

"All right, then..." Meicun Hyuga replied somewhat helplessly.

It was already six thirty in the morning, and children had begun arriving at the Konoha Ninja Academy. The middle-aged ninja glanced at the children watching them curiously, then hurriedly said to Meicun Hyuga, "Miss Meicun, let's go sit in the office. A teacher will come shortly to take Tianyun to his classroom."

Meicun Hyuga didn't want to attract attention, especially from a bunch of children. She nodded, took Tianyun Hyuga by the hand, and followed the middle-aged ninja. They soon reached a private office and sat down on a sofa to one side.

After showing Meicun Hyuga and Tianyun Hyuga to their seats, the middle-aged ninja said, "Please wait here for a moment. I have something else to attend to. Iruka, the Elite Class teacher, will come shortly to take Tianyun to class. If you have any questions, Miss Meicun, you can discuss them with Iruka-sensei then."

Since he had said he had things to do, Meicun Hyuga couldn't very well keep asking questions. She could only nod and let him leave. Once she and Tianyun Hyuga were alone in the room, she began nagging him again, telling him how to get along with the other children. Tianyun Hyuga grew drowsy listening to her and yawned nonstop.

After listening to Meicun Hyuga chatter for half an hour, Tianyun Hyuga finally heard the door open. He quickly looked over, eager to meet Iruka, who had appeared quite often in Naruto.

As the door opened, Tianyun Hyuga recognized Iruka at a glance. After all, he had watched Naruto several times, and he would never forget Iruka's distinctive clothes and hairstyle.

"Are you Iruka-sensei?" Seeing someone enter, Meicun Hyuga immediately stood up and greeted Iruka warmly.

Iruka seemed a little embarrassed by Meicun Hyuga's enthusiasm at first, but he quickly composed himself and said, "You must be Miss Meicun! I'm Iruka. I've come to take Tianyun to class."

Meicun Hyuga wasn't about to let her child's future teacher get away so easily. Producing a small gift box from somewhere, she handed it to Iruka and said, "Iruka-sensei, my Tianyun is still young, so please look out for him from now on. These are some cookies I made myself. Please, help yourself."

When Iruka saw the gift Meicun Hyuga offered, he initially worried that it might be something valuable and intended to refuse. But after hearing that it was only some homemade cookies, he hesitated briefly before accepting it.

The reason was simple: he had already seen the determined look in Meicun Hyuga's eyes, which made it clear that she wouldn't give up until he accepted the gift.

Seeing Iruka accept the gift, Meicun Hyuga became even more eager to talk to him. But Iruka could tell from her expression that she was about to launch into more pleasantries, so he spoke first. "Miss Meicun, the other students are still waiting for me. I'd better take Tianyun to class now! You're welcome to rest here for a while or head home first. This evening, I'll personally bring Tianyun home and discuss how his day went with you."

Since Iruka needed to teach and had promised to visit her that evening, Meicun Hyuga couldn't keep stopping him from taking Tianyun Hyuga away. She first pulled Tianyun Hyuga aside and nagged him for another two minutes. Only then, under Iruka's helpless gaze, did she finally let the two of them leave.