Chapter 160: Mitokado Homura – We Take Issue with People, Not the Matter

Oriri had gone off to train. After years of wandering, she understood better than anyone: to avoid being shaped by chaos, one must have the strength to stand firm. She never had the chance before. But now that she finally did, there was no way she’d let it go to waste. A sense of urgency—that was what set her apart from many shinobi raised during peaceful times in the great villages. Once she left, Tsunade stepped out of the house. “That kid’s hardworking. She’s done great in the ANBU, very talented too. She’s just started learning medical ninjutsu and basic sealing arts, and she’s picking them up fast. At this rate, she might even catch up to Shizune soon.” Tsunade couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. She was a promising seedling—no less than Kushina had been. The natural talent of the Uzumaki clan was truly astonishing. In comparison, Shizune’s gifts were more on the average side. Even with Tsunade’s hands-on instruction, she never managed to grasp the Yin Seal or the Strength of a Hundred Technique on her own. Without those, Shizune’s path of growth hit a ceiling. “The Uzumaki clan’s constitution really is remarkable. Their vitality is naturally stronger than most—somewhat similar to the Senju.” That alone made them superior to many. Take someone like Kurenai Yuhi. Sure, her chakra control was decent, so she might have a shot at learning the Yin Seal, but the Strength of a Hundred and monstrous strength techniques? She’d only be able to master half of it at best. Physically, she was nowhere near Tsunade or Oriri. And yet… Shizune’s physical aptitude was actually even worse than Kurenai’s. Her taijutsu was practically nonexistent. Kyoichi thought for a moment, then asked, “What’s Shizune’s status now? She didn’t attend the Academy, and she doesn’t hold a Konoha Genin license, right?” “She’s still under my instruction… but lately, it’s getting harder to keep up.” Tsunade sighed. Back when they were traveling, she had the time to teach her personally. But now that she was back in Konoha, on the verge of becoming the Fifth Hokage, her responsibilities had grown exponentially. Especially lately. Forget teaching—just getting home for a proper meal and a full night’s rest was already a luxury. “How about enrolling her in the Fast-Track Class?” Kyoichi suggested. Tsunade froze. “Would that even be allowed? I’m not sure that’s appropriate…” “Why not? That’s what the Chūnin Fast-Track Class is for—to re-educate early graduates, and keep them separate from the regular Academy kids.” Kyoichi shrugged. Surely no one still thought that class was created just to cram for the Chūnin Exams, right? Though judging by Tsunade’s expression… she might’ve misunderstood. She looked stunned, clearly not expecting that explanation. It took a few seconds before she asked, “So the Chūnin Fast-Track…” “Covers Chūnin-level theory. That’s what makes it a ‘fast-track.’ Kids like Obito, who scraped by with cheating and guessing, might pass the exam, but that doesn’t make them real Chūnin.” Kyoichi’s answer made Tsunade pause. Something about it felt off, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. After a while, she seemed to catch his drift and sighed softly. “The next Chūnin Exam might involve a lot of villages, so I thought you were preparing for that.” Ordinarily, the Chūnin Exams didn’t warrant such seriousness. But in peaceful times, without wars to prove strength, villages turned to other means—like holding joint Chūnin Exams with allies—to showcase their power. Usually, Konoha partnered with Sunagakure and smaller villages. But this year… After forcing Ōnoki to back down, even Iwagakure had expressed interest in co-hosting. Not long ago, Kirigakure sent a letter hoping to join as well. The Five Great Villages— Actually, the entire shinobi world—was onboard, except for Kumogakure. So naturally, Tsunade assumed Kyoichi’s fast-track initiative was meant to prepare for that and was impressed by his foresight. Who’d have guessed… Sometimes, the truth is far simpler than we imagine. The air turned awkward. “So the next Chūnin Exam’s going to be that massive?” Kyoichi blinked. He genuinely hadn’t known. He’d been on the front lines this whole time—how would he know what Kirigakure had been up to? “What about Amegakure?” “Actually, their request to co-host came before the others. Maybe it’s Hanzō’s way of expressing goodwill.” Tsunade explained. In previous years, Konoha would invite them, and Amegakure would never respond. But this year… They’d sent a letter themselves, eager to co-host. Very enthusiastic. “So the only one left out is Kumogakure? Maybe we should just send them a letter too, ask if they’d like to join.” Kyoichi mused. “At the very least, during the exam, it’s all about individual skill. Got a grudge? Settle it there.” “You’re really going that far with it?” Tsunade wasn’t usually one to shy away from bold moves, but even she was hesitant about this one. The war had just ended. Iwagakure and Kirigakure had tried to stab Kumogakure in the back. The Kumo-nin were still simmering with resentment. Sure, some of the greedy clans from Kiri had been wiped out, but the main force escaped with supplies. Only a few scapegoats were caught. There was no real justice. With the war over and Kumo nursing heavy losses, they couldn’t afford to restart conflict or they’d face global backlash. They didn’t have the guts. But… In the Chūnin Exams, like Kyoichi said—it was every shinobi for themselves. “We can bring it up in a meeting. Honestly, I think we should do it. The whole shinobi world’s coming. If we don’t send an invite, Kumo might think we’re excluding them. Better to just invite them too.” Kyoichi clearly wasn’t one to shy away from a bit of chaos. Besides, Konoha hadn’t made many enemies lately, and in terms of strength, he didn’t think they lagged behind anyone—especially in teamwork. This current generation, under his training, wasn’t bad at all. Of course… If they were going to host a full-scale, shinobi-world-wide Chūnin Exam, then individual ability mattered too. Which meant… Mitokado Homura really wasn’t the right person. What could that old guy even teach? Thinking of that, Kyoichi said, “Tsunade-nee, I think I should lead the class. I might only know the basics in most areas, but I know a lot across the board.” “Even if you hadn’t said so, I was already thinking it. Mitokado-senpai’s too rigid in his teaching.” Tsunade nodded. As for “basic knowledge across the board”… Yeah, right. Who was he fooling? Kyoichi was already starting to regret the suggestion. Running a class… that’s just more time he wouldn’t have. His Wood Release, the Hashirama cells… The research institute had to get up and running fast. He needed to offload projects to others. Doing everything himself just wasn’t feasible. He’d have to formally submit applications for those two studies soon. Especially the Hashirama cells. That one would require internal approval and needed to be funneled through ANBU. Kyoichi and Tsunade continued chatting about the exam plans. Nothing concrete came of it—just casual talk—and before they knew it, it was already late at night. Still… One decision was made. Kyoichi would take over the Fast-Track Class. Mitokado Homura would be reassigned. The next day… Kyoichi headed to the Academy. The Fast-Track Class was still housed there—his suggestion from before. But clearly… Mitokado Homura hadn’t fully grasped his intention. Though the classroom had been moved, many necessary arrangements hadn’t followed—like organizing lectures from different instructors. When Kyoichi arrived at the staff room, he found Mitokado Homura preparing his lesson. “Mitokado-senpai, I’ll take today’s class.” “Kyoichi, shouldn’t you be resting at home? You’ve been working yourself to the bone.” S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Homura wasn’t being polite—he genuinely thought Kyoichi was doing too much. “It’s for the good of the village. This exam concerns the whole shinobi world. These brats are a handful—takes someone strong to keep them in line.” “Well… alright then.” Mitokado Homura’s face soured. His time teaching the class had been far from pleasant. That whole “I can still manage” line? Pure optimism. In reality, every class had him on the verge of a stroke. At first, the kids just asked strange questions. Like… “How many ways can Wind Release be used?” Who the hell knew that? Then came the creative tardiness. It started with Uchiha Obito. One day he was late because a cat blocked his path. Another time, he helped an old lady get home. Soon, the whole class was doing "good deeds" and no one arrived on time. Half an hour late, minimum. They had interest in everything—except class. It was enough to drive anyone mad. The key problem was… During the war, most of the students’ parents were out on missions—there was no one around to complain to, even if you wanted to. Mitokado Homura suppressed his frustration, then a thought occurred to him. “Kyoichi, if you’re taking over the class… would you mind if I sat in and observed?” “Of course not.” Kyoichi didn’t object. Even if he did, there’d be no stopping Homura anyway. Besides… He hadn’t planned on actually teaching a lesson today. He hadn’t even brought any materials—he headed straight to the classroom empty-handed. Curious, Homura followed along behind, all the way to the doorway. Same classroom as before. When the bell rang, only half the class had shown up. The rest were probably off somewhere doing their “good deeds.” Homura let out a heavy sigh… Looked like he’d have to— Huh? “Ahhh! Sensei, you’re finally back!” “Nice!” “Quick, quick, go tell the others! Tell ’em to stop messing around—there’s time for good deeds after class!” “Uhh…” You little brats… That’s not what you were saying a few days ago! Standing at the door, Homura felt his soul leave his body. So it turns out… They didn’t hate class. They just hated his class. It wasn’t about the lesson—it was about the person teaching it. Kyoichi cleared his throat. “Alright then. Anyone who isn’t here, tell them to run two hundred laps around Konoha this afternoon. Skip it, and they can drop out on their own.” “Yes, sir!” “Well then, since not everyone’s here, no lecture for now. Everyone, follow me—we’re heading to the main academy building… Let’s see… Rin. You’ll do.” “Me?!” “Yeah. I’m giving you a few minutes to think. You’ll be talking to the lower-grade students about your thoughts on the war.” Kyoichi had chosen Nohara Rin. Rin came from a civilian background, same as most of the academy kids. Her perspective would be more relatable—more likely to really move them. Besides… She was a top student. Given a little time, she could put together a solid speech. If he picked someone else, he was afraid they’d stand up there, fumble for ten minutes, and end up saying nothing but, “War is… bad.” Now that would be a disaster. Give a speech to younger students? Rin was visibly nervous. She had no idea what to say. “Relax,” Kyoichi told her. “Just share your thoughts—talk about how what we learned in the academy actually helped on the battlefield. You’re a medical ninja, right? A medical ninja needs to have strong nerves. If you get flustered during surgery—if your hands start shaking—what’s going to happen to your patient?” “Y-yes! Understood!”