As soon as Haruki arrived at the academy, he found Takahiro and handed him two books he had compiled the night before.
"Take these to Hokage-sama" he instructed. "If there are any changes, just note them down, and I'll take care of the corrections"
With 27 students per class, 10 classes per grade, and nearly 1,620 students in total, writing everything by hand would be a colossal waste of time.
So, Haruki decided to ask his snake-eyed friend to build him a printer.
Class A, Grade 6
The moment Haruki stepped into the classroom, the lively chatter came to an abrupt stop.
"Morning, everyone," he greeted with a friendly smile. "I'm your new teacher, Haruki."
Almost every student's eyes widened with shock and excitement. The legendary medical ninja was now their teacher?
They could hardly believe it.
Haruki raised a hand, and just like that, the whispers died down. His reputation alone was enough to make the kids instinctively listen.
"Your previous teacher probably mentioned that two new theory courses are being introduced."
"'Hokage's Chronicles and 'Great Will of Fire.' But since the textbooks haven't arrived yet, let's start with something else."
Turning to the blackboard, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a question.
[How to Become a Hokage?]
The students' attention locked onto the question immediately.
"Before we begin," Haruki continued, "let me ask you something, who here wants to become Hokage? Or at least sees the Hokage as a role model?"
As expected, over two-thirds of the class raised their hands. Hiruzen had drilled the Will of Fire into their minds so thoroughly that most of them genuinely aspired to become Hokage and serve the village.
Haruki glanced around and spotted a hesitant Kushina. She seemed torn, debating with herself for a few seconds before finally raising her small hand.
In the original timeline, she had declared in her self-introduction that she wanted to be the first female Hokage, only to be laughed at by her classmates.
Furious, she beat them up on the spot, earning the nickname, Red Hot-Blooded Habanero and developing a deep resentment for her long red hair.
In a way, her struggles weren't so different from her son Naruto's.
"Alright," Haruki said, folding his arms. "Who wants to tell me what it takes to become Hokage?"
Hands shot up all over the room. Haruki pointed at a random boy in the third row. "You first."
The kid stood up confidently. "Teacher, I think you have to be the strongest ninja to qualify as Hokage."
Haruki nodded and pointed to another student.
"A Hokage has to be someone the village recognizes and respects!"
"Someone willing to sacrifice themselves for the village!"
"I think you need intelligence and strategy beyond ordinary people!"
Haruki listened to each answer with a small smile. Once they had all spoken, he let the room settle before asking. "Most of you focused on strength and recognition. But is that really all there is to it?"
Haruki looked around at the puzzled faces in front of him. He let the silence linger for a moment before continuing.
"Before someone can become Hokage, there's a process. The Jonin hold a vote to decide who takes the position. Since it's a vote, that means there's usually more than one candidate with the strength and reputation to lead. But have you ever wondered....why do some of them lose?"
The room went completely silent as the students absorbed his words. Haruki had a slight smile on his lips.
The answer was simple.
Connections.
In Konoha's history, every Hokage had some direct link to a previous one. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, passed the title to his younger brother, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Tobirama's student. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was trained by Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, who had been Hiruzen's student. Even Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, was Hashirama's granddaughter and Hiruzen's student.
And then there was Danzo. A man who schemed his entire life to become Hokage. He had been Tobirama's student too, just like Hiruzen.
The students probably wouldn't grasp the full weight of this yet, but that was fine. He had planted the seed.
Haruki turned back to the blackboard and wrote a single word.
[Innovation]
"I know what you're thinking," he said, glancing at their confused expressions. "This seems unrelated, right?"
The truth was, he had switched topics a bit, but that didn't matter. As long as he could connect the dots for them.
"Think about the last three Hokages. What they did had never been done before. That's innovation."
"If you want to become Hokage, you need an innovative mindset. If you only rely on the achievements of those before you, you'll never surpass them. And if you never surpass them.. you'll never become Hokage." Haruki paused, letting them take it in.
"But innovation isn't just about adding new things," he continued. "It's also about letting go of what no longer works. Everything in the world is constantly changing. The path your predecessors took isn't your path. That's why I hope all of you will walk forward and create your own ninja way!"
His voice carried a spark of excitement, but he knew most of them wouldn't fully understand just yet. That was okay.
The lesson would stick with them over time. After all, children in this world matured fast. Itachi Uchiha had been thinking like a Hokage at five and went to war at six.
Besides, Hiruzen might be watching this class.
That old man had a habit of using his crystal ball to monitor the entire village.
At noon, Haruki called Kushina and Minato over.
"So, did you understand today's lesson?" he asked.
Kushina scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed. "Uh...not all of it."
"I have a question," Minato said thoughtfully. "Teacher, you mentioned that 'everything is constantly moving and changing.' What exactly do you mean by that?"
Haruki nodded in satisfaction. Minato really was a genius.
"This isn't something I can explain in just a few words," he said. "You'll understand it in time."
With a gentle smile, he reached out and patted their heads. "Come have lunch at my place today."
"Huh?" Both of them looked up in surprise.
"What? You don't want to?" Haruki teased, an amused grin on his face.
"No, no! We're coming, Teacher!" they quickly replied.
With that settled, Haruki led them to his home.
__________
The name and reputation of the Three Legendary Sannin far outweighed his own, so even Minato, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't hide his excitement.
Kushina, on the other hand, was practically buzzing with energy.
When Tsunade saw Kushina, she raised an eyebrow in surprise, but she didn't say much.
Haruki left the two of them with her and headed to the kitchen. A little while later, he came back carrying a variety of dishes.
"Wow!" Kushina's eyes widened as she took in the food in front of her.
The dishes looked incredible, and the rich, savory aroma made her stomach growl.
"Alright," Haruki said, setting everything down. "I have made barbecue ribs with mashed potatoes, crispy fried chicken with coleslaw, spaghetti with meatballs, buttery garlic shrimp with rice, and a classic beef burger with fries."
"These are dishes from my hometown. Try them."
After the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, Kushina had been relying on Konoha's relief money to get by. It had been a long time since she had such a warm and delicious meal.
As she looked at Haruki and Tsunade, something about the moment made her feel nostalgic, like she was back in her childhood.
Ever since she arrived in Konoha, her classmates had mostly laughed at her. No one had ever been this kind to her except Minato.
"What's wrong?" Haruki asked when he noticed her lowering her chopsticks.
"Nothing." Kushina took a deep breath before grinning. "If I were ten years older, I'd definitely marry you, Teacher Haruki!"
Minato, who had been happily eating, suddenly froze.
Just like that, his food lost all flavor.
For the first time, the ever-talented Minato looked exactly like a sulking little kid.
Haruki quickly glanced at Tsunade. When he saw that she wasn't mad, he sighed in relief. 'It'd be pretty awkward if she decided to pick a fight with a kid over this.'
He chuckled and pointed at Minato. "I think Minato's a great choice."
Minato looked up at him with newfound hope, silently thanking him for the save.
"Him?" Kushina huffed, crossing her arms. "He's not even one-tenth as good as you, Teacher! He looks kinda unreliable....and honestly, a little girly."
Minato felt like he had just been struck by lightning.
Without saying a word, he scooped up a mouthful of rice with a gloomy expression, quietly accepting his defeat.
Haruki chuckled, knowing that in the future, this same Kushina would see Minato as the coolest guy in the world after he rescued her from the Hidden Cloud ninjas.
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