Ministry of Education
Shihouin Naraku finished reviewing the accumulated paperwork that had been waiting on his desk, then glanced around at his assembled subordinates, who maintained respectful expressions while waiting for his instructions.
Compared to the other departments where Naraku had previously served, the work within Konoha's Education Department wasn't particularly difficult or challenging, but it was remarkably tedious and filled with countless minor administrative details.
For instance, the procurement of textbooks and educational materials, the maintenance and replacement of training equipment, and numerous other seemingly insignificant matters all required Naraku's personal approval and decision-making authority.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Education's organizational structure was surprisingly simple. There was only one minister - Naraku himself - and no established position such as deputy minister or vice-minister to help share the administrative burden.
Most of the other positions within the department were directly related to the daily operations of the Konoha Ninja Academy. These roles included school principals, department directors, and ordinary classroom teachers who handled the day-to-day educational responsibilities.
Although the Education Department had been highly valued by Konoha's leadership ever since the era of the Second Hokage, there were still practical limits to how much importance and resources the village could allocate to educational initiatives.
This reality had resulted in the Ministry of Education finding itself in a somewhat constrained position, caught between ambitious educational goals and limited practical resources.
However, with Naraku now serving as the Minister of Education, the situation had begun to change. While he might not concern himself too deeply with every minute detail of daily operations, he definitely needed to take responsibility for implementing major policy decisions and structural improvements.
"Shiramizu," Naraku called out, holding up an official document. "This is Tsunade-sama's letter of appointment. From this day forward, you are the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education."
Harada Shiramizu stepped forward with visible excitement, his hands trembling slightly as he carefully accepted the letter of authorization. He bowed deeply to Naraku with genuine gratitude and overwhelming emotion.
"Thank you for your trust, Minister Naraku and Hokage-sama. I am truly overwhelmed by this honor and opportunity!"
"Very well," Naraku responded with a dismissive wave of his hand, not particularly interested in the man's dramatic display of gratitude. "Since you have been appointed as Deputy Minister, both the Hokage and I have considerable confidence in your abilities. Now go and fulfill your duties effectively."
"Yes, sir! Thank you again, Lord Naraku!"
Harada Shiramizu bowed once more before departing from the office, accompanied by his other subordinates who couldn't help but look at him with obvious envy at his sudden promotion.
"As I suspected, his physical constitution is indeed significantly stronger than that of ordinary Chunin-level shinobi," Naraku observed quietly to himself. "It seems the rumors that he is a descendant of the Senju clan are not merely gossip or speculation."
Shihouin Naraku could clearly sense the unusually active life energy flowing through Harada Shiramizu's body using his advanced sensory abilities.
Of course, this enhanced vitality was only remarkable when compared to average shinobi. Harada Shiramizu did possess some inherited talents from the legendary Senju bloodline, but these abilities were relatively modest in scope and power.
With his current physical and spiritual qualities, he enjoyed slightly better natural recovery abilities and possessed somewhat larger chakra reserves than the typical ninja. However, these advantages were still only sufficient to maintain his current Chunin-level status and were not nearly enough to support any realistic promotion to the prestigious rank of Jonin within Konoha's hierarchy.
"Tsunade-sensei must be aware of Harada Shiramizu's true heritage," Naraku reasoned thoughtfully. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have selected him so quickly and directly after I requested her recommendation for someone suitable to serve as Deputy Minister."
This appointment served as additional evidence supporting his theories about the Senju clan's current situation within Konoha.
After the successful establishment of the Konoha Ninja Academy, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama had begun actively working to integrate members of the Senju clan into the broader village community. Unlike the traditional system that emphasized the strict hierarchical rules of individual ninja families, Senju Tobirama hoped that everyone could develop a genuine sense of belonging to the entire village as a unified whole.
This philosophical approach was also the primary reason why Senju Tobirama had made the controversial decision to officially disband the Senju clan as a formal political entity.
However, this integration strategy had been possible only because of a crucial prerequisite. The Senju clan did not possess any particularly conspicuous or immediately recognizable bloodline limit comparable to the Uchiha clan's distinctive Sharingan abilities.
The shinobi of the Senju clan certainly possessed excellent physical constitutions and impressive chakra reserves, but even these enhanced capabilities were nowhere near comparable to the legendary abilities demonstrated by the brothers Hashirama and Tobirama during their prime years.
Even regarding the famous Wood Style ninjutsu techniques, no other member of the Senju clan had ever demonstrated abilities that could even remotely compare to Senju Hashirama's mastery of this unique and powerful art.
Given this situation, members of the Senju clan could integrate relatively easily into Konoha's general population without drawing unwanted attention or suspicion. After all, their external physical features and abilities were not immediately obvious or dramatically different from other skilled shinobi.
Thus, the descendants of the once-mighty Senju clan had begun establishing deep roots throughout Konoha's various institutions and organizations. Most of them had found positions within the education departments and other civilian-oriented administrative bodies where their natural talents could be put to productive use.
Because of the Senju clan's inherited physical advantages and natural aptitudes, it was relatively straightforward for these descendants to establish respectable reputations within Konoha's community. Even if they couldn't achieve the rare and prestigious rank of Jonin, they could still advance to Chunin status without significant difficulty or extraordinary effort.
Harada Shiramizu represented a perfect example of this pattern and these inherited advantages.
As for other members of the extended Senju family network, many had formed marriage alliances with Fire Country nobles and members of the daimyo's court, further expanding their influence and securing their positions within the broader political landscape.
It was important to remember that Tsunade's title as "Princess" was not merely ceremonial or honorary. Princess Tsunade was not simply a nickname or term of endearment, but rather a legitimate and officially recognized title that carried real political weight and authority.
Tsunade had traveled extensively throughout the world, gambling in various locations and spending time in countless different places. As a Konoha shinobi operating in foreign territories, she had undoubtedly been responsible for the deaths of many enemy ninja during her travels, yet no one had ever dared to cause serious trouble for her or attempt retaliation.
One reason for this remarkable immunity was Tsunade's reputation as a medical ninja. She had genuinely earned widespread respect throughout the ninja world, and during her travels, she often provided medical treatment to those in need. While her primary motivation was typically earning money for gambling expenses, the fact remained that saving lives was saving lives, regardless of the underlying motivations.
However, the most important factor protecting Tsunade during her travels was her official status as a princess of the Fire Country. This political identity carried tremendous significance and provided her with diplomatic immunity that few could challenge.
This protection was particularly crucial given that the Fire Country was widely recognized as the largest and most powerful nation in the ninja world. Other countries and their leaders were generally willing to show appropriate respect and deference to the Fire Country's authority and political representatives.
The final element contributing to Tsunade's protected status was the lasting legacy and goodwill earned by her grandfather, Senju Hashirama. The legendary "God of the Ninja World" had left behind considerable influence and positive relationships that continued to benefit his granddaughter even decades after his death.
Thinking about these complex political and historical relationships, Naraku quickly completed his review of the Ministry of Education's current administrative work and ongoing projects.
To be completely honest, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of educational work that could be meaningfully accomplished within a single village, and managing these responsibilities really didn't require extraordinary effort or expertise.
With Naraku having delegated most of the specific daily operational work to Harada Shiramizu, there actually wasn't much remaining for him to handle personally on a regular basis.
"The Konoha Ninja Academy really needs comprehensive updates to its rules and regulations," Naraku muttered as he carefully studied the academy's current policy documents, his brow furrowing with concentration as he considered the necessary improvements.
Originally, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama had established the Konoha Ninja Academy with the primary goal of training larger numbers of competent shinobi for the village's benefit. The academy wasn't necessarily intended to produce elite-level ninja, but rather to provide students with solid foundational knowledge and skills that could serve them well throughout their careers.
Although the Konoha Academy model was eventually adopted and replicated by various other countries and villages, leading to the establishment of numerous similar ninja schools throughout the world, the original institution had faced significant challenges during its early years.
Initially, the academy could only accept children from Konoha's civilian population as students. The established ninja families absolutely refused to allow their descendants to attend the school, viewing it as unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.
After all, the children of ninja families had access to their own specialized secret techniques and exclusive family ninjutsu to master. Why would they waste time attending a general ninja academy when they had access to far superior training and education within their own family structures?
Historically, each family had maintained responsibility for training their own ninja, and this traditional system had worked extremely well for generations. In fact, the vast majority of elite-level ninja had been produced through these family-based training programs rather than through any institutional educational system.
Therefore, it was entirely understandable that the Konoha Academy would be initially overlooked and undervalued by the village's established power structures.
However, over time, as many civilian children successfully graduated from the Konoha Academy and began contributing meaningfully to the village's foundation and strength, the situation gradually began to change. Occasionally, some of these academy graduates would even advance to become crucial backbone members of Konoha's military and administrative organizations.
This track record of success gradually transformed the ninja families' perception of the academy's value and legitimacy. Eventually, even the younger generations of some smaller and less prestigious families began attending the academy to supplement their family training.
The Ninja Academy had finally found its proper place within Konoha's educational landscape and was now functioning effectively as intended.
However, in order to avoid unnecessarily provoking or antagonizing the major ninja families during the academy's vulnerable early years, Senju Tobirama had deliberately limited the curriculum to only the most basic and fundamental content. The academy was specifically prohibited from teaching advanced or specialized knowledge that might be seen as competing with family-based training programs.
Although the village community had gradually accepted and embraced the existence of the Ninja Academy as time passed, the various restrictive rules and limitations established by Senju Tobirama during the institution's founding had never been properly updated or revised due to a combination of obvious political considerations and hidden bureaucratic inertia.
For example, previous admissions policies for the ninja academy had focused exclusively on whether prospective students possessed the basic ability to learn standard ninjutsu techniques. The academy paid virtually no attention to other important qualities, talents, or specialized abilities that could be equally valuable for a shinobi's development.
Talents like Might Guy's extraordinary aptitude for taijutsu, or Yuhi Kurenai's natural gifts for genjutsu techniques, were completely ignored and undervalued by the academy's traditional assessment methods and admission criteria.
It wasn't until much later, after the academy administration had learned some harsh lessons about overlooking valuable students, that policy changes were made to accept students like Might Guy who possessed non-traditional but significant abilities.
However, even these exceptions required special approval directly from the Hokage's office. For instance, Might Guy had only been permitted to enter the Ninja Academy because of extraordinary intervention and approval from the Hokage himself, not because of any systematic changes to the academy's official admission policies or evaluation criteria.
This approach was highly inefficient and completely unscientific in its implementation.
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