As orders were issued from the Hokage Building, the entire Konoha began to operate like a finely tuned machine.
Each ninja village sent out mandatory overseas deployments of ninja.
All Konoha-nin assigned for deployment had already left.
Every aspect outlined in the Five-Year Plan was delegated to dedicated individuals, with Tsunade merely overseeing overall coordination.
The responsibility of expanding the Ninja Academy naturally fell to Principal Kawaki.
The very same day, he announced the establishment of a Kekkei Genkai class designed to enroll promising children from various villages with Kekkei Genkai.
Kawaki fully understood that ninja bearing Kekkei Genkai posed a greater potential threat than ordinary ninjas.
While they were still young and easier to manage, he hoped that even if they didn't become assets to Konoha in the future, at the very least, they wouldn't become a liability.
Following Kawaki's orders, a spacious classroom was quickly cleared out.
Meanwhile, each village began eagerly screening eligible children for enrollment.
Once all the data was consolidated, it was presented directly to Kawaki, who would personally decide the final list of students.
"So many?"
Looking at the pile of dossiers laid out before him, Kawaki was genuinely surprised.
Could there really be so many children with Kekkei Genkai in the entire Ninja World?
"Uh...this is already after we filtered out some applicants."
"All the remaining ones are true top-tier talents."
Obata Hidetada had already reviewed all the files himself. He knew Kawaki would probably complain about the workload.
Unfortunately, there were still quite a few cases where he couldn't bring himself to eliminate them—after all, they were all good prospects in his eyes.
If possible, he wished Kawaki would just accept them all.
Once they step through the gates of Konoha Ninja Academy, they'll become part of Konoha.
"Oh really?"
"I'll take a look."
Kawaki arched an eyebrow, skeptical of Obata's limited judgment.
"Doton, Nakajiro, nine years old, Genin."
"Futon, Shikawa, ten years old, Genin."
"Yinton, Mizuno Kaoru, nine years old, Chunin."
Skimming three files in a row, Kawaki finally relaxed his furrowed brows.
Now these were the kinds of talents that truly caught his attention.
"You can go now; I'll handle the rest myself."
Waving his hand dismissively, Kawaki sent Obata away—he feared the man's heart wouldn't survive further deliberation.
"Yes sir."
Obata walked off reluctantly, looking back several times as he walked out. Part of him desperately wanted to be the one making those decisions.
At this moment, he bitterly regretted not being the principal.
"Lived a poor life—never saw anything worth eating on the table."
Seeing Obata walk out, Kawaki couldn't help but chuckle aloud.
The older generation indeed valued frugality, but this time around, he only wanted the absolute cream of the crop.
Going file by file, very few actually met Kawaki's standards.
Most were eliminated before he reached the final few candidates, which suddenly caught Kawaki's attention.
[Double Kekkei Genkai (Lava Release & Boil Release)] – Mei Terumi, age 10, Chunin.
Looking at the familiar face in the photo, Kawaki's lips curled into a smile.
"A leftover maiden from Kiri with two Kekkei Genkai—her strength could nearly rival that of a Jonin."
"I wonder which little brat from Konoha will manage to win her favor."
Mumbling under his breath, Kawaki dropped Mei Terumi's file onto the 'approved' pile.
[Bone Pulsation, Kaguya Rin no Suke, age eight, chunin (suspected of a hereditary illness).]
Seeing this data sheet, Kawaki couldn't help but think of Kimimaro—Orochimaru's fanatical follower in the original storyline.
A long-forgotten thought resurfaced—could the ultimate form of Bone Pulsation actually be the All-Killing Ash Bones?
"Is Bone Pulsation always accompanied by a bloodline disorder?"
"Well, whatever. If it doesn't work out, I'll just give him to Orochimaru. His survival will be up to fate."
Sighing, Kawaki placed Kaguya Rin no Suke's file onto the 'approved' pile.
The remaining applications were all rejected.
He picked up the approved stack and counted them—exactly twenty names, no more, no less.
"Just need to select another ten villagers. That'll make thirty total—we're good to go."
Deciding that was settled, Kawaki stopped dwelling on it and summoned someone to collect the approved files.
"What a drag!"
Despite hardly doing anything, Kawaki was already slumped back in his chair as if he'd worked nonstop.
With that kind of attitude, it's a good thing he was the boss—otherwise, he'd have been fired on the spot.
He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and sleepiness quickly came over him.
Soon enough, soft snoring filled the office from Kawaki.
The lewd smirk tugging at his lips suggested he was reliving last night's close-range combat with Tsunade in his dreams.
*Bang!*
How much time had passed, no one could say—but then the office door slammed open, jolting Kawaki awake.
"Who is it?!"
Before the roar could leave his lips, Kawaki's expression softened into a grin.
"Oh, it's you, Aoi."
Kawaki completely ignored his own son, who stood beside Aoi.
"Uncle Kawaki."
Silver, unsurprised by yet another snub, politely greeted and took a respectful half-step behind Aoi.
"Dad."
Ginji, clearly used to being overlooked, knew better than to stay quiet.
"What do you want? Spit it out."
Kawaki shot the boy a disdainful look—he wasn't nearly as sweet as his daughter.
If not for Aoi's presence, he'd definitely punish this kid for ruining his dream.
"I forgot my money when I left home today."
"I came to ask Dad for some cash to spend."
Ginji approached with a fawning smile and began massaging Kawaki's shoulders.
Watching Ginji grovel, Aoi barely held back a laugh.
"Of course you only come to me for bad news."
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"There, there, and there."
Muttering complaints, Kawaki pulled out several thick bundles of cash and shoved them into Ginji's hands.
"Thanks, Dad."
Ginji planted a loud kiss on Kawaki's cheek.
"Ugh, what's wrong with you?"
Kawaki feigned disgust outwardly, though tenderness was visible in his gaze.
"A gift for everyone."
"This one's from your uncle, Aoi."
Before Ginji could recover from the joy of receiving money, seeing Kawaki pull out another bundle sent his heart sinking.
Dad, aren't you showing favoritism here?
Suddenly, the money in his hands tasted bitter. The bundle Kawaki gave Aoi was clearly much larger than his.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Aoi Tsukigami didn't feel the need to be polite with Kawaki. Clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd been given something.
"What for? Just buy some of your favorite snacks."
Kawaki ruffled Aoi Tsukigami's head, then nudged Ginji lightly with his foot.
"Scram, you little brat."
"Later!"
Ginji made a face at Kawaki before running off with Aoi Tsukigami in tow.
Only around his parents would he act this childish.
"Time really flies!"
"My son is already this big."
Kawaki looked after them with a happy smile, shaking his head slightly.
Over thirty years had flown by in the blink of an eye.
He probably never could have imagined that in the world of Naruto: A Journey Beginning with Courting Tsunade, he'd end up living such a fulfilling life.
...
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