Chapter 85: Striking Out
Under Konoha's current training system, the Junior Ninja Academy required six years of study to build a solid foundation.
The Middle Ninja Academy was meant for deeper learning and technique instruction, lasting three years.
In the future, once enough chunin graduates had been trained, a High Ninja Academy would be opened, dedicated to cultivating jonin.
That High Ninja Academy would also run for three years, allowing students to study nature transformation and pursue deeper specialization in certain fields.
Of course, that was for the future. It was still too early right now.
One had to eat one bite at a time. There was no need to rush.
Under Kei's leadership, Konoha began a large scale restructuring.
"Have you heard?"
Inside the Ninja Academy, Jiraiya excitedly ran to find Orochimaru and the others.
"The graduation exam is about to happen."
"As long as you pass the assessment, you can enter the Middle Academy. And once you graduate from there, you'll become chunin directly!"
"I heard that in the Middle Academy, you can choose your own classes. Aside from a few compulsory courses, you can pick all the rest yourself."
"Is that so?"
The young Orochimaru showed clear interest.
"What kind of courses can we choose?"
"I'm not sure about the details."
Someone nearby spoke up.
"But from what we've gathered so far, there are genjutsu classes taught by the Yūhi clan, kenjutsu and taijutsu from the Hatake clan, Fire Release from the Uchiha clan, and sealing techniques from the Uzumaki clan…"
"Those are the great clans' strongest heritages!"
Jiraiya was overjoyed.
"Haha, as long as I can get in, I'm definitely going to make it big."
"When the time comes, I'll be the coolest one, and Tsunade will finally see me differently!"
"You should focus on raising your scores first."
Orochimaru glanced at him.
"You're dead last. You failed the last assessment again, didn't you?"
"I heard the requirements to enter the Middle Academy are much stricter than the old graduation exam. Only the top fifth of the class can get in."
Hearing that, Jiraiya froze.
Just like Uzumaki Naruto later on, the young Jiraiya was also the dead last in school.
His grades were a disaster, a sharp contrast to the genius Orochimaru.
"Ah, I hate exams!"
He wailed, already feeling desperate.
"It isn't completely hopeless."
The student beside him thought for a moment, then spoke again.
"I heard the promotion exam is different from the old genin graduation. They added many items related to taijutsu and actual combat."
"With Jiraiya's ability, if he performs well in the taijutsu and combat tests, he might actually pass."
Jiraiya's written grades were naturally a mess.
But when it came to taijutsu and real combat, he was not bad at all.
His physical talent was excellent, and his chakra reserves were massive compared to others, so his combat performance was outstanding.
In that regard, he was very similar to the later Naruto.
There was a reason he could become Naruto's teacher.
"Haha, I knew it!"
The moment he heard about combat and taijutsu, Jiraiya became smug again.
"This great me is a genius. How could they eliminate me?"
"Idiot."
Watching him, Orochimaru shook his head, then asked curiously.
"Is it really true we can choose any course?"
"That's what I heard."
The other student nodded.
"As long as you pass, you can choose whatever you want."
"If you have enough energy and time, it wouldn't even violate the rules to sign up for every teacher's course."
"That sounds pretty good."
A smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
The Orochimaru of today had not yet become as cold and dark as he would later.
In his youth, he looked like a handsome boy, and his greatest hobby was learning.
He was a genius who learned quickly, and he was naturally curious about techniques, wanting to acquire as many ninjutsu as possible.
From that perspective, the Middle Ninja Academy created by Kei was perfect for him. It was an ideal place to go.
"I heard that not only the clans, but even Hokage sama himself will serve as a teacher in the Academy, teaching some ninjutsu courses."
Someone who had scouted the news could not help but share it.
Unsurprisingly, the moment it spread, it drew immediate attention.
"If Hokage sama teaches personally, the techniques he imparts must be powerful."
Orochimaru thought quietly, and the image of Kei flashed through his mind.
He had already seen Kei many times.
In the Academy, he was one of Tsunade's few friends and had interacted with her.
And because Kei and Tsunade were close, Orochimaru had naturally had contact with Kei over time.
It was simply that back then, Kei was only the head of Konoha's Medical Department, not yet the Hokage.
Within Konoha, everything progressed steadily.
Reforms unfolded one after another. They changed the village's environment, but not to the point that people could not adapt.
Everything was moving in a better direction.
Outside Konoha, the situation was changing as well.
In the earlier Kumogakure coup, not only had Konoha's Second Hokage died, but Kumogakure's Second Raikage had also been killed by the Kinkaku Brothers.
To avenge the Second Raikage, the newly succeeded Third Raikage had already led an army to suppress the rebellion, and he was now locked in a stalemate with the rebel forces led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
When this news reached Konoha, disagreement immediately erupted within the advisors.
One side believed this was an internal matter of the Land of Lightning and that Konoha had no need to interfere.
At present, after Kei's reorganization, Konoha was developing extremely well. Everything was moving in a thriving direction.
If they rashly involved themselves in the Land of Lightning's internal conflict, they might disrupt that momentum.
That would be unfortunate.
The other side, supporting a deployment, used avenging Tobirama as their reason.
No matter what, Konoha's Second Hokage had died at the hands of the Kinkaku Brothers.
That grudge could not be ignored.
Both sides argued, then finally turned their eyes toward Kei, who sat at the head.
"Send the troops."
On this issue, Kei did not hesitate at all. He made the decision immediately.
"Regardless of anything else, the fact that Tobirama sama died at the hands of the Kinkaku Brothers is indisputable."
His voice was calm.
"Even if it is only to preserve the village's face, we must send troops to deal with the Kinkaku Brothers."
"The Second Raikage is dead, and the Third Raikage is avenging him."
"Does no one care that our Hokage is dead?"
As he spoke, Kei rose from his seat, his expression exceptionally resolute.
"No matter what, they must pay the price."
"Yes."
Seeing Kei decide, the people below nodded, and the hesitation disappeared.
Sending troops into a war was never an easy choice.
Once an army marched, there would be casualties, and there would be heavy resource consumption.
That was an enormous burden on the village's finances.
Fortunately, due to the earlier reforms, the village's income had increased significantly, and their hands were now full.
Otherwise, with Konoha's current condition, even gathering expedition funds would have been difficult.
The army departed and soon reached the border of the Land of Lightning.
"Not only the Third Raikage, but even Konoha's Third Hokage has come?"
In a war zone, Kinkaku stared at the report in front of him, his expression turning ferocious.
He was extremely tall. Even standing still, he carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Most striking of all were the two horns on his head. They made him look nothing like an ordinary person.
His brother, Ginkaku, was the same. He was also a burly shinobi.
When the two brothers stood together, even their mere presence made the air feel heavy.
"The Raikage plus the Hokage?"
A cruel smile spread across Ginkaku's face.
"It really makes the blood boil."
"Killing a Second Hokage and a Second Raikage wasn't enough. Now the third generation Hokage and Raikage are coming here to die too."
"Then let them come."
Kinkaku spoke coldly.
"Let them see the strength of us brothers."
With that, he took a step forward and walked out.
On the other side, Kei successfully met the Third Raikage.
The newly succeeded Third Raikage was in his prime.
Looking at Kei, he could not hide his surprise.
"Is Konoha out of people? They let a kid become Hokage?"
Compared to the burly Third Raikage, the fifteen year old Kei could indeed be called a child.
Kei met his gaze without flinching, expression calm.
"The same could be said of you."
"In the great Kumogakure, the position of Raikage has been inherited by one family for three generations."
"Is it because aside from the Raikage's family, Kumogakure cannot find anyone else worth using?"
"Your tongue is sharp."
The Third Raikage stared at him.
"I just don't know whether the strength in your hands matches it."
"You will see."
Kei replied evenly, looking at him with quiet indifference.
In his eyes, a pair of crimson Sharingan emerged, releasing immense pressure.
"Hmph!"
In the next instant, the Third Raikage attacked without warning.
Black lightning coiled around his body, and his speed exploded, turning into a blur as he charged straight forward.
Four fingers thrust out.
Hell Stab: Four Finger Nukite!
In the shinobi world's history, the Third Raikage was known as the strongest spear and the strongest shield.
The strongest shield referred to the overwhelming defense of his unique Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The strongest spear referred to the terrifying piercing power created by his monstrous speed.
Under Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his cells were fully activated, and his speed became extreme.
In that state, he could pierce through solid objects with ease.
.....
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