Sarutobi Hiruzen was a bit bewildered.
Especially after this old man learned that there were rumors within the Anbu about Uchiha Itachi being the future successor of the Root, Sarutobi Hiruzen became even more perplexed.
How did this news spread?
Did everyone know that Shimura Danzo was grooming a successor?
The old man stood in front of a mirror, looking at his reflection and sighed deeply, "Danzo and I are indeed getting old..."
If age were to be considered, it was indeed time for them to think about grooming successors, even Shimura Danzo had started to groom one.
The position of Hokage was more important than that of the leader of the Root.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, contemplating his own future successor, felt deeply worried, "Danzo is considering candidates for the future leadership of the Root, I must also urge Jiraiya to return. It's time to find a qualified teacher for that child, Akihara Kagura..."
Konoha Village, Ninja Academy.
This was Akihara Kagura's first visit here.
After arranging a house near Uzumaki Naruto for Karin, Akihara Kagura brought her to the Ninja Academy and directly completed the enrollment procedures.
A group of young students were frolicking in the school, while several Chunin teachers chatted in a corner of the playground, creating an especially harmonious and serene atmosphere.
Among these kids, Akihara Kagura saw many familiar faces, even spotting the girl with a bun hairstyle who had once covered him with a blanket.
"Eh?"
The bun-haired girl was named Tenten.
As Akihara Kagura passed by, Tenten couldn't help but curiously glance at him, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar but couldn't remember who he was.
"Tenten, what's wrong?"
A boy with white eyes noticed his classmate's unusual behavior and followed her gaze towards Akihara Kagura and little Karin, "That's the attire of the Anbu. That person is an Anbu ninja, looks only a few years older than us..."
Based on Akihara Kagura's age, he should be in the fifth grade of the Ninja Academy, and if his performance was average, he would need another year to graduate.
However...
Now his rank was the same as that of the teachers at the Ninja Academy.
Akihara Kagura stood in the Ninja Academy teachers' office, found a first-grade teacher who looked very young and had become a Chunin not long ago, and now serves as a teacher at the Ninja Academy.
"My name is Umino Iruka."
The teacher, with a scar on his nose, smiled and said, "I'm the homeroom teacher of the first-grade class. What brings you here?"
"Here for enrollment procedures."
Akihara Kagura nudged Karin lightly and whispered, "This child is over six years old, and the Third Hokage has already allowed her to enroll in the Ninja Academy."
"Is that so?"
Umino Iruka glanced at Karin and kindly suggested, "It's the second semester of the first grade now. I actually recommend waiting until the Ninja Academy's enrollment period in September to let her join the next class, so she won't fall behind in the curriculum…"
"Can you do it?"
Akihara Kagura looked down at Karin.
"I... can."
Karin shrank slightly, hiding beside Akihara Kagura.
In this unfamiliar village, Karin didn't know anyone and could only rely on Akihara Kagura, who had taken care of her all this way without ever abandoning her.
"She said she can."
Akihara Kagura looked at Umino Iruka.
"Ah, this…"
Umino Iruka scratched the back of his head awkwardly and continued to persuade with embarrassment, "It's going to be tough for transfer students in the Ninja Academy…"
"It's okay."
Akihara Kagura shook his head and continued, "If she really can't keep up, I'll find her a Chunin tutor for private lessons."
"…"
Umino Iruka found himself without a reason to refuse.
"By the way."
Akihara Kagura watched Umino Iruka handling the paperwork and suddenly asked, "Uzumaki Naruto is also in the first grade, right? How is he doing?"
"…"
Umino Iruka's writing stopped abruptly, and he lowered his head, "What is your relationship with Naruto?"
"We had ramen together?"
Akihara Kagura replied offhandedly.
"His grades... are exceptionally poor."
Umino Iruka thought of the student with the worst grades in the class, couldn't help but feel a headache and mixed feelings. He harbored resentment towards the Nine-Tails sealed within the child but also remembered his own dream, to fulfill the responsibilities of a teacher properly.
Because of the Nine-Tails, Umino Iruka's parents were killed.
Even knowing that this had nothing to do with Uzumaki Naruto, they couldn't help but hate the Nine-Tails fox. For them, the Nine-Tails and Uzumaki Naruto were one and the same.
"That would be for the best."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Karin, softly saying, "It must be somewhat lonely to take supplementary lessons alone, it's good that someone can accompany you to take the lessons together."
"..."
Karin nodded hesitantly.
"Don't bully others, and don't let yourself be bullied."
After considering the first-grade student group at the ninja school, which included some children of prominent families, Akihara Kagura continued, "If someone bullies you, tell me. I'll consider how to deal with their parents. The Anbu ninja's job involves killing and exterminating clans."
"Hey, hey, hey, that's too much..."
Umino Iruka, the teacher, quickly tried to stop this extremely extreme parenting, waving his hand and saying, "I won't let this child be bullied..."
In fact, many children in the first grade have very deep family backgrounds.
The youngest son of the Uchiha clan, one of the two great clans of Konoha, the eldest daughter of the main family of the Hyuga clan, children from the three great clans of Ino-Shika-Cho, and children from the Inuzuka and Aburame clans...
Theoretically, this Anbu ninja named Akihara Kagura shouldn't provoke these families. However, Umino Iruka had indeed seen this guy's performance in the Chunin Exams...
It must be said.
It's really a bit scary.
"I'm leaving now."
Akihara Kagura patted Karin on the head, seemingly knowing that the child would be scared after he left, and softly comforted, "Don't be afraid."
"Yes, Lord Kagura."
Karin nodded quickly.
When Akihara Kagura left, his appearance clearly caused quite a stir among many people, especially the ninja headband he wore on his head.
"It looks almost the same as us..."
"Their outfit is also different from our teachers', is he an elite ninja?"
"I don't know!"
"Tsk... That guy…"
A little boy stood in the crowd, clearly disdainful of Akihara Kagura, muttering, "My brother also has a set of that attire, it's just a ninja from the Anbu!"
"So, it's little Sasuke..."
Akihara Kagura's steps clearly paused as he looked at Sasuke, who was surrounded by two little girls, and showed him a kind smile, "Just help me pass a message, when your brother comes back, tell him..."
"What do you want?"
Sasuke was clearly somewhat defiant towards Akihara Kagura.
Akihara Kagura looked at Sasuke, and his tone became much softer, "Now, I and your brother are teammates, we are good friends..."
"Eh?"
Sasuke felt a bit confused.
Damn, when did this guy become good friends with his brother! How could he continue to view him as an enemy now!
"Tell him..."
Akihara Kagura crouched down, affectionately stroking Uchiha Sasuke's head, "You must live well in the future, there are still long days ahead!"
"It doesn't sound like something good..."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Akihara Kagura a bit perplexedly.
"Just tell him, he will thank you."
After saying that, Akihara Kagura stood up and left with big strides, leaving behind a somewhat perplexed Uchiha Sasuke, thinking hard.
"I should find a Chunin to be a home tutor for those two kids..."
Akihara Kagura had to face his most troublesome problem, as he didn't know anyone, and by the way, this expense should be shared with someone: "I should go to Captain Kakashi, and ask if he is willing to help Naruto with some tutoring fees..."
First grade class.
In the classroom, Uzumaki Naruto suddenly sneezed while playing.
A chubby boy playing with him immediately stopped, curiously looking at his friend, "Naruto, did you catch a cold?"
"It doesn't matter."
Little Naruto rubbed his nose, laughing, "Choji, let's continue, it's not like there's a doctor to see me if I have a cold, haha..."
"Okay!"
"I won't go to the doctor if I have a cold, I'll stay with you!"
The chubby boy was very loyal to his friends but also somewhat troubled: "However, my body is very healthy, I wonder when I'll be able to catch a cold..."
"Wait until you slim down..."
A little boy with his hair tied up fiddled with his ear.
"Shikamaru, I'm not fat!"
The chubby boy suddenly became a bit angry.
"Ah yes, yes, yes… you're plump."
The boy with his hair tied up calmly added.
While they were still frolicking and having fun, the bell for class rang, and the children each moved to their own seats. The first-grade homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka, came in with a little girl with red hair and glasses.
"This is Karin."
Umino Iruka patted little Karin on the shoulder and gently said, "Karin, please introduce yourself to everyone!"
"How... should I introduce myself?"
Little Karin, clutching her clothes, looked uneasily at Iruka.
"Just..."
Umino Iruka smiled, soothing her frightened mood: "Introduce your name, what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams for the future..."
"Yes."
Karin stood in front of everyone present and softly said, "My name is Karin. What I like most is Lord Kagura, what I dislike is whoever Lord Kagura dislikes, and my dream for the future is to become someone like Lord Kagura..."
"..."
Umino Iruka was dumbfounded.
The group of children was also dumbfounded.
Umino Iruka quickly smiled and corrected Karin: "You should introduce what you like, not what Kagura-kun likes, like what food you like..."
"What Lord Kagura likes, I like."
Karin's body trembled slightly as she earnestly said, "I like eating the fish that Lord Kagura catches... I dislike the fish that don't bite at Lord Kagura's hook."
"..."
The group of children burst into laughter.
"She doesn't look smart!"
"Look at her hair, red, just like a little chili pepper..."
"Who exactly is this Lord Kagura..."
"Is it Akihara Kagura?"
Sasuke and Naruto simultaneously uttered the same name, unable to resist glancing at each other before quickly turning their heads away in disdain.
"Yes."
Karin nodded.
"That person..."
The little boy who always tied up his hair seemed thoughtful.
Compared to the other children, this little guy was obviously more mentally mature, had access to more information, and had even personally gone to watch the Chunin Exams.
"Shikamaru, do you know him?"
The chubby boy leaned forward, asking curiously.
"It doesn't really concern us..."
Shikamaru, holding the back of his head, spoke indifferently: "Anyway, according to my dad, it's supposed to be about the village's future or something!"
"I don't quite understand."
"The gist of it is, we just need to slack off and wait to die, the village already has someone who can protect its future..."
"Okay, let's go buy some chips later."
The chubby boy easily agreed, his academic performance wasn't good anyway.
Naruto refused the defeatist attitude Shikamaru offered, waving his little fist: "That won't do, we still need to study hard. I'm going to become Hokage and earn everyone's recognition!"
"But you have the worst grades..."
Shikamaru began to clean his ears again.
The Ninja Academy welcomed a new student, an event that excited the group of children for a day. After school, they went their separate ways home, and by the next day, the novelty of the new student had worn off.
Naruto, as usual, went home alone after school but noticed a red-haired girl following him all the way to his doorstep, only then realizing they were neighbors.
"Karin, we're neighbors!"
"Uh-huh..."
Karin nodded.
"..."
Naruto felt a slight warmth in his heart.
Yet, something even warmer happened to Naruto. Akihara Kagura and Hatake Kakashi came over with a woman he didn't recognize, inviting him and Karin to eat dango!
What day was it today, after all!
Not only did he have a classmate as a neighbor, but there was also someone who treated him to dango!
"Thank you for your hard work, Anko."
Hatake Kakashi smiled as he apologized, seemingly a bit embarrassed: "The Anbu allowance hasn't been distributed yet, and my money is almost just enough to treat you to some dango..."
Actually, this matter had nothing to do with Hatake Kakashi.
However, when Akihara Kagura mentioned finding tutors for Karin and Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi took the initiative to get involved and even planned to contribute some funds.
Unfortunately,
The price for private tutors in Konoha was extremely high.
Hatake Kakashi and Akihara Kagura voluntarily lowered their expectations, hoping to find someone who could help with extra lessons, because Kakashi definitely couldn't help with tutoring. Kakashi had graduated from the Ninja Academy when he was five years old, while other children his age hadn't even started school yet...
Akihara Kagura had never attended school at all.
There weren't many people in Konoha willing to take on the tasks of the poor.
Just at this time, Mitarashi Anko, who had once deceived Akihara Kagura, came into view, which was like a free service delivered to their doorstep.
"It's not hard work; it's a hard life."
Mitarashi Anko took a bite of a dango and muttered.
"Don't worry."
Akihara Kagura glanced at little Karin and little Naruto: "As long as these two little guys pass the final exams, I won't hold a grudge against you anymore."
After all, Karin was someone he had brought back to Konoha and was an important subordinate for the future, deserving some time to enjoy a relaxed campus life.
"Okay."
Mitarashi Anko nodded, disdainful of the task: "What's there to tutor in first grade? I'll help these two brats catch up with six years' worth of courses, and let them graduate early!"
Mitarashi Anko was an outstanding graduate of the Ninja Academy, who even graduated directly at the age of ten, or else Orochimaru wouldn't have taken him as a student in the first place!
"Wait... tutor... tutoring..."
Uzumaki Naruto, holding a dango, was struck as if by a bolt from the blue!
Why did he have to be forced to take tutoring? Why did he have to be forced to study?
"Good luck."
Akihara Kagura sincerely wished him well, casually reminding him: "This teacher is quite strict, not as kind as me. I'm going out on a mission, I hope you're still alive when I return."
"Ah?"
Little Naruto was almost scared silly: "Will the teacher... kill me?"
"If you're not up to standard, yes…"
Mitarashi Anko revealed a sweet smile and spoke words that could frighten children.
Hatake Kakashi remembered that Akihara Kagura was going out to meet with Yakushi Kabuto and Yakushi Nono for a mission and offered his help proactively: "Do you need me to accompany you?"
"It's a small matter, I can go by myself."
Akihara Kagura shook his head, not wanting Hatake Kakashi to interfere: "Bringing an extra person would consume significantly more chakra. I will use the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring them back as quickly as possible."
Akihara Kagura then looked towards Mitarashi Anko, his eyes revealing a hint of peculiarity. He was certain that his trip would inevitably lead him to encounter Orochimaru, the teacher whom Mitarashi Anko yearned for day and night...
Akihara Kagura already knew that Orochimaru had taken Yakushi Kabuto and Yakushi Nono away. This trip was to bring the two spy members back, marking the start of a true undercover life in Konoha for the family.
~~~
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