The little ninjas didn't expect that the small exciting ninja game would have such a significant connection to Konoha's future development.
It seemed as if not playing cards was a heinous crime.
Natsuhiko sensei's sentiment of "位卑未敢忘忧村"(Though of humble position, I have not dared to forget my village's worries.) deeply moved them, making it seem like they were enveloped in a layer of holy light.
The little ninjas could barely contain themselves, wanting to rush forward and hug his legs, yelling:
"Sensei, I want to learn how to play cards!"
However, a student noticed a problem.
"But Natsuhiko sensei," Ebisu raised his hand to ask, "do we have to wait until the end of the term to learn all 24 runes before playing this game?"
Everyone had the same doubt and looked towards Natsuhiko.
If that were the case, their motivation might not be as strong.
Natsuhiko had considered this issue and calmly replied:
"Of course not. I've already divided this semester's study plan into several stages."
"Each stage corresponds to a batch of cards with the runes you need to learn."
"For example, the deck you have now—I call it the beginner deck—corresponds to the four basic runes you'll learn in the next few classes."
"Once you master these four runes, you'll be able to engage in basic battles."
"As the teaching progresses, I will continue to distribute new cards corresponding to the runes you learn later."
"In other words, as long as you keep learning new runes, there will be new cards for you to use."
"Sensei, stop talking already and start the class!"
Uchiha Obito couldn't help but interrupt Natsuhiko's lengthy explanation, eager to begin.
It seemed like every additional word from Natsuhiko was torture for Obito.
Obito's classmates had peculiar expressions.
They never expected to hear the lowest-ranking Obito urging the sensei to start the class one day.
Truly unprecedented.
However, Obito clearly voiced what everyone was thinking, and the little ninjas nodded in agreement.
Starting the class earlier to learn those runes meant they could start playing cards sooner.
Natsuhiko, whose speech was interrupted, smiled slightly, decided to comply with the popular demand, and began the formal class.
Before that, though, he opened the system notebook and made a note for Obito.
[Konoha, September 3, 42nd year, 2:13:06 PM. Uchiha Obito interrupted me during class. I'll remember this.]
After closing the interface, Natsuhiko gave Obito a sarcastic smile.
...
In the remaining time of the Sealing Jutsu class, the little ninjas displayed an unprecedented focus and enthusiasm.
Each person racked their brains to understand every word Natsuhiko said, trying to grasp the runes as quickly as possible.
Sarutobi Biwako, sitting in the back, felt somewhat astonished. It seemed like everyone was under some kind of Genjutsu.
Even her unruly son, Asuma, wasn't peeking at the Yuhi family's little girl; instead, he was diligently taking notes.
It made her wonder whether to cry or laugh.
Under the extraordinary enthusiasm of the little ninjas, Natsuhiko completed today's mission a dozen minutes before the class ended, explaining the basic knowledge and drawing methods of two runes.
Thinking there was still time, he intended to use the Projection Jutsu to tell a story, as mentioned in the previous class. However, except for a few girls, all students objected, urging Natsuhiko to continue the lesson.
The imposing behaviour of students that seemed ready to empty Natsuhiko's knowledge made him somewhat uncomfortable.
Unable to resist, Natsuhiko had to continue the class.
Only when it was about to end did Natsuhiko heartlessly ignore the eager eyes of the students and start to assign homework.
"The homework is to practise drawing the first two runes you learned today in your workbooks until you master them."
"You can also try to fill in the required runes on the cards I provided, but please attempt it only after completely mastering these runes; otherwise, you might ruin the cards."
"Although, if they get damaged, you can come to me or the assistant for replacements. However, everyone has a limited quota. If you use them up, you'll have to buy your own. Honestly, these cards are not cheap, so be cautious, everyone."
At this point, Ebisu, wearing sunglasses, raised his hand to ask another question.
"Sensei, our seniors have already learned these runes, so when can we play... no, I mean, test if these cards are drawn correctly?"
Natsuhiko replied, "I've already discussed it with the principal. This classroom will be kept open for practising drawing runes regularly, and when the time comes, the Duel Disk will also be placed here for convenient play... no, testing."
Biwako's mouth twitched at the corner.
She did agree to Natsuhiko's request, but she didn't expect this situation.
Is this supposed to be a practice room or a game room?
Natsuhiko must be doing it on purpose.
Is he playing first and reporting later to me?
Biwako's eyes flashed and she gave him a cold gaze.
Natsuhiko, danger!
"Yay!"
Hearing Natsuhiko's reply, the senior students suddenly cheered up.
This meant that as long as they spent some time completing the card deck, they could enjoy playing ahead of the lower-grade students.
The lower-grade students looked at them enviously, biting their fingers, silently making a firm resolution to quickly learn these runes.
Seeing the joy of the senior students, Natsuhiko decided to add fuel to the fire.
Slapping his forehead, as if suddenly remembering something, he said:
"Oh, I forgot to tell you all. After each use of your cards, the Duel Disk will erase the runes on them. You need to redraw them before using them again."
The initially cheerful senior students gradually froze, ultimately looking at the smiling Natsuhiko sensei with dumbfounded expressions.
Wait, did you just speak human language?
Doesn't this mean that every time they finish a game, they have to spend a lot of time completing all the runes before starting the next one?
The little ninjas had constipated expressions.
Thinking about practising picture talismans every day, they felt their future was bleak.
But they couldn't bear to give up playing the exciting ninja game.
Natsuhiko sensei's tactics were indeed deep!
Obviously, it was a huge trap, but it always makes people willingly fall into it.
Sarutobi Biwako finally figured out Natsuhiko's strategy this time, and her expression slightly cleared.
Indeed, Natsuhiko had an overall plan for the Sealing Jutsu course.
In the first class, he generated interest in his Projection Jutsu by telling a story, serving as motivation for everyone to study the course.
However, this goal was a bit distant for ordinary students and could easily lead to thoughts of giving up due to temporary setbacks.
Therefore, in this class, Natsuhiko provided a short-term goal through this card game for everyone to strive for.
Learning just one rune in Sealing Jutsu wouldn't have much impact.
But in this card game, it meant being able to use new cards.
Biwako, who had been in education for many years, knew that students weren't unwilling to learn.
It was just that what they learned didn't provide immediate positive feedback, making it feel like they were doing useless work, leading to easy demotivation.
Why do geniuses often work harder than ordinary people?
It's not because they are more disciplined but because they learn quickly, can see results rapidly, and can continuously get positive feedback from learning, making them willing to study hard.
Natsuhiko's approach was to cut the originally long positive feedback loop of learning Sealing Jutsu into numerous segments and then bind it together with the card game.
This way, students could immediately get positive feedback from the seemingly dull rune drawing, filling them with motivation for learning Sealing Jutsu.
At this point, our Vice Principal Biwako no longer doubted Natsuhiko's ability to teach this course.
Even if he only achieved half of what he promised to the students, he would be the best Sealing Jutsu sensei in the history of the Academy.
No, maybe even the "Sealing Jutsu" prefix could be dropped.
Biwako, looking at Natsuhiko still talking enthusiastically at the podium, couldn't help but show a relieved smile.
After all, Natsuhiko wasn't a ninja from a ninja family; all his knowledge came from the Academy during childhood.
He could achieve what he had now, clearly owing it all to the Academy!
Otherwise, could he have known everything right from birth?
For the Academy to cultivate an outstanding student for Konoha, as Vice Principal Biwako, how could she not feel joy and pride?
Speaking of which, the only person who recently made her feel this way was Namikaze Minato, who also came from a commoner background and had recently gained fame.
Both of them had hair—one golden, one silver.
These two, one gold and one silver, were probably the most dazzling rising stars of their generation.
But thinking about the various problems this game might cause, Biwako felt a bit of a headache.
No, she couldn't spoil this brat any longer.
To avoid Natsuhiko causing her another big news piece at some unknown time in the future, Biwako decided to give him a little lesson.
...
The bell for the end of class finally rang. Natsuhiko knew that students without a class might stay here to try using the Duel Disk, so he asked the idle Kushina to stay behind and supervise.
As for himself, he planned to slip away and continue his plan to empty the library.
Unfortunately, this time he was caught by Sarutobi Biwako, who appeared prepared at the door.
"Natsuhiko sensei, come to my office, now."
After saying that, Biwako, the Principal, glanced at the students swarming towards the podium, shook her head, and then turned to leave.
Natsuhiko's face turned bitter, helplessly following along.
At this moment, the attention of the students was all drawn to the Duel Disk on the podium, and they didn't notice this scene.
(End of this chapter)
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