The introduction of the Geki-nin card game sparked an unprecedented enthusiasm among the young ninjas for learning Sealing Jutsu. Natsuhiko's "Duel Ninja School" plan was also smoothly underway.
However, the birth of new things always brings various unforeseen impacts, both positive and negative. For instance, recently, many students, in their eagerness to play another round, were diligently drawing runes on their cards during other classes.
The earnestness displayed in this endeavour left the other senseis during their regular classes unsure of whether to cry or laugh. Consequently, these sensei turned to Natsuhiko, presenting their grievances.
One day at lunch, the sensei from Chinese class, maths class, cipher class, Will of Fire Ethics class, and Taijutsu class jointly appeared in the teachers' small cafeteria. Dressed in black, they surrounded Natsuhiko, who was in a white coat, with bowls in their hands and mouths full of food. Natsuhiko wore a confused expression.
After listening to the sensei's complaints, all talking at once, he felt a bit speechless.
"They drew on your cards during your classes?"
"Yes."
"I didn't catch them drawing on your cards, did I?"
"No."
"Then why come to me? Do you have to point kunai at the good guy?"
"...Because you are the Sealing Jutsu sensei."
"...Fine."
Natsuhiko knew it was the case but wanted to play along with a joke. Unfortunately, nobody took his cue.
To settle the sensei's discontent, Natsuhiko reluctantly treated them to a meal, except for the Taijutsu class sensei, whom he caught trying to take advantage. He insisted the Taijutsu sensei demonstrate how students sneakily drew runes in his class.
The end result was everyone happily sitting together in the small cafeteria, sharing food and drinks, except for the Taijutsu sensei, who felt wronged. Unexpectedly, in the world of ninjas, Taijutsu class sensei couldn't escape the fate of being marginalised, just like the Physical Education sensei.
To safeguard his wallet, Natsuhiko, after this incident, repeatedly emphasised during classes that everyone should not be so enthusiastic about drawing runes on cards during other lessons. Otherwise, he would confiscate the cards or even cancel their eligibility to take this elective class.
Thus, the trend of students excessively studying Sealing Jutsu reluctantly came to a halt.
Apart from the amusing incident caused by the Academy's young ninjas, there were also some external dissatisfactions from certain ninja clans regarding this game, which gave Natsuhiko a headache.
When designing Geki-nin, he anticipated that such situations might arise. Although the game was modelled after the card game in the supposedly "non-flammable" Boruto, Natsuhiko didn't overlook the differences between the two eras.
In the Boruto era, the state of affairs was generally stable, with few wars. Simultaneously, advanced network technology had made much ninja information no longer a secret. This provided fertile ground for the birth of the Geki-nin game. Even incorporating the ninjas from that time into the cards wouldn't lead to resistance due to leaking ninja information issues. On the contrary, in an era where children were reluctant to become ninjas, the game could evoke people's longing for ninja life, possibly receiving strong support from various Great Ninja Villages.
Considering the differences in eras, Natsuhiko naturally wouldn't copy everything as it was. Presenting contemporary ninjas as cards would likely lead to his untimely death, with dozens of kunai in his back, ruled as suicide. It would be too provocative.
So, Natsuhiko made his selection very carefully and ultimately decided to use the Warring States era as the theme for this card game. After conducting market research, he found that the Warring States era was the most popular time period in the current Ninja World. Upon closer examination, Natsuhiko discovered that the reasons behind this popularity were quite complex.
The current Ninja World was in a period of transition between old and new ninjas.
With the development of the Ninja World's economy, the rise in the status of merchants, and the improvement in the lives of commoners, the group of employers with the financial capacity to hire ninjas continued to grow. Ninjas were no longer just secret assassins serving a select few but gradually transformed into mercenaries for the general populace, adopting a more relatable image.
The nature of mercenaries also began to demand that they establish their reputation to secure more contracts and higher fees. In simpler terms, the sales model shifted from a craftsman's spirit to influencer economics.
As the development progressed, star ninjas, such as Konoha's leading technician Kakashi, whose reputation echoed across countries, started emerging. Ninjas in the transitional period were still a bit awkward in promoting themselves, not fully embracing the shift.
This transition was reflected in the market, where numerous books with the theme of the Warring States era flooded in. The Warring States era, not too distant or too recent, suited the traditional mindset of ninjas who didn't want to reveal too much of their own information. It also allowed clans to spread their reputation.
Most ninja clans did not restrict such books and treated them as a form of self-promotion. Some clever clans even hired writers annually to sing praises for their ancestors.
During Natsuhiko's investigation, he was surprised to find that the strength of Third Hokage's father, Sarutobi Sasuke, as depicted in various books, was gradually increasing over the years. From being just a Kage Level Goalkeeper a decade ago to the latest work, "Sasuke's Epic," where he stood on par with Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Upon reflection, it was terrifying. Natsuhiko amusingly referred to him as the "Zhao Zilong of the Ninja World!"(Zhao Zilong was a great military general who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China.)
In reality, most ninja clans were happy to see the Geki-nin card game succeed, at least in a wait-and-see state. Some clans even inquired if Natsuhiko had plans for commercialising the game, causing him some distress.
This probing gradually stopped after Natsuhiko visited the Principal's office with a stack of proposals.
Of course, there were still traditionalist ninja clans that adhered to old ways. After all, each Ninja Village had its dark side, requiring individuals to carry out clandestine tasks, and these provided fertile ground for these traditions to continue, exemplified by organisations like ANBU Root.
They embraced it, praising the talents inside and expressing their fondness for it.
But, imagine the feelings of these low-key ninja clans when they saw their ancestors turned into cards, freely manipulated by students under Natsuhiko's management. It was as if they had been NTR'd by Natsuhiko, and their discomfort was palpable!
Naturally, they raised strong protests, and simply protesting was already disrespectful for the Academy. Usually, their way of safeguarding their rights involved physically eliminating the opposition.
As for Natsuhiko, he couldn't be bothered to lower himself to the level of these traditionalist ninja clans that couldn't adapt to the new era.
In dealing with these aggrieved parties, Natsuhiko adopted a "If there's any infringement, contact for removal" strategy. As long as someone expressed dissatisfaction, he promptly removed and took down the content. Since the other party didn't appreciate his bauble, he wouldn't force them to embrace it.
After all, he wasn't dealing with someone like Tsunade...
Natsuhiko's timely corrections left these traditionalist ninja clans with nothing to say. Coupled with his close association with Vice Principal-sama, these clans, though still harbouring some dissatisfaction, refrained from causing trouble.
For the time being, things remained calm. This left Natsuhiko somewhat regretful; without the opportunity to showcase his flair for face-slapping, he felt something was missing.
(End of this chapter)
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