Haruki understood Uchiha Obito and the others' excitement. It was like his reaction in his previous life as a southerner seeing snow for the first time. Immediately, he would take a series of photos, post them on social media, and add some sentimental words, being a proper literary youth.
Most of the Land of Fire is inland, with only the southeastern part bordering the ocean. But across the sea lies the enemy, the Land of Water and Kirigakure. Unless necessary, Konoha's ninja rarely see the sea, let alone these kids like Obito, who have never even left Konoha.
Time passed.
A week later, the **Konoha Daily** was published. Thanks to Omoki's efforts, reading the newspaper had become a habit for Konoha's residents. For a small price, they could learn about the happenings in Konoha Village, plus enjoy free serialized novels.
But to their surprise, **Sword Art Online** announced it would no longer be serialized and would instead be published as individual volumes. This meant that to read the novel, they had to pay for it, leading many to curse the unscrupulous author with the strange name, "I'm Not a Tree Man."
The only good news was that his new work, **Slam Dunk**, would take its place. But when they opened the newspaper, they found it wasn't a novel but a manga. This new, unprecedented way of serialization immediately excited them.
Compared to text, the impact of manga was much stronger.
"Damn it, why didn't this guy think of drawing **Sword Art Online**?"
"What's so good about a bunch of men fighting in close quarters? I can smell the sweat through the newspaper!"
"Exactly, if it were a group of Asuna playing basketball, hehe."
"Hmph, if this scoundrel doesn't include illustrations of Asuna in the standalone book, I'll definitely send him a knife!"
But despite their complaints, having already bought the newspaper, they couldn't help but read it. As they got into it, they found the manga incredibly sweet and appealing.
So good!
The passion of youth stirred their emotions.
According to incomplete statistics, in the past few days, the number of missions completed at the Konoha Mission Center increased by 30%.
The ultimate beneficiary was, of course, Omoki. He happily watched as the **Konoha Daily** sold out, deciding to expedite the construction of the basketball court.
"Good morning, everyone."
Haruki entered the classroom with a stack of books. "Asuma, come over and hand these books out."
Sarutobi Asuma immediately got up. He was the class monitor. Despite being very mature and a good son and husband as an adult, now he was rebellious, wanting to break free from his father's influence, similar to Konohamaru. He even went to serve as a guardian ninja for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, partly for this reason. Otherwise, as the Hokage's son, there was no need for him to take on such tasks, though it could be seen as gaining experience.
"Kurenai, here you go."
Sarutobi Asuma, being very tactful, handed his childhood friend, Yūhi Kurenai, a manga first. This scene caught Haruki's eye, and he couldn't help but smile. No wonder Asuma won Kurenai's heart—it wasn't just because of **My Hokage Father**.
Haruki had intentionally made him class monitor. For a rebellious guy like Asuma, he had some tactics up his sleeve: fulfill his vanity. Because he wanted to surpass his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he aimed to excel in everything. And within a class, at least on the surface, the class monitor held the most power.
"This language class will be spent reading this manga."
After everyone received a manga, Haruki announced.
After applying to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Haruki officially renamed the theoretical courses in the Ninja Academy to Language, Math, Geography, Biology, Politics, and History. Of course, the content differed from his previous life, but the familiar names made Haruki feel a sense of nostalgia.
After he spoke, the classroom was filled with the sound of flipping pages, with no one questioning him. The reason was simple: in just two weeks, Haruki had established enough authority. Other classes might have students skipping, slacking off, or not doing homework, but not Haruki's. Those who pretended to be sick were told not to worry—if they weren't dead, he could heal them. Skipping classes and not doing homework led to training in the outdoor artificial pond to practice chakra water-walking.
It might seem simple, but at recess, the whole school watched from the railings. It was true social death. For repeat offenders, the ultimate punishment was calling their parents—not to scold them, but to have them accompany their child to practice. The results were impressive, with no one daring to misbehave again, earning Haruki the title of **Konoha's Fiercest Tiger**.
Haruki knew this title but no one dared to call him that to his face.
He observed the students' reactions. Initially, many looked impatient, much like he had during extracurricular reading in his previous life, where he had to read classics like **Gone with the Wind** and **Dream of the Red Chamber**—not bad books, but tough for a young mind to get through. These students were luckier, though. **Slam Dunk** was a manga and a youth favorite.
About half an hour later, those who read quickly showed changes in their expressions, especially at the "Coach, I want to play basketball" scene. Haruki saw some teary eyes and even some outright crying, like Obito, whose tears and snot were flowing together.
Haruki stifled a smile. This guy was really over-the-top. If they weren't in class, he might have been bawling. It made sense why Uchiha Madara chose him—despite being the class dunce, he awakened his Sharingan during the Third Ninja War. Now, his personality was much like Naruto's—full of love for Konoha, only falling into darkness after Rin's death. Haruki felt a bit worried. Would this version of Obito, with his distinct red ideology, resist Madara's temptation?
But then he thought he was overthinking it. A true revolutionary wouldn't be swayed, no matter the obstacles. They would press forward relentlessly, like great leaders and pioneers.
"Today's homework is simple: invite your parents to next week's basketball game."
Haruki picked up a piece of chalk and wrote "Team A" and "Team B" on the board.
"You should understand the rules from the manga. Our class has thirty students, just enough for two teams. I suggest Asuma be the captain of Team A, and Kakashi, our top student, be the captain of Team B. They will pick their teammates."
Kakashi nodded coolly, while Asuma's passion ignited. He especially disliked Kakashi for stealing his spotlight, and now he had the chance to defeat him. His only worry was that his Hokage father wouldn't come, but when he told Haruki, he got a solution and went home happily.