Naruto : Konoha Light

In the grove, Yu Zhihui's face was cold and grim as he scanned the people around him. "Tell me," he said, his voice sharp, "how many of you knew about this?"

A hush fell over the crowd. They looked at each other in confusion, surprised to see Yu Zhihui so furious.

Those who had spoken carelessly just moments ago still vividly remembered what had happened in the second grade.

"young master, it's just a bunch of bored troublemakers gossiping. There's no need to—"

One of them attempted to console him, but before he could finish, Yu Zhihui shot him a sharp glare that made him swallow the rest of his words.

"These bastards can insult me all they want, but the honor of the Uchiha Clan must never be tarnished!"

"Insult?" someone in the crowd scoffed. "Isn't it just the truth?"

Despite their words, they spoke with a righteous expression, as if their remarks were justified.

"That's right," another chimed in. "The Uchiha Clan has a history and prestige that the insignificant Sarutobi Clan could never compare to!"

Hearing this, Yu Zhihui's anger eased slightly. "Good. Then let's find that Sarutobi brat, Asuma, and cause some trouble for him!"

"Wait, calm down, young master!"

"Yeah, don't go!"

The crowd grew nervous, stepping in to stop him.

At first, they had thought to maintain their 'tradition' of bullying the first-years. But after observing them over the past two months, they had abandoned that idea.

Forget the two monstrous rookies—just the sheer unity of their group was intimidating enough.

Seventy-eight encounters, and not once had they gained the upper hand. How could they even fight back?

Yu Zhihui's face darkened. "What are you implying? Do you think I can't handle two rookies?"

"Of course not!" someone quickly reassured him. "That Sarutobi Asuma is nothing special. But… they have numbers on their side."

Hearing this, Yu Zhihui's face turned livid.

They had always relied on their superior numbers to bully others, but now the tables had turned on them.

"I don't care! I'll make these bastards understand—our Uchiha Clan is the strongest!" he roared.

"Ugh, here we go again," someone muttered with a sigh.

They all knew their young master had inherited the Uchiha Clan's legendary stubbornness. Once he made up his mind, not even the Nine-Tails could drag him back.

"Actually… there is a way," a sly voice whispered.

"Speak quickly!"

"Asuma isn't particularly well-liked among the first-years. The one holding their group together is that kid, Shimizu."

"So we should take him out first?" Yu Zhihui asked, rubbing his chin.

"No, no! Shimizu is too respected among the first-years. If we target him, they'll all turn against us!" the strategist nearly broke into a cold sweat at the thought.

Yu Zhihui grew impatient. "Then what do you suggest?"

The strategist smirked, rubbing his hands together. "I mean, we break them apart step by step."

Yu Zhihui's eyes lit up. "Explain."

"The first-years aren't a united front. If we only pick on the ones who are unpopular among them, the others will be glad to see those outcasts suffer. Once we divide them into smaller groups, they'll start fighting among themselves. By then, not only will they stop defending each other, but they might even turn on their own!"

"Heh… despicable. But… I like it!"

The History Lesson

In the classroom, the teacher, Yagami, spoke passionately.

"The Ninja Academy system was the groundbreaking achievement of the Second Hokage. Not only did it cultivate countless talents for Konoha, but it also eased tensions between clan-born and civilian ninjas. This model was later adopted by other villages, drastically changing the structure of the shinobi world. In fact, one could say it reshaped the balance of power entirely!"

"But do you all know what the most crucial aspects of establishing the Academy were?"

Most of the students were either dozing off or daydreaming. Only a handful paid any real attention.

Seeing this, Yagami played his trump card. "Shimizu, answer the question!"

Instantly, the female students perked up, their gazes drawn to him.

Yagami sighed inwardly. If only I were twenty years younger, my charm wouldn't lose to Shimizu…

Shimizu stood up and answered thoughtfully, "The key elements were primary education, graduation rewards, and the guidance system."

"During the Warring States period," he continued, "shinobi clans primarily trained their own, but they struggled to provide well-rounded education, leading to many gifted ninjas failing to reach their potential due to lack of guidance.

When the village system was established, the Academy's comprehensive education helped shinobi find their strengths, preventing talent from being wasted.

Even well-established clans were drawn to the Academy for one major reason: graduation rewards. While powerful clans had access to certain high-level jutsu, techniques ranked B or higher were still rare, especially ones tailored to an individual's elemental affinity.

The guidance system further reduced rookie casualties by pairing them with experienced ninjas. This not only helped young shinobi grow but also served as a bridge between clan-born and civilian ninjas, fostering cooperation and integration."

Yagami nodded in approval. "Very good. Now, while other villages adopted our system, why do you think their results still lag behind Konoha's?"

Before anyone could answer, he continued, "There are several reasons, but the main factor was the contribution of the Second Hokage.

The Second Hokage created countless jutsu, including many forbidden techniques. Some of these were even left unfinished. But the vast collection of jutsu he left behind provided Konoha's students with an unparalleled variety of choices, ensuring they always had a path forward. This is why no other village has been able to match our Academy's success!"

"Wow! The Second Hokage was that incredible?"

"I'm definitely going to become the next Second Hokage!"

Seeing the students so inspired, Yagami felt a sense of satisfaction.

In Konoha, the Second Hokage was often caught in an awkward historical position.

During the First Hokage's era, the Warring States period was still fresh in memory, and his prestige was unmatched. Now, under the rule of the Third Hokage, most historical narratives focused on his achievements, leaving the Second Hokage somewhat overshadowed. Many children had barely even heard of him.

For Yagami , seeing this newfound admiration for the Second Hokage was something he simply couldn't tolerate any longer!

Feeling pleased, he added, "After graduation, you can exchange contributions to obtain higher-level jutsu, but that's no easy feat. In many cases, the jutsu you choose as your graduation reward will be the highest-level technique you have access to for a long time."

"If you pick a B-rank jutsu, it'll help you progress steadily as a genin. But the downside is that obtaining an A-rank jutsu later will require much more effort.

On the other hand, if you choose an A-rank jutsu as your graduation reward, you may struggle as a genin due to lacking mid-level techniques to rely on."

"Though graduation is still far off for most of you, it's never too early to start planning. With that in mind, class dismissed!"