Chapter 4: Classroom Chaos and a Hokage's Promise
"I just pounced! I grabbed the tiger by its tail! Then I threw it! The tiger charged at me again! I did a slide, right under it! I sliced its belly open with my kunai! And then! I roasted it and ate it!"
In a classroom at the Ninja Academy, Shenjin Youya held his head high, puffing out his chest as he spun his tall tale for the captivated students around him. He was an expert at entertaining—and fooling—these little kids.
"Alright, alright, settle down! Class is starting! Youya, stop bragging about your tiger-hunting adventures and sit down!" A young man with a forehead protector walked in. He smiled at the group of children. "I'll be your substitute teacher today. Your regular teacher, Mito, isn't feeling well."
Youya curled his lip and whispered to the girl next to him, "Who's this guy? He looks so young, probably just a Genin, right?"
The girl had smooth black hair and fair skin, but her pale, pupil-less eyes gave her a somewhat intimidating look. Hyuga Kazuko propped her chin on her hand, replying with a bored expression, "Who knows? Uncles like this are the most annoying."
The young man on the podium froze for a second, his smile faltering, before he continued his introduction. "Well, my name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. Everyone, please take your seats so we can begin the lesson."
However, the children, sensing the young man's gentle demeanor, grew even more restless and unruly. Youya and the Hyuga girl beside him started chattering and messing around again. The classroom descended into chaos.
Sarutobi Hiruzen began to panic, trying unsuccessfully to calm the noisy children, only to be pelted with erasers and notebooks. For a moment, he could only cover his face with his hands, utterly embarrassed.
Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen could take no more. "EVERYONE, BE QUIET!" he roared.
He then brought his hands together in a seal. "[Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall]!" (A miniature version).
Instantly, small stone platforms erupted from the floor beneath each child's feet, the edges curving up to trap them neatly in their own little stone pods.
"Wow! So cool!" Youya's eyes sparkled, his earlier mischief forgotten.
Having shocked the little brats into submission with his Earth Release, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally began his lesson.
Around three in the afternoon, the Academy let out. Youya refused invitations from several kids to play in the back hills and instead ran toward the Hokage Tower, built into the cliff face of Konoha.
When he arrived, he found a crowd of clan heads and representatives gathered outside the office door, their voices a noisy, eager clamor. A few of them noticed Youya. They knew he was the First Hokage's apprentice, living under Senju Hashirama's roof, and that Senju Tobirama was his uncle. But they were here for money, and they weren't about to back down just because a child was present.
As mentioned before, Konoha's growth from nothing to its current state was due to Senju Hashirama's vision and the strong support of the major clans. Without the cooperation of families like the Inuzuka, Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Aburame, the Senju and Uchiha alone could never have supported Konoha's foundation. The Senju and Uchiha were primarily mercenary clans; their ninja were experts at combat, not production. Supporting so many ninja, who consumed vast resources—especially food—was a constant struggle. This was why even the mighty Senju and Uchiha had to take on missions; it was simply to make ends meet.
To put it simply, while Senju Hashirama's power might surpass all the other clan heads combined, the contributions these families made to Konoha were tangible and essential. Konoha's current scale was built on their collective effort.
But now there was a problem. Before, everyone was poor together. There was nothing to say about that. But now, word had spread that the Second Hokage had gotten his hands on a gold mine... an entire gold mine! Something that could let everyone in Konoha live comfortably for decades! How could these clan leaders not be excited?
The mentality was simple: We were all poor together before, but now that there's a benefit, you can't forget about us.
Knowing he couldn't get inside right now, Youya wasn't in a hurry. He simply sat down on a wooden bench outside the office and dozed off.
Inside the office, Senju Tobirama was practically swearing to the heavens before the heads of the Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans.
"I'm telling you, I only obtained these ten kilograms of gold! How did it turn into me finding a whole gold vein?! Who is spreading these rumors?!" Senju Tobirama was furious. No wonder he was upset; he'd only gotten a little over ten kilograms of gold, and now, thanks to wild rumors, he was facing a mob.
Seeing Senju Tobirama's utterly sincere and frustrated expression, the three clan leaders felt a little embarrassed. The main issue was that it was fine when everyone was poor together; they could all tighten their belts and survive. But the moment they heard there was money, they rushed over, terrified that others would get a share and they'd be left out.
Senju Tobirama explained that the gold was earmarked for building a stone bridge across the water marsh west of Konoha. A large body of water was forming there, almost becoming a lake. On the other side lay wetlands rich with valuable herbs, plants, and seasonal crops. Every autumn, Konoha's Chunin would basically halt other missions for a month to gather resources from those wetlands. Even then, they could only bring back a fraction of the available fruits and plants, as fresh produce couldn't be stored in scrolls.
Senju Tobirama's first thought upon getting the gold was to build a bridge to access those wetlands. The leaders of the three major clans had no objection to this use of the funds. As long as the money wasn't being given to one specific clan, it was easy to discuss. If the wetland bridge was successfully built, their clans would benefit directly—at the very least, the civilians in their families could go to pick fruits.
Once the three major clans were pacified, the other, smaller clans were much easier to handle. After Senju Tobirama stepped out to explain the situation to the remaining clan leaders, he finally managed to resolve the farce and send everyone away. Exhausted, he stepped out of his office and saw the little boy, Youya, fast asleep, leaning against the wall.
Senju Tobirama shook his head, a slight, almost imperceptible smile touching the corners of his stern mouth. He walked over and gently lifted the sleeping Youya onto his shoulders.
Since I promised to teach you ninjutsu, he thought, I will never go back on my word.