Early the next morning, Byakuya accompanied Yahiko and Konan to the Hokage Tower to meet the Fourth Hokage.
Compared to yesterday, the atmosphere was less formal and more familiar. They were, after all, fellow disciples with a common teacher.
After some pleasantries, the Fourth Hokage began to outline the day's itinerary.
He planned to take Yahiko and the others to visit the Ninja Academy in the morning and observe the combat exercises in the Forest of Death in the afternoon, discussing each other's experiences in village management.
Yahiko and his companions had no objections to these arrangements. They were keen to visit the Ninja Academy and see how the first ninja school established by Konoha was faring. This would greatly help them in reforming their own ninja school.
Accompanied by the Fourth Hokage, they quickly arrived at the Ninja Academy.
The Ninja Academy was not very large, and the number of students was relatively small, with only around three hundred students in total. Each graduating class consisted of about ninety ninjas.
Seeing so few ninja students, Yahiko and Konan were taken aback.
For Amegakure, the number of students was astonishing because the total number of ninjas in Amegakure was not much higher than the number of students here.
However, to Byakuya, this number seemed a bit small.
In his estimate, the Ninja Academy should graduate around five hundred ninjas each year to maintain the thousands of ninjas in Konoha.
But considering that training ninjas quickly wasn't too difficult, Byakuya leaned towards the idea that the Ninja Academy primarily trained Chūnin leaders.
As long as the number of Chūnin kept up, the lower-ranked ninjas could be mass-produced by the various ninja villages. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the legendary 3,000-strong Sarutobi ninja army in later years.
If the numbers were truly that terrifying, the Ninja Academy would have been filled to capacity long ago.
Upon entering the Ninja Academy, Minato Namikaze provided a detailed introduction to the school, including the standards for student graduation assessments and future plans for the academy.
The general idea was that Konoha planned to pursue an elite approach, developing ninjas in a well-rounded manner.
After detailing this, Minato looked at Yahiko and his companions, eager to see their surprised reactions.
Konoha's Ninja Academy was the only one focused on comprehensive development.
In contrast, other villages either trained lower-ranked ninjas to perform basic tasks after learning shuriken throwing and a few simple jutsu, or focused solely on combat skills.
Only Konoha emphasized all-around development, including tactics and teamwork, in training lower-ranked ninjas.
Unfortunately, Yahiko and Konan remained unmoved, even feeling like saying, "Is that it?" In Amegakure, the training of ninja students was already multi-faceted, with even Jōnin involved in their education.
This was all thanks to Byakuya's initiatives, indicating that Byakuya had a broader vision than Konoha.
At this moment, Byakuya appeared contemplative and asked, "Lord Hokage, how many years does it take to graduate from the Ninja Academy?"
"Three years…" Minato Namikaze answered without hesitation. Then he added, "However, during peacetime, I plan to extend it to five or even six years."
"Three years?" Byakuya was somewhat surprised by this answer.
In his impression, the Ninja Academy should have a six-year program. If it's only three years, then his nine-year education model might be a bit ahead of its time, which could make cost control difficult.
However, considering the graduation ages of the Sannin and Kakashi and others, Konoha had always been extending the graduation age. The Sannin initially graduated at six years old, a one-year system. Kakashi and his peers delayed to three years, graduating at nine, and it wasn't until Naruto's era that it became six years.
Thinking of this, Byakuya smiled at Minato and said, "Sorry, I was a bit distracted. Could you share your detailed plans with me? We in Amegakure are also considering extending the graduation time."
Minato glanced at Byakuya and nodded slightly, "Of course, but please note that plans can change at any time. I'm only sharing some preliminary thoughts."
This scene puzzled Yahiko and Konan.
Was Byakuya mocking Minato, or was he genuinely seeking advice? Regardless, they decided to carefully listen to their plans, as it would be very helpful for their future.
While Minato was showing Byakuya around the Ninja Academy, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage and others were observing the inspection team through a crystal ball.
Seeing Minato and Yahiko and the others chatting and laughing, the Third Hokage couldn't help but touch his pipe and chuckled, "Minato has grown a lot. He handles the exchange team with ease now."
"After the Amegakure delegation leaves, it should improve our village's diplomatic environment and foster deeper cooperation with those smaller ninja villages."
Hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado added, "This is all thanks to Jiraiya. We were initially opposed when he left the village without permission, but it turns out that the orphans he trained have grown into high-ranking officials in Amegakure."
"However, why did Hanzo the Salamander choose them as his successors?"
The Third Hokage took a couple of puffs from his pipe and explained, "I believe there are a few reasons. First, Hanzo did not train a competent successor. Second, he has lost his ambition."
"It's better to have Jiraiya's disciples confirmed as successors. This way, it resolves the succession issue and helps avoid chaos in the Land of Rain. But I suspect that Hanzo still holds the real power. Sending Yahiko and his group is probably just a gesture of goodwill."
Koharu nodded and then said, "That makes sense. But who is this Byakuya? He seems to have a good relationship with Yahiko and Konan."
The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "According to reports from my Anbu, Yahiko was favored by Hanzo because of Byakuya, and ultimately, Byakuya was taken in as Hanzo's disciple."
"Ah, I see." Mitokado said with a newfound understanding. "But Byakuya looks so innocent. Is he really Hanzo the Salamander's disciple?"
Perhaps irritated by the smoke or feeling that the others' comments were absurd, Danzo's face darkened as he stood up and said, "Don't be fooled by Byakuya's innocent appearance. He's actually one of the most devious ninjas in Amegakure."
Danzo's statement caught the attention of the others. They looked at him, puzzled by his strong animosity toward Byakuya.
Byakuya seemed harmless and very interested in the Ninja Academy's plans. He appeared to be a pacifist ninja.
Was there some hidden truth behind this? Or was Danzo simply opposed to good-natured people?
The Third Hokage then asked Danzo, "Danzo, I remember that you were active in the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain about six months ago. Did you have any dealings with them?"
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The Third Hokage's questioning left Danzo in a brief moment of contemplation. Six months ago, he had indeed engaged in espionage activities in the Land of Rain, attempting to exploit the conflicts between the Akatsuki and Amegakure to create chaos.
He had invested in Byakuya, aiming to use him to seize control as the leader of the Akatsuki. However, Danzo hadn't anticipated that Byakuya's ambitions extended beyond just the Akatsuki's leadership to the entire Land of Rain. Byakuya had been concealing his true power and, taking advantage of Hanzo's absence, had taken over Amegakure.
Indeed, Byakuya was Hanzo's disciple during his pretense of being captured. Danzo had witnessed the disciple ceremony along with other Amegakure ninjas. However, this information could not be shared with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Revealing that Danzo's Root had suffered significant damage would likely give the Third and Fourth Hokages an opportunity to strip him of his power. Heck, the Root might even be disbanded.
After a moment of reflection, Danzo said, "I did have some conflicts with them, but that's all in the past. However, Byakuya is indeed quite formidable. You must not underestimate him."
"Is that so…?"
The Third Hokage looked at Danzo with suspicion.
Under the Third Hokage's gaze, Danzo felt a surge of unspoken anger. He furrowed his brows and said, "What are you looking at me for? Everything I do is for Konoha."
The Third Hokage was about to admonish Danzo in his Hokage tone but decided against it. Danzo's evasive behavior clearly indicated he was hiding something. The situation was certainly not as simple as Danzo claimed, but as he was no longer Hokage, Hiruzen couldn't force him to speak.
However, this did not stop him from being suspicious of Danzo. After decades of working together, he knew Danzo too well. Danzo's actions regarding Amegakure likely involved serious blunders and possibly even harmed the village's interests.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were no strangers to this kind of scene. They wondered if Danzo was being manipulated by someone using transformation techniques.
As the atmosphere in the advisor's office grew increasingly tense, the Third Hokage sighed and said, "Forget it. Let's focus on Minato's performance. He's the Hokage now."
Danzo, at a loss for words, could only continue to watch the crystal ball.
With Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage, the balance of power in the village had shifted significantly and had yet to be restored. Danzo had even mistakenly treated Hiruzen as the Hokage earlier, forgetting that Sarutobi was now merely an elder advisor.
---
At the Ninja Academy, after the tour concluded, Minato took the delegation to a local restaurant for a meal and rest. He shared his insights on managing a ninja school with Byakuya and chatted with Yahiko about amusing stories involving Jiraiya.
Jiraiya, upon hearing about his past embarrassing moments, wasn't troubled. Instead, he laughed and reminisced with Konan.
During their conversation, Jiraiya inquired about Nagato, curious as to why he didn't accompany them. Konan explained that the situation in the Land of Rain was still chaotic, and someone needed to stay behind to maintain order.
Jiraiya sighed with sadness in his eyes but understood. Having spent three years in the Land of Rain, he was aware of the region's difficulties.
The conditions in the Land of Rain were vastly different from those in Konoha; for ordinary people there, simply surviving was a challenge. Glancing at Byakuya in the distance, Jiraiya turned to Konan with a puzzled expression and asked, "Konan, how did you come to know Byakuya? And when was the Akatsuki organization founded?"
Konan looked at Byakuya and replied, "After you left, we wandered in the Land of Rain for a few more years before meeting Byakuya. Together, we established the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki was initially based on the principles you left behind, but Byakuya introduced some new elements…"
Konan paused here, hesitating about whether to continue.
Jiraiya was taken aback. The founding of the Akatsuki had always been a point of pride for him, and he was curious about what Byakuya had added to it.
Noticing Jiraiya's confused expression, Konan continued, "Byakuya felt that you and Yahiko were too idealistic. Some things can't be achieved through negotiation and mutual understanding alone. However, the current Akatsuki has abandoned some of its illusions and begun to face reality."
Jiraiya fell into deep thought. He found himself unable to fully grasp Konan's words and then laughed wryly, admitting to himself that he had become old.
The three orphans who once followed him had grown up and established their own paths. Meanwhile, he felt as though he was still standing in place, constantly pursuing the peace promised by the prophecy.
At this moment, Byakuya noticed Konan and Jiraiya and approached them, saying, "Hello, Jiraiya-sama. You must be Yahiko and the others' teacher."
Jiraiya was pulled back to reality and nodded slightly, "You must be Byakuya. I just learned about your involvement. Yahiko and the others owe you a lot."
"Of course. If it weren't for me, the Akatsuki would have been wiped out long ago."
Byakuya's words left Jiraiya momentarily stunned. He had merely been boasting out of habit, but it seemed Byakuya was genuinely confident. Given the strength of his three disciples, it was hard to believe they could have been easily defeated.
However, considering Byakuya's age, Jiraiya could understand to some extent. He himself had been more arrogant in his youth, always claiming to be the Toad Sage and the savior of the ninja world. It was only through reality's harsh lessons that he had matured and become more grounded.
Such an immature young man needed to experience the world's challenges to grow.
Thinking of this, Jiraiya stood up, extending his large hand and pulling Byakuya into an embrace. "Well then, I must thank the savior of my disciples properly. Byakuya, after nightfall, I'll take you out to enjoy the village's specialty, Ichiraku Ramen."
Seeing this, Konan's eyes flashed with a hint of concern. Jiraiya's familiarity might make Byakuya wary, especially since Byakuya wasn't exaggerating; he really had saved the Akatsuki, and that was the truth.
Byakuya broke free from Jiraiya's embrace and said sternly, "I'm not a kid. Moreover, my mentor, Hanzo, is the same age as the Third Hokage. By that logic, I am your peer. I'll address you as Jiraiya-sama, and you should respond with Byakuya-sama."
Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle at Byakuya's serious demeanor. "Alright, alright, Byakuya-sama. I officially invite you to an important event tonight. Please be sure to attend."
At this, Byakuya nodded and said, "I accept Jiraiya-sama's invitation."
Seeing this, Konan finally relaxed. She didn't want any conflict between Byakuya and Jiraiya. Maintaining the current peaceful situation was ideal.
However, since Byakuya's arrival in Konoha, he had consistently maintained a harmless facade. What was his true intention? Although a fourteen-year-old might act this way, they were members of the Akatsuki, and their motives could be more complex.
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