"Huh, is that the Third's youngest son?"
Kawaki was sharp-eyed. From a distance, he spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi walking toward the school, holding hands with a child.
If he wasn't mistaken, that should be Asuma.
Hiruzen, who had been forced to resign early, had lost the commanding presence of a Hokage and now seemed more like a kindly old neighbor.
"Yeah, that's right."
"That kid is about the same age as Kurenai and the others."
Kurenai's Mama glanced in that direction; she had actually met Asuma a few times before.
"Becoming a father again so late in life—the Third Lord sure has good fortune."
Since stepping down, the Sarutobi clan's influence had gradually faded.
Although he made amends for his mistakes, he still faced criticism.
As a result, Hiruzen rarely appeared publicly anymore.
So much so that Dai was meeting Asuma for the first time.
"It's actually better for him this way!" Kawaki couldn't help but feel emotional—he remembered how, in the original plot, most of the Sarutobi family had already died tragic deaths.
His eldest son and daughter-in-law were barely seen at all, his wife perished during the Nine-Tailed Fox chaos, and he himself died using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Even Asuma was killed by Hidan.
After Naruto's story ended, only Konohamaru remained as the only one left to carry on the Sarutobi bloodline.
For Hiruzen, perhaps this new situation wasn't bad at all.
"It definitely is. Konoha is flourishing now."
Kurenai's Mama said with a hint of sarcasm. She still resented how Hiruzen had lined his own pockets during his tenure.
But it was also true. After Tsunade took over, Konoha grew steadily stronger.
Especially in the last three years, both the economy and ninja strength had seen tremendous progress.
The reforms Kawaki implemented at the Ninja Academy were finally beginning to pay off.
They had already produced many promising talents for Konoha's ninja ranks.
Hidetada Onoda smiled constantly now.
No one dared say the Ninja Academy could only produce cannon fodder anymore.
"Alright, let's not dwell on this anymore."
"Let's go inside."
Of course, Kawaki understood her meaning. He had no intention of continuing this topic.
What's past is past. After all, Hiruzen gave his best years to the village.
He wasn't the kind to kick someone when they were down.
"Mm-hmm."
Dai and Kurenai's Mama walked side by side with Kawaki, the three younger children trailing behind them.
A group of six walked straight through the school gates.
Parents with children continued arriving steadily.
Nearby stood a cute little girl with short brown hair reaching her shoulders and two purple stripes on each cheek.
Not far from her was a lone boy wearing goggles, standing alone.
Looking around at other children accompanied by parents, his eyes held a flicker of loneliness.
But when his gaze landed on the girl, his expression suddenly brightened—as if a light had sparked in his eyes.
From this moment onward, fate had quietly begun to weave their paths together.
...
"Here are the registration forms. Fill them out and hand them back to me."
Kawaki's office was bustling today—it was usually quiet.
He spoke while handing two application forms to Dai and Kurenai's Mama.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's three students chatted joyfully, happily munching on snacks.
As long as no one brought up the duel, Kakashi still treated Gai like a true friend.
"Okay."
Dai and Kurenai's Mama each took a form and began filling them out at the nearby coffee table.
Lord Kawaki also picked up a form and began entering Kakashi's personal details along with a brief family background.
Children from ninja clans usually had some basic training, so their learning pace was naturally different from that of civilian children.
This wasn't about discrimination at all.
In fact, for parents from civilian backgrounds, this was actually a good thing.
Before long, all three finished filling out the forms.
Kawaki took the three completed forms and walked outside to hand them over to the staff member waiting there.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Kawaki patted the instructor's shoulder kindly.
"You're too polite, Lord Kawaki."
"There's nothing else needed here. I should get back to work now."
The instructor took the forms and excused himself, today being packed with tasks.
Not everyone could be as relaxed as Kawaki; Vice Principal Obata was nearly overwhelmed.
He'd barely managed to sneak away for this short break.
"Alright then, go ahead."
Kawaki waved him off and waited until the instructor disappeared around the corner before heading back to his office.
"Where do we pay the registration fee?"
Kurenai's Mama pulled out her wallet.
Seeing this, Dai also reached into his pocket and took out some money.
"Don't worry about it. I'll cover the tuition."
"Don't be so formal with me."
Settling back behind his desk, Kawaki spoke, exuding an air of wealth.
"But how can we let you do that?"
Even though she said this, Dai put his money back into his pocket.
Besides, the Ninja Academy tuition wasn't even that high, and Dai knew there was no way he could refuse Kawaki.
It wasn't worth arguing over such a trivial sum.
"Then come by sometime and have Ginji over for dinner."
She didn't hesitate either—after all, their families were practically future in-laws.
It made perfect sense for Kawaki to cover Kurenai's tuition fee.
Being overly insistent would've actually seemed impolite.
"Sure, we can definitely share a drink with True Red then."
Kawaki readily agreed.
"Is there anything else we need to handle?"
Since Kurenai's Mama wasn't a ninja herself, she wasn't very familiar with the enrollment procedures.
"No other issues."
"The registration is done, and class assignments will happen this afternoon."
"Just show up tomorrow morning."
Kawaki was completely familiar with the process—it would've been embarrassing otherwise, seeing as he was the principal.
"Oh, got it."
Kurenai's Mama nodded thoughtfully, as if she wanted to ask something else but decided against it.
This small chapter isn't yet over—more exciting content coming up!
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – Please bookmark us:
Just as expected, she didn't need to worry about class assignments—Kawaki would definitely take care of everything.
Was there even a possibility Kakashi and Kurenai wouldn't be in the same class?
Reality turned out exactly as she'd imagined.
In the afternoon, when Kurenai's Mama came back to school, she saw the class assignment notice posted outside.
Under Instructor Suzuki's class list, she found Yūhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, and Gai Matt.
As for the rest of the students, she didn't even bother looking further.
That was more than enough!
Soon, the next day came, and Kakashi arrived early, waiting patiently outside Kawaki's office door.
Creak—
As the door swung open, Kawaki appeared right before Kakashi.
"You brat, did you really think your old uncle would be late?"
Kawaki, completely unaware, patted Kakashi's head.
"This is your breakfast."
Kakashi handed over the packed meal. If they waited for Kawaki to eat at home, they'd definitely end up late. This guy hadn't been on time to school in years.
"Thanks."
Kawaki smiled, accepting it with one hand. With his other hand, he grabbed Kakashi's little hand.
"With Uncle here, there's no way we'll be late."
The moment he finished speaking, both of them vanished from the spot.
When they reappeared, they were already inside Kawaki's office.
Truthfully, the Flying Thunder God technique was probably only second to Kamui in terms of speed.
"See? We're already at school."
Kawaki grinned proudly, settling into his office chair to begin eating breakfast.
"Uncle, you're the best."
Kakashi gave him an overly fake compliment, then turned sideways and rolled his eyes dramatically.
"I'm going to class now. Bye."
Without looking back, Kakashi walked out of the office.
Please bookmark this page: Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – (m.