The Yamanaka clan had returned. Moving the entire clan would take some time, but in about a month, they could reach the Land of Whirlpools.
Ren understood why, in the original story, no one had joined the Land of Whirlpools.
At that time, Uzumaki only considered themselves as part of the nation and refused outsiders.
But Ren's nation accepted the Hyuga clan, and other ninja clans naturally saw that Ren could accept them too.
It was only natural that they began to approach Ren. Later, even more ninja clans would join the Land of Whirlpools.
The next day was the opening day of the Ninja Academy. The children of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans all arrived at the school.
The school had been built using Earth Release, though Ren had actually wanted to use wood. He planned to ask Hashirama to help build it sometime.
The parents of the Uzumaki and Hyuga children naturally came as well. They had heard about the Ninja Academy for the first time and wanted to see it in person.
"Hello, everyone," Ren greeted the children with a bright, sunny smile.
"Hello, Lord Ren!" The Uzumaki children, being Ren's little fans, were the first to cheer.
"Hello to you all too. There are sixty-three children here today. This is the early stage of the Ninja Academy. You all know a bit about the Three Basic Ninjutsu, right?" Ren looked at the Hyuga children.
"Yes," a little Hyuga girl raised her hand to answer.
"What's your name, little one?" Ren crouched down to meet her at eye level.
The girl gained courage and said boldly, "My name is Yuko."
"Yuko, what a lovely name. Here, this is for you." Ren handed her a candy.
The girl happily took it, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, showing a satisfied expression.
"Everyone who speaks up will get a reward," Ren said with a smile.
"Lord Ren, that's not fair! We all spoke, why don't we get treats?" The Uzumaki children protested a little.
"Oh, my mistake," Ren said and immediately handed candy to the Uzumaki children.
From then on, the Hyuga children started speaking one by one. Soon, all the children were getting to know each other, and Ren had become friends with all of them.
Hyuga Akie naturally watched the scene with a determined look.
The other parents slowly relaxed. Being ordinary villagers of the Uzumaki and Hyuga nation, they wanted to see what the Ninja Academy was really like.
An hour later, after everyone had gotten to know each other a bit, Ren sat in the middle of the children, who formed a circle around him.
Red-haired and black-haired kids sat alternately, holding hands, clearly arranged by Ren.
"Everyone, who knows the Three Basic Ninjutsu?"
A boy from the Uzumaki clan and a boy from the Hyuga clan proudly stood up.
Seeing the other children look at them with admiration, they couldn't help but feel happy.
"Very good. Today, we'll start by teaching the Three Basic Ninjutsu. You two," Ren said, looking at the two boys who had stood up, "will have a mock battle first. You are only allowed to use Taijutsu and the Three Basic Ninjutsu. If anyone uses their clan's jutsu, they lose."
The two boys hurried to the center of the circle, forming opposing seals, and the battle began.
Since they couldn't use their clan jutsu, their fight was a bit clumsy. But to the children who had never seen jutsu before, it looked quite impressive.
Cheered on by the little girls, the boys grew more and more excited. In the end, the Uzumaki boy couldn't help but use a jutsu taught in the Uzumaki clan.
The Hyuga boy, however, stayed calm and used the Substitution Jutsu to dodge.
"Stop. Form the reconciliation seal, winner Hyuga Tadakatsu," Ren immediately said.
"Hmph, I'll surpass you," the Uzumaki boy said, unwilling to admit defeat. He formed the reconciliation seal and returned to his spot.
"Everyone, don't underestimate the Three Basic Ninjutsu. Next, I and your sister Akie will demonstrate it for you," Ren said, signaling Akie to come forward.
Hearing Ren, Hyuga Akie grew excited and instantly appeared in the arena using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Brother Ren."
"Sister Akie."
Their supporters were the Uzumaki and Hyuga children. But Hyuga Yuko was cheering for Ren.
"Akie, let's begin." Ren formed the opposing seal.
Hyuga Akie started fighting alongside Ren. Like the children, they only used the Three Basic Ninjutsu and simple Taijutsu.
However, their fight was far more entertaining to watch. To let the children see clearly, they slowed their movements considerably.
Other parents, seeing this, immediately planned to bring their children to study here.
This was Ren personally teaching ninjutsu—what better resource could there be?
Ren, meanwhile, explained the key points of the Three Basic Ninjutsu while fighting Akie, letting the children clearly understand the purpose and meaning of the technique.
After the lesson, Ren taught the children his own chakra refining method, which was easier to master than the techniques of the two great ninja clans and even more effective.
The technique was called the Whirlpool Refining Technique.
Next came the division into three-person teams.
Naturally, members of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans were mixed together.
After the teams got familiar with each other, they played a series of interactive mini-games to build relationships, marking the end of the day's lessons.
Ren also established courses at the Ninja Academy on ninjutsu, history, and ethics, shaping the children's values from a young age.
The history lessons focused on the founding of the Land of Whirlpools, tracing the path from ninja clans to a nation, giving the children a sense of collective pride and belonging.
At the end of the first day, the teachers who were set to guide the lessons observed the entire process and got a preliminary understanding of how to conduct the teaching.
Naturally, Ren would continue teaching over the next few days, while only loosely overseeing the development of the Land of Whirlpools for now.
The children attending the Ninja Academy were also very happy. Some made friends and boasted about it at home.
After observing Ren's teaching, the core members of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans also decided to send their children to the Ninja Academy.
There was no doubt—Ren's approach had been a success.
"Thank you for your hard work," Hyuga Akie said, approaching Ren.
"You worked hard too," Ren replied with a smile.
"Well… about that day… let's just forget it happened," Akie finally said, retreating. She had been with Ren for over ten months and knew how fearful it was to even risk losing sight of him.
"Forget it? That actually makes me a little uneasy," Ren said softly with a smile.
Akie closed her eyes, her heart racing, nervous as she waited for his response.
"Shall we… try being together?"
Akie's eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Ren as if she had misheard him.
"You don't accept?"
"Of course, I accept." Akie nodded quickly, as if afraid Ren would change his mind.
"Good. Then, let's be together. But since the Land of Whirlpools needs development, I might not have much time to spend with you." Ren reached out his hand.
"It's okay." Akie grabbed it tightly, not letting go even though her hands were sweating. This was the first time she had held Ren's hand so openly.
When they returned home, Akie's tone was light, her heart still fluttering. Akisuke noticed and asked, "Sister, are you two together?"
"Huh? Is it that obvious?" Akie replied, blushing.
"It's written all over your face." Akisuke said, but he was happy for her.
"Hehe, I'm skipping my bath tonight." Akie looked at the hand she was holding and smiled dreamily.
"Hey, sister." Akisuke sighed. This love-struck brain of yours…
Ren, on the other hand, remained calm. Although he had never dated before, the memories of many worlds supported him.
He wasn't particularly excited, only now had someone he needed to be responsible for.
**********
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