Twenty days later, on March 28th.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, came to the Ninja Academy to make the final preparations for the start of the school year. He happened to spot Taiichi and Gai, both sweating buckets as they trained. He then asked the teachers for details about the two boys.
Such diligent youngsters. With a future generation like this, the Hidden Leaf Village will surely prosper.
The very next day, Might Gai's name appeared on the Ninja Academy bulletin board.
"Gai, congratulations! Hard work really does pay off," Taiichi said with a genuine smile.
He knew it. How could this class not include Might Gai? The Third Hokage must have seen Gai's performance and added him to the roster personally.
"Thanks, Taiichi!" Gai replied, beaming. Seeing his efforts finally yield results made him happier than anything else.
"Let's keep pushing! Today, 800 laps around the school! If we can't finish, then 800 handstand laps!"
April 1st.
Over three hundred children, aged five or six, gathered on the Ninja Academy playground. The Third Hokage stood on the podium, delivering a passionate speech about the "Will of Fire."
Don't underestimate the influence of the Will of Fire. Although the philosophy itself was vague, and despite the fact that the higher-ups preaching it sometimes acted recklessly, the Will of Fire was genuinely well-suited to the current state of the Fire Country and the Hidden Leaf Village.
Taiichi didn't look down on the Will of Fire, but he didn't buy into it either. Still, it was useful to cite it when necessary.
Compared to Taiichi, who had the perspective of two lifetimes, the largely uneducated civilians of the Fire Country and the battle-focused ninjas of the Leaf were the perfect audience for it. The well-timed morale boost and simple, easy-to-understand logic were key reasons why the Hidden Leaf surpassed the other four major ninja villages.
"Where tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew." With that passionate conclusion, the Third Hokage ended his speech.
The new students and ninjas responded with enthusiastic applause, marking the end of the opening ceremony.
Classes would officially start tomorrow. Taiichi Matsushita and Might Gai walked home together, arms around each other's shoulders. On the way, they saw an out-of-breath Obito Uchiha. As expected, he was late again.
Kakashi stopped walking and glanced sideways at Obito. "Someone who's late even for the opening ceremony..."
Obito Uchiha whipped his head around in anger. He knew it—Kakashi. Of course he'd be making snide remarks at a time like this.
Taiichi also stopped, turning back to watch the show.
Back in the day, Obito Uchiha was the coolest kid among his friends. That was until Kakashi showed up and stole all his thunder—especially when it came to Rin. Sure enough, seeing Rin look at Kakashi, Obito grew even more furious.
No wonder future Obito awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan the moment he saw Rin die. It turns out he's been hung up on Rin Nohara since he was this small.
Indeed, Obito, Rin, and Kakashi were already close playmates before entering the Academy. Unlike Taiichi, who had lived in the orphanage until recently and currently only really knew Might Gai.
"Here, take this."
Rin Nohara held out a document folder to Obito. "I knew you'd be late, so I got everything sorted out for you."
"Huh?"
Obito froze for a second, then happily took the folder. "You're the best, Rin! Thanks! I was worried sick. If it wasn't for you, Grandma would have scolded me again when I got home."
...
What a wholesome scene. Hopefully, they can cherish this moment while it lasts.
Taiichi sighed inwardly, then patted Gai on the shoulder. "Let's go."
"What's up, Taiichi? Do you know them?" Gai asked, glancing back.
" sort of. That white-haired guy is the son of the famous White Fang of the Leaf."
"I see. Looks like we have another rival."
"More than one. There are plenty of skilled kids in our year. I need to work even harder."
"That's the spirit! How about a race? Let's see who gets to your house first!"
"You're on!" With that, the two of them sprinted off.
...
When they arrived at Taiichi's new home, the house, which had been vacant for a long time, had already been cleaned up by Nono and a few of the older orphans. Surprisingly, Might Duy had also come to help with the cleaning. Normally, Duy was busy taking on missions. As a Genin supporting two Taijutsu users, he had to hustle constantly just to put food on the table.
Looking at the room, completely transformed from how it looked yesterday, Taiichi went up to Nono and took her hand. "Thanks for your hard work, Big Sister Nono!" He then turned to the others. "And everyone else, you're all staying for dinner tonight! No running off!"
"Yay! We get to taste Big Brother Taiichi's cooking again!" The little brats cheered excitedly. Taiichi's culinary skills had been honed over two lifetimes. If cooking had levels, he was at least Level 20.
"Uncle Duy, you should stay too. Try my cooking—I promise it'll be worth your while."
Might Duy, who had intended to leave after helping, stopped in his tracks. Flashing a bright, sparkling grin, he laughed, "Oho! Thanks a bunch, Taiichi! This uncle will stay and sample your cuisine!"
"Haha, wait just a moment, everyone. I'll get started right away." Taiichi headed straight for the kitchen. He had bought the ingredients early that morning after his workout. Knowing Nono would bring people to help, he had bought extra; otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough for everyone.
"I'm telling you, Big Brother Taiichi's cooking is the absolute best in the whole Leaf Village! You'll see once you try it!" one of the kids exaggerated.
"Really?!" Gai's eyes widened in surprise. "Taiichi never mentioned that!"
...
An hour later, looking at the table filled with dishes that looked, smelled, and undoubtedly tasted far superior to ordinary Japanese home cooking, Gai and Duy were stunned. Was this really made in such a short time?
"Well? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
"Ignore the brats. Uncle Duy, Gai, eat up while it's hot. It won't taste as good if it gets cold."
"Alright, let's eat!" The two clasped their hands together, picked up some food, and put it in their mouths. Instantly, tears streamed down their faces like waterfalls. "This is delicious!"
"Haha, I knew that would happen," the kid from before laughed loudly.
"Eat up! Even food can't stop your mouth. Look at everyone else—if you don't eat, there won't be any left."
"Ah! You guys have no loyalty! Why didn't you wait for me?" With that, he joined the scramble for food.
Only Nono sat aside, watching the lively scene. She ate slowly, a faint smile gracing her lips from time to time.
...
After the sumptuous lunch and the cleanup, Might Duy and Might Gai said their goodbyes and left first. Then, Taiichi walked Nono and the group of little friends to the door.
"Big Sister Nono, don't worry. I can take care of myself. Besides, you can come visit me often."
Taiichi spoke to Nono, who kept listing various things he needed to be careful about.
Nono smiled and nodded. "I believe in you. But if you run into any trouble, you must come back to the orphanage and tell me. The orphanage will always be your home, remember?"
"Yeah, I will!" Taiichi nodded solemnly.
Nono took out a notebook she had prepared earlier and handed it to Taiichi. "These are my notes on medical ninjutsu from over the years. Once you cultivate Chakra, you can try studying them. If there's anything you don't understand, come back and ask me. Consider this a housewarming gift."
Taiichi grabbed the notebook and hugged Nono around the waist, surprised and delighted. "Ah, thank you so much, Sis!"
Nono patted Taiichi's head. "From today on, Taiichi is a little adult. You can stand on your own two feet now. Do your best!"
"Mmhmm..."
Taiichi let go of Nono and watched as she and the little friends slowly walked away, disappearing from sight.
Thinking about Nono's future... she was only in her early twenties right now. There were at least ten years before her predicted death.
Ten years!
Taiichi withdrew his gaze and turned back into the room. "I must become a Jonin, or even Kage level, within these ten years. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect Nono and everyone at the orphanage."
Of course, the best solution would be to find a chance to take out Danzo. So many tragedies in the Leaf were orchestrated by that guy behind the scenes.
The opportunity would come. During the Third War, that guy would be out on missions frequently. As long as Taiichi was strong enough, killing Danzo wasn't impossible. The key was strength.
Gathering his thoughts, Taiichi took the notebook and headed to his study.