Kangetsu made reform-level changes to his plan for the Ninja Academy.
For that, he specifically went to the Hokage's Office to "ask advice" from the Third Hokage.
The old man took one look and couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
Rank the teachers?
Is that really appropriate?
And he wanted to go all-in on Academy infrastructure?
And raise teachers' pay?
And hire outside instructor-ninja?
Just looking at it made the old man's teeth hurt.
Between the lines, he only saw two words:
Money.
A whole lot of money.
He was just about to advise the strapping young man to slow down—steps too big could tear you in half in the worst possible place.
The key issue was this: the village didn't have that much money to dump into the Academy.
Other departments were desperate too.
Kangetsu understood the hint immediately.
He thumped his chest and said, "My lord, I'll cover it!"
"For Konoha, what am I saving this money for if not stuff like this?"
That made the old man so happy his brain practically spun out. He grabbed the kid's hand and refused to let go as he praised him up and down.
This kid's Will of Fire was red-hot, damn it!
And besides, the kid wasn't going to sit in the principal's seat forever—once he took up a post in the Medical Department, he'd step down.
Wasn't that just tailor-made for the Third Hokage to swoop in and take the credit?
Kangetsu only smiled and nodded, saying nothing.
Take the credit?
Old man, you think it's that easy…?
All that money he'd raked in from the tobacco business was meant for things like this.
Yes.
Even the old man's debt—those 3.5 billion—was sitting right there in Kangetsu's pocket.
On the other side…
Every teacher at the Ninja Academy was practically craning their necks, waiting.
Their anticipation was maxed out.
If you had to describe it, it was basically—
Sun, sun—
\o.o/ \o.o/ \o.o/
And get this—
Mizuki, wanting to properly welcome that big shot and leave a deep, beautiful impression, even ran a rehearsal.
Jumping around and doing a whole routine.
It nearly gave Iruka secondhand embarrassment.
Seriously, man…
Is this necessary?
To his coworkers' doubts, Mizuki only had one answer.
"Oh? Our Academy's worse off than other departments, and we still get to welcome the God of Wealth—and you're not happy about it?"
The others heard that and immediately thought—
Yeah!
That… actually makes sense!
And then they started hopping around with Mizuki, too.
In the end, Mizuki's rehearsal seemed pointless.
Because the big shot didn't come today.
What showed up instead was a single notice.
Posted right in the teachers' office.
When the teachers, hearts in their throats, came to read it carefully…
It was like everyone's pupils started shaking.
What the hell!?
Teachers had ranks now?
From low to high: Level 3, Level 2, Level 1?
And above Level 1… even a Special Grade?
And positions changed too—teacher, dean of instruction?
Iruka couldn't really understand what this kind of division was supposed to mean.
But next to him, Mizuki just stood there like an idiot, frozen in place.
Then his face flushed red, and his eyes lit up like they had stars in them.
If positions had hierarchy, that meant the Academy wasn't dead water anymore—it meant there was hope for promotion.
And also…
Mizuki couldn't hold it in. He grabbed Iruka by the arm and shook him like crazy.
"Iruka! Iruka!! Look—look at the salary section!!"
That made everyone's hearts jump hard.
They immediately snapped their attention over.
Compensation—
Level-3 Teacher: 10,000 ryō per month.
Level-2 Teacher: 50,000 ryō per month.
Level-1 Teacher: 100,000 ryō per month.
Special-Grade Teacher: per month…
"Th-thirty thousand!?"
Ebisu's eyes practically bulged out of his skull.
Th-thirty thousand!?
My Will of Fire…
This is faster than robbing people at knifepoint!
In an instant—
Every teacher's eyes turned a greedy, wolfish green, like starving predators spotting a wounded rabbit.
Money!
So much money!
Stacks of crisp, white banknotes!
And then they thought about their old pay.
Four thousand ryō a month.
And the Third Hokage even delayed salaries all the time.
He'd say teachers could always take missions on the side anyway, and if they had spare houses, they could rent them out, and so on.
Gulp.
In the dead silence, nobody knew who it was, but someone couldn't help swallowing their dry throat.
In that quiet, the sound was sharp and painfully obvious.
"Ah—ah—AAAAAAAH!!"
Mizuki was young—he couldn't keep it together.
Face red, he tore off his shirt and started whipping it around.
Whipping it while roaring like he had to vent his soul.
Brothers!!
"Our Academy's got money now!
Our Academy's got money—!!"
Lord Kangetsu!
A true Qingtian Lord!!
Even Ibiki, an old hand, unconsciously clenched both fists, palms slick with sweat.
He couldn't believe it.
The God of Wealth just… throws money around like this?
My Will of Fire…
What kind of filthy-rich life does the hospital crowd live?
They'd always known those people were nouveau riche, sure—but they'd never known just how good they had it.
Now they knew.
"Thirty thousand ryō!! Just handed out like that!?"
Ebisu's voice went high with disbelief.
Our Academy… is worth that much?
"Lord Kangetsu! I'm telling you, I respect the hell out of you!"
Daikoku, also a new teacher, was so excited his face and neck went red. Copying the moves Mizuki had taught them, he threw his hands up and bounced.
On this day—
It was like he'd seen the sun.
Even Iruka was so worked up he could barely contain it.
He couldn't help yelling too, like he needed to let it all out.
Our Academy finally stands up straight, damn it!
Our kids can finally live good lives, damn it!
"Hurry! Hurry!! Tell everyone!"
"Tell your classes—tell them our Academy has money now!"
"Mizuki! Mizuki, stop yelling and get ready!"
"Ebisu! You and me, we're putting something together!"
"Daikoku! Bring out your big treasure already!"
In that moment—
The teachers were on fire.
They were teachers, sure, but first and foremost they were people.
When you were poor to the bone, keeping the Academy running at all already meant you had integrity.
Now the God of Wealth had cranked their benefits to the ceiling.
So let the God of Wealth see it!
The Academy's teachers weren't just going to take his money for nothing!
"Everybody, move!!"
Iruka used every ounce of strength he had to snap everyone back into action.
With the money in place—
Any problem the Academy had could be smashed flat!
(End of Chapter)
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