Inside the Shimura clan's main compound, Kizaru sat in the private study of his residence. A white coat hung over the back of his chair.
With one leg crossed over the other, he held a novel whose illustrations were far more stimulating than its actual contents. Without taking his eyes off the page, he lifted the coffee pot with his free hand and refilled his empty cup.
Tomorrow marked the beginning of the new term at the Ninja Academy, as well as the entrance ceremony for the incoming students.
Since this was his final day of vacation, Kizaru had chosen to spend it quietly at home, reading.
Creak...
A harsh sound came from the hallway before the closed wooden door slowly swung open.
A small tanuki padded into the room.
"Kizaru, I want to leave this place. I'm going back to the desert."
The book in Kizaru's hand lowered slightly, revealing the brown-tinted sunglasses resting on his face.
"Ooh... did you lose again?"
"Lose?!" Shukaku snapped. "The great Shukaku was merely defeated temporarily!"
He folded his paws across his chest and hurriedly began making excuses.
"Konoha's temperature doesn't suit me! The ground is terrible, and the air is far too humid. Naturally, all of that affected my performance!"
"Shukaku..." Kizaru drawled. "Have you ever played football?"
"Football? The great Shukaku has no interest in childish games like that!"
Kizaru slowly turned another page.
"So... what exactly do you need from me?"
He had no intention of allowing the final day of his vacation to slip away because of Shukaku's rambling.
"I already told you! I want to leave this place!"
Annoyed by Kizaru's indifferent attitude, Shukaku leaped onto the desk and raised both paws in protest.
Kizaru gave a slow nod, glanced at him, then lifted his cup and took an unhurried sip of coffee.
"Tell me the truth."
He deliberately lowered his voice, making his tone sound slightly more severe.
"Why are you being so mean?"
Shukaku lowered his paws and hugged them against his chest, grumbling under his breath.
When Kizaru placed his cup down and continued staring at him, Shukaku finally bowed his head, released a long sigh, and sat on the desk.
"That stinking fox and that tomato brat are too strong when they fight together. I want revenge. I asked Matatabi, and Matatabi said you were the only one who could help me."
Kizaru closed the novel and set it aside. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands over his crossed legs.
"Why didn't you come to me earlier?"
"Matatabi said you were busy and told me not to disturb you."
Kizaru nodded, accepting the explanation.
"And how would you like me to help?"
"Come with me and beat them up!"
Shukaku's spirits immediately returned. He thrust one paw forward and swung it fiercely through the air.
Kizaru slowly shook his head.
"Ooh... that won't do."
"Damn it!"
The paw Shukaku had raised dropped at once, and he glared at Kizaru unhappily.
"However..." Kizaru continued, drawing out the word, "there may be another way for you to defeat the Nine-Tails."
"What is it?!"
Shukaku's eyes lit up again.
"Go to school. Enroll in the Ninja Academy, choose a partner, and train them."
"Will that really be enough?"
Shukaku regarded him suspiciously.
"Who knows? You won't find out without trying." A faint smile appeared on Kizaru's face. "The Nine-Tails may be powerful, but it was still sealed by a shinobi."
At that moment, Kizaru looked remarkably like a suspicious old man trying to deceive an innocent child.
Shukaku placed his right paw against his chin while supporting it with his left and began to think seriously.
What Kizaru said did seem reasonable.
"Can that Ninja Academy really teach me how to defeat the Nine-Tails?"
"The Academy will only teach you the fundamentals."
"Then what use is that? I already know all that!"
"Your Wind Release and Magnet Release were developed entirely through instinct and natural talent," Kizaru explained. "You've never learned ninjutsu through a proper shinobi training system. At the Academy, you'll be able to study the complete foundations of ninjutsu."
He paused before continuing.
"Once you graduate, I'll arrange a suitable teacher for you—someone who can teach you how to defeat the Nine-Tails."
Shukaku struck his left paw with his right.
For the sake of defeating that irritating fox, he decided to trust his good friend Kizaru.
"Fine! I'll listen to you. I'll attend the Ninja Academy!"
Kizaru nodded with a satisfied smile.
He was genuinely curious to see how powerful a tailed beast could become after receiving a complete shinobi education.
How interesting.
At eight o'clock the following morning, Kizaru woke unusually early.
Today was the entrance ceremony for the new students. As the principal, he was still expected to arrive on time.
Kizaru attached considerable importance to this year's incoming class. For one thing, they were the first students admitted since he had taken over as principal. More importantly, the overall quality of the class was exceptionally high.
Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, Xia, and Nono Yakushi were all among this year's new students.
Each of them possessed tremendous potential.
With the proper guidance, they would become exceptionally useful talents in the future.
Kizaru put on the suit Keiko had ironed for him, slipped on his brown-tinted sunglasses, ate a simple breakfast, and left the compound.
At his request, this year's entrance ceremony had been kept as simple as possible. Kizaru had little patience for drawn-out procedures and empty formalities.
The only portion expected to take any considerable amount of time was the Hokage's address, which was estimated to last between thirty and forty minutes.
Fortunately, as the principal, Kizaru could sit at the rear of the stage rather than stand among the students and listen to the entire speech.
With that in mind, he did not attempt to alter the schedule.
By the time Kizaru arrived at the Ninja Academy, the venue had already been prepared, and the students had gathered.
After entrusting the ceremony's proceedings to Hizashi Hyūga, who was responsible for hosting the event, Kizaru walked directly to the chairs behind the raised platform and calmly took his seat.
At exactly eight-thirty, the entrance ceremony began.
At nine o'clock, Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped onto the platform in his Hokage robes and began his address.
At nine-fifteen, a compact ball of sand flew out from among the new students and shot toward the platform, narrowly passing Hiruzen.
The students stared in astonishment.
The teachers descended into panic.
Hiruzen stood frozen in confusion.
Meanwhile, Shukaku—whom Kizaru had temporarily enrolled in the first-year elite class—threw back his head and burst into triumphant laughter.
"Gehahaha! Get down from there, you stinking old man! The great Shukaku is tired of listening to you!"
At nine-seventeen, Kizaru dragged the still-protesting Shukaku away from the ceremony.
At nine-twenty-five, Hiruzen hastily concluded his speech, which had been thoroughly disrupted, and walked off the platform.
At nine-thirty, the entrance ceremony officially ended. Under the supervision of their respective homeroom teachers, the new students returned to their classrooms.
At nine-forty, Hiruzen Sarutobi—still in the prime of his life—dragged Shukaku outside the village and gave him a thorough beating.
Although Shukaku appeared frightened on the outside, he remained completely unrepentant within.
At exactly ten o'clock, Kizaru carried the thoroughly battered and visibly weakened Shukaku into the first-year elite classroom. Still smiling pleasantly, he handed the tanuki over to the homeroom teacher.
"Ooh... what an interesting morning."
Now seated behind the desk in the principal's office, Kizaru smiled as he spoke to Uchiha Fugaku, who had only recently assumed his position as Kizaru's assistant.
"Kizaru..." Fugaku began cautiously. "Isn't it too dangerous to leave a tailed beast inside the Academy?"
Merely thinking about the situation sent a chill down his spine.
There were already two tailed beasts inside the Academy, along with a jinchūriki.
At this point, the Ninja Academy might very well have become the strongest—and most dangerous—place in all of Konoha.
"Don't worry," Kizaru replied lazily. "I'll have Matatabi keep an eye on him."
That only makes me even more worried!
Fugaku desperately wanted to say those words aloud.
However, considering that he had only just taken the position, he ultimately forced himself to remain silent.
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