"You're not even the one becoming Hokage. And back then Tsunade refused to help you guys—so why are you so excited?"
Kyoichi couldn't help but tease.
"You don't get it. This is the first time a kunoichi becomes a Kage! I may not care about being a leader myself, but this is a historic moment—you bet I'm excited."
Konan rolled her eyes at him.
Yahiko was alive, Nagato wasn't crippled, and their lives were going far better than in the original timeline. Because of that, Konan smiled a lot more than Kyoichi remembered.
To be honest, her smile was beautiful.
Still…
Kyoichi didn't stare for long. After all, it's rude to fixate on a woman while she's eating. He wasn't shameless enough to pull a Kakashi—browsing explicit novels out in broad daylight without a care.
When the ramen arrived, he dug in immediately.
Meanwhile…
He finished quickly, but Konan was still sipping her soup slowly. When she noticed he was waiting, she blushed slightly.
"Sorry, Konoha's ramen is just too good!"
"Teuchi's cooking is top-tier—can't find many like him in all of Konoha."
"Hahaha, Kyoichi, you're too kind. If you like it, just come more often. Next time, I'll make you something different."
Teuchi chuckled as he stirred the pot, clearly not disputing the praise.
When it came to ramen, he had confidence. Even his younger brother couldn't hold a candle to him.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it,"
Konan replied quickly, deeply grateful.
No wonder Kyoichi liked to come here—the food was delicious and affordable. She was already starting to feel addicted.
It was a pity…
There wasn't a single ramen shop in Amegakure.
She glanced out the window, a trace of longing in her gaze. The skies over Konoha were blue and clear, the breeze gentle, the rain falling just enough—not like Amegakure, where it rained every day.
Once they stepped out of the shop, Kyoichi finally asked,
"How's Jiraiya doing lately?"
"We just ran into him by chance—he didn't stay in the Land of Rain for long," Konan replied.
"By chance? Heh, you believe that? That guy may be thick-skinned, but he's also ridiculously awkward when it comes to expressing his feelings."
Kyoichi snorted.
Before leaving the village, the guy even dragged him out for drinks, whining that he couldn't bring himself to see them. And what happened?
He went anyway—and called it a coincidence.
Konan pressed her lips together in a faint smile, her face tinged with nostalgia. After a moment, she said,
"Sensei just isn't good with words. But we understand."
"What's he working on now?"
"He's… writing a book. He's gone through tons of drafts, still can't settle on an opening. Mm… he told me it's going to be a hot-blooded story about how perseverance and hard work lead to success."
Konan smiled faintly.
Clearly, Jiraiya's endless rewriting had made quite an impression on her.
And no doubt…
He must be losing his mind.
Kyoichi thought for a second, then couldn't help but mutter,
"He's not exactly the best candidate to write a story about perseverance leading to success. He should go with something a little more… artistic."
"Artistic? Sensei doesn't seem to know much about that. But he does always say he got to where he is purely through hard work and persistence."
Konan looked at Kyoichi, puzzled.
Didn't he get along well with her teacher? Why did he sound like he was roasting Jiraiya the same way people roasted Orochimaru?
"Well, according to Tsunade, he once tried summoning without knowing what he was doing and reverse-summoned himself into Mount Myōboku. That's where he trained like crazy and became what he is now."
Kyoichi paused, then added,
"How is that pure hard work and persistence?"
"Uh… Sensei never mentioned that. What's Mount Myōboku?"
"One of the Three Great Sage Grounds. Each one has its own Sage Arts tradition."
Kyoichi gave her a brief explanation.
Konan fell silent.
That kind of luck…
You couldn't chalk it up to effort and persistence alone. Her impression of Jiraiya wavered a bit—just a little hero-worship chipped away.
"To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of that kind of luck," Kyoichi said. "Then again, I've been pretty lucky too. My family inherited a good number of Senju tomes through my grandmother. I've learned a lot from those. And I guess my bloodline isn't bad either."
He shrugged as he spoke.
Konan's eye twitched.
This guy…
He's so strong, you forget he's only seventeen or eighteen. Not even twenty yet—and younger than her.
So mature…
And yet sometimes the things he says make you want to punch him.
Too bad…
She couldn't beat him.
Even more frustrating!
She walked silently ahead.
"I'm not saying perseverance and hard work don't matter," Kyoichi said seriously after his humblebrag ended. "I'm just telling you—success always has deeper reasons behind it. Hard work and persistence alone aren't the full picture."
"What do you mean?"
Konan still didn't quite get it.
"Let me show you around a bit. You'll understand better once we walk and talk."
Kyoichi didn't explain further.
He hadn't expected Konan to take an interest in education, but now that she had, he was happy to share what he could—especially since he'd already picked up a few useful techniques from her group.
He led Konan out of the village.
At first, Konan was puzzled.
But soon, she saw a rather… striking sight.
A line of people in green uniforms, running on their hands.
What on earth…
What kind of training is this?
"Taijutsu drills…"
Was this necessary?
"Effort and persistence are qualities everyone can have. But even with those, success isn't guaranteed. You still need to go in the right direction."
She frowned.
"So all these people… are they the most suited for taijutsu?"
Konan was a little curious.
"Not everything, but taijutsu is the foundation of all. Being strong in it is never a bad thing. And once someone reaches a certain level, I advise some of them to shift their focus back to ninjutsu training."
Kyoichi explained.
Konan nodded thoughtfully. A sheet of paper fluttered out, and she took out a brush and began writing swiftly. When she finished, the papers flew back into her sleeve.
Origami Technique— far too convenient.
"Effort and perseverance are essential, but beyond that, a teacher has to guide students based on their individual strengths. That's what you're saying, right?"
"Exactly..."
Konan spoke as she wrote.
When she finished, she glanced over at the group of green-clad kids shouting in unison things like, 'Handstand for two hundred rounds! Fail and do it again!'—though the rest was too garbled to catch.
But...
It was clearly a bizarre, extreme training method pushing them to their limits.
She was inwardly shocked.
This kind of training couldn't just be called effort—it was madness.
"Let me tell you something: they're training in a very special taijutsu. In the end, besides the one leading them, most of them probably won't master it."
"Because of talent?"
"Because of focus. He's extremely focused. Honestly, he could study ninjutsu too. His talent isn't that bad. But aside from the Three Basic Techniques, he doesn't know anything else yet."
Summoning? That would come later.
As of now, Guy only knew the Three Techniques—
Or more accurately, only Body Flicker Technique.
Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu were both abysmal—barely functional.
Konan fell silent.
There were shortcuts in ninjutsu. If a jōnin broke things down and gave enough guidance and training, mastering a nature transformation wasn't too hard.
But...
There were no shortcuts in taijutsu.
To grow stronger meant sweat, blood, and pain. That's why true taijutsu masters were so rare. This thick-browed, green-clad boy could resist temptation and stay focused on physical training—that was truly remarkable.
Not talent, yet even better than talent.
She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Konoha is already so strong, and yet so many here still train relentlessly, carving out their own path even when there isn't one.
And Amegakure…
So weak, and still waiting for someone else to come save them.
That mindset was all wrong.
"You seem to have had a realization."
Because—
Kyoichi had just heard the system's notification sound.
"Yeah, I think I understand now how Konoha managed to face off against so many nations during the war. You're powerful, but you still strive to improve. The village atmosphere is positive and progressive. As for Amegakure… it's hard to even talk about it."
Konan sighed.
Kyoichi understood.
That kind of situation—was utter stagnation.
Even before he "introduced" Yahiko to Hanzō, the man had already given up. If the leader was like that, what could you expect of the rest?
When the top rots, the rot trickles down. How could the atmosphere possibly be good?
"You've already grasped the importance of atmosphere. So when you return, your first priority is to change it. Gather a group of motivated, ambitious students, give them enough resources, and nurture them into role models."
Kyoichi said.
A fast-track vs. regular-class system—it didn't matter if it had been "sold" before. As long as it worked, it was worth sharing.
Villages like Amegakure were the perfect place for it.
"Concentrate resources..."
"Right. Right now you're helping build a new village system through education, so having a group of elite students is far more important than having a larger group of slightly-stronger genin."
"I've never thought about it that way, but now that you mention it… it really does make sense."
Konan quickly wrote everything down.
This was crucial!
Thank goodness her teacher had suggested she come to Konoha—and that Kyoichi just happened to be "selling" his instructional courses. Otherwise, how could she have gotten so much guidance?
Of course...
She knew very well Kyoichi wouldn't go into this much detail for just anyone. He hadn't even charged Yahiko when teaching him—or when helping him build ties with Sunagakure.
He wasn't a greedy man. The money was just to follow the village's administrative rules.
Konan felt deeply grateful.
She noted everything down and was about to ask more, when Kyoichi stretched and said—
"That's it for today. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Academy for some hands-on work. You'll pick out a few students and take charge of them for a bit, get a feel for it."
"U-Uh… isn't that a bit much?"
Konan stammered.
A teacher?
She wasn't ready for that!
"It's not too much. You're at least on the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin—that's more than enough to teach them. Be confident. You won't learn everything just by talking and listening. Some things, you have to experience for yourself."
"I… I understand. Then I'll be in your care."
"It's no trouble at all..."
They were short on teachers anyway.
They hadn't been, originally—but with the latest batch of new students just admitted, and many chūnin busy clearing accumulated missions or caught up in the buzz around the next Hokage, there were inevitable staffing gaps.
Konan, realizing she'd be teaching tomorrow, felt her hands turn cold from nerves. She walked alongside Kyoichi for a while before it hit her—
Why was she still following him?
Kyoichi was heading home. Was she… planning to stay at his place?
Konan's cheeks flushed faintly. "Kyoichi, I won't keep bothering you. I'll go back and think about what I'll teach tomorrow."
"You have a place to stay? If it's a hotel, you might want to come to my place instead. The inns will probably be packed right now. I've got plenty of empty rooms, and you'll likely be staying here for quite a while, right?"
"Umm..."
"Tsunade-nee and her niece live there, and there's also an orphan she adopted. Their space is separate from mine."
"That's not what I meant…"
"Then come on."
Kyoichi didn't give her a chance to refuse—because they had actually already arrived.
He knocked on the door, and Shizune quickly came to open it.
"Kyoichi-sama… and this is?"
"Konan. Sent by Amegakure to study and train in Konoha. She'll be staying with us for now."
"Understood. I'll prepare a room immediately."
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Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell