After spending more time with the Senju brothers, Sora discovered something unexpected.
Hashirama and Tobirama were both incredibly talkative.
They simply expressed it differently.
Hashirama was carefree about almost everything except truly important matters.
He had almost no Hokage airs, could strike up a conversation with practically anyone, and became familiar with strangers almost instantly.
Tobirama was the opposite.
Most of the time, he wore a stern expression and handled everything with meticulous seriousness.
But the moment the topic shifted to something he was genuinely interested in…
he simply wouldn’t stop talking.
During what should have been a half-hour barbecue meal, Sora spent more than two hours listening to Tobirama discuss every possible problem the future Ninja Academy might encounter.
They even drank a little along the way.
Only after Tobirama finally ran out of things to say did Sora leave Konoha.
…
The Academy’s location had already been decided.
But choosing the site was only the beginning.
Buildings had to be demolished.
New structures had to be constructed.
The Ninja Academy couldn’t be built like Sora’s seaside residence.
It needed far more space.
The buildings had to be sturdier.
Training grounds had to be included.
Civilian homes in the surrounding area had to be relocated.
Compensation had to be paid.
And there were countless other troublesome details Sora had absolutely no interest in dealing with.
So he left all of that to Tobirama and the village administration.
Meanwhile—
Sora focused on his own matters.
One month passed.
During that month, he successfully learned both techniques Tobirama had given him.
Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
And—
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
By the time the month ended, construction on the Konoha Ninja Academy was finally complete.
The Senju clan also prepared a residence for Sora near the Academy.
During that same month, Sora sparred with Hyūga Kiyoshi twice more.
Each time, the 50/50 System gave him abilities from different people.
But when the ten-minute duration ended— he retained nothing.
Not once.
That allowed Sora to confirm another detail about the system.
After repeatedly locking onto and fighting the same target— the probability of retaining an ability dropped dramatically.
Apparently, he couldn’t endlessly farm the same opponent for rewards.
The reason Sora and Kiyoshi only fought twice during the entire month was much simpler.
Kiyoshi got injured every time.
Never critically.
But not lightly either.
He needed time to recover between sessions.
Once construction on the Academy was complete, Sora officially moved back into Konoha.
…
The next morning—
Sora woke up shortly after six.
For someone who had spent the last several decades waking whenever he pleased…
this might have been the first time in years he’d voluntarily gotten out of bed so early.
He washed up.
Then prepared himself carefully.
His long silver-white hair was tied behind him with a black cloth ribbon.
Instead of his usual clothes, Sora put on a custom-made white robe with a fitted waist.
The design was extremely unusual in the shinobi world.
Almost no one dressed like this.
But to Sora, who still remembered his previous life, the style resembled the flowing robes commonly associated with the Han and Tang periods of ancient China.
Elegant.
Simple.
And, most importantly— suitable for the image of a mysterious old master.
Sora picked up his bamboo cane-sword.
Then headed toward the Academy.
…
Konoha Ninja Academy
The plaza in front of the main teaching building was already growing crowded.
Clan heads arrived one after another.
Some came with attendants.
Others brought children.
Sora stood near the entrance with his bamboo cane resting in one hand.
Outwardly— he looked perfectly calm.
Internally?
He was surprisingly excited.
These kids…
They’re going to become the backbone of Konoha’s future.
And now they’re all going to be my students.
Sora smiled faintly.
Life really is strange.
By seven o’clock, everyone had arrived.
The clan representatives stood closest to the front.
Behind them was a much larger crowd of ordinary civilians.
That was intentional.
One of the primary purposes of establishing the Ninja Academy was to create opportunities for civilian-born shinobi.
Hashirama had already issued orders that ordinary villagers were not to be prevented from attending the opening ceremony.
First came the ribbon-cutting.
Then— the Hokage’s address.
Hashirama walked to the center of the platform.
For once, his expression was solemn.
There was no speech prepared in his hands.
He simply looked out over the gathered crowd.
“Decades ago…”
“When I was still a child, I once spoke with a dear friend.”
“We dreamed of building a village here.”
“A village that belonged to us.”
Hashirama smiled faintly.
“And now…”
“that village exists.”
His expression became more serious.
“For this village…”
“For our home…”
“We fought.”
“We struggled.”
“We gave everything we had.”
“Our generation protects Konoha today.”
“The next generation will protect it after us.”
“And the generation after them will do the same.”
Hashirama slowly raised one hand.
A single leaf rested in his palm.
“This…”
“is what the Will of Fire means to me.”
He paused.
Then lifted the leaf slightly.
“Where the leaves dance…”
“the fire will continue to burn.”
“The firelight will illuminate the village.”
“And from that light…”
“new leaves will begin to grow.”
Hashirama’s gaze swept across the children and civilians before him.
“Everything we do is so that one day…”
“we can move toward something better.”
“Toward peace.”
“Toward happiness.”
He opened his hand.
The leaf lifted into the breeze.
It drifted away across the plaza.
For a few seconds— no one spoke.
Then Hashirama’s serious expression softened into his usual warm smile.
“Now…”
“I’d like to invite Konoha’s longest-lived shinobi to say a few words.”
“One of the elders I respect most.”
“The founder of the Konoha Ninja Academy.”
“And its first principal.”
Hashirama turned toward him.
“Elder Hatake Sora.”
Sora stepped forward with his bamboo cane in hand.
He climbed onto the platform and faced the crowd.
Clan shinobi.
Civilians.
Children.
Future ninja.
For a moment, he simply looked at them.
Then he spoke.
“To tell you the truth…”
“This is probably the first time in years I’ve woken up this early.”
Several people blinked.
Sora continued without the slightest embarrassment.
“My preferred life is very simple.”
“Eat until I’m full.”
“Sleep until I wake naturally.”
“When I have nothing to do, watch some television.”
“Drink tea.”
“Relax.”
A few people in the crowd began smiling.
Sora nodded.
“And for many years…”
“I’ve actually managed to live exactly that kind of happy life.”
Then his tone changed.
“But why?”
The crowd quieted.
“Why was I able to live however I wanted?”
“During the Warring States era, my family protected me.”
“After peace arrived, Konoha’s shinobi protected me.”
Sora looked across the crowd.
“The peaceful lives that sound so ordinary to us…”
“were bought with the lives of generation after generation of shinobi.”
His voice grew firmer.
“Shinobi possess authority in Konoha because they possess strength.”
“But for exactly the same reason…”
“shinobi are also Konoha’s protectors.”
“In this world, strength decides far too many things.”
“If you want to carve out your own future—”
“become stronger.”
“If you want to protect your family—”
“become stronger.”
Sora paused.
“For the first half of my life…”
“I was the one being protected.”
He smiled.
“I was fortunate to have people like you.”
“But for the second half…”
“I suppose it’s finally my turn.”
“I’ll protect this place.”
“And I’ll teach my students to protect it with me.”
Then Sora suddenly grinned.
“Fortunately…”
“I’ve also got the Hokage backing me up.”
“Hahaha!”
Sora laughed.
The heavy atmosphere immediately broke.
Many of the civilians who had been listening with serious expressions began laughing as well.
To them, Hashirama Senju wasn’t merely the Hokage.
He was practically a living legend.
A god among shinobi.
So when Sora casually said that the Hokage had his back— they believed him without hesitation.
Sora let the laughter settle.
Then he straightened.
His voice carried across the plaza.
“I hereby announce—”
“The Konoha Ninja Academy…”
“is officially established today!”
Tobirama’s eyes lit up.
“ESTABLISHED!”
The shinobi behind him immediately joined in.
“ESTABLISHED!”
The civilians were swept up in the atmosphere.
“ESTABLISHED!”
The roar spread across the Academy grounds.
Then beyond them.
For a time, the same word seemed to shake the entire center of Konoha.
“ESTABLISHED!”
“ESTABLISHED!”
The cheering continued for more than a minute before gradually dying down.
Sora raised his voice again.
“As the current principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy…”
“and, for now, its first instructor…”
“I’ll explain the first student intake.”
Everyone quieted.
“First—”
“the Elite Class.”
“Twenty students.”
“The minimum requirement is genin-level strength.”
“Second—”
“the Junior Class.”
“Thirty-eight students.”
Sora pointed toward the Academy building.
“Those who have already been accepted into the Elite Class will report to the fifth floor.”
“The Junior Class will report to the first floor.”
He looked toward the adults.
“As for the parents…”
“You can go home.”
“The next round of admissions will be announced separately.”
“That’s all.”
“Everyone else can disperse.”
With that— the opening ceremony was effectively over.
Sora turned toward Hashirama.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Want to come along?”
Hashirama raised an eyebrow.
Sora glanced toward the Academy building.
“Let’s see what these little monsters can actually do.”
Hashirama immediately smiled.
“Sure!”
Enjoying the story?
Don’t leave before the next twist.
Add it to your Collection Stay updated and be ready the moment the next chapter drops.
Collect it.
Vote for it.
And stay close—things are about to get interesting.
Thank you for reading and supporting the story.