Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 237: First Steps

In this world, there are countless people dissatisfied with their current circumstances—but very few who have the power to change them. Compared to most, Mizuki could be considered quite fortunate. Born in Konoha, a village where ninja education was widespread, and possessing an innate talent for becoming a shinobi—those were blessings countless ordinary people could only dream of.

Here in the Hidden Mist, Mizuki was a figure others looked up to. Especially in the eyes of the students of the Mist's Ninja Academy, Mizuki was probably the most admirable figure they had ever seen—second only to the Mizukage herself. The golden nameplate of "Konoha" still carried undeniable prestige, and to be a jōnin recognized within Konoha meant a whole different level of skill and reputation compared to some so-called jōnin outside the village, many of whom had titles but not the strength to back them up. In any of the Five Great Nations, a true jōnin was a rare and awe-inspiring figure.

As a temporary aid to the Mist, Mizuki had spent plenty of time interacting with these children. Unlike Konoha, where children of a certain age would automatically be tested for their potential and enrolled in the academy, the Mist had only recently implemented such a system. As a result, many aspiring young ninja had shown up to try their luck—leading to a rather chaotic situation. Many of the students were technically overage. In Mizuki's eyes, some of them were about the same age as Naruto's cohort of genin—but in terms of skill, they were still just starting out.

Though Mizuki's official role in this collaboration was mostly ceremonial, the Mist had requested advice on how Konoha ran its academy. Occasionally, Mizuki would offer valuable suggestions.

Like now—for example. Despite the severe shortage of teachers in the academy, Mizuki had recommended dividing the students into three class levels based on age, ranging from six to twelve. Since the academy was newly established, there was no way to sort students by year or ability. This age-based separation was a compromise solution.

Older students had more mature minds and learned basic skills more quickly. In the beginning, they held a clear advantage. Younger students, by contrast, were physically and mentally behind and were easily left in the dust. But they clearly had more long-term potential. Putting these groups together was not only inappropriate—it was unfair.

Taking this into account, the Mist quickly redeployed several ninjas to join the teaching force. Following Mizuki's proposal, they began differentiated instruction based on age.

"Jōnin Mizuki, I must say—Konoha's ninja education is truly impressive. So many small things we used to overlook have turned out to be incredibly useful," said a sharp-eyed chūnin from the Mist, making small talk with Mizuki.

This man was Kanryū, whom Mizuki had met before. If not for Mizuki's reincarnation, they might've been very similar in temperament. Kanryū had a rather ordinary appearance, and in it, Mizuki saw glimpses of his past self—perhaps that's why he felt an unexpected sense of kinship. When the Mist expanded its teaching staff, Kanryū had been assigned to work alongside Mizuki, leading to more interaction between the two.

"No need to flatter me," Mizuki replied casually. "It's just some basic groundwork. Compared to the chaos before, it's just a little more organized now."

"You're right about that," Kanryū said, glancing at the youngest class doing basic exercises in the field. "Look at these little ones—it's kind of enviable. We never had such opportunities when we were kids."

Mizuki smiled in agreement. "The Fifth Mizukage is a good leader. Watching these children reminds me of my own academy days. Just like Konoha kids—full of life. Youth really is a wonderful thing."

"This vitality is thanks to you, Mizuki-sensei. Without your help, things wouldn't be so bright."

Just two days ago, many of these younger children had been thoroughly discouraged after losing repeatedly to older students. The frustration weighed heavily on them. When inexperienced teachers ignored these differences and failed to correct the imbalance, the younger kids began to consider giving up.

But after Mizuki's intervention and structural reforms, they regained their confidence. They were no longer seen as the "useless stragglers" of the class. Competing within their own age group gave them a sense of achievement, and it eliminated the misplaced superiority of older students. Now, instead of being a group of kids forced into ninja training, they were a group of students genuinely dreaming of becoming great shinobi.

Looking at the change that had come from a few simple actions, Mizuki began to feel optimistic about the Hidden Mist's future. The village's eagerness to grow and change gave him hope.

"This is about as much as we can do for now. It's not something that can be transformed overnight. Going forward, we'll need much deeper cooperation to make real progress."

"We understand," Kanryū nodded. "To be honest, even we, the new teachers, are nervous. Teaching this many kids is exhausting—even though they're just children."

Mizuki chuckled. "Actually, it's because they're kids that they're harder to deal with."

"Exactly!" Kanryū laughed heartily. "Mizuki-sensei, you really get it. It's only been two days and we're already losing our minds."

As they chatted, a stir erupted near the training ground entrance. Leading the group was none other than Mizukage Terumi Mei, walking side by side with Hatake Kakashi. Following them were two Anbu guards, six Konoha genin, and the familiar figure of Chōjūrō.

Mizuki glanced toward them—and then suddenly noticed something that made his eyes narrow slightly.

"That's the Hiramekarei…? They already gave one of the Seven Ninja Swords to Chōjūrō?"

Had this been planned from the start—or was it a reward for Chōjūrō's repeated victories over Konoha genin?

With most of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen either dead or defected, the Hidden Mist desperately needed new talents to uphold their legacy. Each replacement was precious beyond measure.

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