Pupet Master in Konoha

Hideki reflected for a moment, and after carefully weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he finally gave his response:

"Hokage-sama, I appreciate your offer, but I must decline..."

---

"Alright, as for the salary... wait, Hideki, did you say 'no'? Why?"

The Third Hokage suddenly reacted, a bit surprised by Hideki's choice.

Because what I, Kimura Hideki, love most is saying 'NO' to people who think they are strong!

After Hideki made a joke in his mind, he could only honestly explain on the surface:

"Because, in reality, in terms of teaching, what I can teach Asuma isn't very different from what I can teach in class or in the workshop."

"So, instead of letting Asuma attend class on his own, it would be better for him to learn and communicate with more classmates. This should yield better results."

"As for his personality, with all due respect, I believe the reason Asuma is more rebellious has to do with the special treatment he's received from those around him ever since he was a child, due to his status as the Hokage's son."

"Sometimes, it can be the result of hard work, but someone lets it slide by saying, 'He is worthy of being the Hokage-sama's son.'"

"Sometimes, it can be mediocre work, but some flatterers praise it to the heavens."

"No matter how hard you try, you can't escape the shadow of that identity."

"Over time, this child naturally developed a rebellious character, unwilling to work hard and unable to listen to criticism."

The Third Hokage couldn't help but fall silent when he heard this, feeling a bit moved in his heart.

Because, in reality, he wasn't even the first type of person Hideki mentioned...

Even when Asuma performed well, he rarely gave positive comments.

To prevent the child from becoming complacent, he often used his eldest son Shinnosuke's performance to suppress him.

Now, based on what Hideki said, was it wrong to do that?

The Third Hokage unconsciously wanted to refute, but remembering Asuma's lonely expression when he couldn't receive praise from him time and time again, the words in his mouth turned into a sigh.

It seemed that, because his eldest son, Shinnosuke, was in front of him, he unconsciously set too high standards for Asuma...

"Then Hideki, do you have any good solutions?"

The Third Hokage looked at Hideki with expectant eyes.

"The first thing is to remodel Asuma's reward and punishment concept. He needs to know that if he does well, he will be praised, and if not, he will be criticized."

Hideki said: "For this reason, it would be better for us to change Asuma's environment and try to minimize the influence of his identity as the Hokage's son."

"Hideki, it's easy for you to say, but where can we find such a place in Konoha? Do we have to send Asuma outside the village?"

At this point, the Third Hokage touched his chin and seemed to really start considering the feasibility of this plan.

Sending his foolish son out of the village to receive harsh lessons from society seemed like a good option...

However, since Hideki and Asuma had no complaints, they wouldn't deceive him like that, so he quickly remembered:

"Of course, Hokage-sama, you've forgotten—my workshop is still recruiting apprentices..."

The Third Hokage was speechless.

This kid always spares no effort in recruiting apprentices for the workshop, and now he has the idea of having Asuma join.

He couldn't help but ask:

"But Hideki, you, as an apprentice in the workshop, are still a student at the school. How is this different from the usual environment?"

"The difference is huge!"

Hideki explained with a smile: "Because the workshop has just been established, it's a completely new environment. As long as we set the tone of equal treatment from the start, the influence of identity can be greatly reduced."

"Moreover, ninjas always rely on their strength to speak for themselves."

"In the ninja school, Asuma is very talented and has always been among the best without much effort, so his identity as the Hokage's son plays a role."

"But his talent for the art of puppetry can only be described as mediocre."

"If he doesn't perform well in the workshop, the adults don't care for now. Kids, it doesn't matter if they're the Hokage's son or not."

"In the future, whether Asuma studies hard and uses his results to protect his reputation as the Hokage's son, or if he sheds the shackles of his identity and learns to see things from a new perspective, there will definitely be a great change."

After hearing Hideki's plan, the Third Hokage began to think about it again.

Although he didn't get Hideki to become a tutor, the relationship with Asuma was getting closer.

But this plan to have Asuma join the workshop didn't seem too bad either.

At least it achieved the goal of having Asuma learn the chakra-sculpting knife.

After that, depending on his situation in the workshop, they could decide whether to allow him to continue studying.

The Third Hokage also felt a bit curious about what choice Asuma would ultimately make...

Then the Third Hokage nodded after thinking for a while and said:

"Then please don't worry, Hideki."

"I'll let Asuma study in the workshop next weekend..."

But before he could finish speaking, Hideki quickly tried to dissuade him:

"Wait a moment, Hokage-sama."

"For Asuma to persist in the workshop and not give up easily, we need to make him feel that going to the workshop is his idea."

"Although the specific method depends on the situation, Hokage-sama, it would be better if you could play the devil's advocate appropriately, for example, forbidding him from coming to the workshop, maybe betting that he won't last long."

"This way, we can leverage his rebellious psychology, and it will be easier for me to carry out my later work."

The Third Hokage curled his lips when he heard this and couldn't help but feel pity for his foolish son...

Meeting such a thoughtful teacher, the future of this child might not be easy...

Seeing that the Third Hokage agreed to the plan, Hideki sighed with relief.

If the Third Hokage really wanted to dedicate much energy to teaching Asuma, it would be difficult for him to do so.

But if it was just to let Asuma join the workshop and provide psychological guidance, Hideki was still willing to help.

As for whether Asuma could shed the shackles of being the Hokage's son beforehand, that would depend on his own fate...

---

It's Thursday afternoon, puppet class.

As usual, Hideki explained the basics of puppetry to everyone, while deepening everyone's impression through novel and interesting practical demonstrations.

Once the teaching part was over, the small ninjas' emotions gradually rose.

And the reason was simple: because Pocket Puppet Beast time had arrived again...

Although the recent introduction of new toys had made everyone addicted, it still couldn't change the status of the Pocket Puppet in most kids' hearts.

On the one hand, because the gameplay of Pocket Puppet Beast is similar to that of a video game, the unique gameplay naturally causes a dimensional reduction impact on traditional toys.

On the other hand, it's because things that are rare are valuable.

So far, Pocket Puppetmon, which can only be played for a brief time in each puppetry class, naturally fascinated everyone.

But things like this can change quickly.

Because Hideki started announcing:

"I believe everyone knows that the training course registration will close next week, and the number of students will stabilize."

"So, to make it easier for everyone to practice outside of class, I will start lending out Pocket Puppet Beasts..."

Before Hideki could finish speaking, deafening cheers rang out throughout the classroom, almost lifting the roof.

Next!

I've finally waited for this day!

The faces of the small ninjas were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, and they were chatting and sharing their celebrations with classmates around them. There were endless giggles and cheers.

Hideki didn't say anything to stop the celebration, just watching the scene in front of him with a smile.

At least compared to the enthusiastic expressions of the children at the opening ceremony, their joyful appearance now seemed much more pleasant.

Although still insignificant, Hideki began to truly realize that the changes he had caused were slowly changing Konoha...

The children soon quieted down, eager to hear more specific details.

Hideki then continued:

"Of course, everyone knows that due to the limited funds of the course, Pocket Puppet Beasts aren't cheap, and it's impossible for everyone to have one."

"So I will divide them into groups at that time, and each group will be assigned a puppet beast, and we'll take turns practicing after class."

The little ninjas naturally had no objections to this.

Although it's a shame that they couldn't have their own Pocket Puppet Beast, it was still a big improvement to have more time to try it.

However, what the teacher announced next confused everyone a bit:

"Besides that, I have Hokage-sama's approval."

"In the future, there will also be some Pocket Puppets in this class, which will be available to all students after school."

"As long as you want to practice chakra control, everyone can come here to practice."

------------

My patreon Is officialy up

You can get advance chapters

Patreon(.)com/izan24

•If you join as a FREE MEMBER you'll get +3 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

•TIER 1 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

•TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

•TIER 3 you'll get ALL ADVANCE CHAPTERS

THE PAID TIER DOES'NT INCLUDE THE FREE CHAPTERS FOR EACH TIER