Naruto: Teaching to Become Stronger, Changing Tragedies 115

Chapter 115: Promotion to Upper Ninja (Three-in-One 6k Chapter)

2025-01-18

Chapter 115: Promotion to Upper Ninja (Three-in-One 6k Chapter)

“What do you all think of the summer training camp Mukuya organized?” After reviewing the tests, Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his goatee, and asked the Middle-Ranked Ninja teachers who came to observe with a chuckle.

“It’s amazing! The students improved more in this month-plus of training than they would in a whole semester of regular classes.” Iketani Yu exclaimed.

His praise wasn’t entirely due to his good relationship with Mukuya; he genuinely felt Mukuya’s training camp was exceptionally effective. He was the homeroom teacher of Year Four, Class Two, and had students in all three groups (A, B, and C). Recalling the students’ abilities before the training camp, he felt incredulous. Ordinary students like Nakamori Goichi improved to “good,” while already competent students became “excellent.” Every single student showed improvement.

“It seems very suitable for fourth-year students about to graduate. If we held more similar training camps, our Konoha Genin would become much more excellent,” Kimura Sugato pondered.

Improving the Genin’s strength had a significant implication: it allowed them to quickly qualify for higher-paying missions. Considering the Genin’s strength, to ensure safer training, newly graduated Genin were usually limited to menial tasks like picking up trash, catching cats, and weeding. If the quality of Genin improved, this restriction could be relaxed.

Higher-reward missions were more difficult; tackling difficult missions provided more training, creating a positive feedback loop and accelerating the overall training speed.

Even Nara Shikaku, who previously held a different opinion of Mukuya, changed his perspective, praising Mukuya’s outstanding teaching skills. The results spoke for themselves; anyone with eyes could see Mukuya’s achievements over the past month.

“I just did my best to teach. The students’ progress is due to their own hard work,” Mukuya said with a gentle smile.

“The training camp was much more tiring than regular school. Students spent eight hours a day just on cultivation alone. It wasn’t easy for them to persevere,” Mukuya sighed.

Mukuya didn’t take all the credit for the students’ progress; instead, he praised their efforts. On one hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the teachers had already seen his achievements and offered ample praise, so self-praise wasn’t necessary. On the other hand, the students truly worked hard; his classes weren’t like P.E. classes in his previous life, where a bit of exercise led to free time to wander around.

Teaching skills only made it easier for students to absorb what he taught, not some kind of strength enhancer. If students didn’t study or put in the effort, even teaching skills wouldn’t help.

“Regardless, Mukuya, you’ve given me a huge surprise. The students’ improvement is real, I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a beaming smile.

“Your summer training camp has set an excellent example and provides a new direction for improving the strength of graduating Genin.”

“Given Mukuya’s strong teaching abilities, outstanding performance, and dedication…I hereby promote him to Special Upper Ninja!” Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Mukuya with a chuckle.

Sarutobi Hiruzen handed a scroll to Mukuya, patted him on the shoulder with a kind smile, and said:

“Upper Ninja Mukuya, I hope you will continue to work hard and cultivate the next generation for Konoha. Konoha’s future rests on you young people.”

Promotion to Special Upper Ninja was something Sarutobi Hiruzen had initially agreed upon with Mukuya. As long as Mukuya could achieve results with the summer training camp, he would be promoted.

Actually, when Mukuya submitted the results to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage had already decided to promote him. He had prepared everything in advance; as long as there were no problems, he would promote Mukuya on the spot.

Becoming an Upper Ninja, especially a Special Upper Ninja, was difficult. One had to complete numerous missions, accumulate merit, possess exceptional talents, and extraordinary strength. But it could also be simple. If Sarutobi Hiruzen wished it, he could directly promote a Genin to Upper Ninja. As someone who had been Hokage for decades, he had the ultimate authority, and no one would question his decision. However, to maintain Konoha’s credibility and the value of the Upper Ninja rank, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn’t arbitrarily promote ninjas.

“Thank you, Third Hokage-sama, for your trust. I will dedicate all my energy to teaching students and cultivating stronger ninjas for Konoha,” Mukuya said, emotionally receiving the scroll with both hands.

While inwardly feeling nothing special, he had to express gratitude with so many people present.

“Upper Ninja…” Iketani Yu’s eyes widened, looking at Mukuya with envy.

Even a Special Upper Ninja was a high-ranking ninja, able to participate in Upper Ninja meetings to discuss important matters. The Ninja Academy had only two Upper Ninjas among its teachers; the head of the teacher’s group was an Upper Ninja, and the deputy head was a Special Upper Ninja. The rest, including the Grade Director and Office Director, were Middle-Ranked Ninjas.

Seeing Mukuya, who was several years younger and had only recently become a Ninja Academy teacher, become a Special Upper Ninja filled Iketani Yu with envy. If he were a Special Upper Ninja, pursuing girls would be much easier, he thought.

“Promoted so quickly…” Ueda Aya was also surprised. Although she knew Mukuya’s teaching skills would eventually lead to a promotion, she didn’t expect it to happen so soon. On second thought, it was reasonable. He had produced outstanding results with Year One, Class One, and created a summer training camp to boost the strength of graduating students.

The Middle-Ranked Ninja teachers looked at Mukuya with envious eyes. However, it was only envy; Mukuya’s achievements were real, and they had no confidence in achieving the same results.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded inwardly after seeing Mukuya and the other Middle-Ranked Ninjas’ expressions. Directly promoting Mukuya to Special Upper Ninja would not only make Mukuya grateful but also make other Middle-Ranked Ninjas believe that the Third Hokage valued talent and ability, thus encouraging them to work harder in teaching to seek promotion. It was a win-win situation that required minimal preparation.

“Hey, what are the students doing over there?” a teacher curiously asked.

“My Shadow Clones must have finished compiling and announcing the results. The final assessment will compare the final scores with the initial group test scores to allow students to see their progress more clearly,” Mukuya explained with a smile.

Except for the special Group A, Groups B and C maintained the standard grading scale from beginning to end.

“Let’s go see the students’ progress,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said, leading the teachers over.

Mukuya followed Sarutobi Hiruzen with a genuine smile. Unlike his initial grateful expression, this smile was heartfelt. However, it wasn’t because of the Special Upper Ninja position, but because he received system rewards, even more than he expected.

[Under your guidance, students participating in the summer training camp have improved in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, resulting in an overall strength increase.]

[Reward obtained: Chakra +800, Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll, Combination Ninjutsu (Proficient)]

The rewards from the summer training camp were all incredibly useful. Chakra was always welcome, no matter how much he got. The Ninjutsu Proficiency Scroll could be used for further refinement of existing Ninjutsu or for high-level Ninjutsu, while Combination Ninjutsu would allow him to further improve his output capabilities with his extensive Ninjutsu knowledge.

The rewards didn’t stop there. Mukuya continued reading the system notifications:

[Disciple Uchiha Shisui diligently trained and achieved perfect scores in the summer training camp. Reward obtained: Chakra +200]

[Disciple Uchiha Obito diligently trained and achieved excellent scores in the summer training camp. Reward obtained: Chakra +150]

[Disciple Might Guy diligently trained and achieved excellent scores in the summer training camp. Reward obtained: Chakra +150]

Another 500 Chakra.

Looking at the exam results, Mukuya could only say that the system’s bugs were indeed difficult to exploit. His guess was half right and half wrong. His own exams did trigger system rewards, but there were unknown triggering conditions. Perhaps it was the interval between exams or the strength the students gained during the exams. Mukuya couldn’t determine the exact factor.

However, since there were rewards, exams were still worth conducting. However, frequent testing to repeatedly trigger rewards wouldn’t work.

With a direct increase of 1300 Chakra, increasing his Chakra by half a small unit, Mukuya was truly happy.

Mukuya opened his status panel to check his latest attributes.

[Name: Hayu Mukuya]

[Chakra: 15300]

Mukuya’s total Chakra had now reached six small units.

He could only say that the summer training camp was incredibly successful. He had prepared for a decrease in Chakra growth after the holiday, but the actual increase from the summer training camp exceeded his expectations, even surpassing his rate of increase during school. In just over a month, his Chakra had increased by 3250 points, excluding rewards from cultivation tasks, and he hadn’t even counted the benefits of obtaining Ninjutsu.

The increased Chakra consisted of various components: the largest portion came from the overall improvement and exam results. The rest came from class rewards, student return, student-to-teacher Chakra return, and Mukuya’s natural Chakra increase, which had also risen this month.

Chakra is a combination of physical and spiritual energy. Since mastering the Stone Breathing technique (proficient), Mukuya’s physique has been slowly strengthening, resulting in a higher rate of natural Chakra growth.

Mukuya estimated that he might break the 20,000 Chakra mark before the end of the next semester.

“Your improvement is amazing! You went from twelve points to twenty-three points!”

“Hehe, yours isn’t bad either! Fifteen points to twenty-five points!”

When Mukuya and the others arrived, the students were happily discussing their progress with their classmates. The data-based comparison clearly showed their improvement, causing the teachers to exclaim once again.

After reviewing the scores, Mukuya gathered the students for a final speech.

“Are you satisfied with your improvement?” Mukuya asked with a smile.

“Yes!”

“I didn’t expect to improve so much in five weeks…”

“Teacher Mukuya, you’re amazing! I never thought improving strength could be so easy!”

The students responded to Mukuya’s question, their expressions varying but the meaning consistent: satisfaction.

“It seems everyone is satisfied with their improvement. However, I want to emphasize that this improvement is primarily due to your own hard work. Continue your efforts, and you will all become excellent ninjas,” Mukuya said with a serious expression.

This was perhaps his greatest kindness towards his students in the past month. It wasn’t to improve their favorability to increase training efficiency, or to obtain upgrade rewards by encouraging them to train harder, but purely out of hope that these children would strengthen themselves and survive future battles.

Mukuya, having been in this world for less than five months, didn’t feel a sense of belonging to Konoha. He only wanted to grow stronger to remove the curse mark from his body. However, he felt that anyone with a modern education wouldn’t be able to watch ten-year-old children fight on the battlefield without being moved.

The error-free version is available on 6X9X book bar! The first release of this novel is on 6X9 book bar.

69 book bar read.

Unfortunately, Mukuya himself was in a precarious situation, focusing on developing his strength while worrying about Danzo discovering something. Even if he felt sorry for the children, he couldn’t do anything about it.

With Sarutobi Hiruzen, his superior, present, Mukuya smartly invited him to give a speech after finishing his own.

“Before I came here today, I was somewhat worried, but seeing the progress you children have made, I’m relieved,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a kind smile.

“Seeing the new generation of the village working so hard, I’m very pleased. The efforts and sacrifices of our predecessors were not in vain; the village is thriving.”

As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen uttered the famous Will of Fire motto:

“Where Konoha’s leaves dance, the fire will also burn eternally. The light will continue to illuminate the village, allowing new leaves to sprout.”

“You are the new leaves of Konoha. There is nothing more joyful than witnessing your growth,” the Third Hokage said, holding his pipe in his right hand and his left hand behind his back, a smile on his face.

Mukuya stood behind the Third Hokage, facing the students with a gentle smile. He remembered a phrase: At eighteen, standing like a nobody.

After the Third Hokage’s speech, it was time for dismissal. However, the students didn’t disperse immediately; instead, they stopped Mukuya, blindfolded him, and said they had a surprise for him.

After checking the surroundings with Sensory Ninjutsu, Mukuya allowed the students to lead him.

“Ta-da! A huge five-tier cake!”

With Beniko’s energetic voice, the blindfold was removed from Mukuya’s eyes, revealing the students surrounding him, with a gigantic cake almost as tall as him in front. Eighteen kunai-shaped sweets adorned the top, along with countless small candles.

“Teacher Mukuya, thank you for your guidance this past month!” the students said in unison.

Among these over three hundred students, over half were not very familiar with Mukuya before the training camp. Some had only taken one of his classes, while others only knew his reputation. But during the month they spent with him, they came to adore this highly skilled and gentle teacher.

When the groups were initially formed, many students were disappointed with Mukuya, thinking he was the type of teacher who would treat students differently based on their grades, neglecting the weaker and average students.

But they soon realized they were wrong. The grouping wasn’t to favor high-achieving students, but for more effective teaching arrangements.

Although Group A mostly consisted of the best students from each class, Mukuya didn’t favor them. A Shadow Clone oversaw each group, while the original Mukuya rotated among the three groups, ensuring fair attention.

Every student received guidance from the real Mukuya. Even if they didn’t ask questions, Mukuya would approach them if he noticed any need for assistance.

Mukuya could accurately recall every student’s name instead of simply addressing them as “you” or “that one.”

Mukuya said the students were hard-working, but they knew he worked even harder. While they trained, Mukuya taught. During their breaks, Mukuya rarely rested, using the time to explain cultivation-related theories.

They were only training individually, while Mukuya not only rotated among the three groups but also created three Shadow Clones to fill in for his absence, effectively doing the work of four people.

High-achieving students might not feel it as deeply, but average and low-achieving students, who seldom received attention from other teachers, truly felt Mukuya’s warmth.

They received the attention from the renowned teacher that they lacked with ordinary teachers, a delightful surprise.

This became a significant motivator for many students. They couldn’t disappoint such a wonderful teacher.

“The cake was bought with everyone’s pooled money. The eighteen kunai are because Teacher Mukuya is eighteen this year. There are 359 candles in total; each of us lit one…” Obito excitedly explained the students’ intentions.

Looking at the innocent smiles surrounding him, Mukuya’s eyes flickered, and his heart was touched. Students this age were pure; if you treated them well, they would return the kindness, even if they didn’t know the intentions behind it.

“When I have the ability, I should do what I can,” Mukuya thought.

Even though this world was rotten, there were still many lovely people.

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness. You’ve all gone to a lot of trouble,” Mukuya said with a bright, warm smile.

“It’s not a trouble, if Teacher Mukuya would become the homeroom teacher of Year Four, Class Six, it wouldn’t be a trouble at all,” Yamanaka Inoichi chuckled.

“Yes, Teacher Mukuya, please be the homeroom teacher of Year Four, Class Three! That way we can be taught by you more often.”

“Year One, Class One too!”

Year Four, Class Two’s students smiled without speaking. They believed that as long as Iketani Yu was there, Teacher Mukuya would practically be their instructor.

“No, no, absolutely not! Teacher Mukuya can only be the homeroom teacher of Year One, Class One!” Beniko guarded Mukuya, warily eyeing the surrounding students.

“Let’s share the cake together. If I eat this whole cake alone, you might never see your Teacher Mukuya again,” Mukuya said with a relaxed smile.

Hearing Mukuya’s words, the students temporarily ceased their dispute over his allegiance and began taking slices of cake. Mukuya, finding it too slow to do it alone, created several Shadow Clones to help cut the cake.

“The only thing the old man did right this year was inviting Teacher Mukuya to be our tutor,” Nara Shikaku thought while eating cake.

Due to the varying financial situations of the students, those with more money contributed more; those with less contributed less or offered assistance. Shikaku contributed most of his savings, more than anyone else.

They then chatted while eating cake, sharing funny stories from their training.

“Hyuga Neji, I have great news for you,” Ebisu said excitedly to Neji.

“What is it?” Ebisu asked gloomily; he still didn’t understand why he was criticized.

“Your reputation as a genius has reached the Hokage!” Ebisu replied.

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter