Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 52 A New Course That Caused a Sensation in Konoha

A little boy in the audience had unconsciously clenched his fists.

He looked at the man's back on the platform, his azure eyes gleaming.

I felt something inside me being ignited.

Even after the course ended, the children remained deeply moved and unable to process what had happened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at them and smiled with satisfaction.

A seed called "independent personality and free thought" has already taken root and sprouted in the hearts of these future Konoha residents.

Just as he was about to turn and leave.

"Please...please wait a moment! Lord Hokage!"

A clear and firm voice came from below the stage.

It's that little boy.

He mustered the greatest courage of his life, ran out of the ranks, and looked up at the Hokage on the high platform.

"Lord Hokage, I want to ask... how can we attain the kind of resolve you speak of?"

This question also reflects the sentiments of all children.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the golden light that would illuminate the entire ninja world in the future, his smile grew even gentler.

Instead of answering directly, he pointed to the three-story library of the ninja academy not far away.

"The answer is right there."

"Let's start by understanding the land beneath our feet and the world around us."

"I hereby announce that, starting tomorrow, the Ninja Academy will officially add two compulsory courses—"

"Geography and History of the Ninja World"

"And, 'Basic Logic'."

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At the opening ceremony of the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen Sarutobi personally announced the addition of two unprecedented compulsory courses: "Geography and History of the Ninja World" and "Basic Logic".

The news spread like wildfire throughout Konoha, causing quite a stir.

The villagers' reactions were mostly curious and supportive.

"A lesson personally ordered by the Hokage? It can't be wrong!"

"Geography and history? Logic? That sounds interesting. If only I had been born a few years later, I would have gone to listen to it too."

"What is logic? Is it a new kind of ninjutsu?"

However, unlike the widespread discussion among the public, the higher-ups in Konoha fell into a collective silence after a brief moment of astonishment.

Hokage's Advisor's Office.

Koharu and Homura, sitting side by side, stared at each other, at the new curriculum outline personally drafted by the Hokage.

"Yan, what do you think?"

Xiaochun rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and carefully looked at the contents of the outline: "Geography of the Ninja World: Through studying the geography, landforms, resource distribution, and customs of major and minor countries, students will develop strategic vision and intelligence analysis skills..."

"The History of the Ninja World: Using the establishment of Konoha as a timeline, it objectively recounts major historical events such as the Warring States period and the First Shinobi World War, cultivating students' sense of historical mission and appreciation for peace..."

"Basic Logic: Through learning basic logical methods such as induction, deduction, and falsification, this course cultivates students' independent thinking and judgment abilities..."

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

"Hiruzen... he wants to fundamentally open up the minds of us Konoha ninja."

Mitokado Homura's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible shock, "He doesn't want to simply train weapons that only know how to execute orders; he wants to train ninjas with independent thought and a broad perspective."

"But... will this even work?"

Xiaochun, who had switched dorm rooms, was still somewhat puzzled.

"I don't know either."

Mitokado Homura shook his head. "But... I always feel that the future Hiruzen saw might be different from the future we see. Every step he took was incomprehensible, but in the end, he always proved to be right."

"Let's go, Xiaochun."

Mitokado Homura closed the outline. "Tomorrow, Hiruzen will be teaching the first class. Let's go and sit in."

Within the Hyuga clan's territory.

Several elders from the branch families sat around the current head of the Hyuga clan's branch family, looking worried.

"Chief, isn't it a bit... hasty to let our children waste their precious cultivation time on those things?"

"Hyuga Ao, this is good too. Think about your silly son."

"Well, that makes some sense."

The head of the Hyuga branch family sat in the main seat, his face ashen, and remained silent.

"Let's see how it goes."

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "The Hokage's actions are always unfathomable. Perhaps... he has a deeper meaning behind what he did."

Similar dialogues also took place in various clans such as the Uchiha, Aburame, and Inuzuka.

Most of the older generation of ninjas adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards these new courses.