One by one, the students introduced themselves until it was Konan's turn. She stood and smiled gently. "My name's Konan. Charlie Sensei, The lord, brought me back from the Land of Rain. If it weren't for Lord Charlie, I might have starved there. I want to repay Charlie Sensei. War is terrible, and I hope the Land of Grass never has to suffer through it."
Next came Nagato. "I'm Nagato Uzumaki, also brought back by Charlie Sensei. Like Konan, I want to protect my homeland and repay the teacher."
Then Yahiko stood confidently. "Yahiko here, also from the Land of Rain! I'm going to become a strong shinobi!"
After all the introductions, Eiichi smiled warmly as he looked at the three kids from the Land of Grass. He thought about the Uzumaki clan and how truly remarkable their leader was.
Picking up the textbook, he said, "We still have some time left, so let's get started with morning reading. Listen carefully." He winked. "These materials were personally put together by The lord you all look up to, so be sure to study hard."
Opening the book, he read aloud, "When others do wrong, don't answer with hate. Answer with strength. Show mercy to the kind, and justice to the cruel…"
The children followed obediently, repeating the lines after him in unison.
The cheerful sound of their voices filled the newly built Academy. But beneath the academy, an old man with a pipe tucked behind his ear slowly lifted his head, watching the faint dust drifting down.
After a long pause, a low, weary voice echoed through the cave. "Damn it… Is this ever going to end?"
Deep underground, Madara sat silently among a group of White Zetsu, all of them staring up at the ceiling. Just a few days ago, he had thought the construction above was finally complete and that he could finally get some peaceful rest. But now, to his frustration, they had opened a shinobi academy right above him!
Opening an academy was one thing, but who in their right mind started yelling and making noise so early in the morning? Even Tobirama's shinobi academy didn't begin classes this early!
What was all this commotion at dawn? What exactly were they learning? Could he even get any sleep down here?
Madara took the intelligence reports the White Zetsu had gathered. The papers detailed the class schedule for the Land of Grass Academy: classes starting early in the morning and continuing through the afternoon, four periods before lunch, three after.
The schedule included morning reading sessions and exercises, covering a variety of subjects, some not even related to ninjutsu.
"Moral education?" Madara muttered in disbelief. "What's that supposed to be? shinobis should focus on shinobi skills!" He burned the papers to ash and muttered, "Looks like the Land of Grass isn't much different from the others."
But when he saw the morning reading lasted only half an hour, he sighed and decided to stop worrying. He needed to rest, deep, deep sleep, to conserve his energy until the right moment came.
After calculating the time in his mind, about half an hour later, a sharp ringing sound echoed, "Ding ling ling", signaling the end of the session. Madara hoped the noise wouldn't continue.
He looked at the White Zetsu around him and said calmly, "I will continue my slumber. You all carry out the plans I assigned. Keep watching the shinobi world, gather intelligence, monitor my eyes, and be ready to awaken my eyes," he instructed.
Awakening the eyes of the Uchiha clan required intense emotional turmoil. Even his Rinnegan, a power normally seen only in the Sage of Six Paths, needed that! Hearing Madara's words, the White Zetsu second-in-command scratched his head, puzzled.
"But Lord Madara, that kid has already become the apprentice of the Land of Grass's Daimyou. Should we deal with him now?"
"The Land of Grass's Daimyou?" Madara's brow furrowed at the name. After all, all the recent changes in the Land of Grass were connected to this person.
Still, it was a small country, a minor shinobi village, hardly someone Madara considered a real threat. His mind was focused solely on that bastard Hashirama.
After a moment's thought, he said, "If he doesn't get in our way, then let him be. Keep a close watch on him and nurture that kid's connections. When the time's right, make him suffer. Show him that this world is broken." Slowly closing his eyes, his voice softened, "I'm going to sleep now..."
But before he could finish,
"Zzzzz~"
A sharp, strange sound cut through the air, followed by a loud announcement. Madara's eyes snapped open. Before he could react,
"Respected teachers, dear students! From today, the Land of Kusa shinobi Academy officially opens! I'm honored to be the principal, teacher, and student of this very first class...!"
The booming voice echoed through the floor, causing the entire cave to tremble. Madara froze for a moment, then quickly regained his usual calm, battle-hardened expression. He fell silent and listened carefully to the genuine, heartfelt speech.
Passionate! Powerful! Who knew how long it went on? As if nothing had happened, Madara quietly turned his head to the White Zetsu beside him, who was awkwardly grinning, and said flatly, "Let that guy... become the kid's connection."
'Is this ever going to end?'
'Can I just get some sleep for once?!'
...
"Maybe the Land of Grass isn't perfect yet, and there are problems everywhere! But after surviving the harsh winter of destruction, it's been rebuilt once more!"
"So everyone must believe that spring will come, and the bitter winter will pass! We will welcome a beautiful life again!"
"In these tough and important times, everyone must grit their teeth, push through hardships, and never forget the spirit of the Land of Grass!"
"Persistence! Struggle!"
"Never give up!" Charlie's voice rang out, filled with determination. "Let's embrace this new life together, become the proud successors of the Land of Grass, grow side by side, strengthen our minds, build a beautiful homeland, and develop our country!"
His passion grew with every word. "Let's work hard, look forward to the future, and each contribute to building the Land of Grass!" Raising his fist, he urged, "Become the strong pillars holding up this land!"
As he finished, warm applause erupted from the children below. Their necks craned eagerly, faces flushed with excitement. Seeing their enthusiasm, Charlie passed the microphone to the teacher acting as the host.
Although the Second Great shinobi War had just ended and technology was still limited compared to later times, Charlie had managed to rig up speakers and microphones with his unique skills. Unbeknownst to him, Madara had taken notice of his speech and was now preparing to cultivate Charlie into a valuable person for the one that hold his eyes.
Watching the lively kids return to their classes, Charlie smiled and nodded with satisfaction. 'This is the future of the Land of Grass,' he thought.