Pupet Master in Konoha

Effort! Struggle!

Since the announcement of the points system, the Ninja School had been engulfed in a fervent atmosphere.

Whether they were top students, average students, or the struggling ones, every student was now like a donkey chasing a carrot, heads down, buried in their studies, hoping to perform well in class and earn points as a reward.

Although most of the children had not yet accumulated enough points to redeem their desired rewards, the teachers at the Ninja School had already begun to benefit greatly...

Aside from a few specialized teachers like Hideki, most of the teachers were only at the Chunin level.

Therefore, when faced with ninja students from prestigious clans, it was often difficult for these teachers to assert their authority.

Those ninja students, as long as they survived, were almost guaranteed to become Special Jonin or higher, so they often looked down on these teachers.

Not paying attention in class had been the norm, and causing no trouble was considered polite.

However, with the introduction of the points system, this situation began to change dramatically.

Now, no matter how dull the lesson, the students would sit up straight, fully engaged and paying attention.

Whenever a teacher asked a question, the entire classroom would erupt into a forest of raised hands.

The teachers, now endowed with the power to award ten points per class, had gained newfound respect, becoming like Santa Claus in the eyes of the students.

Even the most unruly child would force a smile when looking into their eyes.

Yet, the teachers remained cautious.

Just like Cinderella's transformation, their newfound popularity would vanish instantly once all their points were used up...

This looming sense of transience became a wake-up call for the teachers.

In order to earn their students' lasting respect, they began to exchange teaching methods, collaborate, and share experiences with each other.

This positive development was a pleasant surprise for Hideki, who began to wonder whether he should implement a teacher-specific reward system to encourage further growth.

As time passed, the influence of the points system spread far beyond the school, reaching the entire village without anyone realizing it.

Thanks to the efforts of a certain puppetry teacher, the points exchange list quickly spread throughout Konoha.

Endorsed by the Hokage, the credibility of the exchange list among the villagers became nearly unquestionable.

Much like the shopping rankings in Hideki's past life, many villagers who were too lazy to think critically began treating the list as a shopping guide.

Since these products were tied to the names of various Jonin and even the Hokage, villagers who had never encountered advertising before felt an inexplicable sense of trust in the quality of the items.

Moreover, the young ninjas from various clans had spread their favorable impressions of these ninja clans throughout the village through gossip.

Although this goodwill was small, it was enough to make people lean toward shopping at these stores.

Eventually, as more and more villagers participated, this behavior became a trend that couldn't be ignored.

Naturally, the ninja clans were the first to recognize the changes and felt fortunate for their decision.

To make sure everyone knew they were supporting the Ninja School, they put up identical flags at their stores that read:

[Official Partner of Ninja School]

The reason the flags were exactly the same was that even the flags were delivered to their stores by Minato himself before the points system was officially announced.

This only served to highlight Minato's foresight...

Meanwhile, those ninja clans that had previously turned down Minato's invitation were now jealous.

It wasn't a big deal if the larger ninja clans dominated certain industries. But the small clans with competitors regretted their decisions when they saw their shops left deserted.

The most shocking realization came when they understood something extraordinary.

Even those clans making huge profits had barely spent anything.

Don't be deceived by the wide array of items on the reward list, which seemed expensive at first glance.

In reality, unless a student was extremely poor, no one would redeem rewards that could easily be bought with money.

Even when redeemed, it barely made a dent compared to the current profits.

So this wasn't a reward exchange—it was clearly an advertisement flyer with the best value for money!

As for the so-called Jonin guidance, it sounded impressive.

But when considered closely, the ninja school students didn't need to learn anything too advanced. Just providing them with basic but useful knowledge was enough to meet the requirement. There was no harm in that.

Therefore, the ninjas hadn't actually invested much at all. They not only promoted their products but also won the favor of the villagers.

Was this fair?

Naturally, those ninja clan leaders who had been stingy before were now eager to jump on the bandwagon.

They all expressed their willingness to contribute to the development of the Ninja School and wanted to join the points system.

Of course, their main goal was to add their products to the redemption list, with higher redemption costs than their peers.

It was a clever plan, but unfortunately, they encountered a major problem at this moment.

Minato Namikaze and Hideki Kimura, who were in charge of the project, were nowhere to be found, despite the villagers' best efforts to search the entire village...

---

While the ninjas were desperately searching the streets for them, the elusive Minato and Hideki were hiding by a small river in the forest near the orphanage, leisurely fishing.

"Hideki, things are going just as you expected," Minato remarked, his tone slightly amused.

"Kushina has been visited by someone, so the shadow clone I left there can only be removed by me."

"But maybe we should head back. It feels wrong to let them go to so much trouble searching for us."

"Although Kushina just asked me to come back in a few days, so they can worry for a little longer..."

Hideki, who had been carefully reading a scroll on the enchantment technique, smiled and said:

"I think Kushina's suggestion makes a lot of sense."

"We need to teach these old, stubborn people a lesson so that our school reform will proceed more smoothly in the future."

Minato, recalling their attitude when he had visited the clans before, could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

He then said with a touch of nostalgia, "But I never expected this small points system to have such a big impact."

Hideki grinned. "The key isn't the points system, but the countless ordinary villagers living in Konoha."

"These clan leaders are still holding onto outdated ideas. They don't realize that as Konoha grows, more and more villagers have come to call it home, and they've become a force to be reckoned with."

"As long as we remain on their side and unite their power, we'll be unstoppable."

Minato nodded in agreement, feeling the weight of Hideki's words. He was about to continue discussing the topic when suddenly, the sound of water splashing interrupted him. He glanced downstream with a strange expression.

"Hideki, your training method is really unique. Is there really no problem?" Minato asked.

Hideki followed Minato's gaze and saw a strange machine downstream.

The machine was fixed to the riverbank and resembled a large fishing rod.

Just then, the machine's wheel began to turn, pulling the submerged rope to the surface.

However, there was no fish or hook at the end—just a soaking wet fish hanging upside down.

After spitting out a large mouthful of water, Obito begged for mercy in a wailing voice:

"Teacher Hideki, please spare my life! If you keep this up, someone's going to die!"

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