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

Chapter 53 Open Mind

The next day, at the Ninja Academy, the newly built lecture hall by Zang, the head of infrastructure, was packed to capacity.

The first lesson, "Geography and History of the Ninja World," was taught by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.

This news caused a sensation throughout the entire ninja academy.

Not only freshmen, but also many senior students, and even some ninjas on vacation, secretly ran outside the classroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Hokage's lecture.

Even the two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, came to the school to audit the classes because they were worried about her.

The classroom was packed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't bring any teaching materials; he simply stood in front of a huge map of the ninja world.

"Class, let's look at this map."

He picked up a long stick and pointed it at the center of the map, at the green area.

"This is the land beneath our feet, the Land of Fire."

"You see, it is located in the center of the entire continent, with the mildest climate, the most fertile land, and the richest resources. Therefore, our Konoha is the wealthiest of the five great ninja villages."

Then, he moved his long pole to the vast yellow area in the southwest corner.

"This is the Land of Wind. Vast deserts, scarce resources, and a harsh environment. Therefore, in order to survive, they must expand outwards and seize our resources. This is one of the root causes of the ongoing conflicts between us and Sunagakure."

His long pole pointed again towards the rocky mountains in the northwest corner.

"The land of earth is mountainous and difficult to access, but it is rich in minerals. Its people are as stubborn and resilient as the rocks beneath their feet."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't recount those tedious years and events.

In the most intuitive way, it closely links geography, resources, and climate with each country's character, national policies, and the causes of war.

He recounted how Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha navigated this vast land, ultimately choosing the Land of Fire, a place blessed with favorable feng shui, to establish Konoha.

How did the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, gradually grow stronger by utilizing the village's advantages?

History is no longer just cold words on a scroll.

It turned into a magnificent, strategic, and intellectually stimulating simulation.

The children in the audience listened with rapt attention.

It turns out that battles are not just a clash of ninjutsu and taijutsu, but also a contest between nations over geography and resources.

He felt as if a door to a new world was slowly opening for him.

Inside the classroom, Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.

"Hiruzen... he's teaching them... how to become a Kage," Mitokado Homura muttered to himself.

He finally understood.

Hizan didn't create this course to make these kids geographers at all.

He is cultivating their sense of the big picture.

To allow future Konoha ninjas to understand the world and contemplate war and peace from a higher perspective from the very beginning.

This game is far too big.

The second section, "Basic Logic," is equally excellent.

The teacher who gave the lesson was Nara Shikanobu, the current head of the Nara clan.

Of course, this was also "invited" by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Class, let's look at a case study."

Nara Shika yawned lazily and drew a simple scene on the blackboard.

"We found a set of footprints in the forest, pointing east. Can we then conclude that the enemy went east?"

"Yes!" Most of the children answered without hesitation.

"wrong."

Nara Kaguya shook his head. "That's just one possibility."

"The enemy may have really gone east. But it's also possible that he deliberately left false traces and actually went west. Or perhaps he didn't leave at all and is hiding in a nearby tree, waiting for us to catch up and then ambushing us from behind."

"A footprint can tell us a lot of information. But it can also be a carefully laid trap by the enemy. What a good ninja does is not to draw a conclusion immediately, but to find all the possibilities, and then eliminate them one by one based on more information, so as to find the only truth."

"This is logic."

Nara Shikazuchi uses vivid and interesting ninja examples to teach children how to think logically effectively, how to distinguish between true and false information, and how not to be misled by appearances.

This novel teaching method greatly stimulated the students' enthusiasm for learning.

For the first time, they discovered that thinking itself is a powerful weapon.

The course has ended.

However, the entire ninja academy was plunged into a passionate learning atmosphere because of these two new courses.

The children no longer just compete in physical skills and ninjutsu on the playground, as they used to.

They began to gather in small groups in the library, around the huge map of the ninja world, arguing about where the next great war was most likely to break out.

They started by setting logical traps for each other during training, competing to see whose trap was more ingenious.

A seed called "wisdom" is taking root and sprouting wildly in the hearts of Konoha's next generation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the top floor of the Hokage Building, looking at all this, a gratified smile on his face.

He knew that he was doing something greater than winning any war.

It is fundamentally changing the future of Konoha.

And these seedlings, which he personally nurtured, will surely grow into towering trees that can shelter the leaves from the wind and rain in the near future.