Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Tuesday morning.

Qiu Shui had no classes, so he went to the office to prepare the lesson content for Class 1 of Grade 4 for next week.

He had just sat down when a gentle voice came from the office doorway.

"Master Shusui, the Third Hokage requests your presence."

Qiu Shui looked up and saw the Chunin teacher who had come to deliver the message last time standing by the door frame with a smile on his face.

"Okay." Qiu Shui stood up and nodded gently.

The eyes of the other teachers in the office all fell on him.

Fujino Daikuma, Murata Koji, Matsumoto Mie, and others all showed expressions of envy on their faces.

Having been summoned by the Hokage two months after joining the company, it's clear how highly the Third Hokage values ​​Shusui; his future is limitless.

Shui Mu sat in the corner, head down.

His face turned very pale.

He gripped the pen so tightly it creaked, his knuckles turning white.

Oh shit.

He cursed inwardly.

Is the Third Hokage out of his mind?

Even though his fifth-grade class is ranked first in the grade, why doesn't anyone call him?

Why is it always Qiu Shui?

Qiushui walked out of the office and headed down the corridor toward the Hokage's office building.

He began to wonder why Hiruzen Sarutobi had summoned him this time.

The big promise Hiruzen Sarutobi made to him last month was that he would only receive the reward if he maintained the same performance for three consecutive months.

Could it be that he decided to pay upfront because Class 1 of Grade 4 performed better than last month?

Or is there something else going on?

"Teacher Akisui, your teaching methods are truly amazing," Iwasaki Shin said kindly as he walked beside him, his tone carrying just the right amount of enthusiasm.

When he came to deliver the message last time, he didn't have much of an impression of Qiu Shui, the new teacher.

At the time, he thought that Shusui might have some kind of background to be able to be personally summoned by the Third Hokage.

After returning home, he conducted a special investigation and found that Qiu Shui's resume was extremely simple.

He was just an ordinary Chunin, with no illustrious family background or powerful backing.

At the time, Iwasaki Shin thought that Shusui was probably just lucky.

After all, the third-grade class he taught had consistently maintained its first-place position throughout the entire third grade, with an average score of over eighty points, a full five points higher than Qiu Shui's seventy-five points last month.

But this month, he saw the latest performance statistics.

The average score of Class 1, Grade 4, which Qiu Shui taught, soared to 85 points, five points higher than the class he taught.

Actually, grades themselves are not the most important thing.

Importantly, Shusui, a new teacher who had only been on the job for two months, was personally summoned by the Third Hokage for two consecutive months.

Having served as a teacher in Konoha for so many years, Iwasaki Shin had long since developed a keen eye for people. As a shrewd person, he knew perfectly well that Shusui's position would definitely not be low in the future.

Instead of waiting until the other person becomes successful before trying to build a relationship, it's better to establish a good one now.

He understood this principle better than anyone: it's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade.

"I'm just a newcomer, and I still need to learn a lot from you, my senior," Qiu Shui replied humbly.

"Haha, Mr. Akisui is too modest." Iwasaki Shin was quite pleased, and his smile became even more sincere. "My name is Iwasaki Shin, and I'm the grade leader for the third year. If you're free, Mr. Akisui, you're welcome to come to my office, have a chat, exchange teaching methods, and learn from each other."

"Okay, I'll definitely ask you for your teaching experience when I have time," Qiu Shui readily agreed.

He didn't know the intricate thoughts in Iwasaki Shin's mind, but intuitively, he felt that this person probably didn't have any ill intentions towards him.

If the other party takes the initiative to be friendly, he doesn't need to refuse with a cold face.

It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy, especially since Iwasaki Shin has much more seniority at school than him, and he might actually need Iwasaki Shin's help in the future.

"Mr. Akisui, we've arrived." Iwasaki Shin stopped in front of the principal's office, turned around, and his smile remained warm. "I'll be going now. Please come again when you have time."

"Thank you for your help, Professor Iwasaki," Akisui said politely, bowing slightly.

"It's my duty, no trouble at all." Iwasaki Shin waved his hand and turned to leave.

Qiu Shui pushed open the door and went inside.

The office was filled with a faint smell of tobacco.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting behind his desk, holding a document in his hand, his eyes intently scanning it, his pipe sitting on a stand beside him, emitting faint wisps of smoke.

"Lord Hokage." Shusui stopped and respectfully greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Shusui, did it affect your morning lesson preparation?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, looking up.

"No, the lessons I prepare every day are for the next day," Qiu Shui answered truthfully.

"I was already quite satisfied with the results of Class 1, Grade 4 last time." Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the documents in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and praised without reservation, "But this time I was even more surprised. The average score of all subjects reached 85 points. It seems that you really have a talent for teaching and nurturing students."

According to Hiruzen Sarutobi, students who score below 80 can only be considered below average, barely passable; only those who score above 80 can be considered relatively outstanding talents.

Qiu Shui led the class for only two months, and managed to raise the average score of the third-to-last class in the grade to 85 points. This ability is not something that just any teacher possesses.

"Although I have some credit, it was mainly the students' own hard work," Qiushui pondered for a moment before continuing unhurriedly, "and the rewards given by the Hokage gave me even greater motivation."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile deepened.

He has seen all sorts of people in his life.

He had seen far too many people who spoke of lofty ideals and constantly talked about sacrificing everything for the village.

On the contrary, Qiu Shui's honest, unpretentious, and straightforward personality made him particularly pleasing to the eye.

Do not take credit for others' work, do not shirk responsibility, and do not hide your own efforts. Be open, honest, and clean.

"Since you've put it that way," Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, leaning back with a hint of amusement in his voice, "your Class 4-1 performed so well this time, wouldn't it be a bit unfair if I didn't give you a reward?"

"Lord Hokage, what I said just now wasn't about wanting a reward," Qiu Shui quickly explained. "I was already very satisfied with the fact that you let me be promoted ahead of schedule last time."

"I've always been fair in my rewards and punishments." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "Besides, you yourself said that rewards will give you more motivation, so you should give them even more."

"Since the Hokage has said so, it would be a waste of his kindness if I refused," Qiu Shui said earnestly.

"What kind of reward do you want? Money? Ninjutsu? Or something else?" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, leaned forward, crossed his hands on the table, and looked directly at Shusui.

"Ninjutsu," Qiushui said.

Money is important, but he doesn't usually spend much money.

He lives and eats in the village, so his daily expenses are not high. Moreover, the novel he writes brings in a considerable income every month, enough for him to live comfortably.

Right now, what he has in abundance is money, but the source of the ninjutsu rewarded by the system needs a reasonable explanation.

Although he could say that he had awakened his bloodline limit, he would reveal as little as possible.

After all, Danzo, that old bastard, loved nothing more than searching the whole village for all sorts of talented people with potential, then locking them up in his Root organization, turning them into emotionless pawns.

If possible, it's best to avoid exposing your information.

"You can choose any ninjutsu you like." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "I'm heading back to the Hokage Building now. If you don't have classes this morning, you can come with me."

In his view, Shusui was just a Chunin with limited strength.

Even if such advanced ninjutsu were placed right in front of him, he couldn't take it away, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to learn it.

At most, I can only pick a B-rank ninjutsu.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I don't have class this morning," Qiushui replied.

He was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to be so generous, letting him choose whatever he wanted.

Next, Shusui followed behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, heading towards the Hokage Building.

The midday sun shone on the village streets, and every now and then, passing ninjas or villagers would stop and bow to the Third Hokage, their gazes involuntarily falling on Shusui who was following behind.

Those gazes contained envy, curiosity, and undisguised surprise.

Who is this young man?

Why are you following behind the Hokage?

He even personally led her away?

Qiu Shui's expression remained unchanged, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and he followed steadily behind, showing no sign of restraint or pride.

After entering the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned a Chunin and instructed him to take Shusui to the ninjutsu storage room.

The Chunin was in his early thirties, with a square face, and looked like a meticulous person.

"This bookshelf has A-rank ninjutsu, this one has B-rank ninjutsu, and this one has C-rank ninjutsu." The Chunin walked into the ninjutsu storage room and introduced the techniques to Shusui, pointing to several tall bookshelves in turn. "These are sealing techniques, and these are genjutsu." He turned to look at Shusui. "The Hokage said you can take any of them. Just take what you want, but you are not allowed to browse the scrolls on the other bookshelves."

"Thank you, I understand." Qiu Shui nodded, her gaze sweeping across the room.

He didn't stop in front of the B-rank or C-rank bookshelves, but went straight to the A-rank ninjutsu bookshelf.

On the shelf of A-rank ninjutsu books, there were more than a dozen scrolls neatly stacked. The scrolls were all different colors, some dark brown, some dark green, and some were even tied with thin ropes to seal them.

Qiu Shui's gaze swept across the scrolls one by one, but he couldn't find the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique he was looking for.

He frowned slightly, his gaze wandering around the room before finally settling on a table in the center.