Chapter 93: The New Generation

Kunmi, the boy sitting beside Sara, was only six years old, but his serious demeanor made him seem much older. His face bore red war paint, and his features closely resembled Michikawa's. It was immediately clear that Kunmi was his son.

(AN: Again, he is an OC. I would have removed him but he played a big role in later arc.)

Although Kunmi didn't need to attend the ninja academy, given his high status as a member of the Sand Clan and Michikawa's son, he was still here. His presence was a sign of Michikawa's support for Rasa's leadership. By sending his own child to study at the academy, he was publicly acknowledging his loyalty to Rasa.

Kunmi had been raised with a strict education. When Michikawa entered the classroom, Kunmi eagerly looked up at him with expectation, but Michikawa did not acknowledge his son, offering no response whatsoever. In contrast, Sēramu's daughter, Sara, eagerly stood when she saw her mother, but a stern look from Sēramu quickly made her sit back down.

Rasa observed the classroom, noting that it wasn't just an ordinary class. Many of the children in this class were from high-ranking families within Sunagakure. Despite this, Rasa didn't show any special treatment. He addressed the class with his usual words of encouragement and then led the group to the next classroom.

As they stepped out, Michikawa spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Kunmi has awakened Magnet Release."

The room fell silent as everyone processed the news. Sēramu didn't fully understand the weight of the statement, but the others did. Magnet Release was an extremely rare Bloodline Limit, and Kunmi had awakened it at just six years old, which was remarkable since Rasa himself hadn't unlocked it until he was seven.

Rasa congratulated Michikawa.

"Kunmi is only six, right? Congratulations, Michikawa. The Sand Clan has produced another genius!"

(AN: No such clan existed in anime or manga.)

But as he thought about it, Rasa couldn't help but wonder why such a talented child hadn't appeared in the original story. Did Kunmi meet an untimely fate?

Michikawa, however, was unfazed by the praise. Instead, he looked at Rasa seriously and made a request. "I want you to take Kunmi as your disciple."

The room grew quiet at Michikawa's bold request. Sēramu's eyes were filled with curiosity, and the others turned to Rasa, waiting for his response.

Rasa, however, didn't hesitate.

"No problem. Let him focus on making friends this year. Next year, I'll formally take him as my student."

Michikawa smiled for the first time, a rare sight. He even joked,

"You and Karura-san better hurry up as well."

Hearing this, Karura blushed slightly, but her smile was one of pure happiness.

The group continued on their way, with the future of Sunagakure's next generation firmly set in motion. This was already an unexpected surprise, but when Rasa reached the upper-grade classrooms, an even greater revelation awaited him.

Before Rasa's reforms, Sunagakure's ninja academy followed a four-year curriculum. The first year was dedicated to academic studies, the second year introduced chakra refinement alongside continued academics, the third year added basic ninjutsu and kunai training, and the fourth year focused on preparing students for real combat. After expanding to a six-year system, the curriculum remained largely the same, with the second and third years extended to allow more time for mastery.

Starting from the second year, students were able to use chakra, making them half-fledged ninja. Knowing that today was an opportunity to impress the Kazekage, both teachers and students were eager to showcase their skills. By the time Rasa reached the second floor, he could already sense various chakra signatures as students engaged in sparring lessons.

Understanding their excitement, Rasa didn't interfere. Instead, he took the time to interact with them personally, offering words of encouragement. The admiration in the teachers' and students' eyes was clear.

Slowly, he made his way to the third floor.

Then, he suddenly stopped.

Something unusual had caught his attention. Instead of following the planned route to the nearest classroom, he walked straight to the end of the hallway, skipping over several rooms. The others exchanged puzzled glances but followed him without question—no one in Sunagakure would dare challenge the Kazekage's decisions.

Rasa looked at the classroom number: Class 3-6.

It was clear from the number alone—just as Class 1-1 was for elite students, Class 3-6 was the bottom-ranked class.

Yoshima, the Minister of Education, grew nervous, assuming that some misbehaving students had caught Rasa's attention.

"Is something wrong, Lord Kazekage?"

"Nothing,"

Rasa said, peering into the classroom. He then pointed at three children sitting in the middle row.

"What are their names?"

The others followed his gaze. The three kids were refining their chakra, but there was nothing remarkable about them. Their chakra levels were pitifully low—students like these would struggle to even graduate.

No one could understand why Rasa had taken an interest in them.

Yoshima hesitated, visibly embarrassed. He oversaw the entire academy, but remembering the names of students from the lowest-ranking class was too much to ask. Before he could stammer out a response, Karura spoke up.

"Their names are Mori, Anji, and Ro. Why do you ask, Rasa-kun?"

Sēramu's expression shifted as well.

"Oh, those three?"

Rasa was intrigued.

"You both recognize them?"

Karura explained.

"They're Chisato's children."

Rasa immediately recalled that Chisato had been one of Karura's teammates when she was still a genin. Unfortunately, Karura's rapid advancement to chunin led to their team's disbandment, but they had remained close.

That, however, didn't explain why Rasa could sense traces of senjutsu energy from these three children.

It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was undeniably there.

This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon.

Had the benefits of his senjutsu training already begun to influence Sunagakure's population? If so, why these three specifically?

If he could uncover the reason behind their connection to senjutsu, it might hold the key to revolutionizing the entire village.

As Rasa pondered, Karura and Sēramu continued their story, providing a possible explanation.

They recounted how, some time ago, these three children had led them to a well where small patches of grass had begun growing—something unheard of in Sunagakure.

Karura chuckled.

"Ever since I told them how rare that grass was, they've made it their personal mission to protect it. They patrol the wells whenever they have free time, acting like little guards. A lot of people in the village have seen them doing it."