"Then let me ask you, Advisor Yan, are you aware of the costs needed for reform?"
Mokgetsu didn't answer Mitokado Homura's question; instead, he asked a question back.
"The expense of adding another school year. The increase in total grades will lead to a need for more teachers, thus increasing salary expenses, and the cost of building new classrooms and buildings."
Mitokado Homura tried his best to express all his thoughts.
Mokgetsu gave Namikaze Minato a look, and Namikaze Minato stood up and placed a booklet in front of Mitokado Homura.
"Rewriting the elementary textbooks, creating new curricula for secondary education, school expansions..." Namikaze Minato began detailing the necessary expenditures for reform.
Namikaze Minato mentioned everything Mitokado Homura brought up and even things Homura did not mention.
As Mitokado Homura listened, he flipped open the booklet in front of him and discovered that Mokgetsu and his team had already made rough calculations of the various expenses.
"Since you know it will require so much manpower and financial resources, why pursue reform?" Mitokado Homura did not relent easily.
Having a budget prepared doesn't necessarily mean that the future quality of students can be assured or guaranteed.
Perhaps Mokgetsu would have this ability if he were teaching himself, but now Mokgetsu is the Hokage, and it's not feasible for him to personally teach at the Ninja School.
"The second Hokage's Ninja Academy inspired every Ninja Village in the Ninja World, and for decades no Ninja Village has undergone major reform. Doesn't this indicate the current superiority of the Ninja Academy?"
Mokgetsu picked up a teacup to moisten his throat. Since Mitokado Homura wanted to argue, Mokgetsu was not going to hold back.
"Exercising the body increases the demand for energy, leading to more food consumption and increased expenses. Didn't you exercise when you were young, Advisor Yan?" Mokgetsu asked Mitokado Homura.
Mitokado Homura was just about to answer that it wasn't the same thing, but Mokgetsu immediately continued:
"Fortunately, Advisor Yan, you were born at the end of the Warring States period, otherwise, the idea of the Ninja Academy might not have first come from Konoha. After all, when the second Hokage decided to create a Ninja Academy, all the Ninja Villages in the Ninja World were still using Warring States training methods.
According to your statement, everyone was still using Warring States methods, which implies that those methods were excellent and the creation of a Ninja Academy was unnecessary."
Mitokado Homura wanted to retort, though Mokgetsu's words didn't contain a single insult, they were clearly a blunt accusation of his shortsightedness.
Yet, that was indeed the logic of Mitokado Homura's previous statements, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Utatane Koharu's gaze towards Mokgetsu changed.
Mokgetsu was too eloquent, with sharp rhetoric, quite unlike his usual gentle demeanor.
"If other Ninja Villages are not making changes, should we not change as well? On what grounds can Konoha distinguish itself from other Ninja Villages?" Mokgetsu knocked on the table to emphasize.
Even though his original intent wasn't that, it didn't stop him from rallying behind it.
Mokgetsu's words left Sarutobi Hiruzen in deep thought.
Konoha is very strong now, and it has an even stronger future ahead.
But is this strength something Konoha is inherently entitled to? Not really; it is a strength brought to Konoha by Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu not only possesses immense strength but also extraordinary teaching capabilities, being strong himself and producing several highly promising disciples along with a large number of competent students.
If Mokgetsu's life were to come to an end and a new Mokgetsu does not arise in the new era, would Konoha still maintain its strength? This was an uncertainty that Sarutobi Hiruzen dared not definitively ascertain.
When Senju Hashirama was alive, the Ninja World was peaceful, and no one dared provoke Konoha.
After Senju Hashirama passed away, wars erupted quickly in the Ninja World, with Konoha becoming the center of the conflict.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sincerely hopes history does not repeat itself, even though he will likely not be alive by then.
But before Sarutobi Hiruzen could voice support for Mokgetsu's reforms, Mokgetsu turned to Minato and said, "Minato, continue."
Namikaze Minato nodded, took out several documents, and placed them in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others before saying:
"What I just covered was the reform of the secondary education system. Within the Ninja Academy reforms, a university is established above secondary education. The university is a three-year program, and only those who graduate from secondary school with the required grades can pursue further studies at the university."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, about to speak, instead closed his mouth. Although he was unfamiliar with the concept of a university, hearing about a three-year program already gave him a headache.
From elementary school to university graduation, the process takes ten years!
Just the duration alone was unacceptable to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Forget nurturing individuals for ten years, in the Warring States period, a ten-year-old child might have been on the battlefield several times already; this process is exceedingly lengthy.
"The university will be divided into specialized majors based on students' individual abilities and interests. For example, students excel in Fire Release can enroll in a major specializing in Fire Release..." continued Namikaze Minato.
Mitokado Homura became unsettled. What kind of absurdity was this, even narrowing it down to the specific attributes of Ninjutsu?
Even the graduation division to Guiding Chunin and Guiding Jonin wasn't that detailed, yet this university is divided so precisely.
After reviewing the university concept document, Mitokado Homura couldn't hold it in any longer. This university might even establish a specialization in Fuinjutsu.
However, this time Mitokado Homura did not interrupt Namikaze Minato but patiently waited for him to finish.
He realized something; although this university plan seemed impractical, it was surprisingly well thought out.
In other words, this might be a reform plan that Mokgetsu has prepared for a long time before presenting it.