In the morning, Tetsu Hagane quickly finished washing up and eating breakfast before rushing to school.
“Didn’t you wake up early today? Why the rush?” his mother asked, puzzled.
“Of course, it’s to get to school early and study,” Tetsu answered without looking back.
This was a lie to placate his mother. Tetsu didn’t dislike school, but he didn’t particularly love it either. Not all teachers were as engaging and interesting as Mokutsuki.
The real reason Tetsu was eager to get to school was that he was dying to know if his good friend, Izumo Kamizuki, had taken the first step in his romantic pursuit.
He had given Izumo advice on Thursday, but on Friday, Izumo said he needed more courage to follow through and needed more time to muster it up.
Tetsu thought the two days over the weekend should have been enough for Izumo to build up his courage.
When Tetsu arrived at the classroom, there were few students, and Izumo had yet to arrive either.
However, Izumo only kept him for a short time. About seven or eight minutes later, Tetsu saw Izumo walk in, looking dejected.
“Izumo, did you not sleep well last night?” Tetsu asked, puzzled.
Izumo shook his head.
“Did you give the flowers over the weekend?” Tetsu asked eagerly.
“Sigh, don’t even mention it,” Izumo replied, looking even more downcast at the mention of the flowers.
“It turns out she wasn’t looking at our flower bed because she likes flowers; she’s allergic to pollen and was worried about it blowing over.”
Tetsu fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, “So, did you give her the flowers?”
Izumo didn’t respond, but his silence and the forlorn expression on his face answered Tetsu’s question without words.
Tetsu patted Izumo’s shoulder in comfort. “It’s okay. I remember another girl who hung out with Miharu. She’s quite cute. How about we hang out together sometime and get to know her?”
“That would be great, Tetsu!” Izumo’s mood brightened instantly, a big smile spreading across his face.
“Over the weekend, I came up with another brilliant idea to deal with your cousin.”
“That’s awesome! What’s the plan?”
“Class is starting!”
Mokutsuki’s voice reached their ears, and the two realised class had begun. They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn’t heard the bell.
Quickly, they sat up straight and began listening to the lesson. After two days without Mokutsuki’s class, they found they missed it.
Mokutsuki did not disappoint them. His class was as lively and engaging as ever, and they absorbed a lot of knowledge without even realising it.
[Class completed]
[Rating: A]
[Reward: Water Release: Water Severing Wave]
Seeing the reward, Mokutsuki’s eyes lit up. This jutsu was no joke.
It was a Water Release technique developed by the Second Hokage, capable of emitting a high-pressure water stream with incredible cutting power, even capable of severing the roots of the Divine Tree.
In a great mood from the valuable reward, Mokutsuki’s day got even better.
“Mokutsuki-sensei, I remember you said you don’t have a class this afternoon. Could you cover my class for me? I have a ninjutsu class with Year Four,” Yu Ikenami approached Mokutsuki, hoping he could cover for him again.
“I can cover your class, Yu-sensei. Are you feeling unwell?” Although Mokutsuki was happy for another chance at a reward, he maintained his persona, looking concerned as he asked.
“It’s not my health, but thank you for your concern, Mokutsuki-sensei.” Yu thanked Mokutsuki before explaining, “It’s the girl I went on a date with before. She asked to meet this afternoon.”
“Why not choose a time when you have fewer classes?” Aya Ueda interjected, sceptical.
“I wanted to, but she said today is the only time she’s free,” Yu explained. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t bother Mokutsuki, feeling guilty about inconveniencing him.
Aya Ueda gave up trying to reason with Yu, genuinely believing that things wouldn’t work out between him and his date.
After all, if she were interested, she would be considerate of Yu’s schedule instead of making him trouble a colleague.
“Good luck, Yu-sensei,” Mokutsuki said with a smile, happy for the opportunity to earn more rewards.
“Thank you so much, Mokutsuki-sensei. If this works out, I’ll treat you to the most expensive restaurant in Konoha,” Yu said gratefully before rushing out of the office to get ready for his date.
“I was right, Mokutsuki-sensei. If you keep being so accommodating, others will constantly ask you to cover their classes,” Aya Ueda sighed.
“Helping others and supporting colleagues is important,” Mokutsuki replied earnestly.
“You’re too kind, Mokutsuki-sensei. It’s easy to get taken advantage of,” Aya Ueda remarked.
Mokutsuki just smiled and started practising his calligraphy.
Watching him work so diligently, Aya Ueda couldn’t help but feel the gap between people. If Yu were even a quarter as excellent as Mokutsuki, he wouldn’t still be single.
When it was about time for the class, Mokutsuki put down his pen, tidied his desk, and headed to the Year Four classroom.
Mokutsuki reached the classroom just as the bell rang.
“Yu-sensei has an appointment, so I’ll be covering his ninjutsu class today,” Mokutsuki explained as he entered.
He glanced around the room, noting that everyone was present except Obito.
About three minutes into the class, Obito rushed in. Seeing Mokutsuki, he was stunned.
He’d run so fast, and now he saw Mokutsuki in his classroom. For a moment, Obito wondered if he’d entered the wrong room, but the familiar faces assured him he hadn’t.
Obito, still catching his breath, hurriedly explained, “Mokutsuki-sensei, I didn’t mean to be late. I ran into an old lady on the way and…”
“Met an old lady and helped her, which took time,” someone in the class finished for him, eliciting laughter.
“I’m telling the truth! If I’d known you were teaching this afternoon, I’d have come half an hour early,” Obito continued, worried Mokutsuki might think he wasn’t serious about learning and might stop teaching him.
“Take your seat,” Mokutsuki nodded, accepting Obito’s explanation, but added, “Don’t be late to Yu-sensei’s class either.”
Ninjutsu classes at the ninja academy began in the first year, but they only taught three jutsu: the Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu.
It might seem like a waste of time to spend several years learning just three basic jutsu, but it was quite reasonable. Geniuses like Shisui were rare.
For those whose ninja careers might only reach Chunin level, mastering these three jutsu was no easy task, and there were other subjects to learn as well.
Despite having attended countless classes on this three jutsu, Mokutsuki’s class still felt refreshing and enlightening to the students.
“So that’s why my clones never looked right,” a student remarked, having a breakthrough.
“I hope Yu-sensei has more errands. Then we can have more classes with Mokutsuki-sensei,” another student joked, expressing a heartfelt wish.
The surrounding students voiced their agreement.
Mokutsuki made no comment, inwardly appreciating how useful the system’s skill was.
[Class completed]
[Rating: A]
[Reward: Lightning Release: Shadow Clone]
Knowledge of the Lightning Release: Shadow Clone and various experiences with it flooded Mokutsuki’s mind.
Although it wasn’t a particularly powerful jutsu, Mokutsuki was pleased to have unlocked another chakra nature, especially since he’d already received a valuable reward that morning.
For the next half month, Mokutsuki maintained this rhythm. If no one asked him to cover a class, he spent time in the office studying jutsu theory. If asked, he readily agreed, and at home, he trained Shisui, Obito, and others while also refining his chakra.
Perhaps due to his excellent substitute teaching, students who had experienced his classes wanted more. Combined with his good rapport with teachers, Mokutsuki quickly became a well-known figure at the ninja academy.
Students viewed him as a perfect teacher—engaging, kind, and handsome.
Colleagues saw him as a sincere, kind-hearted coworker.
As the centre of attention, Mokutsuki didn’t have many thoughts about his newfound fame. He was simply sticking to the persona he wanted to establish. Now, he was curious about why a masked ninja was standing in his yard.
(Sorry for the delay, everyone. I encountered some issues.)
(End of Chapter)
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