"The title of Hokage means obtaining the acknowledgment of everyone."
Kitazawa spoke without haste, his voice carrying through the quiet room. "Naruto is your classmate, and one day, he will be your comrade-in-arms. How can someone who mocks their own comrade ever hope to become Hokage?"
Hearing this, many students lowered their heads in shame.
Naruto felt as if the wind had blown sand into his eyes. His vision blurred with tears.
Determination hardened on his face. From this day forward, his dream wasn't just to become Hokage—it was to surpass the Hokage and win the acknowledgment of every single person.
And in his heart, Kitazawa's status rose rapidly, settling just below that of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This teacher is really good.
Shikamaru Nara sat up straight, shedding his usual laziness. His expression turned serious.
As a member of a prominent ninja clan, he naturally knew that Naruto wasn't actually a monster. However, Kitazawa was just an ordinary ninja without access to classified intel. The only explanation for his behavior was genuine kindness.
Hinata clenched her small hands under the desk. She looked at Kitazawa, a flicker of longing in her pale eyes.
First he helped her, and now he was helping Naruto. He really was... a gentle person.
[Current Mission: Become the first person in class to attract the attention of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.]
[Mission Reward: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.]
[Host has completed the task. Rewards have been distributed.]
Knowledge and muscle memory related to Wind Release: Great Breakthrough instantly flooded Kitazawa's mind.
Just as I thought. The Third Hokage was watching.
The speech he just gave must have satisfied the old man immensely.
Unfortunately, apart from Hinata and Sasuke, none of the other rookies triggered any new missions for him.
"Now, let's begin the actual lesson."
Kitazawa picked up a piece of chalk, offering a warm, standard-issue smile. "The subject of this class is called 'The Will of Fire'."
The atmosphere in the classroom shifted instantly; the heavy silence from before vanished.
"Does anyone know what the Will of Fire has to do with the Hokage?" Kitazawa asked after writing the four characters on the board.
"Me!"
Naruto's hand shot up like a rocket.
"Naruto, go ahead." Kitazawa nodded at him.
"The Will of Fire was created by the Hokage!" Naruto stood up and shouted confidently.
"Then, do you know why the Hokage created the Will of Fire?" Kitazawa pressed.
Naruto's expression froze. It twisted into awkward confusion. That question was way too deep for his brain processing power.
"It was for you," Kitazawa said, dropping the bombshell.
"Us?"
Naruto asked, stunned. He wasn't the only one; the entire class wore expressions of surprise.
"Where tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."
Kitazawa recited the famous poem, then explained, "The focus of the Will of Fire is you. Because you are the future of Konoha. You are the hope."
"That's the first time I've heard it explained like that."
"So I'm actually that important?"
"Does that mean even Lord Hokage has to protect me?"
Listening to their excited whispers, Kitazawa couldn't help but smile internally.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the Will of Fire. But putting it into practice? That was a different story.
Take Danzō Shimura, the "Darkness of the Shinobi World" and the village's eternal Scapegoat Shadow. He frequently committed heinous acts while waving the banner of the Will of Fire.
In the end, theory was just a castle in the sky.
But right now, none of that mattered to Kitazawa. He only needed to use the Will of Fire to deceive Hiruzen Sarutobi. It was a technique straight from the "Counter-Heaven Gang" playbook—using the enemy's own logic against them.
Ding-dong-ding-dong.
"Class dismissed. Take a ten-minute break."
Hearing the bell, Kitazawa picked up his materials and walked out. As a teacher, he maintained one golden habit: never dragging the class overtime.
"Ino, I win!"
Sakura sprinted to Sasuke's desk like an arrow leaving a bowstring. She turned her head back to Ino, beaming with pride.
"No!"
Ino reached out a hand, a look of pure agony on her face.
Heh. Women.
Shikamaru immediately slumped onto his desk, looking lifeless. In his opinion, women were nothing but trouble—especially the pretty ones. He just wanted to marry an ordinary woman and live out the rest of his life in peace.
Choji's thoughts were much purer. He simply pulled out another bag of chips. I just want to eat, eat, eat.jpg.
Ino gritted her teeth, watching the triumphant Sakura fawning over Sasuke. Suddenly, she thought of Kitazawa.
If I can't get the handsome boy, I'll go for the handsome older man.
Just as she prepared to head to the office, a blonde blur rushed past her.
"I was here first!"
Ino sighed and sat back down in defeat.
Hinata hesitated for a moment, then took out her textbook to review. She was a diligent student.
"Kitazawa-sensei, wait for me!"
Naruto accelerated, drifted around a corner, and charged forward.
"Naruto? Was there something I didn't explain clearly in class?" Kitazawa stopped and turned.
"No." Naruto shook his head rapidly. "Kitazawa-sensei, you explained it really well! I understood everything!"
You mean you 'feel' like you understood everything? Just how low is your self-awareness?
But upon second thought, Kitazawa understood. In the entrance exams, Naruto had ranked dead last. The bar was low.
"Then what do you need?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"I want to know... how can I get everyone's acknowledgment?" Naruto looked up, eyes full of expectation.
"You're still..." Kitazawa paused, then pivoted. "The answer is simple. You just need to learn from Lord Hokage."
He had originally intended to say, "You're still young, you'll understand when you grow up," but he suddenly remembered Hiruzen might still be watching.
"Oh, right!"
Naruto's face lit up with realization. "I get it now! Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
"See you next class."
Kitazawa smiled, turned, and walked away.
Staff Offices.
There were two types of offices: independent single rooms and shared open-plan rooms.
Kitazawa's office was an independent single room.
The reason was simple. He was considered mid-level management, roughly equivalent to a Dean of Students in a past life. He had been teaching for five years and had been rated "Most Outstanding Teacher" for three consecutive years.
Well, that and the fact that his specific brand of "Will of Fire" theory was heavily favored by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
A man has to survive. There was no shame in it. In Konoha, being able to curry favor with the Hokage was something many people envied.
Of course, if he had a choice, he'd much rather curry favor with the Fifth Hokage. After all, he was a "ball fan."
Kitazawa didn't return to his own office immediately. Instead, he headed to the large, mixed-gender staff room.
Six desks were arranged in the spacious room, representing the six homeroom teachers for the first-year classes.
"Kitazawa-senpai."
Iruka Umino noticed him and quickly stood up to greet him.
"Iruka." Kitazawa smiled. "First time teaching. Nervous?"
Iruka had only just become a teacher this year; he wasn't even eighteen yet.
"A little," Iruka admitted awkwardly.
"It's normal to be nervous the first time." Kitazawa patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I just finished my class. The students are all excellent kids, you don't need to worry too much."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-senpai."
After watching Iruka sit back down, Kitazawa walked over to the filing cabinet in the corner of the office.
This cabinet contained the files for all first-year students.
He needed to find the three brats who bullied Hinata Hyūga.