"Brother, how's the situation?"
"Not good," Hagane Kotetsu said through gritted teeth. "My despicable cousin threatened me. If I expose him, he'll tell the neighbors that I wet the bed when I was three!"
He was furious.
How could something between the two of them possibly involve little Mie from next door? That would ruin his glorious image!
"Fear not," Kamizuki Izumo said after a moment of thought. "I have a plan."
"Using the advantage of your young age, go to your cousin's house under the excuse of playing. Mess up his room. Even though you caused it, if it isn't cleaned up in time, your cousin will definitely be the one blamed."
"Do that a few times and he'll never dare threaten you again."
Kotetsu's eyes immediately lit up.
"With Brother Izumo strategizing for me, I'll be as unstoppable as the First Hokage with Tobirama as his advisor!"
"If this works, I'll treat you to snacks!"
When Makoto walked into the classroom, he happened to overhear the conversation between this pair of future gate guardians.
He couldn't help but smile.
"Class is starting."
Makoto stepped onto the podium and began the lesson.
"Chakra is the prerequisite for performing ninjutsu."
"It is formed by combining physical energy and spiritual energy."
Most of the students listened attentively.
After all, this was the most fundamental concept for ninja training.
As he explained the material, Makoto occasionally released small amounts of chakra for the students to sense.
He also mixed in short stories and jokes to keep the class engaging, occasionally asking questions to reinforce their memory.
Before long, the fourth lesson period was about to end.
As the class neared dismissal, Makoto noticed Anko, who was smiling and enthusiastically asking questions.
He used Appraisal on her.
Name: Mitarashi Anko
Potential: A
Makoto then decided to scan the entire class.
Name: Hagane Kotetsu
Potential: B−
Name: Kamizuki Izumo
Potential: B−
Makoto quickly realized something surprising.
Aside from Shisui, there were only four students in the entire class with B-level potential or higher.
Those four were:
Mitarashi Anko
Hagane Kotetsu
Kamizuki Izumo
One other student he barely remembered
Everyone else ranged between C+ and C−, with even a few D ranks.
In comparison—
Shisui's talent was absurdly high, completely leaving everyone else in the dust.
Anko's potential also surprised Makoto.
In the original story, she didn't appear particularly powerful.
Yet her potential rating was several tiers higher than the future "gate guardians."
Even so, Makoto had no immediate plans to take Anko as a disciple.
He couldn't recruit disciples endlessly.
Right now he only had four disciple slots.
One was already taken by Shisui, leaving three remaining.
Although young Anko was undeniably adorable, Makoto reminded himself of something important.
I'm handsome too. What good does that do me?
Would Danzo release him from Root just because of that?
Obviously not.
[Lesson Completed — Calculating Results]
Evaluation: A
Reward Obtained:Shadow Clone Technique
"Not a bad technique," Makoto thought.
"Unfortunately it's not very useful for me right now."
The Shadow Clone Technique was one of Naruto Uzumaki's signature jutsu, used throughout the entire series.
If a ninja had enough chakra, it was incredibly useful for both combat and training.
But unfortunately—
The thing Makoto lacked most right now was chakra reserves.
So he couldn't fully exploit it yet.
After lunch, Makoto returned to the teachers' office.
The other teachers were currently offering advice to Isamu Ikegaya, who was about to go on his blind date.
A tall, thin male teacher reminded him:
"Before meeting her, make sure you tidy yourself up. Dress properly. Don't let her think you're sloppy."
"You underestimate me," Ikegaya replied confidently.
"I may never have dated before, but that's just common sense."
"I think the biggest thing you should avoid," Aya Ueda said, shaking her head, "is bragging like that while talking."
She looked as if she had already predicted the ending.
"Just wait and see!" Ikegaya said stubbornly.
"Mm-hmm, I'll wait," Aya replied perfunctorily.
Then she noticed Makoto entering the room.
"Teacher Hosokawa , you're amazing," she said with a smile.
"I walked past your class today and took a look. The atmosphere was great."
"It's hard to believe this is your first time teaching."
Makoto shook his head modestly.
"Not at all. Your teaching tips were helpful—and the students were well-behaved."
Even though she knew he was being polite, Aya still smiled.
After all, who didn't enjoy praise?
She even shared some of her snacks with him.
Seeing this, Ikegaya suddenly felt the pain of blatant favoritism.
He had worked with Aya for two years, yet she had only shared her snacks with him a few times.
Silently complaining in his heart, Ikegaya quickly greeted Makoto as well.
If his blind date succeeded today—
He would remember Makoto's substitute teaching favor for life.
Makoto responded to everyone with a friendly smile.
After chatting for a while, he took out some brush and ink he had prepared and began practicing calligraphy.
Practicing calligraphy during free time was one of the few good habits he had brought from his previous life.
He had developed it after taking a calligraphy course in university.
The lunch break at the Ninja Academy was short, so there wasn't much time to go elsewhere to train.
When it was almost time for class, Makoto packed up his things and headed toward the classroom.
Ding ding ding—
Just as the bell rang, Makoto stepped into Class 4-2.
"Huh? Isn't this supposed to be Teacher Ikegaya's Konoha History class this afternoon?" a student asked in confusion.
"Teacher Ikegaya had something to attend to," Makoto explained from the podium.
"I'll be teaching this afternoon's class."
Just as he finished speaking, a figure rushed into the classroom.
"Haah… haah… sorry I'm late, teacher!"
Obito Uchiha stood there panting with his hands on his knees.
"I ran into an old lady on the road and helped her, so I got delayed!"
"Take your seat and listen to the lesson," Makoto said calmly.
Then he glanced across the classroom and quickly used Appraisal on the students.
Name: Nohara Rin
Chakra: 300
Potential: A−
Name: Might Guy
Chakra: 600
Potential: S
Evaluation: Highly suited for taijutsu. Recommended for disciple recruitment.
Name: Obito Uchiha
Chakra: 650
Potential: S
Evaluation: Possesses Six Paths lineage and latent space–time talent. Recommended for disciple recruitment.
Class 4-2 was similar to his own class.
Aside from those three familiar names, only Uchiha Tekka had A-level potential.
Most of the other students were C or D rank.
After reviewing their progress in the curriculum, Makoto began teaching.
For students who were used to teachers simply reading directly from textbooks, Makoto's lively teaching style came as a pleasant surprise.
Obito couldn't help blurting out:
"Teacher Makoto, your lessons are amazing! Way better than the other teachers!"
"If you taught us all the time, I'd definitely pass!"
Makoto smiled.
"I'll be sure to tell Teacher Ikegaya that."
"Along with the fact that you were late."
Obito's face immediately turned miserable.
He quickly begged for mercy.
After all, Ikegaya was their homeroom teacher.
Obito's dramatic change of attitude made the entire class burst into laughter.
The atmosphere grew even more relaxed.
During the long break between classes, Makoto activated his sensory ninjutsu.
After confirming there were no unusual chakra signatures nearby—
He called Might Guy and Obito outside.
Author's Note:
There will be another chapter tonight, though the exact time isn't certain. You can read it tomorrow if it's late.
(End of Chapter)