"What are you looking at?"
Kitazawa, having come up with a plan, turned around and noticed Hinata staring blankly, her watery eyes looking a bit dazed.
"N-nothing," Hyūga Hinata stammered, her cheeks flushing crimson as she met his gaze.
"Oh, right, you haven't told me your name yet, Classmate Hyuga," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Eh?" Hyūga Hinata quickly stood up, looking flustered. "I-I'm sorry! My name is Hyūga Hinata!"
"Look at you, being so formal again," Kitazawa said, reaching out to pat her head. "We're classmates now, not teacher and student."
"I-I'm sorry," Hyūga Hinata stiffened, lowering her head again.
"Sit down and let's chat," Kitazawa said, withdrawing his hand.
Hyūga Hinata obediently sat down, her legs neatly together and her small hands resting on her lap.
Suddenly, she looked up. "Um... how did you know my surname is Hyūga?" she asked curiously.
"Your Byakugan, of course," Kitazawa replied, studying her eyes.
"D-don't look," Hyūga Hinata said, turning her head away. "They're ugly."
"I think they're beautiful," Kitazawa said, his mind racing. "Why do you think they're ugly?"
"I..." Hyūga Hinata hesitated, her face conflicted.
"We're friends now, right?" Kitazawa said with a warm smile.
"That's what they said," Hyūga Hinata said, her adorable face paling slightly. "They said the Byakugan is ugly."
Kitazawa thought to himself, As expected.
These were the exact words the three bullies had used to torment Hyūga Hinata in the original story.
The scarf mentioned in the mission was also stolen by them.
"So this is what happened? Then I must stop them," Kitazawa said, his expression turning serious.
"Huh?" Hyūga Hinata was completely taken aback by his words, freezing in place. "You remember them?"
Kitazawa softened his tone. "Don't worry. I'm your teacher. I won't do anything to them."
"I remember them," Hyūga Hinata nodded, then added hesitantly, "But I don't know their names."
"That's alright," Kitazawa said dismissively. "Just tell me their key features."
"They're three boys, about my age... That's all I know," Hyūga Hinata said, trying to recall more details.
"That's enough. I've already narrowed down a few suspects. I'll confirm their identities after class," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Every class had its share of troublemakers. Given Hyūga Hinata's description, finding them wouldn't be difficult.
"You're... you're amazing!" Hyūga Hinata blurted out.
In her eyes, Kitazawa had already become a reliable adult figure.
"It's nothing," Kitazawa waved his hand dismissively. "I'll let you know the results later."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa."
Hyūga Hinata spoke with genuine gratitude.
Kitazawa was about to reply when he overheard a conversation at the door.
"Sakura, do you think our teacher will be a handsome guy?"
"It doesn't matter if the teacher is handsome or not. What's important is having lots of handsome classmates!"
Two young girls entered the classroom.
One had pink hair tied with a ribbon, revealing a fair forehead.
The other wore a golden ponytail, with bangs falling over her right eye.
Kitazawa glanced at them and immediately recognized them as Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino.
The former was one of the original story's heroines, who, alongside the two male protagonists Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, saved the Ninja World.
Of course, she wasn't the MVP.
The latter was the "kunoichi" of Konoha's new generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio, specializing in control and sensory techniques.
Both she and Sakura were infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke, but lacking the heroine's plot armor, she ultimately became the blonde-haired loser.
"So handsome!" Yamanaka Ino exclaimed, her eyes widening as she noticed Kitazawa.
"Is this our teacher?" Haruno Sakura asked, her expression brightening with excitement.