Umino Iruka slowly exhaled, calming his nerves before entering First-Year Class A.
"Why is there a new teacher?"
"Did Teacher Kitazawa only teach one class?"
"That's a shame. I liked Teacher Kitazawa's class better."
Umino Iruka paused, slightly taken aback.
He won over these students in just one day?
Typical of Senior Kitazawa.
Suppressing his admiration, Umino Iruka walked to the podium, meeting the students' disappointed gazes.
He was there to teach them how to extract Chakra.
Chakra, the foundation of becoming a ninja, is the product of evenly mixing mental and physical energy.
Once class began, Umino Iruka found the students remarkably attentive, far less mischievous than he had anticipated.
What puzzled him most was their unusually positive attitude toward Uzumaki Naruto.
Who taught them to be like this?
The answer was obvious: Kitazawa.
Looks like I still have much to learn, Umino Iruka thought to himself, impressed.
____
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Kitazawa set down the student files and headed upstairs.
He hadn't found any troublemakers matching the descriptions.
There was only one explanation:
They weren't first-year students; they were second-year students.
"Kitazawa?"
A sudden voice called out.
Kitazawa turned to see the speaker.
The man was about his age, with shoulder-length white hair parted down the middle.
"Mizuki," Kitazawa greeted with a smile.
"Just finished teaching?"
"Yeah," Mizuki replied, stepping closer. "I heard you took over First-Year Class A this year. How's it going? Any prodigies?"
"Too early to tell," Kitazawa said, shaking his head. "I've only taught half a day."
"But with your exceptional teaching skills, I'm sure you'll produce another genius like Neji," Mizuki said with a sunny smile.
What's he babbling about?
Anyone else might have been charmed by Mizuki's demeanor.
Kitazawa knew that in the original story, Mizuki was a despicable, cunning, and intensely jealous little black sheep.
He was friends with Umino Iruka, but became bitterly envious of Iruka's popularity.
To complete a mission, he personally killed his wounded comrade.
When Uzumaki Naruto failed to graduate, Mizuki manipulated him into stealing the Forbidden Scroll.
After being imprisoned, he defected to Orochimaru and, empowered by the Cursed Seal, staged a dramatic escape, portraying himself as a savior.
Mizuki's mention of Hyuga Neji was nothing more than a boast.
Like Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Neji had earned the title of "genius" in Konoha Village at a young age.
Such prodigies were rare, and it was unlikely another would emerge so soon.
"Of course," Kitazawa nodded confidently.
"I believe my student possesses that potential."
Mizuki froze, his smile faltering.
What gives you the audacity to say that?
In this Shinobi World, where talent and bloodlines reigned supreme, the skills of a ninja academy teacher could only add the finishing touches.
"I have matters to attend to. Let's talk again later."
Kitazawa pushed open the door and entered the second-year teachers' office.
The door slammed shut.
"You think you're so great, so high and mighty! One day, I'll snatch the title of 'Most Outstanding Teacher' from you!"
Mizuki immediately donned a mask of anguish, his entire face contorting in bitterness.
Kitazawa was his contemporary; they had both started teaching at the Ninja Academy at the same time.
But five years had passed, and their circumstances had undergone a complete reversal.
Kitazawa had already been promoted and received a raise, consistently earning the title of "Most Outstanding Teacher" year after year.
Meanwhile, Mizuki remained just an ordinary teacher.
Mizuki's eyes stung with resentment