"The title of Hokage belongs only to those who earn the recognition of everyone."
Kitazawa's calm yet steady voice carried through the classroom."Uzumaki Naruto is your classmate—your comrade. Tell me, how can someone who mocks their own comrades ever hope to become Hokage?"
The room fell silent. One by one, the children lowered their heads, shame flickering in their eyes.
Naruto felt something sting his eyes—maybe the wind, maybe something else.
But when he looked up again, his face was full of determination.From this moment on, his dream wasn't just to become Hokage—it was to surpass Hokage, to win the acknowledgment of everyone.
And now, in his young heart, Kitazawa had taken a place second only to the Third Hokage himself.
"This teacher's… not bad at all," murmured Shikamaru.
The usually lazy boy actually sat up straight, his expression serious for once.
Coming from a ninja clan, Shikamaru already knew Naruto wasn't the "monster" some whispered about.But Kitazawa? He was a civilian. He wasn't supposed to know any of that.
There could only be one explanation—he was simply a good person.
Across the room, Hinata's hands clenched together tightly.She looked at Kitazawa with wide, trembling eyes that shone with quiet admiration.
He helped me first… and now Naruto-kun too. He's so… yasashii.
[Current Mission: Be the first student in class to attract the attention of Principal Hiruzen Sarutobi.][Reward: Wind Style — Great Breakthrough.][Mission complete. Reward granted.]
Knowledge and instinct about the Wind Style: Great Breakthrough technique flooded Kitazawa's mind.
So… the Third Hokage really was watching us.
No doubt his words earlier had pleased the old man. That's probably why the mission was marked complete.
Unfortunately, aside from Hinata and Sasuke, the rest of the "rookies" hadn't triggered any new missions for him yet.
Well, can't have everything.
"Alright, let's begin class," Kitazawa announced, picking up a piece of chalk. His gentle smile softened the atmosphere immediately."Today's lesson is called The Will of Fire."
The mood in the classroom shifted again—lighter, curious, no longer weighed down by silence.
"Now then," Kitazawa continued as he wrote the four characters for 'Will of Fire' on the board, "does anyone know what the Will of Fire has to do with the Hokage?"
A hand shot up instantly.
"Me!"
Naruto was practically bouncing in his seat.
"Go ahead, Naruto," Kitazawa said with an encouraging nod.
"The Will of Fire was created by the Hokage!" Naruto declared proudly.
Kitazawa chuckled softly. "That's correct. But do you know why the Hokage created it?"
Naruto froze mid-sentence, his expression suddenly awkward.That question… was way too hard.
"It's for all of you," Kitazawa said suddenly, his words ringing with quiet power.
"For… us?" Naruto blinked in surprise.
Not just him—every student in the class looked equally bewildered.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns brightly," Kitazawa said, his tone steady and warm."The fire's light will shine upon the village, nurturing new leaves to grow."
He turned, eyes sweeping across his students. "The Will of Fire is about all of you—because you're the future of the Hidden Leaf. You're its hope."
"I've never heard it explained like that before…"
"Wait, does that mean I'm amazing?"
"So even the Hokage protects me?"
Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh softly at their excited chatter.The concept of the Will of Fire wasn't wrong, but in practice… things weren't so simple.
After all, there were people like Shimura Danzō, who hid in the shadows of the Leaf and did unspeakable things under the same banner of "the Will of Fire."
Theory alone was easy. Living up to it—that was something else entirely.
Still, that wasn't his concern right now.All Kitazawa needed was to sell the idea well enough for Hiruzen to stay happy.
Reverse psychology, classic move.
"Alright, that's the bell," he said as the chime echoed through the hall. "Ten-minute break."
Kitazawa gathered his papers and stepped out of the classroom.He prided himself on one habit—never, ever going overtime.
"Ino! I won!"
Sakura practically flew toward Sasuke's desk, turning back with a triumphant grin.
"Nooo!" Ino cried dramatically, reaching out as if to stop her.
Women, Shikamaru sighed internally, resting his chin on his desk again.To him, girls—especially pretty ones—were nothing but trouble.
He'd much rather marry a plain, easygoing woman and live a peaceful life.
Choji, on the other hand, had zero such concerns.He ripped open a fresh bag of chips and started munching.
Me eat, me happy.
Meanwhile, Ino was grinding her teeth in frustration, watching Sakura practically bloom beside Sasuke.Then, out of nowhere, she thought of Kitazawa.
Fine. If I can't get the cute guy, I'll aim for the handsome teacher instead.
She stood up, ready to make her move toward the staff office——but before she could even take a step, a certain blond blur was already dashing down the hallway.
What?! I was here first!
With a defeated sigh, Ino slumped back into her seat.
Hinata hesitated for a moment, then quietly opened her textbook.A model student to the core.
"Kitazawa-sensei! Wait up!"
Naruto's voice echoed down the corridor as he came sprinting around a corner, practically drifting around it like a racing car.
Kitazawa stopped and turned, smiling. "What's wrong, Naruto? Was there something in class you didn't understand?"
"No, no!" Naruto waved his hands frantically. "You explained everything perfectly, Kitazawa-sensei! Even I understood it!"
Even you, huh? Kitazawa thought wryly. That's… kind of concerning.
But then he remembered—during entrance exams, Naruto had ranked dead last.
He let it slide.
"So then, what did you want to ask me?"
Naruto lifted his head, eyes bright and full of hope."I wanna know… how do I get everyone to acknowledge me?"
Kitazawa paused, considering. His first instinct was to say, You'll understand when you're older.But then he remembered—Hiruzen was probably still watching.
"…That's simple," he said finally, smiling. "Just learn from the Hokage himself."
"Oh! You're right!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "I get it now! Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!"
"See you next class."
Kitazawa waved lightly and walked away.
The teachers' offices in the academy came in two types—private and shared.Kitazawa's was the former, a single-person room.
After all, he was considered mid-level faculty—roughly equivalent to a vice principal in his previous life.
He'd been teaching for five years now, and for three consecutive years, he'd been voted Best Instructor.
Ahem.Of course, it wasn't just his teaching skills that earned him that honor.
More importantly, his "Will of Fire" philosophy had deeply impressed the Third Hokage.
Survival's a skill too, he mused. And nothing beats having the Hokage's favor.
Though, if he could choose, he'd much rather cozy up to the Fifth Hokage instead—after all, he was a bit of a fanboy.
Instead of heading straight to his private office, Kitazawa walked into the shared staff room.
Six desks were arranged together there—six teachers, all first-year instructors.
"Kitazawa-senpai!"
Iruka Umino immediately stood up when he noticed him.
"Iruka," Kitazawa greeted with a friendly smile. "How was your first class? Nervous?"
Iruka's face flushed a little. He wasn't even eighteen yet, and this was his first term teaching."A little," he admitted sheepishly. "Just trying not to mess up."
"It's perfectly normal to be nervous your first time," Kitazawa said kindly. "I just came from my class—they're a good bunch. You'll do fine."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-senpai!" Iruka said with heartfelt gratitude.
Once the younger teacher had left, Kitazawa turned toward the bookshelf in the corner.
Rows of neatly labeled student files filled the shelves—records for every first-year class.
Time to find out exactly who those three little punks were that had been bullying Hinata Hyuga.