As the gift was placed in Iruka's hand, Naruto suddenly took a deep breath, his blue eyes exceptionally serious. He lowered his head slightly, as if organizing his thoughts.
"Iruka-sensei... I'm really grateful to you for this past year."
His voice was a little lower than usual, carrying an unmistakable sincerity. The classroom suddenly fell silent, even the usually boisterous Kiba closed his mouth, and Akamaru tilted his head, his dark, beady eyes darting between the two of them.
Iruka was stunned. He saw Naruto look up, meeting his eyes, and ask the question that had always made him feel guilty.
"By the way, Sensei, you've been blaming yourself a bit for past events... Is that true?"
Iruka felt his throat tighten. The self-reproach buried deep in his heart was suddenly exposed to the light, leaving him nowhere to hide. His fingers trembled slightly, and he finally nodded slowly.
"...Yes, I'm truly sorry, Naruto. I'm an unqualified teacher."
The moment these words left his mouth, Iruka felt a pang of pain. He remembered his initial aloofness when he first met Naruto, the deliberate distance he maintained, and his stiff responses every time Naruto greeted him proactively—
But unexpectedly, Naruto instead made a "Tsk" sound, a look of exasperation mixed with amusement on his face.
"Honestly, Sensei, your moral standards are way too high, aren't they?" He scratched his golden hair, his tone filled with helpless affection.
"But later, didn't Sensei already acknowledge me? There's no need to keep troubling yourself over past events, is there?"
Iruka opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He had never imagined that his past hesitations and mistakes would be forgiven in this way—not ignored, but understood, and then gently told, "It's okay."
Naruto looked at his Sensei's reddened eyes, his voice unconsciously softening.
"Sensei, everyone has imperfect moments, but it's these hesitations and later choices that make 'trust' even more precious."
Naruto flashed a wide smile, "So, please don't blame yourself for not doing well enough. For me..."
"You've long been the best Sensei."
Iruka's body began to tremble uncontrollably. He hurriedly lowered his head, not wanting his students to see his disheveled appearance. But tears had already blurred his vision, dripping onto the gift box in his arms, spreading a small dark stain.
So... how incredibly lucky he was.
This realization made his heart pound violently, both bittersweet and warm. It was his duty to accompany Naruto, to teach these children, but why... was it he himself who was saved, who was warmed?
Too many emotions surged in his chest—surprise at Naruto's maturity, a touching of his softest inner parts, a strengthening of his resolve as a teacher, and that warmth that was almost overflowing...
And, a pride he had never felt before.
Proud to be the Sensei of these children.
Proud to witness Naruto grow into such a gentle person.
Proud to be standing here at this moment, surrounded by such pure emotion.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and open the gift." Naruto rarely showed a hint of embarrassment, "Actually, in terms of luxury, my gift might not be as precious as others', but I still hope Sensei, you'll like it."
Iruka didn't hesitate at all, his fingers resting on the exquisitely wrapped gift box. He gently untied the ribbon. Inside the box, laid on soft silk, were two items.
As Iruka's gaze fell on the first gift, his breathing involuntarily hitched for a moment.
It was a handmade, painted clay model, about the size of his palm. He tremblingly picked it up, the unique warm feel of clay transmitting through his fingertips. The craftsmanship of the model was extremely delicate, every detail handled with immense care.
These were two chibi figures, standing hand in hand.
The figure on the left wore a Konoha headband, with pineapple hair tied at the back of his head, and a gentle smile on his face; the figure on the right had a spiky golden hedgehog-like hairdo, smiling so widely his eyes were almost invisible. The two figures' hands were tightly clasped, and the base was engraved with "Best Sensei" in childish handwriting.
Iruka's thumb unconsciously traced over the miniature version of himself.
This is... us?
"How about it? This way, Sensei won't be alone anymore!" Naruto grinned, "Even after graduation, seeing this model, Sensei won't forget me so easily."
On the other side of the classroom, Satsuki's gaze fell on the pair of chibi figures, her dark eyes flickering slightly. Her mind unconsciously recalled the well-protected gift in her own room.
It was something Naruto had given her for her birthday in the past. On that model, a chibi Satsuki was hugging her arms, turning her face away with a tsundere expression, while a chibi Naruto was grinning and leaning in next to her.
She had one herself... why did her chest still feel a bit heavy when she saw her Sensei receive a similar gift?
"...Uh-huh! Thank you, Naruto..."
Iruka's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. He carefully placed the model back into the box, his movements gentle. His fingertips lingered on the words "Best Sensei" for a moment before reluctantly moving away.
To hide his reddened eyes, Iruka quickly turned to the second gift—the high-quality notebook. The words "Strongest Teacher's Guide" on the cover sparkled under the light. But a closer look revealed that these words were not factory-printed, but rather hand-stamped later.
So that's it...
His memory suddenly flashed back to the stationery store a while ago. The things Naruto had been secretly hiding then were these gift materials... Had this child been meticulously preparing since then?
He took a deep breath and slowly opened the first page of the notebook.
Then he froze completely.
The title page had an exaggerated drawing of Naruto's head, with crooked but vibrant handwriting next to it.
"Record all the students you're proud of—I might not be the first, but I'll definitely not be the last!"
This sentence was like a key, suddenly unlocking a tightly shut gate in Iruka's heart.
An unprecedented emotion surged like a tide, instantly breaking through all his defenses. It wasn't just move (moved), not just Relieved (gratified), but something deeper, warmer.
A tear splattered onto the page, blurring the ink. Followed by a second, a third...
"Ugh..."
A long-suppressed sob finally broke free from his throat. Iruka hunched his back, crying loudly like a child. Tears soaked the title page of the notebook.
The classroom was silent. Shikamaru's half-yawn froze on his face, Choji's potato chips stopped halfway to his mouth, and even the usually boisterous Kiba's eyes widened. They had never seen an adult show such a vulnerable side.
Just then, a crisp notification sound rang in Naruto's mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a Level 7 (Max) bond with original character 'Iruka Umino'!]
Naruto was about to step forward to comfort him when the system's voice rang out again.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a Level 8 bond with original character 'Iruka Umino' (Relationship has qualitatively changed! Familial Love)!]