"I'm Yamanaka Ino."
Yamanaka Ino walked up to Kitazawa and asked openly, "Are you our teacher?"
"I am,"Kitazawa replied with a gentle smile."My name is Kitazawa."
"Kitazawa-sensei, please take care of us."Ino cheerfully extended her small hand.
Children in the ninja world matured early—and she was also a looks enthusiast.
More accurately, everyone was a looks enthusiast. People naturally took a second glance at handsome men or beautiful women; some were just more obvious about it than others.
"Kitazawa-sensei, I'm Haruno Sakura!"
Haruno Sakura poked her round little head out from behind Ino.
"Nice to meet you both,"Kitazawa nodded slightly.
Hyuga Hinata watched their lively interaction, a trace of envy appearing in her eyes.
"Hahaha! I'm here! I see, I conquer—Hokage is definitely going to be me!"
A short-haired boy suddenly burst in at the classroom door, shouting dramatically like a chūnibyō protagonist.
Only after shouting did he notice Kitazawa standing there, and he immediately became awkward.
"Uh… hello, Sensei. I—I'm Inuzuka Kiba."
Kiba scratched his head and introduced himself.
"Sit wherever you like,"Kitazawa said indifferently.
At this age, children were full of fantasies. Only after growing up would they understand how cruel the world truly was.
Kitazawa glanced around but didn't see the dog named Akamaru.
The Inuzuka clan didn't possess a bloodline limit, but they had secret techniques that allowed them to fight in tandem with their dogs.
"Yes, Sensei."
Kiba looked around and chose a seat by the window in the back row.
If possible, he would have liked to dig a hole and bury himself.
It felt exactly like slacking off in class while reading a novel, then suddenly turning around and locking eyes with the homeroom teacher's death stare through the window.
"Shikamaru! Choji! Over here!"
Yamanaka Ino waved her slender arm and shouted loudly.
The pineapple-haired Nara Shikamaru glanced over and immediately frowned.
Three pretty girls, plus a teacher—this lineup looked terrifying.
The thing Shikamaru hated most in life was trouble.
Akimichi Choji, who was a bit chubby, didn't think too much. Holding a bag of potato chips, he walked over.
"Kitazawa-sensei, do you want some?"Ino reached toward the chips and asked.
"No,"Kitazawa shook his head, looking at Choji's pained expression."I prefer fries."
A good person!Choji breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitazawa had no idea he'd just received a "good guy" card. Without putting on airs, he quickly blended in with the students.
As time passed, more and more students filled the classroom.
Since it was the first day of school, everyone was still unfamiliar with one another.
Only Kitazawa's area was lively and animated.
The only one who seemed uncomfortable was Hyuga Hinata.
From beginning to end, she remained quiet.
Only when Kitazawa directly addressed her did she respond softly.
"It's about time. We'll chat again later if we get the chance."
Kitazawa stood up and walked toward the podium.
"So handsome and so gentle—he's totally my ideal type!"Ino said excitedly.
"Too bad he's too old,"Sakura shook her head regretfully.
"Yeah…"Ino sighed.
"Look! A handsome guy!"
Sakura suddenly exclaimed.
Ino instinctively looked toward the door.
A boy with both hands in his pockets, wearing a cold and aloof expression, walked in.
The girls in the classroom immediately stirred.
Uchiha Sasuke ignored them completely and found a seat.
His gaze shifted toward Kitazawa.
I wonder how strong this teacher is,Can he even reach one-tenth of my brother's level?
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes slightly.
Right now, Sasuke was just putting on a cool act.
After the massacre, that would turn into genuine emotional withdrawal.
But that wasn't what caught Kitazawa's attention.
A new mission had appeared.
[Current Mission: Gain the initial approval of your classmate, Uchiha Sasuke.][Mission Reward: Fire Release – Phoenix Flower Jutsu.][Accept?]
It was the same type of mission as Naruto's—but the difficulty was on an entirely different level.
At this time, Sasuke's parents were still alive, and he also had a once-in-a-generation genius older brother: Uchiha Itachi.
Kitazawa was just an ordinary Chunin. Gaining Sasuke's approval wouldn't be easy.
But it wasn't impossible.
Uchiha Sasuke, like Hyuga Hinata, desperately wanted recognition from his father—Uchiha Fugaku.
"Looks like the key lies in the Great Fireball Technique,"Kitazawa thought.
Suddenly, the classroom fell silent.
Because a heavyweight had arrived.
Uzumaki Naruto.
After the silence came whispered discussions.
Naruto noticed everyone's reaction and couldn't help feeling dejected.
Even after coming to school, nothing had changed.
"Naruto, find a seat and sit down."
That familiar voice made Naruto's heart tremble.
He looked toward Kitazawa at the podium and nodded vigorously.
"Quiet."
Kitazawa's tone turned stern.
The noise disappeared instantly—though the gazes remained.
Kitazawa swept his eyes across the room and let out a soft sound of surprise.
He noticed the last of the Konoha rookies—Aburame Shino, dressed in a long coat and wearing dark sunglasses.
When did he get here?
Thinking carefully, Kitazawa realized he truly had no impression.
"Class is about to begin, but as usual, we'll start with self-introductions."
Kitazawa picked up the chalk, wrote his name on the blackboard, and said,"Start from the first row. Come up in order."
He stepped aside to make room.
One student after another went up to the podium.
Aside from the Konoha Nine, most of the others felt unfamiliar to Kitazawa.
The remaining three—Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee—were in the second year.
"My name is Nara Shikamaru. I don't really have any dreams. I just want to live a peaceful life,"Shikamaru said, yawning.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I hate, and nothing I particularly like.My dream is to become a ninja like my brother."
Only when he mentioned the word brother did Sasuke's expression soften slightly, revealing a hint of admiration.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant noodles and ramen, and I hate waiting three minutes for the noodles to finish cooking."
Standing on the podium, Naruto took a deep breath and declared firmly:
"My dream is to surpass the Hokage!"
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
This was almost identical to Naruto's self-introduction in the original story.
In a way, his stubbornness was downright frightening.
"What a joke!""Delusional!""How could a monster ever become Hokage?""Trying to surpass the Third? Impossible—absolutely impossible!"
Without a doubt, Naruto was met with ridicule.
"Is it funny?"
Kitazawa stepped onto the podium, his expression solemn.
"All I see is an outstanding successor of the Will of Fire."
"You all want to become Hokage,"he continued coldly,"but the moment you mocked Naruto, you lost that qualification."
Every sound in the classroom stopped.