Hayato Ren waved his hand, indicating he would go later.
He recalled how Tsunade had made him, Kushina, and Mikoto wait for nearly an entire morning back in the day.
Now, as a teacher himself, he wanted to properly savor this feeling.
This was probably what they meant by "the child who was once drenched in rain will grow up to tear other children's umbrellas."
...
In the classroom, Ito watched the noisy students below with mixed emotions.
His joy came from knowing he wouldn't have to worry about these troublesome kids anymore after today.
His worry stemmed from the fact that these kids would now have to face this cruel world on their own.
Ito's gaze fell upon his two proudest students. Unlike the others who were excited like monkeys, they sat upright in their seats, as steady as Mount Tai and unfazed like deer wandering nearby without distracting them.
This was the quality a ninja ought to possess. These two would undoubtedly become far greater ninjas than he ever was.
At this thought, Ito's mood inexplicably lifted.
Then, Ito picked up his teaching baton and rapped it sharply against the blackboard several times.
The sound successfully quieted the noisy classroom.
"Ahem, settle down. I could hear you from the school gate - your class is the loudest in the entire school."
"Tch, you're always complaining that we don't read loudly enough, but suddenly your hearing becomes so sharp now."
Hearing this, a vein bulged on Ito's forehead as he pointed at Uchiha Obito below and roared:
"Uchiha Obito! You seem to have quite the opinion of me?"
Uchiha Obito hurriedly stood up in a fluster, stammering as he tried to explain:
"That's not what I meant, teacher, let me explain..."
Ito's face showed an expression of disappointment at Obito's failure to improve. Among all the students, Uchiha Obito had consistently performed the worst.
And now, right before graduation, he was still causing trouble.
What sin had he committed in his previous life to end up with such a student?
Always late with various excuses, ranking at the bottom in both practical combat and theoretical results.
Truly, you can't carve rotten wood.
Thinking this, Ito paid no further attention to Uchiha Obito's feelings and instead began announcing:
"Now I'll announce your future class assignments. First squad..."
Seeing that Ito completely ignored him, Uchiha Obito could only sit back down with an awkward smile.
His behavior was clearly seen as clownish by the surrounding classmates.
Feeling the mocking gazes from all around, Uchiha Obito's mood instantly sank.
At that moment, Kakashi nearby casually muttered "idiot" under his breath.
This became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Uchiha Obito immediately stood up and pointed at Kakashi, shouting:
"Kakashi, what did you just say?"
Kakashi naturally paid no attention to Obito, not even bothering to turn his head to look at him.
This act of treating Uchiha Obito as if he were air only intensified the fury burning within him.
However, before Uchiha Obito could vent his anger, an eraser shattered his ninja dreams.
With a thud, his black hair was now streaked with chalk dust.
At the same time, Ito's furious voice rang out.
"Uchiha Obito! What exactly are you trying to do? If you disrupt the class discipline one more time, get out right now!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the classroom erupted into a wave of mocking laughter.
Uchiha Obito's expression shifted several times before he clenched his fists tightly and reluctantly sat back down in his chair.
This was the downside of not having studied much—otherwise, Uchiha Obito might have defiantly shouted:
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—do not mock the youth for his poverty."
Although, more often than not, such declarations evolved into: "Do not mock the youth for his poverty, do not mock the middle-aged for their poverty, do not mock the elderly for their poverty, and respect the deceased."
Ito tapped the blackboard with his teaching baton, restored order in the classroom, and continued reading:
"Team 7: Hatake Kakashi, Inoue Shiki, Uchiha Obito."
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito stood up again, pointed at Kakashi, and yelled loudly:
"What? I refuse to be in the same team as that annoying guy!"
But this time, Ito was not going to indulge him.
Ito stepped down from the podium, ignored Uchiha Obito's pleading expression, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the classroom.
Staring at the defiant Uchiha Obito before him, Ito let out a heavy sigh.
"It's the last class already. Can't you just behave?"
"But I really don't want to be teamed up with that annoying Kakashi!"
Seeing Uchiha Obito's stubborn insistence, Ito rubbed his forehead in frustration and said helplessly:
"Kakashi has always been the second-ranked in our year. How can you, the dead-last, have the nerve to complain about him? Besides, team assignments are decided by the Hokage Office. I don't have the authority to change them."
At these words, Uchiha Obito's head drooped, his spirits completely sinking into despair.
Not only had he failed to be in the same class as his goddess, but he also had to team up with his most disliked rival, Kakashi.
The thought of having to see Kakashi's unpleasant face every day from now on made Uchiha Obito feel as though his future was shrouded in darkness.
Seeing Uchiha Obito's dejected expression, Ito's anger subsided.
He patted Uchiha Obito on the shoulder and returned to the classroom.
After announcing all the team assignments, Ito left the room.
Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Obito slipped back into the classroom from outside.
...
Three hours later, Yuhi Kurenai, who had been resting her head on the desk, let out a deep sigh.
"Ugh, it's already this late. Where is our teacher? Did he forget about us? What a lazy guy."
Hearing this, Konan immediately stood up, walked over to Yuhi Kurenai, and looked down at her.
"I won't allow you to speak ill of our teacher. Apologize now."
For Konan, if someone spoke ill of her, she wouldn't take it to heart. But criticism of her teacher was another matter entirely.
If anyone dared speak ill of Hayato Ren, she would immediately bristle with anger.
Yuhi Kurenai's careless remark had undoubtedly struck a nerve with Konan.
Seeing Konan's haughty demeanor, Yuhi Kurenai grew irritated as well.
Was it really unacceptable for her to complain a little when that so-called teacher had been late for so long?
He was just a mere top student in his grade—what gave him the right to act so arrogantly in front of her?