"Teacher Hosokawa , please! Don't tell Teacher Ikegaya!"
Obito refused to give up and continued begging Makoto.
"That depends on your performance," Makoto replied with a smiling expression, deliberately avoiding giving a clear answer.
"Teacher, did you call us out for something?" Might Guy scratched his head, confused. He hadn't done anything wrong.
Makoto looked at him.
The man who would one day almost kick the story's final boss to death with a single kick, the one whom Madara would praise as the strongest taijutsu user, still looked very immature now.
Although Guy was already wearing his iconic green jumpsuit, both his strength and his beliefs still had a long way to go.
At this stage, Might Guy believed that through daily training he would eventually become a powerful taijutsu master.
But he had not yet fully understood his father's teachings about youth and self-discipline.
He still needed time to grow.
And Makoto was more than willing to help along the way.
"The problem is your theory exam scores," Makoto said.
"You've given Teacher Ikegaya quite a headache."
Even someone as thick-skinned as Obito lowered his head in embarrassment.
"It's not that I don't want to study," Obito tried to defend himself.
"The questions are just too weird! Why do they lock a bunch of animals together and ask how many there are of each kind…?"
Hearing this, Makoto couldn't help recalling his own painful high school math struggles in his previous life.
Fortunately, his university major hadn't required advanced mathematics.
But he knew the real problem was still Obito.
The math taught at the Ninja Academy was extremely basic.
There were also fewer math classes than history classes.
"You're not just bad at math," Makoto said while shaking his head.
"You're also failing at history and ninja theory."
"But what's the point of knowing history?" Obito argued.
"It's all in the past anyway."
"I think so too," Might Guy agreed with a nod.
Memorizing all that historical information was torture for him.
"If you want to remove history from the curriculum," Makoto replied calmly, "you'll have to talk to Lord Third Hokage."
"He's the headmaster of the Ninja Academy."
"But if things keep going like this, it won't be good for either you or Teacher Ikegaya."
"Teacher Hosokawa … do you know some kind of secret technique for passing exams?" Obito asked eagerly.
Guy also looked at Makoto with excitement.
After all, if they could pass the exams, they wouldn't have to keep being called dead-last students.
"Of course I do," Makoto said.
"The secret is practice questions."
"Study while solving problems."
"Practice questions?" Both of them looked confused.
"You can think of it as special training for exams," Makoto explained.
"And if you manage to pass the exam, I'll give you a reward."
"What kind of reward?" Obito asked curiously.
"A box of dango?"
"I can teach you ninjutsu or taijutsu," Makoto said.
"In other words, I'll personally guide your training."
Their eyes widened.
"Really?!"
It felt like good fortune had fallen straight from the sky.
"But there's a condition," Makoto added.
"You must pass the exam one month from now."
"Is this… the power of youth?!" Guy shouted excitedly.
"My passion is burning!"
"This time I'll definitely pass!" Obito declared confidently.
Looking at the two boys who had been successfully motivated, Makoto nodded inwardly.
A true hunter often appears as prey.
Right now, Obito and Guy felt like they had struck a great deal.
They had obtained a secret method to pass exams and even the promise of training guidance as a reward.
But from Makoto's perspective—
All he needed to do was naturally become their mentor during the training process.
And then he would profit enormously.
Even if they still failed the exam, it wouldn't matter.
He could simply say:
"You worked so hard that I'd feel bad not rewarding you."
That might even increase their trust level further.
The reason he didn't recruit them as disciples immediately like he had with Shisui was simple.
First, the background didn't fit. It would be hard to fabricate some story about repaying a life-saving favor.
Second, Makoto was only substituting for this class once, so maintaining long-term contact would be difficult.
If he were their homeroom teacher, things would be much easier.
After finalizing the training plan, Makoto brought the two of them back to class.
"Obito, what did Teacher Hosokawa want you for?" Nohara Rin asked worriedly.
"You didn't get punished, did you?"
"Of course not!" Obito quickly defended Makoto.
"Teacher Makoto is great. He even taught me the secret to passing exams!"
If Makoto could help him escape the title of dead-last, Obito was ready to become the number one Makoto fan in the academy.
"Rin, you'd better study hard too," Obito said smugly.
"Otherwise I might surpass you next exam!"
"If you could really beat me, that would be amazing," Rin replied with a helpless smile.
Although she wasn't the top student, she was always near the top of the rankings.
When the class bell rang again, Obito adopted an unprecedented level of seriousness.
This time he absolutely had to pass.
He had already started thinking about which ninjutsu he wanted Makoto to teach him.
Seeing this, Rin was surprised.
Is Obito actually serious this time?
Three minutes later—
She watched Obito sleeping face-down on his desk.
Yes.
This was the Obito she knew.
At that moment—
A piece of chalk traced a perfect arc through the air and struck Obito on the head.
Obito looked around in confusion.
He saw Makoto's face.
He saw Rin's face.
He saw Might Guy furiously writing notes.
Then he remembered the bold promises he had made three minutes earlier.
His face immediately turned red.
His sleepiness vanished instantly.
After that small interruption, the rest of the class proceeded smoothly.
[Lesson Completed]
Evaluation: A
Reward Obtained:Leaf Whirlwind
This reward wasn't a ninjutsu—it was taijutsu.
Specifically, a technique that Might Guy would later develop.
At first glance, the move seemed simple.
Just a powerful kick.
But after instantly acquiring the technique, Makoto realized it was far more complex than it appeared.
The leg positioning, muscle coordination, and chakra burst timing all required precise technique.
Makoto had been wondering what he could teach Guy later.
Now he was quite satisfied with this reward.
After school, Makoto wandered through the forest south of Konoha.
He was searching for a suitable training location.
After all, he still had his Root identity.
Danzo definitely knew where he lived.
And considering Danzo's deep hatred for the Uchiha clan, if he discovered that Makoto was secretly teaching Shisui ninjutsu without reporting it—
He might immediately suspect Makoto of betrayal.
Even though Makoto had sensory ninjutsu, he couldn't keep it active all the time.
His chakra reserves simply weren't enough.
So he planned to train with Shisui outside the village center from now on.
Eventually, Makoto found a quiet riverside location.
The environment was good.
And more importantly—
It was extremely secluded.
Perfect for training.
After memorizing the location, Makoto returned home.
And soon he realized—
His caution had not been unnecessary.
The moment he stepped into his courtyard, he saw a ninja wearing an animal mask standing there.
(End of Chapter)