Chapter 5 - 05

"The title of Hokage isn’t just about power—it’s about earning everyone’s trust." Kitazawa spoke calmly as he swept his gaze across the class. "Think about it. Naruto is your classmate, your comrade. How could anyone who mocks their own comrade ever hope to become Hokage?" At those words, several students lowered their heads, guilt flickering across their faces. Uzumaki Naruto blinked rapidly, feeling like dirt had blown into his eyes. His vision blurred, but a fierce resolve burned in his chest. ’From now on... I’ll definitely become someone who surpasses the Hokage. Someone everyone will acknowledge.’ In that moment, Kitazawa soared in Naruto’s mind, second only to Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. "This teacher... he’s not bad at all." For once, Nara Shikamaru sat up straight. The usual lazy air vanished from his face, replaced by a thoughtful frown. Coming from a ninja clan, Shikamaru knew perfectly well that Naruto wasn’t a so-called monster. But Kitazawa was just an ordinary Chunin—there was no reason he should understand Naruto’s true circumstances. Which meant... the guy was simply kind-hearted. Meanwhile, Hyuga Hinata unconsciously clenched her small fists. She gazed at Kitazawa, a faint light shining in her pale lavender eyes. ’First he helped me... now he’s helped Naruto. Sensei... really is so kind.’ Current Mission: Be the first student in class to catch Principal Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attention. Mission Reward: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. The host has completed the mission. Reward issued. A flood of knowledge and experience regarding Wind Release: Great Breakthrough poured into Kitazawa’s mind. He couldn’t help smirking faintly. ’So, the old man really was spying on us with that crystal ball. I figured my speech would please him enough to finish that mission.’ Unfortunately, aside from Hinata and Sasuke, none of the other rookies seemed to trigger new missions for him yet. "Alright. Let’s start the lesson." Kitazawa picked up a piece of chalk, his warm smile returning. "Today, we’re talking about something called the Will of Fire." Almost at once, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted. Gone was the earlier gloom and awkward silence. "Now then... who can tell me what the Will of Fire has to do with the Hokage?" Kitazawa scrawled four characters on the blackboard in clean strokes. "Me!" Uzumaki Naruto practically leapt out of his seat, arm shooting into the air. Kitazawa gave a small nod. "Alright, Naruto. Go ahead." "The Will of Fire was... um... created by the Hokage!" Naruto shouted proudly. Kitazawa smiled. "Good. But... do you know why the Hokage proposed the Will of Fire?" Naruto froze, his confident grin faltering. "Uh... huh?" The question was too deep for him to answer. "It’s for you." Kitazawa’s next words caught the entire class off guard. "For us?" Naruto’s eyes widened in disbelief. Around him, the other kids wore equally shocked expressions. "Where the tree leaves dance, the fire will burn. The light of that fire will continue to shine on the village... and cause new leaves to sprout." Kitazawa’s voice softened as he explained: "The Will of Fire is all about you—the children of Konoha. You’re the future of this village. You’re its hope." "This is the first time I’ve heard it put that way..." "So I’m that important?" "Does that mean even Hokage-sama has to protect me?" The classroom buzzed with new excitement. Kitazawa couldn’t help chuckling quietly as he listened to their chatter. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the concept of the Will of Fire. But putting it into practice... that was another story entirely. Just look at Danzo Shimura, the so-called "Darkness of the Ninja World." He’d used the banner of the Will of Fire as an excuse for countless ruthless deeds. In the end, ideals were just castles in the air unless someone stood up to live them. Still, none of that mattered for now. Kitazawa’s priority was simple: using the Will of Fire to keep Hiruzen Sarutobi off his back. He was basically running an advanced reverse gag technique on the old man. "Alright, class dismissed. Ten-minute break." The bell rang just as Kitazawa gathered his materials. He left the classroom briskly, sticking to one of his personal teaching rules: never drag class past the bell. "Ino, I won!" Sakura Haruno dashed like a kunai shot from a launcher, stopping right in front of Uchiha Sasuke with a smug smile plastered on her face. She turned her head back dramatically. Ino Yamanaka stretched out her hand, her expression full of anguish. "No! That’s not fair!" ’Tch. Women.’ Nara Shikamaru slumped face-first onto his desk, radiating pure lethargy. In his mind, girls were nothing but troublesome—especially pretty ones. All he wanted in life was to marry someone plain and live quietly, without drama. Meanwhile, Akimichi Choji had much simpler goals. He calmly pulled out a bag of chips. Just eat. Eat. Eat. Repeat. Ino clenched her teeth, glaring at Sakura’s triumphant back. Then her thoughts shifted—Kitazawa-sensei. No hot-headed young genius? Fine. Time for a mature, dependable man instead. She was just about to march off toward the senseis’ office when she saw a certain blonde flash ahead of her. ’Tch. I was gonna go first...’ Ino let out a heavy sigh and sank back into her chair in defeat. Hyuga Hinata, sitting quietly in the corner, opened her textbook and began reviewing. She might be shy, but she never slacked. "Kitazawa-sensei! Wait for me!" Naruto came sprinting through the corridor, making a sharp pipe-turn like he was dodging traps on a battlefield. Kitazawa turned around with a relaxed expression. "Hmm? Did I not explain something clearly during class?" Naruto skidded to a halt and shook his head. "No! You explained everything really well, I understood it all!" ’You understood everything...? That’s... suspiciously unconvincing.’ But then Kitazawa remembered: during the enrollment assessment, Naruto had ranked dead last. "So, what is it then?" he asked with a light smile. Naruto looked up, his face serious. "I want to know... how can I make everyone acknowledge me?" Kitazawa blinked. ’This kid’s really something.’ He opened his mouth to give a generic response—something like ’you’re still young, you’ll understand when you grow up—’ But then he remembered: Hiruzen Sarutobi might still be watching through that blasted crystal ball. So instead, he nodded and said, "That’s easy. Learn from Hokage-sama." Naruto’s eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Got it! Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" "See you next class," Kitazawa said with a chuckle, before turning and walking off. There were two types of teacher offices at the Academy: individual rooms and shared ones. Kitazawa had a private office, and for good reason. He was technically a mid-level leader—something like a vice-dean in a modern school. After five years of teaching and being voted Top Instructor three years in a row, he’d earned it. ...Well, that and the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi liked his Will of Fire speeches. Sometimes, surviving in Konoha meant knowing when to kiss up. Not shameful—just practical. Of course, if he had a choice, he’d rather flatter the Fifth Hokage. After all, he was a fan himself. Instead of heading to his personal office, Kitazawa made his way to the large shared staff room. Six desks were pushed together—six first-year teachers, one noisy space. "Kitazawa-senpai!" Iruka Umino stood up quickly, greeting him with respect. "Iruka," Kitazawa replied with an easy smile. "Your first class today, right? Nervous?" Iruka nodded sheepishly. "A little, yeah." "That’s normal," Kitazawa said, offering some encouragement. "I just came from class. The students are a lively bunch, but good kids. You’ll do fine." "Thanks, Kitazawa-senpai," Iruka said with gratitude. As Iruka returned to his desk, Kitazawa headed to the bookshelf tucked in the corner of the room. It held all the student files for the first-year classes. ’Now then... time to find those three little punks who bullied Hinata.’ ----------------------- To keep the Chapters coming - Support with POWER STONES. For Every 100 power stones - 1 BONUS Chapter.