Satoru came bounding down the stairs, still half-laughing to himself, eyes gleaming with leftover ego from the dream where he utterly obliterated Obito, Madara, and Black Zetsu at the same time with one hand tied behind his back.
The kitchen was thick with tension the moment he stepped in.
Aiko Gojo stood by the stove, wielding a wooden spoon like a weapon of divine punishment, her expression sharp enough to slice through steel.
"You overslept. Again."
"It's called beauty sleep," Satoru said, sliding into a chair.
"And clearly, it's working. Look at this face."
Thwack.
The spoon hit the counter like a war drum.
"Your face is going to be swollen if you talk back like that again."
Satoru raised both hands in mock surrender.
"Got it. General Mom is in command."
Across the table, Takeo sat nursing a mug of untouched tea, gaze distant and shoulders unusually stiff.
Satoru paused.
"…Dad?"
Takeo didn't respond right away. After a moment, he muttered.
"Just... thinking. Grown-up things. Go get ready."
Aiko shot him a glance — short, sharp — but said nothing.
Satoru stood still a beat longer than usual, sensing the tension.
"…Okay. I'm going."
Minutes later, he was on the road to the academy, whistling as he spun a pebble on his finger like it was a sacred throwing star.
The day was bright. The world was his stage. And he was the headlining act.
He strolled into class with his usual swagger just as Iruka stood at the front of the room, hands behind his back, voice clear.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, we'll be working on the classic chakra control exercise spinning a leaf on your palm. Anyone who can't maintain it for five seconds will repeat it during lunch."
Satoru froze mid-step.
"…Wait. Leaf spinning? Like... with chakra?"
Iruka raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Is there a problem, Gojo?"
A smile stretched across Satoru's face wide, smug, and far too pleased with itself.
"Sensei… today is my lesson."
He turned to the rest of the class, expression aglow with theatrical pity.
"My condolences, fellow civilians."
Satoru, without another word, strutted outside to the training field like a man with a mission.
Then, in true Satoru Gojo fashion he dove headfirst into a massive pile of leaves.
A few students gasped. Some laughed. One kid clapped.
When the dust settled, he was nowhere to be seen.
"…Did he just -"
"Yup," Iruka muttered, already regretting not taking a sick day.
For a few awkward seconds, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, leaves began to twitch.
One by one, they rose… stuck to the surface of something beneath. Some began to spin.
The pile of foliage shifted, wobbled—
And stood up.
A humanoid figure of swaying leaves emerged, like a particularly smug forest spirit possessed by ego and chakra control.
From within the leafy mass came Satoru's muffled voice:
"Observe… the pinnacle of focus!"
Iruka squinted, hand dragging down his face.
He's actually controlling the chakra flow to hold and spin that many leaves at once?
That's… that's advanced.
Ridiculous. But advanced.
A single leaf detached, spun once in the air, and was casually caught by Satoru's fingertip through a hole in the leafy shell.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he declared.
"I am the lesson."
Despite everything, Iruka couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He's loud. He's dramatic. He's insufferable.
But damn it… he's good.
Some students clapped. Others whispered among themselves.
A few mostly boys glared with thinly veiled envy.
Sakura was clearly impressed. Ino too, though she tried to play it cool. Hinata smiled behind her sleeves like she was watching her favorite show.
And then—
"I can do that too!" Naruto shouted, puffing up his chest.
Iruka blinked. "Wait, Naruto, don't—"
Too late.
Naruto cannonballed into a nearby pile of leaves, flailing dramatically.
Silence.
A single leaf slid off his head and flopped onto the ground.
He sat up with leaves stuck to his face, pouting.
"Why didn't mine stick!?"
Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as scattered giggles broke out.
Satoru, still leafy and majestic, turned slowly toward Naruto and gave a solemn nod.
"Not everyone is born gifted, young leafling."
"SHUT UP!"
The whole class burst into laughter.
And Iruka, though visibly exasperated, chuckled too.
For all the chaos, it was shaping up to be a good day.
Iruka clapped his hands, trying to gather attention again.
"A-Alright, everyone let's focus back on the exercise!"
He glanced once more at the walking shrub that used to be Satoru Gojo, who was now gliding across the training field like some bizarre forest spirit, leaves spinning gently around him as he approached yet another kunoichi in need of "guidance."
Iruka rubbed his temple.
I need to mention this to the Hokage… again. If what he's doing is chakra control, then this kid's talent might be far beyond what I initially thought.
He exhaled and nodded, quietly making a mental note for his next report.
Then he turned his gaze to the rest of the class specifically, the boys.
Most were floundering, struggling to make even one leaf spin. A few were pretending to understand what they were doing. And Naruto was still fighting the pile of leaves like it had personally offended him.
Meanwhile, the girls thanks in large part to Gojo's insufferably charming but strangely effective demonstrations were steadily improving.
Well, Iruka thought, if it's working…
He sighed.
"Alright, boys with me. We'll go over the basic chakra channeling again. Girls, if Gojo's helping, I'm not interrupting just don't let him distract you too much."
Satoru was already crouched beside Hinata Hyuga, leaf poised delicately between his fingers, his tone low and serious:
"Your chakra is like water. You must guide it gently don't force it. Let it flow. Imagine the leaf is a ripple on the surface of a still lake."
Hinata blushed but nodded, focusing intensely.
Not far off, Ino leaned in with a playful scowl. "You said something completely different to me."
Satoru turned, smirked, and replied smoothly, "Of course. Your chakra is wild — vibrant. You don't guide it like a lake… you tame it like lightning."
Iruka caught only part of it — and chose peace by pretending he hadn't heard anything.
The important part was: the girls were learning. The boys were learning.
And somehow against all logic Satoru Gojo, dressed as a bush and spouting chakra poetry, was helping.
So for now?
Iruka let the madness continue.
Iruka's eye twitched.
What had started as surprisingly insightful chakra control advice was… evolving. Or more accurately, devolving.
At first, Satoru had been focused professional, even. His instructions had been precise and helpful.
Now?
"Focus your chakra here," Satoru murmured to Ino, gently placing two fingers against her wrist. "Let it pulse steady… like a heartbeat. Feel it?"
Ino nodded, cheeks pink.
"Y-Yeah… I feel it."
Iruka felt something, too mainly the sudden urge to drag the boy away by the collar.
He turned just in time to see Satoru crouched next to Sakura now, voice low and velvety.
"You're overthinking it," he said. "Close your eyes. Trust your instincts. Chakra is like emotion… if you force it, it slips away. Let it come to you, Sakura. Like I did."
Sakura blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Your talent," he added quickly with a dazzling smile.
"Let it come to you. Obviously."
And worst of all it worked. The leaf on her forehead began to spin slowly, gently.
Iruka shivered.
This… this is no longer chakra instruction. This is…
He couldn't even finish the thought.
"Okay! Boys, with me again! Let's—let's just reset. Pretend none of that's happening!"
Behind him, Satoru had moved on to a new girl, reclining slightly on the grass like a smug mentor out of some romantic novel, surrounded by spinning leaves and growing admiration.
Iruka ground his teeth.
Why is it working?!
A few hours later elsewhere...
Later that evening, deep within the Hokage Tower, the candlelight flickered across stacks of parchment and mission reports.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his temples. The day had been long — and filled with the usual headaches of governing a hidden village teetering between peace and preparation.
He reached for the latest academy report from Iruka Umino, already recognizing the neat, disciplined handwriting.
As he read, his tired eyes gradually sharpened.
"Satoru Gojo display advanced chakra control beyond his current curriculum. Exceptional precision, rapid adaptation, and seemingly natural affinity for teaching others."
The old Hokage hummed, nodding slightly.
"Interesting…"
He flipped the page, scanning a list of notable students. Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno and again, Satoru Gojo, circled twice.
But then…
His brows lifted as he reached a scribbled note at the bottom of the report clearly added at the last minute.
"Personal note: If this continues unchecked, I fear the Academy is at risk of becoming Satoru Gojo's personal harem."
Hiruzen stared at the words for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he set the paper down… and chuckled under his breath.
"Well now," he murmured, taking a long drag of his pipe.
"I suppose I really will need to meet this boy myself."
He looked out the window, where the moon hung high over Konoha.
"Let's hope his talent outweighs the trouble."