Today's May Day, so I went out to play. I only had one draft chapter left, so I'm posting that now. Just one chapter today, one tomorrow as well, and maybe more the day after depending on my mood. That's all. Yay~ (otaku-style forced cuteness).
By the time Mitsuki Mui arrived at school, the classroom was already filled with students. However, their teacher, Kato Dan, had yet to appear.
Moreover… when Mui returned to her seat and glanced around, she noticed that the civilian students were all present too. Each of them already had a faint trace of chakra within their bodies.
It seemed Kato Dan's guidance was working fairly well.
Clang clang—
A moment later, Kato Dan walked into the room and tapped the edge of the podium to draw everyone's attention.
"Alright then, let's go over what lies ahead. From now on, there will be three lessons each day. In the morning, I'll be teaching you ninjutsu and history. In the afternoon, we'll train your taijutsu and your handling of kunai and shuriken.
Now, since today is your very first class, I'll start with something that everyone is curious about."
"That is—ninjutsu."
The moment he said this, Kato Dan noticed that the majority of the students immediately focused on him.
"Good."
Nodding in satisfaction, he continued: "First, I'll be teaching you a technique that is indispensable for a ninja. From the very beginning as an Academy student, all the way to genin, chūnin, jōnin, and even Kage—this jutsu can be decisive in survival. I'm talking about the Substitution Jutsu."
Mitsuki Mui listened carefully to Kato Dan's explanation.
Although she had already studied the Substitution Jutsu on her own for quite some time, and thanks to her A-ranked innate talent her mastery was already no weaker than that of an average chūnin…
Still, Kato Dan was a jōnin. His explanation filled in several gaps she hadn't fully understood before.
Yet… Kato Dan himself was surprised.
From the way Mui asked questions about the Substitution Jutsu, some of her doubts were things even he himself wasn't entirely sure how to resolve.
"A real genius… She's only had the Substitution Jutsu for a week, hasn't she…?"
During his short time as a teacher, Kato Dan had taken the trouble to investigate his students a little.
In Mui's case, her background was simple: a family that only practiced chakra refinement, no formal teacher, and an obsession with ninjutsu. That was how Kato Dan had labeled Mitsuki Mui in his mind.
But now…
Another label had attached itself—genius.
Still… perhaps that was a good thing.
"Well then, that will be all for this morning's lesson. For the afternoon outdoor training session, you may first go home for lunch, take a short nap, and then return. After all, for children as young as you, these habits are very important. If you keep them up, your achievements as shinobi will grow higher in the future. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the chorus of youthful voices ringing in his ears, Kato Dan smiled. "Good, then class dismissed."
"Whew—!"
Stretching lazily, Mui slowly stood up, ready to leave.
"Um… um, Mui-san, would you like to go together?"
A boy named Akegiri Itsuo finally gathered his courage and stepped forward to speak.
"Eh? Ah… no, that's fine. I'd rather go on my own."
Shaking her hand in refusal, Mitsuki Mui left the classroom.
"I thought so…"
Watching her departing back, another boy came over to Itsuo and said, "Um… Itsuo-kun, if you don't mind, shall we walk together?"
"Mm, alright."
Inside, the boy flashed a small victory gesture to himself, then glanced after the departing Mui. "Don't take it personally. You can tell just by looking, right? That Mitsuki girl… she seems pretty solitary. Hm… though she is really pretty…" he muttered at the end.
"Hm? What was that?"
"No, nothing. By the way, my name's Uchiha Yamaha. Pleased to meet you."
"Mm, pleased to meet you too."