Chapter 12: Personality is a Good Thing
In the morning, Kotetsu Hagane quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and rushed out the door.
"You're up early today. What's the rush?" his mother asked, puzzled.
"Obviously, to get to school early and study," Kotetsu replied without even looking back.
It was a casual excuse. While he didn't dislike school, it wasn't exactly his favorite place either—not all teachers were as engaging and fun as Hayate Mugetsu.
The real reason Kotetsu was in such a hurry was his burning curiosity—he needed to know if his buddy, Izumo Kamizuki, had taken the plunge into romance over the weekend.
He had given Izumo the idea on Thursday, but by Friday, Izumo still hadn't acted. He claimed he needed "more time to prepare."
Two days should've been plenty.
When Kotetsu arrived at the classroom, only a few students were around. Izumo hadn't shown up yet.
But he didn't have to wait long. Seven or eight minutes later, Izumo shuffled in, looking completely defeated.
"Izumo, you sleep badly or something?" Kotetsu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Izumo just shook his head.
"Did you give her the flowers?" Kotetsu leaned in, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Sigh... Don't even bring it up," Izumo groaned, slumping further into his seat.
"She wasn't staring at our family's flower garden because she likes flowers. Turns out, she has pollen allergies and was worried the pollen would blow over."
Kotetsu froze for a second. Then, after digesting the tragic twist, he asked, "So... did you still give her the flowers?"
Izumo didn't answer. But the dead look in his eyes said everything.
Kotetsu patted his shoulder with solemn sympathy. "It's alright. I remember there's a cute girl who always plays with Miho. What do you say we hang out with her sometime?"
"That'd be amazing, Brother Tetsu!" Izumo's gloom lifted instantly, a grin breaking across his face.
"Over the weekend, I even came up with another brilliant plan to help you deal with your cousin."
"Awesome! What's the plan? Tell me—"
"Class is starting!"
Hayate Mugetsu's voice rang out, cutting their conversation short. Only then did the two realize how caught up they'd been—they hadn't even noticed the bell.
They immediately sat up straight and focused, genuinely missing Mugetsu's class after the two-day weekend.
And as expected, Mugetsu didn't disappoint. The class was smooth, easy to follow, and full of practical content. Without even noticing, they absorbed a ton of knowledge.
[Lecture Completed]
[Rating: A]
[Reward: Water Release – Water Severing Wave]
When Mugetsu saw the reward, his eyes lit up. Now that's a solid technique.
The Water Severing Wave was no joke—it had been developed by the Second Hokage, capable of firing a super high-pressure stream of water with enough force to sever even the roots of the Divine Tree.
It was a good day.
And things only got better.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I remember you don't have a class this afternoon. Could I trouble you to substitute for me? It's a Ninjutsu class for Grade 4, Class 2."
In the office, Ikeya Yu approached him, clearly hopeful.
"Substitute? That's fine. Are you feeling unwell, Teacher Ikeya?" Mugetsu asked with concern, staying in character even as he quietly celebrated another opportunity for rewards.
"I'm alright, thank you for the concern, Teacher Mugetsu," Ikeya replied politely. "It's just... that blind date I mentioned before? I'm going shopping with her this afternoon."
"Then why not pick a time when you're not teaching?" Ueda Aya frowned, clearly unimpressed.
"I wanted to," Ikeya sighed. "But she said this afternoon was her only free time."
If he had any choice, he wouldn't be bothering Mugetsu. Mugetsu was known for being reliable, and asking him for help made Ikeya feel a bit guilty.
Ueda Aya, meanwhile, was done with this topic. She genuinely didn't believe things would work out between Ikeya and his blind date.
After all, if someone truly cared, they wouldn't let their date skip work and burden his colleagues.
"Then good luck, Teacher Ikeya," Hayate Mugetsu said with a smile. "It's good to stay busy—more rewards that way."
"Thank you so much, Teacher Mugetsu! If things work out, I'll treat you to the most expensive restaurant in Konoha," Ikeya promised, then quickly rushed out of the office. He still needed to head home and change.
"I told you last time, didn't I, Teacher Mugetsu? If you keep this up, people will always ask you to sub when they're busy," l Aya sighed.
"It's a joy to help others. Colleagues should support one another," Mugetsu replied seriously.
"You're just too kind. People will take advantage of that," Aya muttered with a shake of her head.
Mugetsu only smiled and said nothing, quietly beginning to practice calligraphy.
Watching his focused expression as he wrote, Aya couldn't help but feel the difference between people could be immense. If Ikeya were even a quarter as capable as Mugetsu, he wouldn't be going through life without a single romantic relationship.
When the time came, Mugetsu put down his brush, tidied his desk, and headed to Class 2, Grade 4 to start the lesson.
Just as he reached the door, the bell rang.
"Teacher Ikeya had something come up, so I'll be handling your Ninjutsu class this afternoon," Mugetsu said as he entered.
He scanned the room. Everyone was present—except Obito.
About three minutes into class, Obito burst in, panting. The moment he saw Hayate Mugetsu at the podium, he froze.
He'd sprinted all the way here and couldn't believe his eyes. For a moment, he even wondered if he'd entered the wrong classroom. But the familiar faces confirmed he hadn't.
Obito didn't stop to catch his breath and immediately began explaining.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I didn't mean to be late. I ran into—"
"Ran into a grandma and lost time helping her," someone in the room finished for him, triggering a wave of laughter.
"I'm serious! If I'd known Teacher Mugetsu was teaching this afternoon, I'd have shown up half an hour early!" Obito said, flustered.
He was genuinely afraid Mugetsu would think he was slacking off and stop teaching him.
"Return to your seat," Mugetsu nodded, seeming to accept the excuse. Then he added, "You shouldn't be late for Teacher Ikeya's class either."
Ninjutsu classes at the Ninja School began in the first grade, but only covered three techniques: the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, and Substitution Technique.
While spending several years on just these three might seem slow, it was actually reasonable—true prodigies like Shisui were rare.
For most students whose goal was simply to become a Chūnin, mastering these basics was already a challenge—especially alongside their other subjects.
Despite having practiced these techniques countless times, Mugetsu's class made their eyes light up.
"So that's why my clones never looked like me!" a student exclaimed with sudden realization.
"I hope Teacher Ikeya has more engagements from now on so we get more of Teacher Mugetsu's classes," another student joked—though their tone barely disguised the truth.
Voices of agreement echoed across the room.
Mugetsu said nothing, only sighing inwardly at how useful his system skills had become.
[Lecture Completed]
[Rating: A]
[Reward: Lightning Release – Lightning Clone]
His mind was immediately filled with insights into Lightning Release chakra transformation and the experience of using the Lightning Clone Technique.
While it wasn't a particularly high-level jutsu, Mugetsu was pleased—he had unlocked another chakra nature. And considering he'd already earned a reward that morning, this was a nice bonus.
For the next half month, Mugetsu maintained his rhythm.
If no one asked him to substitute, he stayed in the office researching Ninjutsu theory. If someone did, he accepted without hesitation. At home, he trained Obito and Shisui, and spent the rest of his time cultivating chakra.
Perhaps due to the quality of his classes, every student he taught wanted him back. Combined with his good rapport with other teachers, Hayate Mugetsu quickly became a well-known and well-liked instructor at the Ninja School.
To the students, he was the ideal teacher—engaging, kind, and undeniably handsome.
To the faculty, he was a rare gem: sincere, reliable, and always willing to help.
As the center of attention, Mugetsu didn't dwell on it much. He had simply built the persona he wanted. Right now, his mind was elsewhere—specifically on the masked ninja currently standing in his yard.
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