600 to 800 POWA STONES -_-? Nahh, who has ten accounts? Ik you did it bro (☞ ಠ_ಠ)☞
Chapter 60: A Teacher's Duty
Winter gave way to spring, and Konoha village was wrapped in a gentle layer of fresh green. As cherry blossom season ended, the tender leaves on branches grew increasingly lush, and the days grew warmer.
Today was a rare weekend with no training missions or class schedules. Iruka walked down the street toward the village's stationery shop, planning to purchase some practice ninja tools and teaching materials.
As a ninja academy instructor, he had now spent a full year with this group of kids—his first class of students. Honestly, this year spent with the little ones had been more enjoyable than he'd expected.
First were the more troublesome students in his class. Choji would secretly stuff snacks into his mouth during lessons when the teacher wasn't looking. Whenever Iruka called on him, he could always see the boy frantically trying to swallow his food.
In taijutsu class, Choji displayed a surprising "cowardice." Whenever sparring practice began, he'd always find various excuses to avoid it.
Initially, Iruka thought this child was simply timid by nature, afraid of combat. But as the days went by, he gradually discovered this wasn't the case at all—rather, this chubby boy was too kind-hearted, too gentle to want to hurt any of his classmates, even during training.
Another student who gave Iruka headaches was Shikamaru. This guy who always sprawled lazily across his desk seemed unable to muster enthusiasm for anything.
In class, he'd constantly find comfortable positions for napping, and during exams, he'd created an astonishing record of "zero scores." Every time Iruka saw Shikamaru turn in a blank test paper, he couldn't help but sigh.
However, as Iruka learned more about the Nara clan's characteristics, he began to suspect this child wasn't truly as "incompetent" as he appeared on the surface. The Nara family was renowned for their intelligence—how could they possibly raise an idiot?
With this question in mind, Iruka decided to test him privately. He found Shikamaru alone, told no one else, and simply gave him a test paper with plenty of time to answer.
The result shocked Iruka—a perfect score! When Iruka asked for an explanation, Shikamaru lazily replied, "Just too lazy to move my pencil. Those questions were too simple for me."
That Kiba kid was always restless, like he had a rabbit stuffed in his chest, unable to sit still. He'd zone out constantly during class and occasionally skip lessons to go play with stray dogs.
Ino was manageable enough, just too outspoken. Sometimes when someone interrupted her, she'd glare at them indignantly for ages.
As for Sakura... Iruka always felt uncertain about her. The child was quiet and well-behaved, took careful notes during class, and tried hard to keep up during taijutsu lessons, but her gaze always fell on Uchiha Satsuki. Her eyes held emotions that Iruka couldn't quite decipher.
Hinata was the model good student, always sitting perfectly straight, taking neat and tidy notes, even her handwriting carried a careful delicacy. She was just too introverted—when called upon to answer questions, her voice was thin as a mosquito's buzz, though you could see she was trying hard to overcome it.
Uchiha Satsuki—that daughter of the Uchiha clan head, frighteningly gifted, but far too proud. When classmates tried to talk to her, they'd mostly receive a cold glance before she'd turn away to continue chatting with Naruto.
In the entire classroom, only when facing Uzumaki Naruto would the frost in her eyes completely melt away. She'd even reached the clingy point of being wherever Naruto was.
The last one... Iruka's expression grew complex as the image of Uzumaki Naruto's golden hair floated through his mind.
The village rumors about him never ceased. Talk of the "demon fox" stuck like a festering wound, always creeping into his ears at unexpected moments.
At first, Iruka truly didn't know how to face this child. Logic told him that the Nine-Tails' sins shouldn't be blamed on a kid, but that mental barrier in his heart remained insurmountable, like an invisible knot blocking his way.
Later, he gradually saw Naruto's true situation clearly. Every time this child went into the streets, he'd encounter villagers' evasive stares and hear those deliberately lowered but clearly audible whispers.
Though Iruka's own childhood had been lonely, he'd never tasted this kind of hatred from nearly an entire village—a loneliness that even sunlight seemed to avoid.
But Naruto seemed completely unbothered by it all.
Those unfriendly stares, those pointed discussions—he acted as if he'd neither seen nor heard them. Every day he'd show up punctually at the classroom with his backpack, seriously greet his teacher upon seeing him. As a student, he actually gave his teacher very little trouble and could even be called outstanding.
Exceptionally gifted with strength far beyond his peers. Except for that first intense sparring session with Satsuki that made Iruka break into a cold sweat, he'd never shown the slightest arrogance in class since then.
Unlike Satsuki who was cold to everyone, as long as someone spoke to him without prejudice, he could chat cheerfully for ages. Toward his teacher, he always maintained respect.
All of this left Iruka feeling somewhat guilty. He knew perfectly well that rumors shouldn't influence his view of a child, yet in those early days, he'd still paid unnecessarily watchful attention to him, not treating him as naturally as the other students.
Thinking about all this, then seeing Naruto's perpetually cheerful appearance—as if he'd never suffered any grievances at all—Iruka's guilt deepened several degrees.
Soon, the stationery shop's sign appeared around the street corner. Iruka pushed open the door, but before he could greet the shopkeeper, his gaze was caught by a familiar figure not far away.
"Naruto?!"
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