We're almost at 1300 POWA STONES!!!! Where's my POWA STONES!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 67: There's No Going Back Now
As soon as the gift was placed in Iruka's hands, Naruto suddenly took a deep breath, his blue eyes particularly serious at that moment. He lowered his head slightly, as if organizing his words.
"Iruka-sensei... this year, I'm truly grateful to you."
His voice was deeper than usual, carrying undeniable sincerity. The classroom suddenly fell quiet—even the usually noisy Kiba closed his mouth, while Akamaru tilted his head, dark eyes darting back and forth between the two.
Iruka froze as he saw Naruto lift his head, looking directly into his eyes, asking the question that had been weighing on his conscience.
"By the way, sensei, you've been blaming yourself somewhat for past events... is that true?"
Iruka felt his throat tighten as the self-reproach buried in his heart was suddenly exposed to sunlight, leaving him nowhere to hide. His fingers trembled slightly before he slowly nodded.
"Yes... I'm truly sorry, Naruto. I'm an unqualified teacher."
The moment those words left his mouth, Iruka felt a sharp pain. He remembered his initial distance when first meeting Naruto, those deliberately maintained barriers, his stiff responses each time Naruto actively greeted him—
But unexpectedly, Naruto clicked his tongue and showed an expression both exasperated and amused.
"Seriously, sensei, your moral standards are way too high, aren't they?" He scratched his blonde hair, his tone carrying helpless affection.
"But later on, didn't you already accept me, sensei? There's no need to keep troubling yourself over past events."
Iruka opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He'd never imagined that his former hesitation and mistakes would be forgiven in such a way—not ignored, but understood, then gently told "it's okay."
Seeing his teacher's reddening eyes, Naruto unconsciously softened his voice.
"Sensei, everyone has imperfect moments, but it's precisely these hesitations and later choices that make trust more precious."
Naruto broke into a wide smile. "So please don't blame yourself for not doing well enough. To me..."
"You've long been the best teacher."
Iruka's body began trembling uncontrollably. He hurriedly lowered his head, not wanting his students to see his disheveled state. But tears had already blurred his vision, dripping onto the gift box in his arms and spreading into small dark stains.
So... how incredibly fortunate was he?
This realization made his heart pound violently, both bitter and warm. It had been his duty to accompany Naruto, to teach these children, but why... was he the one being redeemed, being warmed?
Too many emotions churned in his chest—amazement at Naruto's maturity, being touched in the softest part of his heart, renewed determination as a teacher, and that almost overflowing warmth...
And a pride he'd never felt before.
Pride in being these children's teacher.
Pride in witnessing Naruto grow into such a gentle person.
Pride in standing here now, surrounded by such pure emotions.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and open the gift." Naruto showed a rare hint of embarrassment. "Actually, in terms of luxury, my gift might not be as precious as the others, but I still hope you'll like it, sensei."
Without hesitation, Iruka placed his fingers on the exquisitely wrapped gift box. He gently untied the ribbon to reveal soft silk lining with two items resting quietly inside.
The moment Iruka's gaze fell on the first gift, his breathing involuntarily stopped.
It was a handmade, painted clay model about the size of his palm. He tremblingly lifted it up, feeling the warm, smooth texture unique to clay through his fingertips. The model's craftsmanship was exquisite, every detail handled with utmost care.
These were two chibi figures holding hands while standing together.
The figure on the left wore a Konoha forehead protector with pineapple-shaped hair tied back and a gentle smile; the right figure had spiky blonde hair and was grinning so widely his eyes nearly disappeared. The two figures' hands were clasped tightly together, with childish writing carved into the base: "Best Teacher."
Iruka's thumb unconsciously traced over that miniature version of himself.
This is... us?
"How's that? Now sensei won't be alone anymore!" Naruto grinned widely. "Even after graduation, seeing this model, sensei won't easily forget me."
On the other side of the classroom, Satsuki's gaze fell on the chibi pair, her dark eyes flickering slightly. Her mind involuntarily recalled the carefully preserved gift in her own room.
It was from when Naruto had given it to her on a previous birthday. The chibi Satsuki in that model was crossing her arms with a tsundere expression while looking away, with chibi Naruto grinning as he leaned in beside her.
She had one too... so why did seeing sensei receive a similar gift make her chest feel stuffy...
"Yes! Thank you, Naruto..."
Iruka's voice was so quiet it was barely audible. He carefully placed the model back in the box with gentle movements. His fingertips lingered on the "Best Teacher" inscription for a moment before reluctantly moving away.
To hide his reddening eyes, Iruka quickly turned to the second gift—that high-quality notebook. The words "Ultimate Teacher's Guide" gleamed under the lights on the cover. But looking closely, you could see these characters weren't factory-printed but hand-embossed afterward.
So that's how it was...
Memory suddenly flashed back to that stationery shop incident. What Naruto had been secretly hiding back then—it was these gift materials... This child had been carefully preparing since then?
He took a deep breath and slowly opened the notebook's first page.
Then froze completely.
The title page showed an exaggerated drawing of Naruto's head, with wobbly but energetic writing beside it:
"Record all the students who make you proud—I might not be the first, but I definitely won't be the last!"
These words were like a key, suddenly unlocking some tightly sealed gate in Iruka's heart.
An unprecedented emotion surged like a tide, instantly overwhelming all his defenses. It wasn't just being moved or comforted, but something deeper and warmer.
A teardrop splashed onto the page, smudging the ink. Then came a second drop, a third...
"Wuu..."
The long-suppressed sob finally broke through his throat. Iruka hunched over and began crying loudly like a child, tears soaking the notebook's title page.
The classroom fell silent. Shikamaru's yawn froze halfway on his face, Choji's chips stopped at his mouth, and even the usually chattering Kiba stared wide-eyed. They'd never seen an adult show such a vulnerable side.
Just then, a clear notification sound rang in Naruto's mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: Bond Level 7 (MAX) established with original character "Umino Iruka"!]
Naruto was about to step forward to comfort him when the system's voice rang out again.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: Bond Level 8 established with original character "Umino Iruka" (Relationship has undergone qualitative change! Family bond)]
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