"I'm Yamanaka Ino."
Yamanaka Ino walked up to Kitazawa and asked, "Are you our teacher?"
"Yes,"
Kitazawa said, a gentle smile on his face. "Kitazawa."
"Teacher Kitazawa, please teach me."
Yamanaka Ino held out her hand.
Children in the ninja world matured early, and she was also a face-chaser.
More accurately, everyone was a face-chaser, taking a second look at handsome men and beautiful women, though some were more obvious, others less so.
"Teacher Kitazawa, I'm Haruno Sakura!"
Haruno Sakura poked her round head out from behind Yamanaka Ino.
"Nice to meet you,"
Kitazawa said, nodding slightly. Hinata Hyuga looked at their enthusiasm, envy returning to her eyes.
"Hahaha, I'm here! I'll see you, I'll conquer you! I'll definitely be Hokage!"
A short-haired boy suddenly appeared at the classroom door and shouted in a rather immature way.
But after he finished shouting, he realized Kitazawa was there too, and he immediately became embarrassed.
"Hello, teacher, I'm Inuzuka Kiba."
Inuzuka Kiba scratched his head and introduced himself.
"Take a seat wherever you want,"
Kitazawa said nonchalantly.
At this age, it's time for fantasy; only when you grow up will you understand the cruelty of the world.
Kitazawa glanced around but didn't see the dog named Akamaru.
The Inuzuka clan, while lacking a Kekkei Genkai, possessed a secret technique to fuse with dogs.
"Yes, teacher."
Inuzuka Kiba glanced around and found a seat in the back row by the window.
If conditions allowed, he'd even considered digging a hole and burying himself in it.
It was like slacking off in class reading a novel and turning back to find the homeroom teacher staring deathly through the window.
"Shikamaru, Choji, over here!"
Yamanaka Ino called out, shaking her slender arm.
Shikamaru Nara, with his pineapple-haired head, glanced over, his face instantly filled with reluctance.
Three beautiful little girls, plus a teacher—that looked like a formidable lineup.
He was a man who dreaded trouble above all else.
The slightly overweight Akimichi Choji didn't think twice, grabbing a bag of potato chips and walking over.
"Mr. Kitazawa, do you want some?"
Yamanaka Ino asked, reaching for the chips.
"No," Kitazawa said, looking at the heartbroken Akimichi Choji, shaking his head. "I'd rather have some fries."
What a nice guy!
Akimichi Choji breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitazawa didn't realize he'd been given the nice guy card; he wasn't arrogant and quickly became friendly with the students.
As time passed, the classroom gradually filled up.
Since it was just the beginning of the school year, no one knew each other.
Only Kitazawa's room was buzzing with conversation.
The only one who seemed a bit out of place was Hyuga Hinata.
She remained silent throughout, whispering only when Kitazawa mentioned her.
"It's about time. We'll talk again next time."
Kitazawa stood up and walked to the podium.
"Handsome and gentle, exactly my ideal type!"
Yamanaka Ino said excitedly.
"It's a pity he's too old," said Haruno Sakura, shaking her head.
"Yeah," Yamanaka Ino said with regret.
"Look! There's a handsome guy!"
Haruno Sakura suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
Yamanaka Ino subconsciously looked towards the door.
A cold-looking little boy walked in, his hands in his pockets.
The girls in the classroom inevitably started to commotion.
Uchiha Sasuke didn't even glance at them, finding a seat.
His gaze fell on Kitazawa.
He wondered how capable this teacher was, if he could even be one-tenth as good as my brother.
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
Uchiha Sasuke was just playing it cool now, but after his clan was wiped out, he'd be truly withdrawn.
Of course, that wasn't what he cared about, but the sudden assignment that had popped up.
[Current Task: Gain initial recognition from your classmate, Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Task Reward: Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu.]
[Accept?]
It was the same task as Uzumaki Naruto's, but far more difficult.
After all, Uchiha Sasuke now had both his parents alive and a supremely talented brother, Uchiha Itachi.
Kitazawa was just an ordinary chunin, so gaining his approval wouldn't be easy.
But it wasn't impossible.
Uchiha Sasuke, like Hinata Hyuga, longed for the approval of their father, Uchiha Fugaku.
"It seems the key lies in Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu,"
Kitazawa said thoughtfully.
Suddenly, the classroom fell silent.
Because a heavyweight, Naruto Uzumaki, had arrived.
After the silence, a flurry of discussion erupted.
Witnessing everyone's reactions, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
Even at school, his situation hadn't changed at all.
"Naruto, find a seat."
A familiar voice startled Naruto.
He looked at Kitazawa at the podium and nodded vigorously.
"Quiet," Kitazawa said in a serious tone.
The noise in the classroom suddenly vanished, but the stares wouldn't.
Kitazawa looked around and let out a soft "hmm."
He spotted the last student, Shino Aburame, dressed in a robe and sunglasses.
When had he arrived?
He thought about it, but he had no recollection of him.
"Class will begin now, but as usual, please introduce yourselves first."
Kitazawa picked up the chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard. "Start from the first row, and proceed to the stage in order."
He stepped aside and made room.
The students took the stage one by one.
But with the exception of the Nine Strong Men of Konoha, Kitazawa felt unfamiliar.
There were three other youngsters: Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee, all in their second year.
"My name is Nara Shikamaru. I don't have any dreams, I just want a peaceful life,"
Nara Shikamaru said with a yawn.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, but I don't really like anything. My dream is to become a ninja like my brother,"
Uchiha Sasuke said with a stern face.
Only when he mentioned the word 'brother' did his expression change, a hint of admiration showing.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant noodles and ramen, but I hate the three-minute wait for instant noodles."
Uzumaki Naruto stood at the podium, took a deep breath, and said with great determination, "I have a dream, and that is to surpass Hokage!"
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
This was essentially the same as Uzumaki Naruto's self-introduction in the original manga.
In a sense, he was truly horribly paranoid.
"Are you kidding me?"
"You're dreaming! What kind of monster could become Hokage?"
"You want to surpass the Third Hokage? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Undoubtedly, Uzumaki Naruto was met with everyone's ridicule.
"Is it funny? I only see an outstanding successor to the Will of Fire."
Kitazawa walked up to the podium with a serious face. "You all want to be Hokage, but you have lost your qualifications the moment you laughed at Naruto."
All the voices stopped abruptly.