"Beize, long time no see."
A long, graceful leg wrapped in white bandages stepped forward as Yuhi Kurenai approached him.
"It's not that long—we just saw each other last week."
Beize's gaze dropped to the bandages on her hands.
Even in his past life, he'd always wondered why Yuhi Kurenai wrapped her thighs and hands like that.
"Beize, I need a favor."
A warm smile lit up her pale face as she spoke.
Beize was caught off guard.
Sure, they were both chunin, but there was a gap even among chunin.
She had family-inherited ninjutsu on her side.
Her dad was Yuhi Shinku, one of the few illusion jutsu jonin in Konoha.
If Kurenai was at the peak of chunin—basically half a step from jonin—then Beize was just entry-level chunin.
"I started tutoring recently."
Kurenai's voice carried a hint of frustration. "But this student's a real handful. I was hoping you could give me some tips."
Beize paused, thinking it over.
In the original story, Yuhi Kurenai was the team leader for Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka.
But she had another student: Kurama Yakumo.
Yakumo had a special kekkei genkai for illusions that could turn genjutsu into reality.
Genjutsu fell under yin release, and her power was so strong it wrecked her body constantly.
For safety, her parents kept her out of the Ninja Academy and hired Kurenai as a private tutor.
But Yakumo was dead set on becoming a ninja.
After one rejection too many, a yin release monster named Ito spawned in her heart. She lost control and killed her own parents.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sensed the danger and ordered Kurenai to kill the monster inside her.
"You're the guy who's been voted best teacher at the Ninja Academy three years running."
Kurenai clapped her hands together and leaned in a bit. "Please, old classmate!"
Beize opened his mouth to reply, but a blue panel popped up in his vision.
[Current Task: Help classmate Kurama Yakumo return to the Ninja Academy.]
[Task Reward: Magical Tree Binding Death.]
[Accept?]
Beize raised an eyebrow. This triggered a task?
More tasks never hurt. He accepted.
"No problem."
He nodded. "I'm pretty confident when it comes to teaching kids."
"Thanks. With you helping out, I feel a lot better."
Kurenai patted her chest in relief.
"Come find me after school tomorrow."
Beize thought for a second. "I'll share some teaching tips then."
"Got it."
Kurenai nodded with a bright, easy grin. "Dinner's on me tomorrow night. We'll grab drinks."
"Sounds good."
Beize didn't hold back. "No getting out till we're wasted."
"You've never beaten me at drinking since we were kids. I'll probably end up carrying you home again."
Kurenai smirked, all smug.
"That was then. This is now."
Beize shot back, stubborn as ever.
"Can't wait to see you try."
She reached out and punched his arm lightly. "See ya tomorrow."
Beize watched her walk away and shook his head with a chuckle.
He and Kurenai went way back—childhood friends since they were six, in the same class. Fifteen years now.
His other classmates included Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.
Most of them died in the Third Great Ninja War. Their graves were probably overgrown with weeds three feet tall by now.
No doubt about it—Beize was a transmigrator.
It all started when he left a snarky comment in the review section of a Naruto fanfic called *Lurking in Konoha, Part-Time Hokage*: "You ever been a ninja? Half this stuff's just made up." Next thing he knew, he was in Konoha.
His parents were both chunin in the village, so at six, they enrolled him in the Ninja Academy.
Too bad his talent was average at best.
He barely graduated at thirteen and became a genin, only to hear his parents had died.
Beize faced the harsh truth.
Charging at Uchiha Madara yelling about bonds and friendship? That was protagonist stuff.
He was cannon fodder among cannon fodder, so he switched careers and became a teacher.
At the academy, Beize mostly taught the Will of Fire and Konoha history, with occasional practical lessons on basics like the three jutsu.
Building on the Will of Fire, he came up with the idea: "The Hokage is the sun, and you'll never repay the Hokage's kindness."
That's why he'd been picked as the academy's top teacher three years straight.
His actual skills weren't half bad either.
Beize pondered for a moment, then headed north instead of back to school.
With Iruka Umino handling enrollments, he didn't need to worry.
"System, pull up my character panel."
The thought hit him, and he muttered it in his mind.
[Name: Beize.]
[Age: 6.]
[Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Wind Release: Gale Palm, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.]
[Evaluation: So-called geniuses just meet the threshold—you're a natural-born ninja, destined to become the strongest.]
Beize rolled his eyes.
He swore the system was being sarcastic.
A 21-year-old genius ninja? Tell that to the Uchiha—they'd laugh for days.
But seeing the age on the panel, he got it. The system wasn't lying; it was just running on a glitch.
Beize remembered an old saying: If a bug works, don't fix it.
At the training ground on the edge of Konoha.
Beize stopped, formed hand seals.
Chakra surged to his throat. He opened his mouth and spat—a fireball five or six meters wide roared out.
The air warped from the heat, waves of scorching wind kicking up.
Boom!
The fireball slammed into the ground, charring a wide patch black.
"Not bad at all."
Beize blinked, then grinned, satisfied.
A jutsu's power came down to the user's chakra and mastery.
He'd seen plenty of ninjas use Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, but none with this much punch.
No exaggeration—if he had enough chakra, he wouldn't fall short of Uchiha Madara.
That was the gold standard of the system maxing out his proficiency.
...
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen unrolled a scroll.
It detailed Uzumaki Naruto's day.
When he read about Beize interacting with Naruto, he sank into thought.
Soon, he recalled Beize's file.
An ordinary chunin, but with unique insights into the Will of Fire.
"He probably doesn't know Naruto's true identity."
Hiruzen nodded slightly.
While others feared and shunned Naruto like the plague, Beize treated him fairly. That showed he truly lived the Will of Fire.
"Wonder what Naruto will learn from him."
A spark of anticipation crossed Hiruzen's face.
Transmigration link.
(End of Chapter)