[Name: Sarutobi Hiruzen]
[Chakra: 170000]
[Potential: S]
[Evaluation: High ninjutsu talent, skilled in combined ninjutsu, although single nature ninjutsu may not compare with kekkei genkai, how would you handle it if I simultaneously used five types of advanced nature transformation ninjutsu?]
"The pinnacle of the Third Hokage." Seeing that string of zeros in chakra, Mokgetsu felt both surprised and a bit envious as he walked out of the office.
After all, that's a full 170,000 chakra, 130,000 more than he last saw from Minato.
But since Minato is only eighteen now, it's not very meaningful to compare a peak middle-aged ninja with one who's still growing.
"How should I write the report when I get back..." Surprised, Mokgetsu was already thinking about how to write the report to Danzo.
No time requiring careful consideration was merely an excuse, although busy, he wasn't so swamped as to not spare a week to teach Asuma.
Mokgetsu could feel the Third was trying to curry favor with him, otherwise he wouldn't mention special Jonin as an excellent teacher.
But the Third's sincerity was too little, no real benefits, just painting a rosy picture.
If the Third had directly pointed out his Root identity when he entered the office and asked if he wanted to work with him, Mokgetsu would have certainly kicked Danzo and followed the Third.
But now the Third hadn't made his intentions clear, clearly hesitating, like an old player.
If he agreed directly, he wouldn't gain favor from Danzo's side, so it's better to find an excuse to not give an answer for now and throw the problem to Danzo.
As for whether the Third didn't know his identity, Mokgetsu could only say it wasn't impossible, but unlikely.
After all, Root was ultimately something that couldn't come to light. If the Third didn't even know Root ninjas entered the Ninja Academy, he might as well not be Hokage and principal.
Back in the office, the teachers curiously asked Mokgetsu questions.
"Teacher Habu, what did the Third want to see you for? Was it a commendation?" Ueda Aya asked curiously.
"Probably, considering how good the exam results were this time and being a new teacher, Teacher Habu is really strong." Iketani Isamu sighed, truly impressed by Mokgetsu.
"It's probably recognition of my teaching achievements." Mokgetsu sat down, took out pen and paper, and then said after thinking for a bit.
"When will I also get recognition from the Third Hokage?" Kimura Sugihito only felt the differences between people were huge.
He still remembered Mokgetsu's greenness when he first arrived, never expecting that he would surpass him in teaching achievements so quickly.
"As long as you do your best to teach the students." Mokgetsu said while practicing calligraphy.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, could you help cover my classes in the afternoon? I've got something to do." Iketani Isamu said while pouring Mokgetsu a cup of water.
"Sure, I'm free this afternoon." Mokgetsu nodded and agreed.
"Teacher Habu, now I understand why the students like you so much." Iketani Isamu quickly thanked him.
"Oh, Sugihito, could you lend me some money? I'll pay you back after I get my salary." Next, Iketani Isamu said to Kimura Sugihito.
Originally, he wanted to borrow from Mokgetsu, but remembering how he's had Mokgetsu cover so many classes, he felt embarrassed.
"How much do you need?" Kimura Sugihito asked. He and Iketani Isamu were old friends, so borrowing money was no big deal.
"Eighty thousand ryo should be enough." Iketani Isamu thought for a moment and said.
"Eighty thousand ryo, what do you plan to do with it?" Kimura Sugihito froze his hand reaching for money.
A teacher at the Ninja Academy only earns a salary of a hundred thousand ryo a month, and Iketani Isamu was borrowing over half.
Although it wasn't impossible to lend, he needed to ask the reason.
Mokgetsu also glanced over, knowing that in the Hokage world a ryo equals ten yen, so Iketani Isamu was borrowing eighty thousand ryo, which is equivalent to 800,000 yen.
For those strong ninjas, it might not be much, but for a Chunin teacher it's quite significant.
"A date, I can't exactly take someone out for ramen." Iketani Isamu explained.
"You're not spending your entire salary on dates, are you?" Kimura Sugihito looked at Iketani Isamu like he was being foolish.
"What do you mean spending it all on dates, if it's for a date, isn't it also for myself? It's not like I didn't eat anything." Iketani Isamu tried to argue.
"Don't be ridiculous, would you go to those high-end restaurants by yourself?" Ueda Aya sarcastically remarked.
She had advised Iketani Isamu early on, but he wouldn't listen.
"She doesn't really like you, she's just using you as a meal ticket." Ueda Aya tried to enlighten Iketani Isamu.
"How can that be, she even called me Iketani bro the day before yesterday." Iketani Isamu showed a captivated expression and retorted.
"For eighty thousand ryo a call, even I'd do it, believe it or not, I can call you 'bro' until you're broke," Ueda Aya said expressionlessly, since calling someone bro doesn't cost anything.
"You..."
"Never mind, I'll lend it to you. Remember to save some for meals." Kimura Sugihito sighed, eventually lending the money to Iketani Isamu.
Hearing Kimura Sugihito agree to lend money, Iketani Isamu couldn't bother with Ueda Aya's sarcasm anymore and quickly thanked Kimura Sugihito before leaving the office.
Mokgetsu thought if Hokage had short videos, shooting Iketani Isamu's office daily life as a series might go viral, and then money wouldn't be an issue.
After an internal quip, Mokgetsu quickly concentrated on practicing calligraphy until it was almost time for class. Mokgetsu then laid down his pen and headed for the classroom.
As Mokgetsu entered the classroom, the students started to get excited.
"Great, it's Teacher Mokgetsu for the ninjutsu class!"
"After Teacher Mokgetsu's last class, my Transformation Jutsu became much more refined; I hope this time he'll focus on the Clone Jutsu."
Mokgetsu scanned the room; as expected, Obito wasn't there again.
Five minutes into Mokgetsu's class, Obito sprinted into the classroom.
Seeing Mokgetsu standing on the podium, Obito was somewhat dumbfounded.
He thought to himself that he wasn't late every day, so why did it seem like every time he was late, he ran into Mokgetsu substituting, which wasn't good for his image in Mokgetsu's eyes.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I..." Obito wanted to explain something.
"Take your seat." Mokgetsu gestured for Obito to sit down and then began teaching the Clone Jutsu as per the request of most students.
"Darn you, Teacher Iketani, why didn't you inform earlier that Teacher Mokgetsu was substituting!" Obito clenched his fists and complained.
During the break, Mokgetsu called Obito and Might Guy out to ask about their exam results.
"We passed!" Obito and Might Guy said together, holding their heads high.
Upon further inquiry, Mokgetsu found out they barely passed, with the cut-off being sixty and both of them scoring right on thirty.
"I don't know why, but this time our scores are better than before; usually, twenty-five would be enough to pass." Obito scratched his head, feeling it was quite close.
"Maybe it's because Teacher Mokgetsu substituted before." Might Guy said.
Even someone like him, who finds it hard to learn, could feel the gap between Mokgetsu and other teachers.
"Huh? Doesn't that mean the next time the score requirement might be even higher?" Obito was dumbstruck, feeling helpless if it got higher.
"Passing is my basic requirement for you; if you can't do it, you'll have to follow everything I arrange." Mokgetsu gave a benevolent smile.
If passing wasn't achievable, the rewards might be even lower then.
Obito and Might Guy looked at Mokgetsu's smile and recalled the terror of being dominated by practice exams, shivering again, and hurriedly promised they'd pass next time too.
Upon arriving home, Mokgetsu wrote the report, then submitted it. It wasn't long before he received a reply from Root.