He faked a scar, faked a glare, faked authority—because one wrong move and the kids would eat him alive.
The intimidation worked.
The moment the classroom fell silent, Noyi nearly cried from relief.
"Thank you, honey."
In his heart, he gave his wife a triumphant thumbs-up for suggesting the "stern teacher" strategy.
Truth was, Noyi had never been suited for combat shinobi life. Too timid. Too soft. Too easily rattled.
So the clan head had arranged a safer path for him—
Ninja Academy instructor.
A respectable job.
A stable job.
A job that did not involve being stabbed by missing-nin in a forest.
There was only one problem:
He had no idea how to deal with children.
After panicked consultation, his wife had delivered her wisdom:
"Keep a hard face. Act authoritative. They'll behave."
To increase the effect, she even drew a scar on his face.
Now Noyi stood at the podium, pinching his own thigh hard enough to leave bruises—anything to keep his voice from shaking.
"Hello," he said, as sternly as he could manage. "I'm Noyi. Your teacher for the next six years."
He paused, then continued with the script.
"I like obedient students. I dislike disobedient ones. If you have questions, come find me—preferably not. Now. One by one. Introduce yourselves."
He then moved to stand by the door, arms crossed, staring intensely at the speaker like a predator.
In reality, his back was drenched in sweat.
Standing by the door wasn't "dominance."
It was an excuse to breathe.
"Hello, everyone…"
A boy stepped up.
"Hyūga Hizashi. My hobby is assisting my older brother. Things I dislike… I don't think I have any."
Hokuto watched him lazily, chin propped on his hand.
His gaze lingered on the bandage wrapped around the boy's forehead.
So young… and he already has the Caged Bird Seal
Hokuto's feelings about the Hyūga were complicated.
To an extent, the seal was… understandable. In a world where eyes could be stolen and transplanted like tools, a dōjutsu that awakened so easily invited catastrophe.
But the real rot was the relationship between main branch and side branch.
And the seal itself had evolved into something it never should have been.
Worse—Byakugan fetched terrifying prices on the black market.
That kind of greed didn't die.
Even in Boruto's era, there was no clear mention of the Caged Bird Seal being removed.
Which meant one thing:
If the seal ever disappeared before the Hyūga had enough power to protect themselves, the clan would be hunted to extinction.
From the Warring States era to the future, the Hyūga survived every war and every reshuffling of power.
The seal—disgusting as it was—had helped keep them alive.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha and Senju?
History had already swallowed them.
Next came a blond boy.
"Minato Namikaze. My dream is to become a qualified Hokage. I haven't found anything I dislike yet. It's nice to meet you all."
Hokuto stared at Minato's gentle smile and immediately understood why Kushina later called him pretty.
Young Minato didn't just look good.
He looked like sunlight with a face.
One by one, introductions continued.
Hokuto didn't spot Hyūga Hiashi or Uchiha Fugaku.
Probably still training inside their clans, he thought. Or placed elsewhere.
Then it was his turn.
"Hokuto. I don't really have strong likes or dislikes. And my dream… is to become a medical ninja."
It wasn't a lie.
Before he fully matured, being a medic in the rear lines sounded like a great way to survive.
And medical knowledge would help him understand the weirdness inside his own body.
After his mother died, he had learned the Chakra Extraction Technique at five.
But something about his energy system was wrong—
—or rather, wrong compared to what he'd expected.
In his original plan, qi and chakra would stay separate. Two batteries. Two pools.
Instead, the moment he extracted chakra for the first time, his qi fused into it.
Over the next year, the two fully merged into a deep-blue energy that felt… denser.
Stronger.
He could use it to cultivate the Golden Light Mantra.
But he still didn't know if he could perform ninjutsu properly—his parents had left behind no scrolls.
Before he could think further, Noyi clapped his hands.
"Ten minutes. Assemble on the field. Hokage-sama will be holding the opening ceremony."
Every year, Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the Academy to deliver the Will of Fire speech.
This year was no different.
Hokuto followed the class outside and looked up at the platform.
Hiruzen stood in full Hokage robes, smiling like spring sunlight, charisma overflowing.
From a distance, he looked almost… fatherly.
It was easy to see why people called the Will of Fire a kind of illusion—one that rivaled genjutsu.
Even Hokuto almost believed in it for a second.
Almost.
Hiruzen spoke for an hour.
The students cheered for an hour.
By the end, half the class wanted to become Hokage out of pure emotional momentum.
Hokuto kept his expression neutral.
He wasn't going to pretend to be moved.
Hiruzen wasn't some naïve kid. He was a career politician with blood on his hands and a smile trained to hide it.
And for all Hokuto knew, someone was watching the crowd and recording reactions.
After dismissal, they returned to class for Chakra Extraction.
Except…
In Hokuto's class, nobody needed it.
They already had chakra.
That was probably why Hokuto had been placed with the clan kids.
So Noyi stood at the podium reciting his lesson like an actor—
while below, students trained, slept, or chatted openly.
Only one kid listened seriously.
Minato Namikaze.
Hokuto watched for a while, then realized something:
The teacher didn't even glance at what the students were doing.
He wasn't strict.
He was hiding.
Two words surfaced in Hokuto's mind.
Social anxiety.
And suddenly, the Academy didn't feel boring at all.
Noyi continued reading his lesson plan.
Then, out of nowhere, a chill ran down his spine—sharp and cold like a blade pressed against his back.
He stiffened.
Someone… is staring at me.
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