At those words, even Yakushi Nono, who was usually gentle with everyone, couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
"Then, teacher, could you tell me what rank that Teacher Bai Xing is?"
The Chunin instructor took a deep breath. With a serious expression, he used every compliment he could think of and said,
"He's a very capable young man. At only eighteen years old, he has achieved a 100% mission completion rate. That kind of record is something only the legendary ANBU White Fang was rumored to have had."
"I see. So he's a genius Jonin. I can accept that."
Uchiha Mikoto felt relieved. A smile spread across her face.
But suddenly she remembered something.
If such a powerful Jonin existed in the village, why had no one in her clan—especially her grandfather—ever mentioned him?
Her smile stiffened slightly as she prepared to ask another question.
The Chunin instructor gave the answer first.
"He's not a Jonin. Currently… he's still a Genin."
After saying this, the Chunin instructor felt as if a weight had finally lifted from his chest. When he first saw the list, he had almost gone to question the ANBU himself.
But the document carried the Hokage's signature and seal. Matters like this could only be approved personally by the Hokage.
In an instant, suppressed laughter spread throughout the classroom.
Even Nara Yu, who usually avoided trouble, couldn't hold back and laughed.
Only two people kept dark expressions, glaring at the Chunin teacher as if they wanted to kill him.
The Chunin instructor looked helpless. He wasn't some important figure—just a messenger. Even if both girls had excellent grades—Uchiha Mikoto ranked first in the class, while Yakushi Nono's grades were above average.
"I'll report this matter to my clan exactly as it is," Uchiha Mikoto said coldly.
She believed this was targeted discrimination by the Hokage's faction.
The Chunin teacher could only nod helplessly, indicating he understood. After that, he told the students to wait patiently in the classroom for their team instructor to arrive.
Inside the Hokage Office, a crystal ball floated in the air, projecting the scene from the classroom.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage hat, watched Mikoto's angry reaction with a helpless expression.
"Other than Bai Xing, no other Jonin would accept Dai joining their team."
"Secondly, even a Jonin might not be capable of teaching Uchiha Mikoto, who already possesses strength comparable to a Chunin right after graduation."
"No matter how I think about it, Bai Xing is the most suitable."
Hiruzen had personally witnessed Might Dai training his taijutsu day and night.
Unfortunately, becoming a qualified Chunin in the village required more than taijutsu.
Moreover, he had heard that Dai's wife was currently pregnant. As only a Genin, Dai couldn't accept C-rank missions, and the family didn't have much money left.
At the same time, Dai couldn't complete many D-rank missions alone. If he failed, he wouldn't be able to afford the penalty fee.
And when joining teams, others disliked him for not knowing ninjutsu. They thought he was just freeloading and only there to share the mission reward.
Because of this, Hiruzen had practically exhausted himself just trying to form a Genin squad for Might Dai.
"Bai Xing, you brat… you'd better come through."
"Use that face of yours to win over those two girls."
Hiruzen's backup plan was simple—rely on Bai Xing's good looks to reduce the girls' resistance and avoid problems during the early stages of the team.
"How come he still hasn't arrived?"
Inside the Grade Five Class A classroom, only Uchiha Mikoto and Yakushi Nono remained.
Everyone else had already left.
Of course, they had left after laughing at them.
Uchiha Mikoto would never forget the humiliation she experienced today. She planned to thoroughly humiliate that Genin teacher with her strength and then report the matter to her clan.
She would make her grandfather personally go to the Hokage Building and give that old Hokage a piece of his mind.
Yakushi Nono, on the other hand, looked calm.
Her parents had died during a village mission. Her academic results weren't outstanding, but her chakra control and memory were quite good, allowing her to rank around the upper-middle in Class A.
—But now, she had to accept a Genin instructor.
My future… is probably over, Nono thought bleakly.
Click.
The classroom door slowly opened.
Uchiha Mikoto clenched her fists and was about to rush forward and beat someone up.
But the person who entered was a young man wearing a strange green jumpsuit with thick eyebrows.
He quickly raised his hands and introduced himself.
"Um… um… I'm Might Dai. I'm here to report in."
Looking at the fierce-looking Uchiha girl, Dai scratched his cheek nervously.
"This is… Grade Five Class A, right?"
"Hmph."
After realizing he wasn't the Genin instructor but another "victim" teammate, Mikoto restrained a bit of her temper. She snorted and sat back down.
"You're in the right place," she said with slight self-mockery. "But you probably don't know who our teacher is yet."
"He's a Genin."
"And according to our classmates, he's a Genin who has failed the Chunin Exam for six years straight!"
Thinking about how even the worst teams usually had Special Jonin instructors, while their team had a Genin instructor, Mikoto almost exploded with anger.
"Ah… about that… the Hokage-sama already told me," Might Dai said, scratching his cheek awkwardly as he walked into the classroom.
A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.
Back when he graduated, many famous ninjas had graduated alongside him.
Of course, those people had graduated early, while he had simply graduated on schedule.
"You knew and still came?" Mikoto stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you crazy? Are you sure your brain is okay?"
Even Yakushi Nono beside her looked shocked.
What department should someone like this register at in Konoha Hospital…?
Might Dai gave an awkward laugh and didn't explain.
After all, who would know that a Genin who had already graduated for years might soon lose even his job as a ninja, simply because he only knew taijutsu?
Seeing his silence, Mikoto and Nono exchanged a glance.
They sensed there was some hidden reason.
Neither of them asked further.
They simply waited silently for that damned, weak, late Genin instructor to arrive.
11:30 AM.
It was almost lunchtime.
At that moment, Bai Xing had just hurriedly finished a D-rank mission—helping an old grandmother plow several fields.
If it had been a pure taijutsu ninja who couldn't even control chakra properly, they might have accidentally broken the old woman's farming tools.
Hokage Building — Second Floor, Mission Office
The Chunin clerk received Bai Xing's mission report while still lost in his work.
War had caused many teams to go missing—or die.
The office atmosphere was often filled with sadness and silence.
But when he handed Bai Xing the reward and saw his face, he suddenly remembered something from yesterday.
"Genin Bai Xing…"
"Mm. The amount is correct. Three thousand ryo." Bai Xing counted the money casually.
"That's not what I meant," the Chunin clerk said, waving his hand.
"I mean… weren't you assigned to be a team instructor? Today should be the day for the graduation team assignments."
"Oh."
Bai Xing suddenly looked enlightened.
The Chunin clerk wiped sweat from his forehead, thinking Bai Xing had already finished the task.
"I forgot," Bai Xing said calmly. "But if I go now, it shouldn't be too late, right?"
Thud—
The Chunin clerk performed the classic anime move of falling off his chair on the spot.
Meanwhile, Bai Xing quietly pocketed his three thousand ryo, calculating in his head.
With more than four million ryo saved up, he could probably buy a small house soon.
Then he wouldn't have to pay rent to the landlord anymore or live in that tiny single room.
Konoha these years…
There shouldn't be anyone like Pain or the Nine-Tails blowing up houses yet… right?
"Genin Bai Xing! Why are you still standing there?! Hurry up and go!"
The Chunin clerk climbed back up, a small red scrape on his forehead, and shouted angrily.
"Oh, oh. Got it."
Bai Xing replied seriously, as if he had indeed been thinking about that very matter just now.