Hagoromo had just left the classroom when he suppressed the joy in his heart.
According to the information the system had provided, all Ninjutsu could be divided into Entry, Proficient, Mastery, and Transcendent.
An A rating for a lesson generally only awarded a Ninjutsu at the Proficient threshold.
Chakra Sensing was not unique in the Shinobi World, but what he had obtained was Finger-to-Ground Sensing, which belonged exclusively to the Second Hokage.
Using this technique, he could sense the number of enemies within a wide area, as well as the amount of Chakra a target had.
A wealth of memories appeared in his mind, all of them information about Chakra Sensing.
In an instant, Hagoromo could clearly sense the number of people in the entire Ninja Academy and how much Chakra each of them had, even without using the complete technique.
"If the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha hadn't been so overpowered, the strength the Second Hokage displayed alone would have absolutely dominated the Shinobi World in that era."
Hagoromo couldn't help clicking his tongue. A single Proficient-level Ninjutsu was already this overpowered.
Sensing a familiar Chakra gradually approaching, Hagoromo stopped studying the reward he had received.
"Hagoromo, how did the lesson go?" Iruka called out warmly as he approached from behind.
"Not bad. It's not my first time teaching a class, after all."
Hearing Iruka, Hagoromo turned around and replied with a smile.
"That's good. I was worried you'd feel overwhelmed leading a class for the first time."
Iruka nodded, stepped forward, and put an arm around Hagoromo's shoulders as they headed for the office.
Hagoromo went along with him, reflecting on what he had sensed in that brief instant as they walked.
In his perception, the Chakra of Naruto's Sealing Jutsu was like an enormous light bulb.
Hagoromo compared his current Chakra reserves with Naruto's and instantly felt a little inferior.
Looks like I'll have to study this carefully later and see if I can take on a disciple, so I can improve my strength as soon as possible. Hagoromo set himself a short-term goal.
When Hagoromo and Iruka walked into the office, they found several teachers already inside, chatting about this year's students.
Seeing the two come in, they hurried to greet them as well.
Most of them congratulated Hagoromo on finally being able to lead a class of his own this year.
"Hagoromo, you have to treat us tonight, no matter what. You've been here less than two years, and you can already lead a class on your own."
The speaker was a man about twelve years older than Hagoromo and Iruka, who smiled as he spoke.
Hagoromo nodded. "No problem, Mr. Tian Yong. Even if you hadn't brought it up, I would have invited everyone one by one later.
"Since everyone's here, you have to do this youngster the honor of coming tonight. Let's go to the izakaya."
Tian Yong smiled even more happily at Hagoromo's words and readily agreed.
Shangcun Hong, who was sitting beside Tian Yong, wore a teasing expression. "Tian Yong, did your wife take away your secret stash? School's only just started, and you're already asking Hagoromo to treat you."
Tian Yong's face turned bright red at that, and he waved his hands and feet as he told Shangcun Hong not to talk nonsense.
Seeing Tian Yong like that, the teachers in the office all burst out laughing. Tian Yong had only just gotten married, after all, and had invited them to the wedding not long ago.
They simply hadn't expected the always chauvinistic Tian Yong to be kept on such a tight leash after getting married.
In the Hokage's office, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi rested his chin on his hands as he watched Hagoromo in the crystal ball, standing at the front of the classroom and answering Naruto's question about how to become Hokage.
Only after Hagoromo finished answering did the Third Hokage pick up his pipe and light it. As he puffed out clouds of smoke, a smile slowly formed at the corners of his mouth.
Hagoromo was another person who thought like a Hokage.
To be honest, with Naruto coming to the Ninja Academy this year, the Third had originally considered two candidates to lead his class: Iruka and Hagoromo.
It wasn't because they were excellent teachers, but because they were young.
They didn't share the older generation of teachers' hostility toward the Nine-Tails.
However, after the Third spoke with Iruka, Iruka made it clear that he was passing up the opportunity the Third had offered.
For no other reason than that Iruka's own parents had died on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Although he couldn't blame a child for it, Iruka made it clear that even if he tried to convince himself not to care, he ultimately couldn't let it go.
He also suggested to the Third that Hagoromo take the position instead. The two of them were about the same age, and Hagoromo's teaching performance was certainly good enough compared with Iruka's own.
After that, the Third gave up on Iruka and began evaluating Hagoromo instead.
The evaluation lasted half a year, with the Hokage's Anbu following him for several months.
Fortunately, everything was under control, and Hagoromo's lesson today had further convinced the Third that he had made the right choice.
"Going forward, perhaps I can devote particular attention to nurturing him."
With that thought, the Third ended the Telescope Technique. He looked at the documents on his desk, slowly breathed out a puff of smoke, and began dealing with them.
That afternoon, after the students had gradually headed home, Hagoromo checked the classroom and followed Iruka out of the school building.
He was treating everyone later, so he wasn't planning to go home. He intended to go straight to the izakaya and wait for the other teachers.
As for Iruka, he was alone in the world just like Hagoromo, so naturally he had no reason to go home first either.
When they reached the playground, Iruka, who had been talking nonstop, fell quiet and looked toward a swing not far away.
Hagoromo followed his gaze and saw a blond figure in a white T-shirt sitting on the swing with his head lowered.
"Iruka, go wait for me at the school gate. That looks like a student from my class."
After saying that to Iruka, Hagoromo walked straight over. It was a long while before Iruka responded behind him.
"Okay."
The person sitting on the swing was, of course, Naruto, who had just started school that day.
Hagoromo hurried over to Naruto. Naruto, who had still been hanging his head, sensed the light dim and looked up.
The slightly dazzling light of the setting sun made Naruto squint involuntarily, and for a moment he couldn't make out who it was.
He shouted loudly in a defiant tone, "Bastard! What, you want to fight me again?"
Hagoromo had been wondering why Naruto's clothes, which had been clean in class that morning, were now not only covered in dust but had a few holes in them as well.
Hearing Naruto's words, he realized that Naruto had been in a fight.
Though, judging by Naruto's condition, it was more likely that he'd been beaten up.
"Naruto, are you hurt?"
Hagoromo crouched down and asked in a gentle voice, a warm smile on his face.
Naruto, who had been wearing a stubborn expression, opened his eyes at the sound of the voice and saw who it was. An indescribable emotion lingered in his chest.
Then tears slowly slid from the corners of his eyes, and he looked at Hagoromo with a pout, feeling deeply aggrieved.
"Aaaaah... Teacher!"
Iruka, who had just reached the school gate, heard the crying. His pupils trembled, and the expression on his face was inscrutable.
Hagoromo watched Naruto sobbing before him and did not move for a long time.
Only when Naruto stopped crying did Hagoromo crouch down and look directly into his reddened eyes.