How Did You Know I Got First Place? (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Iketani Isamu stood behind Kimura Sanjin with a broad smile, kneading his shoulders and pounding his back as he said ingratiatingly:

"Sanjin, lend me another eighty thousand ryo, okay? I'll pay you back when I get my salary."

Kimura Sanjin thought, Sure enough, there's no such thing as unprompted kindness without an ulterior motive. This massage service is damn expensive.

"Why do you need to borrow again? Didn't you borrow some last month?" Kimura Sanjin asked with a helpless sigh.

"But I paid you back when I got paid last month, didn't I?" Iketani Isamu said with a chuckle.

"So you borrow this month, then pay it back, and because you paid it back, you'll have no money next month. Does that mean you'll need to borrow again next month?" Kimura Sanjin asked.

Thinking about it that way, he was practically Iketani Isamu's personal eighty-thousand-ryo machine.

"Uh..." Iketani Isamu was left speechless.

"It's not like you think, Sanjin. It's mainly because we only just got to know each other. I have to put in some effort to show my sincerity. I definitely won't borrow any next month," Iketani Isamu tried to explain.

"You said that yourself. Don't forget it." In the end, Kimura Sanjin still took out his wallet, removed eighty thousand ryo, and handed it to Iketani Isamu.

It was not that he begrudged the eighty thousand ryo. Although Iketani Isamu did not act like a normal person when it came to romance, he was fine in other respects and would not fail to repay a debt.

Kimura Sanjin simply felt that lending money to Iketani Isamu was enabling him and making him sink deeper and deeper.

"No borrowing next month? Kimura, you think too highly of him. I can already foresee his excuse next month," Ueda Aya said pessimistically.

Then she imitated Iketani Isamu's tone. "Sanjin, just lend me money one last time. I feel like I'll successfully confess this month. I definitely won't borrow any next month."

Iketani Isamu: ...

"If it were your first date, then going to a nicer restaurant to make a good first impression would be understandable. But you've been seeing each other for two months already. If she genuinely cared about you, she wouldn't refuse if you invited her out for ramen," Ueda Aya said, trying to awaken Iketani Isamu's dormant intelligence.

"Besides, can't you pick a time yourself? Why do you always have to ask Mu Yue-sensei to cover your class?" Ueda Aya said as she looked at Mu Yue entering.

"She said she wasn't free at other times. Either it's this day, or we wait until she's free next time," Iketani Isamu said with a pained expression.

He felt embarrassed about troubling Mu Yue every time. Iketani Isamu had even considered covering Mu Yue's classes in return, but Mu Yue refused every time.

"It's fine. I'd just be idle otherwise, and teaching more students can help sharpen my abilities," Mu Yue said with a smile as he walked over to his desk.

Mu Yue-sensei is really too nice. That personality makes him so easy to take advantage of, Iketani Isamu thought.

Feeling somewhat indebted, Iketani Isamu ran over to Mu Yue's side to pour him tea and say a few flattering words.

Once it was nearly time, Iketani Isamu left the office and went home to change clothes for his date.

If only Iketani Isamu were Class 1-1's taijutsu teacher, Mu Yue thought.

That way, there would be no need to replace the teacher. As long as Iketani Isamu asked him to cover classes a little more often, it would be no different from him being the taijutsu teacher himself.

Applying directly to the Third Hokage to become Class 1-1's taijutsu teacher would not make sense. What normal person would be so eager to pack their own schedule full of classes?

It would also create problems with his persona. If someone asked him to cover a class and he helped out, that made him a nice guy. But what would it look like if he actively rushed to teach more classes?

I still need to start with the students' dissatisfaction and the taijutsu teacher's own teaching ability, Mu Yue thought.

The Ninja Academy valued strength above all else. If the students and school leadership learned that the taijutsu teacher's instruction was hindering their growth in strength, then it would be easy to handle.

Mu Yue continued practicing calligraphy until class was about to begin.

By the time Mu Yue entered Class 4-2's classroom, the students were no longer particularly surprised.

Mu Yue taught them reliably once a week, and they already regarded him as one of their regular teachers.

"Teacher, I..."

Obito was late as usual. Mu Yue said nothing and simply had Obito sit down and listen to the lesson.

"Damn Teacher Ikeya!" Obito muttered under his breath, feeling that every time Iketani Isamu asked Mu Yue to cover his class, it happened at the worst possible moment.

"Did you run into an elderly person who needed help?" Nohara Rin asked.

"Not today. I lost track of time while picking out pens at the bookstore," Obito answered honestly.

"Why didn't you pick them out after school in the afternoon? The lunch break is so short. Don't tell me you skipped lunch?" Nohara Rin asked, puzzled.

"It's fine to miss one meal. I can just eat more tonight. Besides, I've visited quite a few shops lately, and I felt that the one I went to today at noon was the best," Obito replied.

"Honestly, what could be more important than eating? I still have some snacks. I'll give them to you after class," Nohara Rin said helplessly.

Obito nodded and did not continue chatting with Nohara Rin. Mu Yue's class was worth paying attention to.

Forty minutes passed quickly. Once the dismissal bell rang, Mu Yue announced the end of class, and Nohara Rin handed her snacks to Obito.

"Obito, how many people did you help again today..." A classmate familiar with Obito came over to tease him.

"How did you know I won first place in the Youth Ninjutsu Tournament over the weekend?" Obito struck first.

The moment Obito said that, the classmate could no longer get his teasing words out. It felt as if he had a lemon in his mouth. Eight thousand ryo in prize money!

Not far away, Uchiha Tekka also fell silent.

He still remembered the Great Fireball Obito had used in the competition. He had originally thought that, after learning from the last match, he might be able to defeat Obito next time if he was careful of the Great Dragon Fire.

But a single Youth Ninjutsu Tournament had shattered his confidence.

Seeing the expressions of everyone around him, Obito's smile grew even more radiant.

For the rest of the day, Obito went out during every break, telling everyone he met, "How did you know I got first place?" He intended to maximize the benefits of winning first place.

Lecture Complete

Rating: A

Reward: Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu

Seeing the lecture reward, Mu Yue nodded to himself. Though this Ninjutsu was not of a high rank, it was highly practical.

The mist created by this technique was no ordinary fog. It could blur the Sharingan's vision, and when Mei Terumi used the Hidden Mist Jutsu, it could even hinder Madara's Rinnegan to a certain extent.

It was still quite good in the early days, before those overpowered ninja appeared.

After school, Mu Yue headed straight to the Southern Forest.

When Mu Yue arrived, Shisui was still training there.

Following Mu Yue's advice, Shisui had been using a Shadow Clone to attend school while his real body trained with Mu Yue's Shadow Clone.

Mu Yue did not wait long before Might Guy arrived.

However, what surprised Mu Yue was that Obito still had not shown up fifteen minutes after Might Guy arrived.

Since he often walked part of the way with Rin, Obito rarely set out for this place together with Might Guy, even though they were in the same class.

Still, being more than fifteen minutes late was a rare occurrence.

Mu Yue felt that he needed to give him a talking-to. He could not let Obito develop a habit of being late for training too.

"Sorry, Mu Yue-sensei, I'm late." Carrying a long box, Obito jogged all the way over to Mu Yue.