Late

After returning home, Chiba buried his head and slept soundly. Then came the unchanging training routine. After his daily exercises, he added the three-plus-one training of Eight Gates, hand seals, and ninjutsu. By the time he finished, his stamina was nearly drained dry.

Monster Strength training was put aside once again.

Since a Jonin would be gathering them tomorrow, Chiba did not continue training. After dinner, he rested.

When the first morning light appeared, Chiba woke up on time. This time, however, he did not feel drowsy as usual. For the first time, he felt refreshed after getting up. He opened the window and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air.

Suddenly, a question arose in his mind.

How was this Jonin teacher supposed to notify him about the gathering? Then Chiba froze. Yesterday, when the teacher had told the three of them to sit together, he had not received any notice either. He had only found out when Hirohiko and Yukina took the initiative to sit beside him.

This feels like a trap.

Chiba gave a bitter smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a Kunai stuck beneath his window. A slip of paper tied behind it fluttered in the morning breeze.

Instinctively, Chiba leaped backward. Papers tied to Kunai were usually Exploding Tags.

Could it be an accomplice of that Jonin?

His first thought was that the accomplice of the Jonin he had killed was still in the village and had come after him.

But the expected explosion never came. Outside, there was only the sound of the wind and paper rustling in the breeze.

Chiba frowned slightly and cautiously approached the window, looking down. Only then did he see that the Kunai was tied to a sheet of white paper. There was writing on it, but it was definitely not an Exploding Tag.

Only then did he let out a breath of relief.

He removed the Kunai and took the paper.

Gather at the Konoha gate at 11:00 a.m. today.

That was all it said. Chiba immediately understood that this was the summons from his Jonin teacher.

Chiba looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was only around 7:20.

I should do my daily training. There are still more than three hours left, so there should be enough time.

Chiba quickly washed up and ate breakfast—a Konoha Giant Steamed Bun—before beginning his daily training.

Five hundred side kicks, five hundred straight punches, five hundred squats, five hundred push-ups... After finishing these, Chiba did not go for his usual ten-kilometer run. Instead, he returned indoors, rinsed off with cold water, changed into clean clothes, and checked the clock.

10:45.

About time to head out.

With that thought, Chiba left his little cabin.

What kind of Jonin will it be? Minato Namikaze? But he seems to be leading Kakashi's team already. He probably can't lead us too. What a shame!

As he walked, Chiba could not help letting his imagination run wild. After all, if he had a good Jonin to guide him, his strength would surely improve quickly.

In the original story, Sasuke had even learned the A-rank ninjutsu Chidori from his teacher Kakashi. Naruto had also learned a ball technique that ran through the entire original story from Jiraiya... Uh, no, Rasengan. That was A-rank ninjutsu too.

Among Naruto and Sasuke's peers, there was another person who had benefited from an outstanding Jonin teacher: Rock Lee. He had learned the Eight Gates from Might Guy, fully unleashing his taijutsu talent and becoming an impressive ninja.

It could be said that in the Naruto World, a good teacher was extremely important.

Chiba even thought that if Minato Namikaze taught them, perhaps he could secretly learn Flying Thunder God.

Lost in thought, Chiba soon reached the center of the village. After walking farther out, the Konoha gate would be just ahead.

"Thank you," Chiba suddenly heard an elderly voice by the roadside, seemingly thanking someone.

He turned to look and saw a boy with a large pair of goggles strapped across his forehead. Wearing a broad smile, he said warmly to the old woman who had thanked him, "It's nothing. I'm off, Grandma!"

The old woman watched him sprint away with a smile.

As he ran, he seemed to be anxiously muttering, "Now I'm really going to be late!"

Chiba stared at his back and blinked.

That's... Obito?

I really did transmigrate into the Naruto World!

It had been the same when he met Kakashi and the Third Hokage. Whenever Chiba saw these major characters, he always felt a strange sense of unreality.

"Uh..." Chiba suddenly broke into a sprint as well.

I'm going to be late too! By the time Chiba arrived at the Konoha gate, he was already ten minutes late. Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina were waiting there, along with a beautiful woman with striking red hair. She stood with her hands on her hips, brows tightly furrowed.

This is our Jonin teacher? She looks... kind of familiar!

Chiba's mouth twitched. Uchiha Hirohiko had his usual poker face, and Hyuga Yukina did not show much expression either. But that red-haired beauty was definitely angry—furious, even. Chiba had no doubt that if he ran straight up to her, he would get beaten up.

At a time like this, I should find an excuse.

As he ran, Chiba's mind raced.

Got it!

Chiba quickly came up with an idea.

At that moment, the three of them noticed Chiba running over. Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina turned toward him and gave slight nods when they saw him.

The red-haired beauty, however, had a twitching mouth and brows pinched into an inverted V. Her hair slowly began to float upward, and one fist rose uncontrollably.

"Ha! Good morning, everyone. Today, I got lost on the road of life, so..." Chiba said, waving as he ran over.

"Bang!"

Then Chiba took a vicious punch to the top of his head. A red, swollen bump rose instantly, seeming to smoke.

Damn, that hurts! That force! The pain made Chiba clutch his head with both hands and crouch down.

After throwing that punch, the red-haired beauty seemed to have vented all her anger. She turned around with a warm smile, looking gentle and kind as she said softly, "Now that everyone is here, let me introduce myself first. I'm your teacher, Kushina Uzumaki."

Behind her, Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina both broke out in cold sweat as they stared at Chiba crouching on the ground in pain, their hearts filled with shock.

That was so fast! Chiba had clearly still been several meters away, but she crossed the distance in an instant... We barely even saw how Chiba got punched.

The two swallowed hard.

Is this what a Jonin is like?

When Chiba heard the red-haired beauty introduce herself, his eyes nearly popped out.

Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mother, the wife of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a master of Sealing Jutsu... A string of titles flashed through Chiba's mind.

Kushina Uzumaki! She's actually my teacher?

Chiba slowly stood up. Kushina Uzumaki was introducing Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, with her back turned toward him.

That silhouette, along with that eye-catching red hair...

There was no mistake. It was Kushina Uzumaki.

Uh... Wait, if I remember correctly, Kushina Uzumaki only ended up as a Chunin, right...? How can she lead our class...

Chiba suddenly had a bad feeling. It felt as though things like A-rank ninjutsu were fluttering away like pigeons.

"Then let's start with you. Introduce yourself," Kushina Uzumaki suddenly said, turning to Chiba.

"Taki Chiba."

"Uchiha Hirohiko."

"Hyuga Yukina."

As soon as Kushina Uzumaki finished speaking, Chiba was the first to state his name, followed by Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina.

Although Kushina Uzumaki already knew their names, they still needed to introduce themselves.

"What are you good at?" Kushina Uzumaki asked, gesturing for Chiba to stand with Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina.

Chiba obeyed and walked over. The three stood in a row.

"Gentle Fist," Hyuga Yukina spoke first.

"Fire Release, Shadow Clone Jutsu," Uchiha Hirohiko said.

"Taijutsu," Chiba added.

Kushina Uzumaki's brow twitched. Of the three, one had a serious pretty face, one wore a poker face, and the other seemed lost in thought.

They were practically... the gloomy trio! She had originally wanted them to get closer through introductions, but their answers were all so brief. How was that an introduction? It was clearly a report! There was not a trace of everyday warmth to it. How were they supposed to grow closer?

"Ah..." She let out a long sigh. When she looked up again, there was already a warm smile on her lips.

"Since you've gotten to know each other, then for our first day, let your teacher treat you to something. What do you want to eat?"

"Barbecue!"

"Barbecue!"

"Barbecue!"

The three answered quickly and concisely.

Kushina Uzumaki's brow was not the only thing twitching now—her mouth twitched too. Her smile became extremely forced as she said, "Very good. Then let's go eat Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Not barbecue..." Chiba asked.

But before he could finish, Kushina Uzumaki glared the rest of his words back down his throat. Remembering the punch from earlier, Chiba gave a light cough. "Hirohiko, Yukina, Ichiraku Ramen is famous. I like it a lot."

Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina also noticed Kushina Uzumaki's gaze and hurriedly nodded. "Yeah, yeah, let's go eat Ichiraku Ramen."

Only then did Kushina Uzumaki nod in satisfaction. "All right, let's go. Teacher's treating."

The three answered happily despite themselves, but all thought at the same time:

This teacher seems a little unreliable...