New Generation

"Finally finished!"

He put down the manuscript, leaned back on the sofa, and sank deep into its softness.

The young man rubbed his temples, his short, bright red hair disheveled like weeds. As someone who preferred to air-dry his hair without using a hairdryer, aside from the few times when Kushina and Otome forced him to comb it neatly, his hair had always maintained this unruly style, unchanged for so many years.

"Otome, next time you should just go find an editor to do this job. This isn't an editorial department, don't always drag me into this. I'm a teacher now, I'm very busy!"

Are you busy reading novels in the office?

The Otome bent down to organize the manuscripts on the table, her long black hair falling onto the desk.

"Eh--! Well... it's just occasionally, a little relaxation now and then." Katsuki laughed awkwardly, rubbing her face. "Don't make it sound like I'm always neglecting my duties. Haven't you seen me dragging these kids over for tutoring every weekend?"

"Are you planning to sit here for tutoring?" The Otome stood up straight, her curvaceous figure now completely transformed, her pretty features and snow-white skin captivating.

She stared at Katsuki with a half-smile, her dark eyes reflecting Katsuki's unease. As the saying goes, one is influenced by one's company, and Katsuki had spent a lot of time with Otome and Kushina, especially under Kushina's influence. Her childhood icy personality had improved, and she smiled much more than before. The only thing that hadn't changed was her ability to be sarcastic.

One sentence was enough to make Katsuki's face turn green.

On the other side, Lin and Hong sat in chairs, diligently helping Otome organize her manuscript, pretending not to hear the conversation between Katsuki and Otome.

"Ugh!!! Fine, I'll go!"

Katsuki stood up with a bitter face, sighed, and walked out.

This courtyard was purchased by Katsuki three years ago. The original house in the center of the village was given to Kushina, Katsuki moved to this remote corner to settle down. As the siblings grew older, it became inconvenient for them to live together, so Katsuki simply moved out and lived alone.

Kushina strongly opposed this at the time, but ultimately could not persuade Katsuki otherwise.

Pushing open the door, the sunlight outside was strong. After standing there for a few seconds to adjust to the sunlight, I saw Zama's little brats: Might Guy, Uchiha Obito, Asuma Sarutobi, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu, and Kakashi supervising the work under the shade of a tree.

Kakashi was enjoying the cool shade under the big tree, while Might Guy and Obito, those unlucky kids, were drenched in sweat. The sun was scorching, and Zama had lasted a long time. The fact that they hadn't collapsed yet showed that these kids had great potential. It seemed like at the very least, these kids would become Special Jonin in the future.

However, the future is the future. Right now, they are clearly nearing their limits. Obito and Ebisu's legs have started to tremble, and even Might Guy, who has the best stamina, is sweating profusely.

"Alright! You can rest now. Everyone, take a break, have some water and relax."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of little ones rushed to the shade of the tree, yelling and shouting, and instantly lay sprawled on the ground, demanding that Kakashi fetch them some water.

"Go by yourself, don't look for me."

Kakashi snorted coldly, ignoring the group of lazybones, and sat under the tree to continue training his Chakra control.

"Wow, Kakashi, you cold-blooded bastard, can't you see we're too weak to walk?" Obito's eyes widened.

"If you can't walk, just lie down."

Kakashi remained unmoved, carefully controlling the green leaf on his forehead, using Chakra to firmly hold it in place and prevent it from falling off.

"Worn out."

"My calves are about to break! Hey, Genma, move your butt away!"

"Might Guy, you bastard, your body stench is just too strong! Damn it!"

A group of people were chattering and arguing incessantly.

With her arms crossed, Katsuki smiled as she looked at the exhausted but still energetic little kids. She felt very happy and sincerely praised the great profession of teachers.

Two years ago, Katsuki grew tired of constantly running missions, so she sought out the Third Hokage, took the Ninja Academy recruitment exam, passed it successfully, and became a proud teacher, living a comfortable nine-to-five life.

"Um?"

Katsuki raised her head and frowned in displeasure.

Swish!

Stepping on Lightning Flash Turn, she appeared outside the training ground in an instant. Standing under a pine tree, Katsuki looked at the Anbu kneeling in front of her.

"What is it? Speak quickly."

"The Lord Hokage is looking for you," the cat-faced Anbu said respectfully, head bowed.

"Looking for me? Is it urgent?"

"Your subordinate was unaware. The Lord Hokage only sent me to deliver a message. Kushina was also summoned."

Jonin highly respected, and even Anbu who are mainly responsible for running errands and delivering messages must address a Jonin as "sir." At least when carrying out missions, these details cannot be ignored.

"Is my sister going too?"

Katsuki frowned, pondered for a few seconds, and then waved for him to leave.

"Okay, I got it, I'll go right away."

The Anbu bowed in greeting and quickly left. Katsuki turned around and, stepping on Lightning Flash Turn, returned to the courtyard. She glanced at the group of little ones under the big tree and then shouted.

"Kakashi."

"Teacher."

Kakashi jumped up instantly and ran over in a flash, looking up at Katsuki.

"Next, you lead them in training, just like you usually do. I have to go out for a bit."

"Huh--? Shall I come?"

Kakashi pointed to his nose, his eyes filled with utter bewilderment. Although he had worked as a teaching assistant before, he had only ever done menial tasks and had never been in charge of this job properly.

"That's right, this is also a kind of training, do your best." Katsuki patted Kakashi on the shoulder and gave him a smile that showed her confidence.

"Katsuki, wait a minute, I'm going to the publishing house now. Let's go together if it's on the way." Otome came out carrying a file folder.

Katsuki changed jobs to become a teacher, and Otome stopped leaving the village to carry out missions about a year ago. Instead, she took a nominal position in the Konoha Military Police Force and then focused on writing. Whenever Katsuki had a holiday, she would take him around the Land of Fire Katsuki collect writing material.

"Kakashi, do a good job!"

She waved to the dazed little one, then left with Otome decisively, leaving the group of kids making a ruckus.

"Holy crap, the teachers have all left. Should we go home too?!"

Ebisu stared longingly at his friends, wishing they would all nod quickly so he could hurry to the bookstore to buy a photobook.

"What nonsense are you talking about? The tutoring isn't over yet, don't even think about sneaking away." Obito said righteously, puffing out his chest and looking imposing, but his eyes were darting around, constantly glancing at Rin who had just come out of the house.

Ebisu rolled his eyes, so angry he wanted to kick this loser.

"What are we going back for? Our youth needs passion!" Might Guy yelled, then rushed back into the training field and started practicing kicks on the wooden stakes.

"This is so annoying!"

Kakashi looked at the mess in front of him and sighed in frustration.