Kind-Hearted Shuji

"Ah... I made him give me a ninjutsu, and that was the end of it."

Seeing that Mikoto had calmed down, Shuji followed her lead and continued the conversation.

"Huh? Shuji-kun is such a kind person."

Mikoto was taken aback by his words and said to Shuji.

Honestly, from Mikoto's perspective, Shuji was already being incredibly kind by letting that Genin off so easily.

Normally, for a child from a prestigious clan like the Hyuga Clan—

If they had been put in the hospital for over two months by a Genin, the least that Genin would receive was life imprisonment.

Although Shuji had still demanded a ninjutsu from the Genin, honestly, what advanced ninjutsu could a Genin possibly possess?

Did the Hyuga Clan need ninjutsu?

"Ah... does that count as being kind?"

Shuji froze for a moment, then smiled a little sheepishly.

"Of course."

Mikoto nodded seriously, then turned her gaze toward Senju Nawaki.

"Nawaki, could you please give me your seat?"

Although Mikoto had never met Nawaki before, she was well aware of the information regarding the Senju Clan's young heir.

In fact, before she came to the Ninja Academy, her parents had specifically instructed her that if she had the chance, she absolutely had to take good "care" of Senju Nawaki.

"Hm?"

Nawaki blinked in surprise as he looked at Uchiha Mikoto before him.

Watching the hot-tempered Uchiha big sister instantly transform into a gentle young girl left the five-year-old Nawaki deeply shaken.

"Please!"

When Nawaki said nothing, Mikoto thought he was unwilling. Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped back half a pace, bowed to Nawaki, and spoke again.

Her attitude was extremely sincere.

"Huh? O-Okay, okay. No problem."

Nawaki froze, then answered almost instinctively.

...There was really no way to refuse that.

"Hey..."

Seeing Nawaki's retreating figure leave just like that, Shuji instinctively reached out.

"Shuji-kun, don't you want me to sit here?"

After making room for Nawaki to leave, Mikoto clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and blinked at Shuji.

"H-How could that be?"

Shuji gave a dry laugh, sat down, and stopped speaking.

Mikoto chuckled softly at that and unhurriedly sat beside Shuji.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Minami Saho. I'm a Special Jonin, and starting today, I'll be your teacher."

Not long after Mikoto sat beside him, a voice rang out.

Shuji looked toward the sound and found a female teacher who appeared to be around 1.7 meters tall, with a slender figure and not an ounce of excess fat on her body.

Looking her over, he saw that she had delicate, fair features and long purple hair draped over her shoulders. She wore a black coat over a light-colored crop top that exposed her midriff and accentuated her impressive figure.

Large swathes of fair skin were covered by chainmail that looked like fishnet.

Below, she wore shorts and the most common open-toed boots in Konoha.

Her long legs were entirely wrapped in that fishnet-like chainmail.

It seemed to be a one-piece garment.

Standing at the podium, she immediately exuded the aura of a mature beauty.

But unlike Tsunade's more carefree temperament—

This Minami Saho leaned more toward intellectual beauty.

The pair of black round-framed glasses especially added a touch of quiet elegance and cuteness to her appearance.

Unable to help himself, Shuji looked at her a few more times.

"Is she pretty?"

Mikoto, who had been watching Shuji all along, suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered in a voice so soft it was nearly imperceptible.

"Huh? What?"

Shuji was startled and pretended not to understand as he asked Mikoto.

However, the redness creeping up to the tips of his ears betrayed what he was thinking.

"Heh... Has the Hyuga Clan's most outstanding genius fallen to the Uchiha just like that?"

Not far away, Hyuga Hiashi rested his cheek on one hand and gazed at the flushed Shuji from afar, shaking his head with a helpless sigh.

"I want to fall too..."

Senju Nawaki, seated beside Hyuga Hiashi, likewise rested his cheek on one hand and stared at the red-faced Hyuga Shuji from afar.

"What?"

Hiashi froze and looked at Senju Nawaki beside him in disbelief.

"Don't you?"

Nawaki slowly turned his head, lazily looking at Hyuga Hiashi before him.

"Heh... Women only slow down my punches."

Hiashi snorted disdainfully, crossed his arms, and leaned straight back against the desk behind him.

"How could a useless guy who's fallen to a woman possibly be my match?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hiashi raised his chin slightly and looked imperiously at the water bucket placed beside the podium.

"Ah... That useless guy you said fell to a woman defeated you three times in the ring and achieved a rare three-peat..."

Nawaki narrowed his eyes and spoke to Hyuga Hiashi expressionlessly.

"Uh..."

Hiashi's expression immediately fell. He turned to Nawaki and said with great seriousness.

"That was before he fell. Just wait. In the near future, he'll definitely become my defeated opponent!"

"Mhm, I'll wait."

Nawaki raised an eyebrow, then turned his head toward Minami Saho standing at the podium.

"Alright, quiet down."

Looking at the little brats below the podium, all of whom came from prominent clans, Minami Saho spoke with a gentle smile.

"This is our first meeting, so let's start by introducing ourselves."

After pausing and waiting for the class to quiet down, Minami Saho addressed everyone.

"Let's begin with the students on this side."

As she spoke, Minami Saho pointed to the row of students seated farthest to the left.

He seemed to be a child from a civilian family. Suddenly being called on by the teacher, he was understandably a little nervous.

As he walked up to the podium and faced everyone, it was easy to see that his entire body was trembling in tiny but extremely rapid motions.

"M-My name is Ya... Yamamoto Ryo. N-Nice to meet... meet you... P-Please take care of me!"

After speaking, Yamamoto Ryo quickly lowered his head in a bow. Once he straightened up, he wanted to return to his seat.

"Yamamoto Ryo, won't you tell everyone about your dream?"

Minami Saho leaned forward, half lying across the podium with her cheek resting on one hand, her head tilted as she watched the endlessly nervous Yamamoto Ryo.

Deep in her eyes was a faint trace of pity.

Yes, pity.

As a teacher, Minami Saho understood even better what civilian ninjas meant in this class.

They were nothing more than companions brought along to study.

What they learned in this so-called elite class might not even compare to what was taught in ordinary classes.

According to the lesson plans prepared in advance for the academy's review, the material this class was expected to learn within half a year exceeded an entire year's worth of instruction in the class next door.

But honestly, even at such a rapid pace, it would basically be of little help to these children from ninja clans.