Iruka Overthinks

Matsumoto Mie looked up just in time to see Akimizu walk in carrying a massive stack of test papers, the pile so thick it nearly reached his chin. She couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise and ask, "Teacher Akimizu, why did you bring so many papers?"

Akimizu walked to his desk and carefully set the papers down, letting out a sigh of relief before smiling as he explained, "It's good to look through them when I have some free time to build up experience. Doesn't every month end with a monthly exam? I thought I'd do some extra preparation to ensure the grades for Class 1, Year 4 don't slip."

Hearing this, Matsumoto Mie's eyes filled with approval, and she didn't hesitate to praise him, "Teacher Akimizu, you are truly responsible. It is a blessing for Class 1, Year 4 to have a homeroom teacher like you."

Akimizu felt a bit embarrassed by her sincere praise.

He waved his hand and said modestly, "Teacher Mie, you're exaggerating. I'm a new teacher with little experience, so it's only right that I study more. Besides, this is all part of my job."

The other two teachers in the office, Fujino Okuma and Murata Koji, were also drawn over by the conversation.

Murata Koji flipped through the papers on Akimizu's desk and praised with a smile, "Teacher Akimizu, you're being too diligent. You've even dug up the exam papers from the last three years."

Fujino Okuma nodded as well, saying, "Indeed. There aren't many young teachers these days who put in this much effort."

Akimizu found himself overwhelmed by their back-and-forth praise and quickly waved his hands, "Please, don't say that, both of you. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do; there's nothing special about it."

Matsumoto Mie looked at him with a grin, "Modesty is a virtue, but too much modesty is just pride, you know."

Laughter filled the office, and the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious.

Mizuki sat at his desk, gripping his pen and staring at the lesson plan in front of him, but his ears were pricked up. The more he heard, the more jealous he became.

Although this Kitagawa Akimizu had only been here for two days, he had already quickly gained the approval of the other teachers.

He recalled that when he first arrived at the school, he hadn't received such treatment.

What right did this newcomer, Kitagawa Akimizu, have to it?

"Akimizu, want to go grab a bite?" Iruka usually ate alone because the other teachers either brought their own lunches or already had fixed dining partners. He remembered that he and Akimizu were old acquaintances, and since the man had been here for a few days without them having a proper chat, he felt that as a senior, he should treat him to a meal.

"Sure." Akimizu stopped his pen. He had been busy all morning, and now that Iruka mentioned it, he realized he was actually quite hungry.

The afternoon sun lazily spilled over the streets of Konoha.

Led by Iruka, Akimizu walked into a small pork cutlet shop.

"Boss, two deluxe pork cutlet bowls," Iruka ordered familiarly, then turned back to smile at Akimizu, "I've been eating at this shop for years. The taste is absolutely authentic."

The food was served quickly, and after one bite, Akimizu felt the taste was quite good.

The two chatted as they ate, ranging from classroom management to insights on ninjutsu. Iruka also shared quite a bit of teaching experience, and both tacitly avoided mentioning anything about Naruto.

When it came time to pay, Akimizu reached into his pocket, but Iruka pressed down on his arm, "No, no, no, this one is on me."

"Teacher Iruka, I couldn't possibly."

Iruka pulled out his wallet directly and said, "Why are you being so formal with me? This is the first time we've gone out to eat together; naturally, I, as your senior, should treat you."

Akimizu didn't argue with him further. He didn't have much money anyway, and he could just treat him back next time. He said, "Then thank you, Senior Iruka."

Iruka waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal. Just call me Iruka."

Akimizu nodded. Iruka was completely different from Mizuki; he was an honest man with a kind heart, someone worth befriending.

After parting ways with Iruka, Akimizu headed to the school's equipment room.

Although a teacher's job at the school might seem easy, there were actually many trivial chores that needed to be handled.

When there were no classes, one had to organize and maintain training equipment like kunai and shuriken, checking them one by one for wear and tear, recording the loss, and ensuring every teaching tool was in working order.

There were also wooden stakes and target ranges damaged by students that needed to be checked and repaired.

And if a large number of wild beast attacks occurred near the village, and other ninjas were away on missions, the school teachers had to step in temporarily to go to the scene and resolve the trouble.

In the afternoon, Iruka headed to Class 1, Year 4, prepared to teach the students their history lesson.

When he reached the classroom door, his footsteps faltered slightly, and he took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Since resigning from his position as homeroom teacher, this was his first time returning to this class.

He hadn't told the students in advance that he was stepping down; he didn't know how to bring it up, nor did he know what their reaction would be.

In fact, for the past few days, this matter had been weighing on his heart like a stone.

He had assumed the students would have many questions to ask.

Why did you suddenly stop being our homeroom teacher?

Did we do something wrong?

What's the deal with the new teacher, Akimizu?

Or perhaps, Teacher Iruka, please come back and continue being our homeroom teacher.

He had even silently prepared several answers in his mind.

However, the moment he walked into the classroom and stood on the podium, he realized he had been overthinking it—nothing happened at all.

The students sat quietly; some were flipping through books, some were daydreaming, and others were whispering to each other. Someone looked up at him once, their eyes devoid of any particular ripple, and then looked back down.

No questions, no commotion, and not a single person mentioned the matter.

It was as if Iruka resigning as their homeroom teacher had never happened at all.

Iruka was stunned.

He secretly let out a sigh of relief in his heart; at least he didn't have to face those difficult questions.

Yet, deep down, there was an inexplicable sense of loss.

Iruka took out his teaching materials and began to lecture on the history of the various ninja villages.

After class, as he walked out of the classroom, he felt a faint sense of surprise in his heart.

Iruka stood in the hallway and glanced back; inside the classroom, the students were packing their things, chatting, laughing, and playing around, no different from any other ordinary class.

But it was precisely this ordinariness that made him feel it was anything but ordinary; although no one spoke to Naruto, it seemed that no one took the initiative to mock him either.

What surprised Iruka even more was Naruto's behavior during the lesson.

Based on his understanding of Naruto, he was a lawless child who loved to play pranks.

Iruka had already prepared himself to maintain discipline in the classroom, even thinking through how to respond if Naruto were to cause trouble.