Soon, Umino Iruka arrived in the classroom with his lesson plans tucked under his arm.
The ninja students, who had still been making some noise, quickly quieted down when they saw him and prepared to listen.
"Class, before we begin today's lesson, I'd like to introduce a new teacher."
Standing at the lectern, Iruka swept his gaze across the class. "From now on, he'll come by occasionally to teach your Combat Training Class."
Once the students' curiosity had been piqued and the classroom had fallen silent, Iruka clapped his hands and called toward the door, "Guy-sensei, please come in."
The moment he finished speaking, a green figure swept nimbly through the doorway like a whirlwind and came to a steady stop beside the lectern. His signature bodysuit and bowl cut instantly drew every eye.
"Hello, class! I'm Might Guy!"
He flashed a toothy grin, his gleaming teeth seeming to catch a streak of light. His voice was loud and full of energy.
Huh?!
Sitting in the back row, Naruto widened his eyes the instant he saw that figure, his mind filling with question marks.
This wasn't right! Why had Might Guy come to the Ninja Academy?!
Wasn't he supposed to be out on missions or doing his crazy training?
Before Naruto could think any further, Might Guy continued in his infectious voice, "Hello, class! I'm Might Guy! I've come here on the Third Hokage's orders so that all of you can experience the true meaning of youth with me!"
He gave them a thumbs-up, his gesture exaggerated yet utterly sincere. "For the next month, I'll be your temporary Combat Training Class teacher! Let's work up a sweat and set our youth ablaze together! Whooo!!"
Seeing the students' stunned expressions, Iruka explained, "Might Guy-sensei is a jonin who excels at Taijutsu. If you have any questions about Taijutsu, you can ask him."
Excelled at Taijutsu?
After hearing Might Guy introduce himself, many students wore dismissive expressions. Some even felt a little contemptuous.
As far as they generally understood it, Taijutsu could only take someone so far.
After all, in Konoha-and even throughout the entire shinobi world-the first thing people thought of when someone mentioned the pinnacle of Taijutsu was Gentle Fist.
Gentle Fist was the Hyuga Clan's signature art, passed down through the family. It relied on the Byakugan to see chakra points and deliver precise strikes to internal organs or those points.
With the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist setting the standard, it was hard to immediately believe this passionate, rather comical-looking teacher in his strange bodysuit when he claimed to "excel at Taijutsu."
Only Naruto, sitting in the back row, understood perfectly. He knew his classmates could not have been more wrong.
Only Naruto knew just how terrifyingly powerful the seemingly ridiculous Might Guy standing before them truly was.
By now, he more or less possessed the terrifying power to destroy an entire village single-handedly.
In Naruto's estimation, even if Guy-sensei opened only the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder, he would have no need to flee from an ordinary Kage-level fighter.
That was already strength at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world.
And if Might Guy put everything on the line and opened the final Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death...
Just thinking about it, Naruto felt that such power defied all reason.
He was practically a walking nuclear weapon in human form!
A living natural disaster!
At that point, unless you had reached the Six Paths level like Madara or possessed Space-Time Ninjutsu like Obito and Minato, it would not matter whether you were a fighter renowned throughout the shinobi world or what kekkei genkai you possessed. Before Night Guy, that kick that burned through his life and transcended life and death, none of it meant a thing.
There was only one possible outcome-a single kick would send you straight to the Pure Land to meet the Sage of Six Paths!
Some classmates who had previously seen Naruto and Might Guy doing their "inhuman" training near the village outskirts or the training grounds now instinctively looked toward Naruto, sitting beside the window in the back row, with curiosity in their eyes.
Following their gazes, Might Guy immediately spotted Naruto in the back row.
Naruto was here too?
Guy froze for a moment. Then a brilliant idea flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.
He instantly thought of a way to make the students recognize and experience the power of his "true meaning of youth" as directly and quickly as possible!
Rather than talk himself hoarse explaining it, he could let them see it with their own eyes.
Let them witness the strength of someone their own age, someone right beside them!
What could prove the results of his teaching better than a flesh-and-blood classmate who attended lessons alongside them?
Just imagining that scene made Guy's blood boil with excitement.
Naruto would stand on the training ground and spar with him, spreading the spirit of youth throughout the school.
He could almost see sweat and passion colliding to ignite sparks in the classroom.
Let the sweat of youth boil freely throughout this Ninja Academy!
"All right!"
Might Guy suddenly smacked a fist into his palm, his eyes burning with eagerness as his booming voice rang through the classroom. "Since you're all looking forward to it so much"-or so he had unilaterally decided-"we'll have Combat Training Class this morning! Let the clash of youth burn even fiercer!"
"Huh?"
Standing beside him, Umino Iruka instantly looked bewildered, as though a giant question mark had appeared over his head.
Wh-what was going on?
The Combat Training Class teacher... was taking over the academic instructor's lesson?
Classes at the Ninja Academy began at eight in the morning and ended sometime between two thirty and three thirty in the afternoon.
Normally, academic lessons took place in the morning and Combat Training Class in the afternoon, with a lunch break from noon until one thirty.
If the morning lessons were taken over, today's academic lessons would have to be made up tomorrow.
Wasn't the new teacher a little too quick to act? He was already taking them straight out to the training grounds?
But looking at Guy's infectious enthusiasm and the way some of the students' eyes had already begun to shine, Iruka gave a helpless smile and scratched his head.
Oh, well.
It was the new teacher's first visit, so this would give him a chance to get acquainted with the students. Making an impression through practical combat might not be such a bad idea.
"All right."
Iruka-sensei clapped his hands to draw the students' attention back to him. "Then, as Guy-sensei suggested, this lesson will be changed to practical combat training. Everyone, head to Training Ground Three in an orderly fashion, and be careful!"
"Okay!"
Hearing that they would not have to sit through dull academic lessons that morning immediately perked up many of the students, especially energetic ones like Kiba Inuzuka. Excitement and anticipation spread across their faces, and a small cheer rose through the classroom.
In stark contrast to the lively atmosphere, however, Shikamaru Nara flopped limply onto his desk like a puddle of mud, burying his face in his folded arms and letting out a feeble groan.
"Ugh... what a drag..."
To him, sitting quietly in the classroom through academic lessons and slacking off was such an easy, pleasant way to spend his time.
"Come on, let's go together."
Beside him, Choji was already thoroughly accustomed to seeing Shikamaru sprawled out like a puddle of mud.
He calmly ate his potato chips, then gently nudged Shikamaru with his chubby elbow and offered a succinct reminder.
"He's Naruto's teacher."
Those words seemed to carry some strange magic.
Shikamaru, who had been lying there like a puddle of mud, stiffened slightly, then slowly and reluctantly raised his head.
He scratched at his already messy pineapple-shaped hair and finally sighed in resignation.
"...Fine."
It still seemed like a drag, but since this was a teacher Naruto acknowledged-one who might even have taught Naruto quite a few of his skills-going to have a look might... not be a complete waste of time.