What Kind of Strange Teacher Was This?

The protagonist still hadn't figured out what that question, "Are you hurt?" actually meant-

Without warning, someone flashed out of the shadows beside them.

Dressed in black with a mask covering his face, he landed silently beside Gekko Hayate, reached out, and took the boy being held by the back of his collar.

Who would have imagined someone was lurking in those perfectly ordinary roadside shadows if they hadn't seen it themselves?

The boy had barely changed hands and squeezed out half a "You-" before a hand clamped over his mouth.

Gekko Hayate nodded at the newcomer.

They had clearly coordinated beforehand.

The ANBU operative nodded back without a word, then leaped into the darkness with the boy in tow, so fast it was as though he had never appeared.

The boy's faint screams drifted back from the distance, growing farther and farther away until they quickly faded out.

The street was quiet, as though none of it had ever happened. If that scream hadn't still been ringing in his ears, he might have thought he was seeing things.

Listening to those screams, Uzumaki Hayashi silently lit a candle for the boy in his heart. Only then did the shock catch up with him, and he turned to Gekko Hayate.

"That kid... he's going to be okay, right?"

"He'll be fine."

Holding his flowers, Gekko Hayate spoke casually. "Everything that just happened was arranged by the Third. He doesn't want anyone bullying you. As for that boy, he'll probably spend a few days in confinement-the moment he drew a weapon, he was deemed to have murderous intent."

Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."

Well, damn.

Drawing a knife counts as murderous intent? Ninja village rules really don't mess around.

Wait, does that mean someone was watching from the shadows the whole time? Nobody interfered when I won, but the moment that kid pulled a knife, someone was ready to move?

A flicker of warmth rose in his heart, but he quickly smothered it-no getting touched just yet. He still had questions.

Seeing him standing there in a daze, Gekko Hayate added, "The Third said that as long as you're in the village, you're under his watch. He won't interfere with children fighting, but if anyone dares to get serious-"

He left the sentence unfinished and gave another two quiet coughs.

Uzumaki Hayashi understood.

Once things got serious, it wasn't a fight anymore. It was probably a case serious enough to warrant official action.

Something suddenly occurred to him. "Then why didn't you say so back on the street?"

It would have saved so much trouble. They could have cleared everything up on the spot and restrained that boy right there, sparing him all the kicking and being gawked at.

Gekko Hayate smiled, looked at him, and spoke.

"You wouldn't want everyone around you knowing you have connections, would you?"

"I hear there's even a rumor going around your school-" He paused, the amusement in his eyes deepening. "That you're the Third's illegitimate granddaughter?"

Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."

Well, damn.

Even the ANBU knows?!

Just how far has this rumor spread?!

"No, wait." Uzumaki Hayashi couldn't help asking, "How did even you people hear about a rumor that ridiculous?"

"The village is only so big," Gekko Hayate replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, you've been making quite a name for yourself lately."

Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."

Fair enough. Between the ANBU withdrawing from school and him kicking someone in the street, he really had been attracting plenty of attention.

His toes silently curled inside his shoes.

And that old man won't even do anything about it!

At the sight of his utterly defeated expression, Gekko Hayate laughed so hard his shoulders shook, nearly setting off another coughing fit. He finally managed to stop, put away his smile, and said seriously, "There's nothing else now. You can go."

"...I really can go?"

Uzumaki Hayashi wasn't quite convinced. After being escorted here and meeting the Third, they were just letting him leave?

"Of course."

Gekko Hayate smiled helplessly. "Just don't say anything about this. If anything happens in the future, you can tell us adults."

Adults.

Uzumaki Hayashi grumbled inwardly. He had been well into his twenties in his previous life, yet today this sickly guy kept calling himself one of "us adults."

Still, secrecy was good.

He understood the value of quietly making a fortune better than most.

Looking at him, Uzumaki Hayashi suddenly felt a little guilty. "Um... sorry for the trouble today."

"No trouble." Gekko Hayate waved a hand. "It was on my way."

The mission had been on his route anyway. Besides, he was buying flowers for someone, so this little detour hardly mattered.

He was just about to thank him and leave when Gekko Hayate suddenly raised a hand, rested it on his head, and gently rubbed it twice.

"You're a good kid."

Goosebumps rose all over Uzumaki Hayashi, and he ducked backward.

"..."

Gekko Hayate wasn't offended when he dodged away. Instead, he smiled. "Quite wary, aren't you?"

No kidding. I'm a perfectly normal adult man. Why wouldn't I dodge some guy I barely know trying to pat my head?

"All right, get home." Gekko Hayate lifted a hand toward him. "It's completely dark already."

"Then I'm off."

Uzumaki Hayashi shrugged, waved, and turned toward home.

The farther he walked, the more he felt he'd gotten a raw deal.

He counted it off on his fingers-

A perfectly good afternoon, and he hadn't even gotten to see the flowers. Instead, he'd somehow ended up in a fight.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Only Sakura and Ino's "See you at school tomorrow" had offered anything resembling human warmth.

He had thought that would be the end of his day.

"I think you were absolutely right."

Gekko Hayate's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Uzumaki Hayashi looked back.

The Jonin stood where he had been, holding his flowers, with a rare solemn expression on his sickly face.

The night breeze swept in from the street corner, rustling the bouquet in his arms. Moonlight spilled over him, softening even that sickly face.

"As a member of Konoha, you have to know-who the enemy is."

"...What do you mean?"

"What I mean is-"

Gekko Hayate smiled.

"Welcome back to Konoha."

He paused, then added one more thing.

"If you ever want to learn swordsmanship, come find me."

With that, he flashed into the night and vanished completely.

Uzumaki Hayashi stood there, staring speechlessly at empty air for a long while.

What was that?

Welcoming me back to the Konoha I'm loyal to? And I get a Jonin teaching me swordsmanship for free?

...Still, he didn't have time to think about all that now.

One good scare in exchange for a Jonin teacher, plus a kekkei genkai lottery draw-

No matter how he looked at it, that was a massive win.

Not getting to use his execution move, being gawked at forever-none of that mattered anymore.

What a wonderfully ruined afternoon!

That reward from the system had been waiting for half the day!

His steps were so light on the way home that he almost floated, and he even began humming an off-key little tune.

Home! Lottery time!