Even if Araki accomplished nothing his entire life, being Lady Tsunade's disciple alone gave him status.
Countless people had wanted to become Lady Tsunade's disciple without ever getting their wish. Even receiving a few pointers from her was something worth bragging about.
Lady Tsunade had never taken a disciple in all these years. No one would have imagined that Araki would end up becoming her disciple.
Did Araki have some extraordinary strength?
He had even managed to win over a powerful kunoichi like Lady Tsunade!
Ibuki-sensei could not figure it out, no matter how hard he thought. Unable to find a concrete reason, he remained stunned, staring fixedly at the boy who had shocked him so profoundly.
"Yes!"
"I've become Tsunade-sensei's disciple!"
"I'll be learning medical ninjutsu from Tsunade-sensei every afternoon from now on!"
"That's actually why I wanted to ask you for time off, Ibuki-sensei. That won't be a problem, will it?"
Araki spoke with a smile. Of course he understood just how shocking this would be to Ibuki-sensei.
The ninja world placed enormous importance on clans and bloodlines!
Many people's fates were decided the moment they were born!
Of course, there were some who could change their fates through their own efforts. That was the reward for persevering in their struggles.
But such cases still accounted for a very small proportion.
Araki understood this very well. If he had been born into a great clan, such as Konoha's Uchiha Clan, people would naturally have watched their attitude and tone when speaking to him. That kind of status came with one's surname.
But he did not belong to a great clan, nor had he changed people's opinions of him through his own efforts. Instead, he had simply become Tsunade's disciple, directly transforming his status.
The shock was no different from seeing a barnyard chicken turn into a phoenix.
It was impossible not to be surprised!
"N-no problem... no problem at all..."
Ibuki-sensei could not help taking a deep breath. Even now that he had processed it, he still felt as though he were dreaming and could not believe any of this was real.
Still, even so, he had to grant this leave. It was absolutely necessary!
"Ibuki-sensei, don't tell anyone else that I'm Tsunade-sensei's disciple. You can make up any excuse for my leave, too. This is a major secret!"
Araki winked at Ibuki-sensei as he spoke.
He was fairly good at this sort of bluffing. Even a secret everyone knew was still a secret.
As long as he called it a secret, it could bring them closer.
At the very least, it showed that he was willing to share a secret with the other person.
Even if that secret did not need to be hidden at all.
"Understood!"
Ibuki-sensei nodded immediately, his expression suddenly becoming grave and extremely serious. In his mind, this was not merely Araki's business, but Lady Tsunade's.
Anything involving Lady Tsunade had to be taken seriously.
Although he, too, thought there was no need to hide the fact that Araki was Lady Tsunade's disciple, and that everyone in Konoha would find out before long.
But...
It would still be better if those words did not come from his mouth.
In his position, Ibuki-sensei knew what he should and should not say. There was no need to bring unnecessary trouble upon himself.
"Oh, right, your... um... voice..."
Ibuki-sensei did care about Araki. As he asked, he first pointed at his neck, then realized that this was not a problem with Araki's vocal cords, but the result of psychological trauma. He then pointed at his temple, but felt that was not quite appropriate either, so he lowered his hand again.
"Tsunade-sensei cured me."
Araki had prepared this explanation long ago and had discussed it with Tsunade. Now that he had informed Ibuki-sensei, he could communicate completely normally, without any impediment.
In the beginning, this inability to communicate had helped him considerably, allowing him to avoid many problems when he had almost no strength and build up his strength in peace.
By now, he had long since fully adapted to the language here, but he could not speak it fluently in front of others. After all, if it was psychological trauma, how could he suddenly return to normal without a reasonable explanation?
Araki had been waiting for just such an opportunity.
Now it had finally come.
"That's wonderful!"
A smile blossomed across Ibuki-sensei's face. He was happy for Araki from the bottom of his heart. As a Ninja Academy teacher, he cared deeply about every student.
It was just that Sora Hyuga's disappearance had left him despondent.
But now, after hearing Araki's good news, his mood improved considerably. Even his expression seemed to have shed its gloom.
"It's getting late. Let's head to the classroom!"
Ibuki-sensei walked over to Araki and patted his shoulder, his features looking quite gentle.
"Since you'll be studying medical ninjutsu every afternoon, you'll have to pay closer attention to your morning classes!"
"You absolutely cannot fail to graduate from the Ninja Academy because you're studying medical ninjutsu!"
"That would embarrass Lady Tsunade!"
"I'll also be paying special attention to how you do on your exams from now on!"
"You need to spend more time studying outside class!"
"If you have any questions, you can come ask me anytime!"
Ibuki-sensei offered one reminder after another. In his heart, Araki's standing in the class had shot straight up like a rocket. In terms of importance, he was now second only to Minato Namikaze.
Chapter 3: Best friends
Araki walked into the Ninja Academy with Ibuki-sensei. Throughout the process, he could very clearly feel the change in Ibuki-sensei's attitude toward him.
Of course...
Araki knew perfectly well that all these changes stemmed from Tsunade.
Araki entered the classroom as usual and sat in his familiar seat. The moment he sat down, he suddenly felt a resentful gaze fixed on him.
He did not even need to think.
Whether it was the angle of the gaze or the resentment it carried...
It had to be Kushina Uzumaki!
Araki deliberately avoided looking in Kushina Uzumaki's direction. Just as he had expected, after glaring fiercely at him for a while, Kushina withdrew her gaze.
Once Ibuki-sensei entered the classroom, the class quieted down and began a new day's lessons.
Araki propped his chin on both hands. He wanted to catch a quick nap during the morning, but every time he was about to lower his head, he immediately felt an exceptionally piercing gaze focus on him.
The owner of that gaze was none other than Ibuki-sensei!
"sigh..."
Araki could not help sighing and lifted his head again. Although the cleansing of that green chakra left him without the slightest drowsiness or fatigue, he still felt that life would be far too exhausting if he did not take a break.
It had been over three years since he transmigrated to this world. He had spent almost all that time catching up on sleep during the day and training at night. He already felt he was working very hard, and now he was being forced to become the king of the grind!
It left him feeling helpless!
It reminded Araki of his school days, when every subject's teacher said they had not assigned much homework, but it became a mountain when piled together.
Now he had Ibuki-sensei watching him at the Ninja Academy in the morning, Tsunade-sensei's medical ninjutsu lessons in the afternoon, and his promise of youth with Might Teacher Duy at night...
Too packed!
His schedule was far too packed!
Even Araki feared he would not be able to take it.
But there was no other way. He could only carry on like this for now and hold out until he graduated from the Ninja Academy. Perhaps things would get much better then.
Half a day quickly passed.
The moment the bell rang to end class, Araki stood and headed out of the classroom. He was getting ready to go to Tsunade-sensei's house.
For him at the moment...
Learning medical ninjutsu was secondary. The main thing was to tell Nawaki's fortune and recharge himself while he was at it. Right now, he desperately needed that green chakra.
At the back of the classroom, Kushina saw Araki heading out. She was just about to chase after him and ask what had happened last night when her classmates crowded around her.
"Kushina, what are you planning to have for lunch?"
"Kushina, want to have lunch together?"
"Kushina, it's my treat today!"
"Kushina, ignore them. My mom's cooking is amazing. Come eat at my place!"
"..."
One student after another invited Kushina. Children in the ninja world already matured early, and Kushina's looks had drawn the attention of the vast majority of them. She had found a place in many of their hearts the moment she first entered the classroom.
It was just that the students did not know how to express their thoughts appropriately. All they did was follow the crowd. Once one person took the lead, many others followed, none willing to fall behind.
In the original story, they bullied Kushina to get her attention. Now, that had turned into inviting her to lunch.
"I..."
Kushina's head instantly began to ache. Listening to all the voices around her, she did not even know whom to turn down first.
In that instant, Araki disappeared from her sight.
"I'll eat by myself!"
Kushina stamped her foot in a huff. She paid no attention to these classmates at all. She only wanted to ask Araki what had happened last night and why he had not even brought his schoolbag back, but she had watched her chance slip away just like that.
Then.
Under the watchful gazes of everyone present.