"I'm Yamanaka Ino."
Yamanaka Ino walked up to Kitazawa and asked, "Are you our teacher?"
"I am."
With a gentle smile, he said, "Kitazawa."
"Kitazawa‑sensei, pleased to work with you."
Yamanaka Ino confidently held out her little hand.
Children in the ninja world mature early—and she's a total sucker for good looks.
Then again, everyone is; when we see someone attractive, we all look twice—some more openly than others.
"Kitazawa‑sensei, I'm Haruno Sakura!"
Haruno Sakura poked her round head out from behind Ino.
"Nice to meet you both," Kitazawa replied with a slight nod.
Hyūga Hinata watched their lively exchange, envy flickering in her eyes.
"Hahaha! The great me has arrived! I came, I saw, I conquered! Hokage—here I come!"
A short‑haired boy burst in at the classroom door, shouting theatrically.
Only after yelling did he notice Kitazawa and grow embarrassed.
"Hello, sensei, I'm the grea—uh, I'm Inuzuka Kiba."
Kiba scratched his head and introduced himself.
"Sit wherever you like," Kitazawa said casually.
At that age you still live in fantasies; only later do you learn how harsh the world can be.
Kitazawa glanced around but didn't see the dog called Akamaru.
The Inuzuka clan has no kekkei genkai, yet they wield a secret art that fuses user and hound.
"Yes, sensei."
Kiba looked about and chose a window seat in the back row.
If he could, he'd have dug a hole and hidden in it—like sneaking a novel in class only to turn and find the homeroom teacher's death‑stare through the window.
"Shikamaru, Chōji—over here!"
Ino waved her slender arm and shouted.
Pineapple‑haired Nara Shikamaru glanced over, his face instantly reluctant.
Three pretty girls plus a teacher—looked like pure trouble.
He hated troublesome things most of all.
A slightly chubby Akimichi Chōji didn't overthink it; with a bag of chips in hand, he walked over.
"Kitazawa‑sensei, want some?"
Ino reached toward the chips as she asked.
"No, thanks."
Seeing Chōji's pained expression, Kitazawa shook his head. "I'm more of a French‑fries guy."
What a nice guy!
Chōji breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Unaware he'd just earned a "nice guy card," Kitazawa dropped all pretenses and quickly blended in with the students.
As time passed, the classroom gradually filled.
It was the first day, so no one knew each other well.
Only around Kitazawa was the chatter lively.
The only one still uneasy was Hinata.
She stayed silent from beginning to end, speaking only in whispers when Kitazawa addressed her.
"It's about time—we'll chat again later."
Kitazawa rose and walked to the podium.
"So handsome and gentle—totally my type!"
Ino said excitedly.
"Too bad he's too old," Sakura replied, shaking her head.
"Yeah…" Ino echoed with regret.
"Look—another hottie!"
Sakura suddenly squealed.
Ino instinctively looked at the door.
A boy, hands in pockets and exuding coolness, walked in.
The girls in class stirred restlessly.
Uchiha Sasuke ignored them all and took a seat, his gaze settling on Kitazawa.
How strong is this teacher? Does he even have a tenth of my brother's skill?
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes.
Sasuke was just playing cool now; after the clan massacre he'd become truly withdrawn.
But that wasn't what caught Kitazawa's attention—it was the sudden system message:
[Current Mission: Gain provisional recognition from your classmate Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Reward: Fire Style—Phoenix Flower Jutsu.]
[Accept?]
Same type of mission as with Uzumaki Naruto, but far harder.
After all, Sasuke still had his parents—and a prodigy brother, Uchiha Itachi.
Kitazawa was just an ordinary chūnin; winning Sasuke's recognition wouldn't be easy.
But not impossible.
Like Hinata, Sasuke longed for his father—Uchiha Fugaku—to approve of him.
"Seems the key is Fire Style—Great Fireball," Kitazawa mused.
Suddenly the room went quiet.
A heavyweight had arrived—Uzumaki Naruto.
Silence gave way to whispered chatter.
Seeing their reactions, Naruto felt a stab of loneliness.
Even at school, nothing had changed.
"Naruto, find a seat."
That familiar voice made Naruto's heart tremble.
He looked at Kitazawa on the podium and nodded hard.
"Quiet," Kitazawa said sternly.
The noise vanished, though the stares remained.
Scanning the room, Kitazawa gave a small "huh?"
He'd spotted the last of the Rookie Nine: Aburame Shino, cloaked and wearing dark glasses.
When did he get here?
He thought hard—he honestly had no memory of Shino entering.
"Class begins now, but as usual we'll start with introductions."
Picking up a piece of chalk, Kitazawa wrote his name on the board. "Front row first—come up in order."
He stepped aside.
One by one, the students took the stage.
Aside from the Konoha Rookie Nine, everyone felt unfamiliar to Kitazawa.
The other three rookies—Hyūga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee—were second‑years.
"I'm Nara Shikamaru. No real dreams—just want a quiet life," Shikamaru said, yawning.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I hate, nothing I particularly like. My dream is to be a ninja like my brother."
Sasuke kept a straight face, but when he said "brother," admiration flickered across his features.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I love cup noodles and ramen, and I hate waiting three minutes for them to cook."
Naruto took a deep breath on the podium and declared firmly, "My dream is to surpass the Hokage!"
Kitazawa gave a slight nod.
That was almost word‑for‑word Naruto's introduction in the original story.
In a way, his single‑mindedness was terrifying.
"What a joke!"
"Dream on! A monster becoming Hokage?"
"Surpass the Third? Impossible—never happen!"
As expected, the class burst into ridicule.
"Funny, is it? All I see is a fine inheritor of the Will of Fire."
Kitazawa strode to the podium, expression solemn. "You all say you want to become Hokage, but the moment you laugh at Naruto, you've already lost that right."
Every voice fell dead silent.