Morning came, and Gangzi Tie quickly finished washing up and scarfed down his breakfast before rushing off to school.
"Didn't you get up early today? Why the rush?" his concerned mother asked from the side.
"Of course, I want to get to school and study," Gangzi Tie answered without even looking back.
That was a little white lie meant to appease his mother. While Gangzi Tie didn't hate school, he didn't particularly enjoy it either, as not all teachers were as engaging and fun as Mu Yue.
The real reason for Gangzi Tie's hurry was that he was dying to find out whether his good buddy, Kamizuki Izumo, had made any progress in his romantic endeavor.
He had given Izumo advice on Thursday, but on Friday, Izumo admitted that he hadn't gathered the courage yet and needed some more time to build up his confidence.
Gangzi Tie figured two whole days over the weekend should have been enough for Izumo to make his move, right?
When Gangzi Tie arrived at the classroom, it was still early, and Izumo hadn't shown up yet. He didn't have to wait long, though. About seven or eight minutes later, Izumo strolled in, looking utterly defeated.
"Izumo, did you not sleep well last night?" Gangzi Tie asked, confused.
Izumo shook his head without saying a word.
"Did you give her the flowers over the weekend?" Gangzi Tie asked eagerly.
"Ugh, don't even bring it up," Izumo groaned, his mood worsening as soon as Gangzi Tie mentioned it.
"Turns out, the only reason she was interested in our family's garden wasn't because she liked flowers. She's allergic to pollen and was worried it would blow into her house."
Gangzi Tie fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then asked, "So, did you give her the flowers or not?"
Izumo didn't respond, but the silence, coupled with the dejected look on his face, told Gangzi Tie everything he needed to know.
Gangzi Tie patted Izumo on the shoulder, trying to console him. "No worries, man. I remember one of Miharu's friends is pretty cute. How about we hang out with her next time?"
"Yes, please, Iron Bro!" Izumo's gloomy expression instantly transformed into a broad smile.
"Oh, and I thought of another great plan to help you deal with your cousin."
"That's awesome! Quick, tell me the details!" Izumo said excitedly.
"Class is starting!"
Mu Yue's voice interrupted their conversation, and they suddenly realized the lesson had begun. They'd gotten so engrossed in their chat that they hadn't noticed the bell ring.
They quickly sat up straight and began paying attention. After two days without Mu Yue's lessons, they were starting to miss them.
As expected, Mu Yue didn't disappoint. His classes were always laid-back and enjoyable, and without realizing it, they found themselves absorbing a wealth of knowledge.
[Lesson Complete]
[Grade: A]
[Reward Earned: Water Release: Water Severing Wave]
When Mu Yue saw the reward, his eyes lit up. This wasn't just any technique—it was a formidable Water Release jutsu.
Developed by the Second Hokage, this technique unleashed a high-pressure water jet capable of slicing through anything in its path, even the roots of the God Tree.
Feeling thrilled by the jutsu he had earned, Mu Yue's day only got better from there.
"Mu Yue-sensei, I recall you don't have any classes this afternoon. Could you possibly cover for me? I have a Ninjutsu class with the Fourth-Year Class Two students," a fellow teacher, Ike Tani Yu, approached him in the office, requesting a favor.
"No problem. Are you feeling unwell, Ike Tani-sensei?" Mu Yue asked with a concerned expression. Though he was pleased about the extra opportunity for rewards, he had to maintain his persona.
"Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you for asking, Yusheng-sensei," Ike Tani replied, grateful for Mu Yue's concern. "It's just that my matchmaking date asked to meet up this afternoon for a stroll."
"Couldn't you have chosen a day when you weren't so busy?" Ueda Aya chimed in with a teasing tone.
"I would've if I could, but she said today was the only time she was free," Ike Tani sighed. He didn't want to burden Mu Yue either, but with the woman's tight schedule, he had no other option.
Ueda Aya rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. She genuinely felt this relationship wasn't going to work out for Ike Tani. If the woman truly cared, she would've considered his busy schedule instead of forcing him to rely on his coworkers.
"Good luck, Ike Tani-sensei," Mu Yue smiled, eager for the chance to rack up more rewards.
"Thanks a million, Yusheng-sensei! If things work out, I'll treat you to the fanciest restaurant in Konoha," Ike Tani said gratefully before rushing out of the office, eager to change clothes and freshen up for his date.
"I told you before, Yusheng-sensei, if you keep this up, everyone will come to you for substitute teaching," Ueda Aya sighed.
"Helping others brings joy, and it's good for coworkers to support each other," Mu Yue replied earnestly, maintaining his persona.
"You're too nice. It's easy to get taken advantage of," Ueda Aya remarked with a sigh of admiration.
Mu Yue smiled but said nothing, turning his focus back to his calligraphy practice.
Watching him practice so diligently, Ueda Aya couldn't help but feel the stark contrast between Mu Yue and Ike Tani. If Ike Tani had even a quarter of Mu Yue's excellence, he wouldn't still be single.
When Mu Yue felt the time was right, he put down his brush and headed to Fourth-Year Class Two for the Ninjutsu lesson.
The moment he arrived at the classroom, the bell rang.
"Teacher Ike Tani has some urgent matters, so I'll be taking over today's Ninjutsu class," Mu Yue announced as he entered the room.
He scanned the classroom. Everyone was present, except for Obito.
About three minutes into the class, Obito rushed in, looking startled when he saw Mu Yue at the podium.
Obito had sprinted so fast that he was genuinely shocked to find Mu Yue standing there instead of his usual teacher. For a second, he wondered if he had wandered into the wrong classroom, but upon seeing his classmates, he realized he was in the right place.
Out of breath, Obito quickly explained, "Mu Yue-sensei, I wasn't trying to be late. I just happened to…"
"You helped an elderly lady and lost track of time, right?" One of his classmates chimed in, completing Obito's sentence and causing the whole class to burst into laughter.
"I swear, it's true! If I'd known you were teaching today, I would've come half an hour early!" Obito continued, worried that Mu Yue might think he wasn't taking his studies seriously.
"Take your seat," Mu Yue nodded, acknowledging Obito's explanation, before adding, "But don't be late to Ike Tani-sensei's class either."
At the ninja academy, Ninjutsu lessons started as early as the first grade, but the curriculum only covered three basic techniques: the Transformation Jutsu, the Clone Jutsu, and the Substitution Jutsu.
While spending years learning just three techniques might seem like a waste of time, it was reasonable. After all, geniuses like Shisui were rare. For most ninjas who wouldn't progress beyond Chunin, mastering these basic techniques was already challenging enough, especially with all the other subjects they had to juggle.
Even though they had gone over these techniques countless times, Mu Yue's lesson felt fresh and exciting to the students.
"Oh, that's why my clone never looked quite right!" one student exclaimed as he improved on the spot.
"I really hope Ike Tani-sensei has more pressing matters to attend to so we can have more of Mu Yue-sensei's lessons," another student joked, though there was a hint of sincerity in their words.
The surrounding students all voiced their agreement.
Mu Yue made no comment, though inwardly, he marveled at how useful the system's skills were.
[Lesson Complete]
[Grade: A]
[Reward Earned: Lightning Release: Lightning Clone]
Immediately, Mu Yue's mind was filled with the intricacies of Lightning Release and the techniques associated with the Lightning Clone.
Although it wasn't a particularly powerful jutsu, unlocking another chakra nature felt like a nice bonus, especially considering he had already received one reward earlier that morning.
For the next half month, Mu Yue settled into a routine. When no one asked him to substitute, he'd stay in the office researching Ninjutsu theory. If someone needed a substitute, he'd gladly accept. At home, he'd teach Shisui and Obito while training his own chakra.
Due to his stellar substitute lessons, the students he taught became eager for more, and with Mu Yue's strong rapport among his fellow teachers, he quickly became a well-known figure at the academy.
Students saw him as the perfect teacher—engaging in class, kind, and undeniably handsome.
Meanwhile, teachers regarded Mu Yue as a sincere and helpful colleague.
Despite being at the center of all this attention, Mu Yue had little opinion about it. He was simply staying true to the persona he had carefully crafted.
Right now, his focus was on the masked ninja standing in his yard, wondering what their purpose could be.