After the spy scandal, Kirito's idle life in Konoha Village returned to peace. However, life in the village had become more interesting for him. Since Kirito had refused Sarutobi Hiruzen's offer to recruit him, the Hokage had not called him again, much to Kirito's relief. He preferred his peaceful "salted fish" life without disturbances.
Days passed by, and each morning, Kirito woke up with nothing pressing to do. He would then supervise Naruto, his newly acknowledged disciple, practicing basic ninjutsu. Whenever they had time, he would take Naruto out to Ichiraku Ramen. Encouraged by Kirito, Naruto's self-confidence gradually grew.
As a time traveler, Kirito was well aware of Naruto's physical condition. Although he himself had no knowledge of ninjutsu, he understood the storylines of the characters around him. He knew that Naruto had always ranked last in his class not because of poor physical skills, but due to the difficulties with his ninjutsu. Minato Namikaze had sealed half of the Nine-Tails' chakra within Naruto, which he couldn't control. Furthermore, the sealing technique restricted or caused the chakra to run wild when Naruto tried to perform ninjutsu, resulting in failed attempts.
After a week of hard work, Naruto successfully passed the graduation exam at the Ninja Academy. Though he barely passed, it was still an achievement. Meanwhile, Kirito spent the week slacking off, raising his Kizaru template's role-playing degree to 35%.
During this week, Kurenai Yuhi, who had a cheerful and generous nature, had become a recurring visitor, disturbing Kirito's sweet dreams. Their relationship had grown beyond friendship but had not yet evolved into romance. Today, as Kirito prepared to catch up on sleep, he heard a familiar knock on his door.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Kirito, Kirito, don't sleep!"
It was Kurenai. Kirito stretched lazily before opening the door to find her, as always, dressed youthfully and energetically. Since meeting Kirito, Kurenai had embraced a more youthful, girlish style.
"Kirito, the assignment for Genin teams is out!" she announced, her smile brightening the room.
"You're leading Team 7, and I'll lead Team 8," she added, handing Kirito a scroll. The scroll contained the names of his new students: 'Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura.'
Just like in the original plot, the members of Team 7 were unchanged.
"Let's go. The students are waiting for us in the woods behind the mountain!" Kurenai said, grabbing Kirito's arm and leading him toward the back mountain.
Kirito followed her to an open grassy field. Upon seeing his arrival, Naruto waved excitedly. Standing beside him were two others—Sasuke Uchiha, with his cold demeanor, and Sakura Haruno, with her characteristic pink hair. Sakura, who had been glancing at Sasuke, now shifted her gaze to their new teacher, Kirito, curiously observing him.
The area wasn't just populated by Team 7. Kurenai's three disciples—Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuga—were gathered in the same field. They were waiting for their teacher to arrive, along with Might Guy and his team. Might Guy, ever youthful, was leading his team with infectious energy.
His students, Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten, formed Konoha's Taijutsu Specialized Class, all standing ready for their own training.
"Let's burn our youth together!" Might Guy shouted, eager to continue motivating his team. Upon noticing Kirito's arrival, Guy paused his training, his excitement palpable.
Seeing Might Guy's grin, Kirito could almost feel the cold wind blow. Guy's love for battle was unmistakable. Kirito guessed that Guy was itching for a physical confrontation, but he simply nodded, acknowledging his friend's enthusiasm.
As Kirito observed his new students, he suddenly wondered about Kakashi. He had replaced Kakashi as the leader of Team 7, but what team was Kakashi now leading? He voiced his thoughts aloud.
"What about Kakashi? Which team is he leading?"
Might Guy answered quickly, "After his fight with you, Kakashi voluntarily resigned from his position and left it to the Hokage. He wants to secretly train and then challenge you, Kirito."
Kirito sighed inwardly, his expression full of helplessness.
Just then, a voice interrupted everyone's conversation.
"Teacher, how can I be on the same team as Sasuke? This is unfair to the others. The two of us are practically invincible!"
Naruto, beaming with confidence, looked proudly at Kirito. The other teams nearby overheard his boastful words.
"Each team is based on their overall strength, and you're the weakest!" retorted Neji Hyuga, his voice cold. "Being on the same team as Sasuke will only drag you down!"
"How dare you say such arrogant things!" Neji added.
Naruto, not one to back down, responded, "What's your problem? If you're dissatisfied, let's compete!"
Tenten, showing her tough side, chimed in, "Let's see who's stronger then!"
Kirito raised an eyebrow, a little concerned. However, Might Guy was thrilled, eager to witness the clash. "Alright, then! We can use this as an opportunity to observe the level of our students!"
With Might Guy's encouragement, the match between Team 7 and Team 3 was about to begin.
"Sasuke, someone is bullying Team 7!" Naruto shouted, leading the charge.
Sasuke, with his usual cold expression, sneered. His right hand gripped his kunai as he prepared for the fight.
"Start!"
Might Guy's loud command signaled the beginning of the battle.
The battle, though short, was intense, and the result was predictable. Team 7 lost to Team 3.
Kirito wasn't surprised. Lee and Neji were powerhouse students, and while Sasuke was strong, he couldn't compensate for Naruto and Sakura's weaknesses.
"What do you think, the weak link is all you have?" Tenten taunted.
Naruto, lying on the ground but refusing to stay down, got up and exclaimed, "The teacher is part of the team, too! If Teacher Kirito fought, Team 7 would definitely win!"
Seizing the moment, Might Guy declared, "Alright, let's have a match between teachers!"
The challenge was set, and it seemed a battle of youth and strength was about to unfold between the two seasoned warriors.