Chapter 51
Ever since Mizuki was arrested, Class 2-A fell into brief chaos.
Homeroom teacher Iruka was still hospitalized, and substitute teacher Mizuki could no longer come to class.
The school temporarily reassigned teachers from other grades to cover the lessons.
But these teachers weren't familiar with the students in Iruka's class, so classroom discipline became somewhat lax.
However, the chaos didn't last long.
On the morning of the third day, just before the bell rang, the classroom door was pulled open by a familiar figure.
"Everyone, good morning! Did you miss me during this time?"
Iruka walked in wearing his usual green ninja vest. Faint bandages were still visible across his body.
After learning Mizuki's fate, Iruka had grown concerned about his students.
Feeling his body had recovered enough, he discharged himself early and returned to teaching.
His movements were still slightly stiff, showing his body hadn't fully healed.
Even so, he gave the students a bright smile.
Iruka walked to the lectern and cracked a joke: "Your teacher here almost went to the legendary Pure Land the other day."
"What, aren't you happy to see me back teaching?"
"Wow! Iruka-sensei!"
Hibachi and his two troublemaking friends were the first to cheer. Having been saved by Iruka, they had long accepted him as their teacher from the bottom of their hearts.
The other students also began celebrating Iruka's recovery.
But a few students who had been successfully deceived by Mizuki's gentle facade spoke up.
"Iruka-sensei is back—so where did Mizuki-sensei go? A few days ago he promised to teach us shuriken techniques."
"Yeah, Mizuki-sensei was pretty nice…"
These innocent questions pierced Iruka's heart like thin needles.
His smile stiffened for an instant, but he quickly covered it.
"Mizuki-sensei… made his own choices and received the consequences he deserved. He probably won't be able to teach everyone anymore."
Iruka turned to the blackboard and began writing the day's lesson content, avoiding the students' eyes: "From now on, I'll be the one teaching you all again."
The friend he once thought he could talk about anything with.
The gentle Mizuki who had been so kind in front of the students.
Would never return.
Lunchtime — Ichiraku Ramen.
"Here you go: chashu ramen for Naruto, tomato rich-tonkotsu ramen for Sasuke, and a large miso ramen for Iruka."
Teuchi skillfully placed three bowls on the counter.
Steam rose in thick clouds, momentarily hiding Iruka's somewhat forlorn face.
Teuchi greeted warmly: "Iruka, I heard you just got discharged. Today's bowl is on me—consider it a welcome-back treat."
Iruka smiled and nodded in thanks.
Naruto and Sasuke clapped their hands together and shouted in unison: "Itadakimasu!"
They immediately began devouring their noodles.
Only Iruka sat there, stirring his noodles with chopsticks, staring blankly and not taking a single bite.
"What's wrong, Iruka?" Teuchi noticed Iruka's unusual behavior while wiping the counter.
Surprised, he asked: "Is today's broth off? Or did I overcook the noodles? Did I mess something up?"
"Ah? No, no."
Iruka snapped back to reality, quickly waving his hands. He gave a bitter smile: "The ramen is as delicious as always. It's me… I just don't have much appetite."
"Young people still need to take care of their health. Finish this bowl and properly recover that body of yours."
Teuchi relaxed after Iruka confirmed the ramen wasn't the problem and went back to his work.
Iruka set down his chopsticks. Looking at the two students beside him slurping noodles, his gaze was complicated.
"Yesterday… I went to the prison to see Mizuki."
Iruka's voice was very low—as though speaking to himself, yet also to Naruto and Sasuke.
"He looks terrible now—like he aged thirty years."
"He told me everything—his jealousy toward me all these years, his hatred."
"All those years of what I thought was 'friendship'—in his eyes, it was just entertainment."
Being betrayed by the friend he trusted most hurt far more than the wounds on his back.
This lunch—meant to celebrate his discharge—became unusually heavy.
Sasuke paused mid-slurp. He wasn't good at comforting people, but awkwardly muttered: "Eat more. It'll help you heal faster."
Naruto swallowed his mouthful of noodles, set down his empty bowl, and looked seriously at Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei."
"Hm?" Iruka looked up.
"Mizuki-sensei's matter is over. In my eyes, he's just trash—so the ninja I admire will absolutely never be someone like him."
Naruto flashed a confident smile: "Even though Iruka-sensei's judgment in friends isn't great, as a teacher, you're ten thousand times better than him."
"So… look forward, okay?"
Iruka froze. He stared into Naruto's clear blue eyes—full of confidence.
Suddenly the heavy weight in his chest lightened by half.
Yes—he had lost a false friend, but he still had these real students.
"…You little punk, daring to lecture your teacher."
Iruka took a deep breath, picked up his chopsticks again, and took a big bite of noodles. His eyes blinked, slightly moist: "I need to pull myself together too."
"I can't let you two down. In my eyes, you're also my best students."
"Really? Then I want another extra-large chashu ramen!" Naruto immediately ordered another bowl.
"I'll have another one too!"
Before Naruto even finished speaking, Sasuke—who had also finished his first bowl—spoke up.
No way he'd lose to Naruto!
"Huh?"
Iruka—who had just started to recover emotionally—immediately widened his eyes.
So the moment they knew today was his treat, the two of them weren't holding back at all?
Looked like his wallet was going to bleed heavily today.
Never mind.
At this moment, Iruka felt like he was finally starting to let things go.
…
After school in the afternoon.
After saying goodbye to Sasuke, Naruto didn't wander off. Instead he headed straight for the Konoha Library.
A couple of days earlier, he had asked the Third Hokage for permission to read more books and learn more about the shinobi world.
Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed without hesitation and directly issued him a special borrowing pass.
After all, this was someone who had accomplished two major feats—such a small request was easily granted.
"Natural energy… natural energy…"
Naruto moved between the tall bookshelves. His finger traced along the spines of books in different sections.
Though he had special permission to access higher-level materials,
he didn't skip the public reading areas on the lower floors.
Information about natural energy here was naturally scarce, but not completely absent.
He flipped through several books like The Origins of Chakra, Shinobi World Geography, and similar titles.
Most contained vague legends or introductions to the three legendary training holy sites.
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