"Please head to the principal's office as soon as possible."
"The principal?" Aya Ueda exclaimed softly.
There weren't many remarkable teachers at the Ninja Academy—most were fairly ordinary Chūnin. But the academy's principal was anything but ordinary.
So far, the academy had only had two principals.
The first was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
The second was the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although he held the title of principal, it was not easy for teachers to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Aside from occasionally saying a few words at the start-of-term ceremony, he usually didn't come to the academy at all. Most of the time he worked in the Hokage Office handling village affairs.
That was why Aya Ueda was so surprised.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually in the principal's office, and he had even summoned a teacher personally.
Such a thing was extremely rare.
"Alright, I'll head over right away," Makoto nodded.
Then he turned to the other teachers in the office with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry everyone, I'll go to the principal's office first. We can discuss the lecture plans when I get back."
"What's there to apologize for? Teacher Hosokawa , you should hurry up. Don't keep the Third Hokage waiting," Iketani Isamu said.
His face was full of unconcealed envy—his expression practically looked like he had just bitten into a lemon.
He had been teaching for years and had never received such treatment.
Forget being summoned personally—he had never even stepped into the principal's office.
But when Iketani thought about Makoto's teaching ability and his students' results, the jealousy faded.
The average theoretical score for the other first-year classes was only around forty or fifty.
But Makoto's class had soared to over seventy, leaving the other classes far behind.
Their combat exam scores were also generally higher, and they had taken first and second place in the grade.
The first-place winner, Shisui Uchiha, had even been recognized as a super genius.
Iketani asked himself honestly—
Could he have produced a class like that?
No. He couldn't.
After saying goodbye, Makoto headed toward the principal's office.
The office was located on the top floor of their teaching building—the fifth floor. The small teachers' office where Makoto and the others worked was on the second floor.
Looking at the plaque reading Principal's Office beside the door, Makoto knocked.
"Come in," a dignified middle-aged voice called from inside.
Makoto opened the door and stepped into the office.
He casually glanced around.
The layout was simple—almost plain.
A bookshelf and office desk stood near the window, and closer to the door there was a small table with several chairs.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked much younger than he did at the beginning of the anime.
His hair and beard were still black, and there were only faint lines on his face. His eyes carried a commanding presence, giving off an aura of authority even without anger.
Perhaps because he was inside the academy, he wasn't wearing the Hokage hat.
"You must be Teacher Hosokawa . Please, have a seat."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't put on any Hokage airs. Instead, he stood up and walked to the table near the door, smiling as he gestured for Makoto to sit.
"Lord Third Hokage," Makoto said respectfully.
He didn't hesitate and took a seat.
In Makoto's previous life, the Third Hokage's reputation among fans wasn't particularly good.
For various reasons, many events were often interpreted as part of his conspiracies.
Makoto didn't know what kind of person the real Hiruzen Sarutobi in this world truly was.
But as a teacher at the Ninja Academy, his outward manners had to be flawless.
Even if he were cursing internally, he would still maintain a polite smile.
"Teacher Hosokawa , you clearly have a talent for teaching," Hiruzen said with a friendly smile.
"I've heard about your class's results. Their theoretical exam average is twenty to thirty points higher than other classes."
"And in the combat exams, your class took both first and second place in the grade."
"The proctors also reported that your students' mastery of basic techniques like the Transformation Technique and Clone Technique is noticeably better than the others."
"The students themselves studied very diligently," Makoto replied after thinking for a moment.
"I only did my best to teach them. The rest depended on their own effort."
It was humble—but not completely humble.
He acknowledged the students' hard work first, while also subtly highlighting that he had given his all as a teacher.
"Doing your best to teach—well said," Hiruzen said approvingly.
"If the Ninja Academy had more teachers like you who devoted themselves fully to educating students, we wouldn't need to worry about cultivating the next generation."
Makoto didn't respond directly.
He simply maintained a thoughtful expression as if listening carefully.
Agreeing would imply that other teachers were incompetent.
Disagreeing would suggest other teachers weren't dedicated.
Either answer would cause problems.
"Based on Class 1-1's performance this time, I've decided to award you the Outstanding Teacher title for this semester," Hiruzen said with a smile.
Makoto displayed a look of surprise before quickly showing gratitude.
"Thank you very much, Lord Third Hokage."
Then he added with a worried expression,
"But Lord Third Hokage, wouldn't that be somewhat inappropriate? It has only been a month since the semester started. I'm concerned that it might damage your reputation if people hear about it."
"The Outstanding Teacher title is meant for teachers who perform exceptionally well," Hiruzen replied confidently.
"If other teachers can produce results like yours, I'll award it to them as well."
Then he continued, laying out an even bigger promise.
"If you maintain this level of teaching quality over the next year, I will promote you to Special Jōnin and appoint you as the assistant head of the academy's teaching staff."
"Thank you for your support, Lord Third Hokage," Makoto replied sincerely.
"But as a teacher, my responsibility is simply to educate my students well. That is something I always keep in mind."
Internally, however, Makoto couldn't help thinking:
As expected of people taught by the same master—Danzo and Hiruzen both know how to draw a very convincing 'pie.'
Both were offering the same reward:
Promotion to Special Jōnin.
Unfortunately for them, Makoto was actually more interested in his students becoming stronger.
Because when they improved, the system rewards would explode.
Watching Makoto's sincere expression, the experienced Hiruzen Sarutobi became convinced that Makoto truly meant what he said.
His appreciation for Makoto grew even stronger.
"Teacher Hosokawa , I'd like to discuss a personal matter with you next," Hiruzen said suddenly. "Would you be willing to hear it?"
Makoto nodded, while internally wondering what the Third Hokage was really planning.
"I have a younger son named Asuma Sarutobi. He graduated this year and has become a Genin, but he's still quite immature. Frankly, he gives me a lot of headaches."
"I would like to hire you as a private tutor to guide and train him."
Given the teaching ability Makoto had demonstrated, Hiruzen believed he was more than capable of teaching a newly graduated Genin like Asuma.
This was also a test of Makoto's abilities.
If his performance truly proved outstanding, Hiruzen might even step in personally to request him from Danzo.
The titles of Outstanding Teacher and Special Jōnin were simply ways to build goodwill with Makoto in advance.
For the Hokage, granting such rewards was just a matter of saying a word.
So he was happy to make this investment.
"Lord Third Hokage… I'll need to consider this carefully," Makoto replied after thinking for a moment.
Hiruzen was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected Makoto to hesitate.
"Because I have teaching duties during the week, I definitely wouldn't have time from Monday to Friday," Makoto explained.
"And during weekends, I usually spend time preparing the next week's lesson plans."
"I can only accept if I'm certain that the quality of teaching on both sides won't be affected. So please allow me some time to think about it."
Hiruzen paused briefly before bursting into laughter.
He praised Makoto once again as an excellent teacher, then told him there was nothing else and that he could leave.
Before leaving the office, Makoto secretly used his Appraisal ability on the Third Hokage.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/NextChapterStudios