"Luke, these are the latest instructions from Lord Danzo." A Root Ninja handed a sealed scroll to Luke.
Luke nodded and took it. "Night"—his codename within the organization—was the only name this man knew.
The exchange was brief and devoid of emotion. As soon as the scroll changed hands, the operative vanished into the shadows. Luke was a 'hidden piece' for Root; unnecessary contact risked exposure to the Hokage's Anbu, which would compromise his position at the Academy.
Before the operative fully disappeared, Luke triggered a quick scan.
Name: Hira Mizuiro
Potential: B
Chakra: 7,000
Evaluation: A Jonin with respectable strength.
Looking at that 7,000-point chakra reserve, Luke couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. He hadn't even broken the 5,000 mark yet; he was behind this guy by the equivalent of five six-year-old Shisuis.
Only when his Sensory Ninjutsu confirmed the operative was well out of range did Luke step back into his house and unfurl the scroll.
"Uchiha Shisui in your class is a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. Monitor his movements, determine his core personality, and provide a full psychological evaluation."
Luke leaned back, the paper crinkling in his hand. Danzo's wariness of the Uchiha was bordering on the pathological. Shisui was six years old. He had just started the Academy. And yet, simply because the boy had a "genius" reputation within his clan, Danzo already wanted a file on him.
Of course, there was the possibility Danzo wanted to "recruit" Shisui into Root.
"Not happening," Luke muttered. The Third Hokage might tolerate Root's existence, but he would never allow Danzo to possess a weapon as potentially world-breaking as a high-tier Uchiha. A genius Uchiha's ceiling was terrifyingly high; they either stayed in the clan or joined the Anbu under the Hokage's direct command.
Luke incinerated the scroll with a flicker of Fire Release.
The order was manageable. In fact, even if Danzo hadn't asked, Luke would have reported Shisui's talent eventually. Hiding such an obvious fact from a man as obsessed as Danzo was a suicide mission—it would only draw the "Godfather of Scapegoats"' suspicion toward Luke himself.
Luke created a Shadow Clone to practice his elemental drills while his main body began the grueling process of manual chakra refinement. Currently, energy was his greatest bottleneck. In the ninja world, chakra determined the floor and ceiling of your power. A ninja with low chakra was always limited, no matter how refined their technique.
The next morning, Luke found himself with a free period. He used the time to slip into the Academy's archives.
He spent an hour organizing the test papers for the Grade 4 exams from the last few years. While he was at it, he grabbed the Grade 1 papers too. His primary goal was to secure his disciples, but improving their grades wasn't just a lie—it was part of the "Kind Teacher" persona.
After analyzing the materials, he realized the Academy's exams were incredibly repetitive. The questions followed the same logic every year; they just swapped out the names or numbers.
"I don't even need to teach them the actual subjects," Luke mused. "Just a few mock exams, and even those two knuckleheads will pass."
He tucked the papers under his arm and headed to the faculty lounge.
"She listened to me talk all night! She's clearly interested!"
"Is it possible she just couldn't find an opening to tell you to shut up?"
"When the bill came, she insisted on splitting it! She's already looking out for my finances!"
"Or maybe she's making sure she doesn't owe you a second date."
Luke walked in to find Aya Ueda mercilessly dismantling Ikeya Yu's romantic delusions. He glanced at Sam Kimura, who was watching the train wreck with amused detachment.
"Ikeya went on his blind date yesterday," Sam explained. "He's asking for advice on how to 'seal the deal,' but Aya thinks the girl was just being polite and wants him to move on."
"Teacher Luke! You're here!" Ikeya turned to him, ignoring Aya. "You look like someone who has a lot of experience. Give me some tips! How do I win her over?"
"Special tips?" Luke thought for a second. "I think the best approach is just to let her feel your sincerity."
It was a safe, generic answer. Even if Luke had actual "rizz" techniques, he wouldn't share them. It didn't fit the "straight-laced, hardworking teacher" persona he was projecting.
"Sincerity..." Ikeya looked troubled, as if trying to figure out how to put 'sincerity' into a gift box.
"Give it up, Ikeya," Aya said dryly. "Luke is a handsome guy. His 'sincerity' looks a lot different than yours. What works for him might just get you a restraining order."
"Hey! I'm not that far behind him!" Ikeya protested weakly.
"You really won't learn until you hit the wall, will you?" Aya sighed.
"Good luck," Luke encouraged with a smile. Internally, he hoped Ikeya would stay distracted. The more "urgent matters" Ikeya had, the more Luke could substitute for Grade 4, Class 2.
In the afternoon session with his own class, Luke decided to conduct an experiment. He intentionally lowered the quality of his lecture, making it slightly more dry and less engaging than his usual "A-rank" standard.
Based on previous feedback, he suspected the system calculated ratings based on two factors: content quality and student satisfaction. He wanted to see if a B-rank evaluation yielded a different type of reward.
[Lecture Complete. Calculating...] [Evaluation: B] [Reward: Chakra +20] [First 'B-Rank' Evaluation Bonus: Chakra Shape Transformation (Proficient)]
A flood of muscle memory regarding the physical manipulation of chakra surged into Luke's mind.
He was genuinely thrilled. In the world of shinobi, Shape Transformation was just as vital as Nature Transformation. While Nature added the 'elemental' bite, Shape added the 'form' and 'density.' And the best part? It didn't matter what your element was—Shape Transformation applied to everything.
"Time to start working on the Rasengan," Luke decided.
With his new knowledge of Shape Transformation and the detailed "step-by-step" guide from the original series, developing this A-rank, no-seal jutsu should be a straightforward process.
His schedule was now packed. Teaching by day, mentoring Shisui by evening, developing the Rasengan at night, and weekend "cram sessions" for Obito and Guy. It was a busy, fulfilling life, and Luke hoped to maintain this steady pace of growth for a few years.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
On Luke's fourth day in this world, a shadow fell over the village. A grim report arrived from the front lines of the Third Shinobi World War. The era of "peaceful development" was coming to an abrupt, bloody end.