As she was lost in thought, Kagami Uchiha, the last to enter the classroom, stepped out with his students.
He gave Tsunade a polite nod, then left the Ninja Academy with his team.
Inside the classroom, only a handful of children remained.
While most had already been assigned and taken away, there were always a few who didn't pass the Jōnin evaluation and had to repeat at the Academy.
Tsunade slapped her cheeks to perk herself up, then got ready to call for help.
There's no way she could handle two classes on her own! This wasn't the founding era of Konoha.
Besides, Shika Nara—head of the Nara Clan and an advisor to the Hokage—had explained everything to her respectfully. Even if she wanted to refuse, it should be Reiji himself who did the turning down.
With that thought, Tsunade gritted her teeth and made her decision.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram
Summoning Jutsu! she called out in her heart.
After a while, white smoke burst forth, and Reiji appeared before her in his usual form.
Reiji scanned the surroundings before turning to Tsunade with a gentle smile.
"Long time no see, Tsuna."
Seeing that familiar smile again, Tsunade beamed and threw her arms around Reiji's neck with her usual brashness.
"Long time no see, Reiji.
You always disappear for ages—what the hell are you even busy with?"
Reiji scratched his head with a sheepish grin as he caught her intense stare.
"Nothing much... just some things I had to deal with."
Tsunade didn't press further. She simply raised her hand and handed over the list she was holding.
"Here, these are the students that Shika Nara asked you to take on. He couldn't find you, so he passed the task to me!"
Reiji took the list from her and read it carefully.
Shikaku Nara, Chōza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka.
Aren't these Shikamaru and Chōji's fathers?
Why did Shika Nara hand these three brats over to me?
What—he's gambling on me? That can't be! I'm always running around, barely ever in the village. Who in their right mind would bet on me?
Wait... knowing Shika Nara, it's probably not a gamble. He's trying to unite the Ino–Shika–Chō clans.
And I've spent the past three years out of the village with Rie and the others, and the higher-ups never said a word. He must be planning to use that as leverage—my influence—to shield these three kids.
This... this is actually a good thing!
With that, Reiji didn't hesitate. He pulled the roster from the list and slipped it into his sleeve.
...
Meanwhile, only six kids remained in the classroom.
Four boys and two girls, all younger than the previous group—about a year or two.
They were sitting there, visibly nervous.
At the front row sat a boy with spiky hair styled like an explosion. He rested his elbows on the table, hands folded, looking far too mature for his age.
It was the clever Shikaku Nara.
"Shikaku, it's been so long. Is that guy not going to take us on?"
Beside him, the red-haired, chubby Chōza Akimichi asked casually while munching on dango.
Shikaku glanced across the room toward another group, frowning as he shook his head.
He didn't know the answer either.
He only knew that the man his father, Shika Nara, admired so much had yet to agree to the request.
Seeing the frown on Shikaku's face, Inoichi Yamanaka, who was lounging sideways on his desk with one leg crossed, scratched his head in frustration and leaned in to whisper,
"Shikaku, maybe we should just go. So what if we stay another year? Once we graduate, the village will still assign us to a Jōnin anyway."
Shikaku's brows furrowed even deeper as he instinctively shook his head.
There was still one team left to be picked up. If they left now and the teacher showed up, it'd be a disaster.
Just as he thought that, the classroom door swung open. A tall man and a beautiful woman stepped in.
"Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, Tengen Iga—come with me!"
A bright, confident voice rang out. Tsunade waved her hand, turned back, and gave Reiji a playful wink as she led the three students out the door.
The classroom fell silent.
Reiji stroked the stubble on his chin and slowly walked over to Shikaku and the others with a smile that made him look like a wily old fox.
"Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chōza.
There's no one else in the classroom, so let's just hold our meeting here—saves us the trouble of running around.
First, let me introduce myself. I'm Reiji Sakuhō, a Jōnin of Konohagakure.
As for hobbies... I've got a lot.
Things I dislike? Not telling you.
My specialties... I don't think I have any.
That's it for me. Your turn!"
At those words, Inoichi Yamanaka rolled his eyes in disbelief.
This teacher's something else!
He said a whole bunch, but besides his name, we still know absolutely nothing about him.
Next to him, Chōza Akimichi enthusiastically waved his meatball skewer and shouted out,
"Sensei! I'm Akimichi Chōza, I'm nine years old. I love grilled meat the most, then takoyaki, also potato chips and beef bowls—and lately, I'm totally hooked on Ichiraku's triple pork tonkotsu ramen with four soft-boiled eggs and five pork chops, the Supreme VIP Ramen!"
Watching Chōza go on and on, Reiji silently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Damn... Teuchi's really stepped up his game lately?
He even came up with something called Supreme VIP?!
Thinking that, Reiji couldn't help but gulp and cut Chōza off.
"Alright then! Since intros are done—ramen at Ichiraku's is on me!"
As soon as he said it, stars lit up in Chōza's eyes and drool poured down like a waterfall.
"Sensei! All-you-can-eat?!"
"All-you-can-eat!" Reiji nodded seriously.
It had been years since he last saw Teuchi. Might as well let that guy foot the bill.
Isn't treating your beloved teacher to free ramen just the right thing to do?
Reiji and Chōza slapped hands gleefully, both laughing like kids.
Before long, the two were already arm in arm.
Chōza clung to Reiji's arm, calling him "Big Bro, Big Bro!" nonstop.
Seeing that, Shikaku turned away, utterly speechless.
This... this is the so-called genius strategist my dad kept going on about?
Was my dad blind? Or did we get the wrong guy?
According to Nara Shika's description, their teacher Reiji was supposed to be a solemn master, every word laced with wisdom and hidden meaning.
And now? Their entire worldview had just been wrecked.
Off to the side, Inoichi Yamanaka could only cover his face in disbelief, veins bulging on his forehead.