Carrying her butterfly backpack, Nono Yakushi arrived at the Nurturing Talent School alongside Yu.
"Mr. Yamagui's office is this way."
The two went up to the second floor, separating from the flow of students, and stopped in front of a room with an open door, peeking inside. Yu was startled to see that it wasn't just Mr. Yamagui inside, but also Jiraiya-sensei, who was never early, and an unforgettable figure she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Kaito-sensei, you're back!"
"Mm-hm." The ice clone acknowledged her, then looked at the ecstatic Yu and the somewhat reserved Nono with a smile. "I've pretty much finished my business. Starting today, I'll be returning to the school."
"That's great!"
"Yu, you brought Koyu here to complete her registration, right?"
"Yes, yes." Yu nodded, her face flushing, her mind echoing with a single thought: Kaito-sensei remembers my name!
"Good. Thank you for your hard work. Class is about to start, so you should head back to your classroom," the ice clone said.
"Okay!" Yu, still in a daze, turned and left.
"Koyu, come over here."
Nono, who had been standing at the door, heard the ice clone's call and slowly nodded, walking over to them.
"Let me introduce you. This is Jiraiya-sensei. He's in charge of teaching the S-Class culture and ninjutsu."
"Hello, Jiraiya-sensei." Nono bowed to him, having already recognized him as the famous direct disciple of the Third Hokage from Konoha.
"Hello there," Jiraiya said, his spirits low, forcing himself to greet the young girl.
"And this is Mr. Yamagui. He's currently teaching culture classes for A-Class and B-Class."
"Hello, Mr. Yamagui."
"Mm, hello." Yamabiko Yuto picked up a pen and paper. "According to the regulations, I need to ask you a few questions first to determine your current knowledge level and decide which class to place you in."
"Oh, our Nurturing Talent School currently has five classes: S, A, B, C, and D. The S-Class requires students to have a talent for chakra..."
"Then I probably don't need to be tested," Nono said, raising her hand. "I have refined chakra before and have even learned some ninjutsu. I should be able to go directly into S-Class, right?"
"Oh? You know ninjutsu?" Yamabiko Yuto asked, surprised.
"Yes," Jiraiya nodded. "It's faint, but I can indeed sense chakra flowing within Koyu."
The ice clone looked at Nono with a playful glint in his eyes and added, "Also, her steps and breathing are lighter and quieter than other children her age. Her foundation in taijutsu is also very solid."
"My father was a ninja," Nono explained simply.
"I see."
The ice clone smiled. "Yamagui, you've been at the school for too long. You're getting slow."
Compared to you two powerhouses, how could I not be slow?!
Yamabiko Yuto chuckled twice to hide his embarrassment and said to Nono, "Alright then. You can study in the S-Class." He created a new student file for Nono, recorded her information, and made her a student ID card.
By the time all the paperwork was finished, it was almost time for class to start.
"Congratulations on officially becoming a student of the Nurturing Talent School." The ice clone and Jiraiya stood up together and said to Nono, "Come on. We'll take you to the S-Class."
"Okay."
As the school's star class, the S-Class classroom was the most spacious and luxurious.
When the ice clone stepped into the bright classroom, the students were momentarily stunned. But soon, a portion of them stood up excitedly, shouting, "Kaito-sensei!"
The most prominent among them was Yahiko. He shot up to the podium and threw his arms around the ice clone. "Kaito-sensei, I missed you so much!"
Jiraiya, standing to the side, snorted in dissatisfaction and waved his hand. "Quiet, quiet! It's too noisy. And you, Yahiko, get back to your seat."
"Oh, Jiraiya-sensei, you're here too. I didn't see you just now," Yahiko said, tilting his head to look at Jiraiya with a cheeky grin, completely unafraid of him.
"...You little brat!"
"Alright, get down now. Don't make things awkward for your Jiraiya-sensei," the ice clone said, patting Yahiko's head.
"Okay," Yahiko replied. He made a face at Jiraiya before jumping back to his seat.
The ice clone stood at the podium, looking down at the small, excited, and curious faces below, and chuckled. "You've gained quite a few new classmates."
As the sanctuary's population had rapidly increased, so had the number of students at the school. The S-Class currently had thirty-five students. With the addition of Nono, that made thirty-six.
"Seeing as there are many of you who are seeing me for the first time, I'll give a brief introduction." The ice clone wore a warm smile. "My name is Kaito, the sole guiding instructor for the S-Class. As for the white-haired old man next to me, he's actually just a part-time substitute teacher filling in for me, the kind who could pack up and leave at any moment."
"..." Jiraiya's mouth twitched, and his constipated expression sent the students into a roar of laughter.
"So, from today onward, you should be able to see me every day. As for what kind of person I am, you'll come to understand that as we spend more time together."
After talking about himself, the ice clone shifted the topic to Nono. "Today, besides this old new teacher, you are also welcoming a new classmate."
"Come in, Koyu." He beckoned to Nono, who was standing at the door, and called her to his side. "Give everyone a brief introduction."
"Okay." Nono stood on the podium, facing the rows of curious eyes before her, and said softly, "My name is Yaku. You can just call me Koyu. I usually like to read quietly by myself, if there are books. I'm done."
She then bent down and gave a slight bow to the students below.
Clap, clap, clap!
Enthusiastic applause erupted. The ice clone assigned Nono to an empty seat in the back row. Once she was seated, the ice clone continued, "To help me understand your learning progress, today's lesson will be changed to a practical combat assessment."
"A practical combat assessment?" The eyes of many students lit up.
Compared to being cooped up in a classroom, what active child wouldn't prefer to go outside and "play"?
"Let's go. We're changing locations."
Arriving at the S-Class's dedicated training ground, the ice clone took two small bells from his pocket. Under their puzzled gazes, he said slowly, "There are two small bells here. Your assessment objective is to snatch them."
"Sensei, you're not going to make us snatch the bells from you, are you? Jiraiya-sensei has already used that trick," Yahiko asked, raising his hand.
"Of course not." The ice clone suddenly raised his hand and threw the bells.
With a jingle, the bells embedded themselves firmly in the trunk of a tree nearly ten meters high.
"Remember, only by delivering both bells to me at the same time will you succeed."
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