In the morning, after Hagane Kotetsu got up, he quickly finished washing up and then ate breakfast before heading to school.
"Didn't you get up pretty early today? Why the rush?" his mother asked curiously on the side.
"Of course, to go to school early for study." Hagane Kotetsu responded without turning his head.
This was just a lie to appease his mother. While Hagane Kotetsu didn't hate school, he didn't particularly love it either, because not every teacher taught as lively and interesting as Teacher Mokgetsu.
The real reason for Hagane Kotetsu's urgency to go to school was his eagerness to know whether his good buddy Kamizuki Izumo had taken the first step in a relationship.
He had given Kamizuki Izumo advice on Thursday, but by Friday Kamizuki Izumo said he hadn't dared to try yet, and needed to prepare himself more.
Hagane Kotetsu considered that two days over the weekend should be enough to prepare.
When Hagane Kotetsu arrived at the classroom, there were not many people there yet, and Kamizuki Izumo hadn't arrived either.
However, Kamizuki Izumo didn't let him wait long. About seven or eight minutes passed before Hagane Kotetsu saw Kamizuki Izumo walk in, looking listless.
"Izumo, did you not sleep well yesterday?" Hagane Kotetsu asked puzzledly.
Kamizuki Izumo shook his head.
"Did you give her the flowers over the weekend?" Hagane Kotetsu asked excitedly.
"Ah, don't mention it." Upon hearing Hagane Kotetsu's words, Kamizuki Izumo's expression turned even gloomier.
"She was looking at our flower pot not because she liked flowers, but because she was worried about pollen being blown over due to her pollen allergy."
Hagane Kotetsu remained silent for a moment after hearing this news, then asked, "So did you give her the flowers or not?"
Kamizuki Izumo didn't answer Hagane Kotetsu's question, but his silence and the sorrowful look on his face already gave an unspoken answer to Hagane Kotetsu.
Hagane Kotetsu patted Kamizuki Izumo's shoulder comfortingly and said:
"No worries, I remember a girl who plays with Mie is quite cute. How about we meet up and hang out sometime?"
"That sounds great, Kotetsu." Kamizuki Izumo's mood lifted, and he said with a smile.
"I thought of another brilliant idea over the weekend to help you deal with your cousin."
"That's great, tell me what's the plan."
"Time for class!"
Mokgetsu's voice reached the two, and they realized class had already started, having been engrossed in their conversation and missing the bell.
So the two hurriedly sat up straight and started listening to the class. They had missed Mokgetsu's class over the two days and were longing for it.
Mokgetsu did not disappoint them; the class was relaxing and pleasant, and they unknowingly gained a lot of knowledge.
[Class Completed]
[Evaluation: A]
[Reward Received: Water Release: Water Cutting Wave]
Seeing the reward was Water Cutting Wave, Mokgetsu's eyes instantly lit up, as this Ninjutsu is not simple.
It's a Water Release developed by the Second Hokage; it can spray a super-high-pressure water column, incredibly powerful, even capable of cutting through the roots of the Divine Tree.
With this outcome, Mokgetsu was in a very good mood, and soon another good thing came up.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I remember you don't have class this afternoon. Can you cover for me? I have a Ninjutsu class with Class 4-2 this afternoon."
In the office, Iketani Isamu walked over to Mokgetsu hoping he could cover his class.
"Covering classes is no problem. Iketani, are you feeling unwell?" Although happy that he could receive rewards again, he had to maintain his persona, so Mokgetsu asked with a worried face.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Teacher Habu." Iketani Isamu first thanked Mokgetsu, then explained:
"It's my prior dating partner, she has scheduled an outing this afternoon."
"Then why not choose a time when there are fewer classes?" Ueda Aya quipped.
"I want to, but she said she only had time this afternoon," Iketani Isamu said, if given a choice, he wouldn't want to bother Mokgetsu, because Mokgetsu is too kind, letting him take advantage, Iketani Isamu felt so guilty.
Ueda Aya was too lazy to say much to Iketani Isamu, she sincerely believed he and his dating partner wouldn't have a good ending.
If the other party was truly interested, she would certainly consider Iketani, rather than having him bother colleagues.
"Then best of luck, Teacher Iketani," Mokgetsu said with a smile, glad to be busy and earn more rewards.
"Very grateful, Teacher Habu, if it works out, I'll treat you to a meal at the most expensive restaurant in Konoha." Iketani Isamu thanked, and then rushed out of the office; he needed to go home to change clothes and tidy up.
"Didn't I tell you earlier, Teacher Habu? In this way, people will come to you for class coverage whenever they have no time," Ueda Aya sighed.
"Helping others brings joy, colleagues should also help each other." Mokgetsu said with a serious face.
"You're too nice, which often leads to being taken advantage of." Ueda Aya lamented.
Mokgetsu just smiled without saying anything, and began practicing calligraphy.
Watching Mokgetsu practice calligraphy seriously, Ueda Aya couldn't help but sense the huge difference between people; if Iketani Isamu were even a quarter as excellent as Mokgetsu, he wouldn't be having trouble finding love.
When Mokgetsu felt the time was about right, he stopped writing, tidied up the table, and headed to Class 4-2 for the lesson.
Just as Mokgetsu reached the classroom door, the bell rang.
"Teacher Iketani has business, today's afternoon Ninjutsu class will be covered by me," Mokgetsu walked up to explain.
He scanned the classroom, everyone except Obito had arrived.
About three minutes into class, Obito hurriedly ran into the classroom, seeing Mokgetsu on the platform, Obito was dumbfounded.
Running fast, and unexpectedly, he saw Teacher Mokgetsu in his class, which was Obito's immediate thought.
He even momentarily doubted whether he had entered the wrong classroom, but upon seeing familiar classmates, he obviously hadn't.
Obito didn't bother explaining or resting, and hurriedly opened his mouth:
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I didn't mean to be late. I encountered…"
"Helping an elderly lady, wasting some time," someone in the class finished for him, causing laughter.
"I'm serious, if I knew it was you teaching this afternoon, I would have come half an hour earlier," Obito continued to explain.
He feared Mokgetsu would think he wasn't studying well and wouldn't teach him anymore.
"Take your seat," Mokgetsu acknowledged Obito's statement, then added:
"You shouldn't be late for Teacher Iketani's class either."
The Ninjutsu class at Ninja Academy started from first grade, but only taught three techniques: Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu.
Though only learning a few basic techniques over several years seems a bit time-wasting, it's actually quite reasonable, since talents like Shisui are rare.
For those whose ninja career ends at Chunin, mastering these three techniques isn't easy, and there are other courses as well.
Although they've had countless Three-Body Jutsu classes, Mokgetsu's Ninjutsu class still felt fresh to them.
"Ah, so that's how it is, no wonder my previous clones seemed different from the original," a student progressed on-site.
"I wish Teacher Iketani had more things going on, so we could have more classes with Teacher Mokgetsu," a student jokingly expressed an inner thought.
Sounds of agreement echoed around.
Mokgetsu didn't comment, but rather marveled at the system skills' efficacy.
[Class Completed]
[Evaluation: A]
[Reward Received: Lighting Release: Lighting Clone]
In Mokgetsu's mind instantly appeared techniques of Lightning Chakra Nature Changes and all kinds of experiences regarding Lighting Release: Shadow Clone.
Although it wasn't a particularly strong Ninjutsu, unlocking another Chakra attribute made Mokgetsu feel pretty good, especially since he had already had a successful morning.
In the following half-month, Mokgetsu maintained this pace; if no one asked him to cover classes, he'd study Ninjutsu theory in the office, accepting all requests for class coverage, teaching Shisui and Obito at home, then training his own Chakra.
Because of the high quality of his substitute teaching, students he taught once wanted to attend again, coupled with his favorable reputation among teachers, Mokgetsu soon became a well-known teacher at Ninja Academy.
The students felt Mokgetsu was a perfect teacher: teaching interesting lessons and being kind and good-looking.
The teachers also felt Mokgetsu was a good colleague: sincere and kind-hearted.
As the center of attention, Mokgetsu didn't think much; he was merely establishing the persona he wanted, now he was speculating about the reason for the masked ninja standing in his courtyard.