Naruto: Teaching to Become Stronger, Changing Tragedies 53

Chapter 53: Friends Should Give and Take (Seeking More Readers)

Thursday, at noon, Yamura Toshihiro approached Mugetsu.

“Teacher Hayase, the students in Class 1-1 are really unruly! They’re disrupting my class!” Yamura Toshihiro complained.

He admitted that he had underestimated the students of Class 1-1 when he previously said he didn’t mind.

Yesterday’s afternoon class had worn him out completely; all he wanted was to finish the class and go home.

He didn’t have any Class 1-1 classes on Thursday, but he did on Friday morning.

To prevent a repeat of Wednesday afternoon’s disastrous experience on Friday, Yamura Toshihiro sought Mugetsu’s help beforehand, hoping to leverage Mugetsu’s influence over the students.

“Sigh, those children… They promised me they wouldn’t,” Mugetsu sighed, feeling sympathy for Yamura Toshihiro. “Don’t worry, Teacher Yamura. I’ll definitely talk to them this afternoon and tell them not to oppose you.”

Hearing Mugetsu’s words, Yamura Toshihiro felt slightly relieved, but still said hesitantly, “Teacher Hayase, could you come by while I’m teaching on Friday? I’m afraid they won’t listen to me again.”

If the whole year’s Class 1-1 classes were as torturous as Wednesday’s, he didn’t know if he could last until bonus time.

He could ignore a student or two, but the whole class rejecting him was unbearable.

“No problem,” Mugetsu nodded, agreeing.

“With your assurance, Teacher Hayase, I’m relieved,” Yamura Toshihiro said gratefully.

After finishing their conversation, Yamura Toshihiro returned to his office.

Watching Yamura Toshihiro leave, Mugetsu thought to himself that Yamura Toshihiro had wasted the past three years teaching; he clearly didn’t understand students’ psychology at all. By forcing Mugetsu to suppress the students, Yamura Toshihiro wouldn’t gain any respect, only making the students dislike him more.

From the students’ perspective, Mugetsu was helping a struggling colleague – a kind act, even commendable. Yamura Toshihiro, on the other hand, was clueless and tried to use his position as grade director to control them.

Mugetsu reconsidered and thought perhaps he was wrong about Yamura Toshihiro. This was a ninja school, after all, very different from his past life. If it weren’t for Class 1-1’s excellent grades, Yamura Toshihiro wouldn’t be in this situation.

Shaking his head, Mugetsu stopped thinking about these trivial matters and headed towards his own office.

Since Yamura Toshihiro had requested it, what could he do? Refuse and be called stingy? No, of course he would agree and comply – after all, he was Hayase Mugetsu, the universally acknowledged perfect colleague.

Back in his office, Mugetsu continued practicing calligraphy.

“Hey, Teacher Mugetsu, you’ve got a new brush,” Ueda Aya noticed that the brush Mugetsu was holding wasn’t the same one he used before.

“Mm, a gift from a student,” Mugetsu smiled and nodded.

“That’s great! I’ve been teaching for years and haven’t received any gifts from my students,” Ueda Aya said enviously.

Ikegaya Yu heard Ueda Aya’s words and thought he finally had an opportunity to attack, saying, “Ueda, you should consider Teacher Mugetsu’s teaching skills and how popular he is with the students. Comparing yourself to him shows a lack of self-awareness.”

Ueda Aya was speechless; the truth was a sharper weapon than a lie. Seeing Ueda Aya’s dejected expression, Ikegaya Yu felt a surge of satisfaction.

“Maybe your students are just more introverted, Ueda-sensei. They want to give you a gift but are too shy,” Mugetsu said.

“Teacher Mugetsu, you always know what to say,” Ueda Aya smiled. Even though she knew it was just a polite comment, who doesn’t like to hear kind words?

Kimura Sugito watched the scene, feeling that there was a reason Ikegaya Yu was still single.

When it was almost time for class, Mugetsu left his office and went to the classroom. He didn’t rush into teaching but first addressed what Yamura Toshihiro had asked.

“I told you already, don’t talk about Teacher Yamura behind his back, and don’t disrupt his class!” Mugetsu said with a pained expression.

“Teacher Mugetsu, did the taijutsu teacher tell on us?” Tetsuko Hagane was speechless. This was the first time he had heard of a teacher reporting students, and exaggerating the situation.

“We didn’t disrupt his class. It was only after he paused that he gave us guidance,” Kaguya Izumo felt they were being wronged. They hadn’t disrupted the lesson; although his teaching was indeed subpar, nobody criticized him while he was teaching. Everyone was attentively watching and learning, and diligently completing the training. They all wanted to get good marks in the end-of-term practical assessment and wouldn’t resist training.

“You must not disrupt Teacher Yamura’s class, and you mustn’t talk badly about him,” Mugetsu instructed, avoiding a direct answer to Tetsuko Hagane’s question. He wanted to convey the message that he wasn’t saying Yamura Toshihiro had reported them, but everyone understood that it was because of Yamura Toshihiro that Mugetsu was lecturing them.

“We understand,” the students nodded, although how they would act afterward was uncertain.

Mugetsu nodded, smiling, then began his lesson.

[Lesson Complete]

[Rating: A]

[Reward: Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet]

After school, Mugetsu trained his disciples as usual, returning to his home in the main city in the evening. This time, it wasn’t Mugetsu being treated to a meal; it was his turn to freeload at Minato’s house.

“We’ve eaten at your place so many times, we feel bad. Today, Mugetsu, you have a day off. Try our cooking,” Minato said, then took Mugetsu to his home.

Minato and Kushina both prepared dishes, each making two. They let Mugetsu taste the food first. Mugetsu was about to suggest they eat together, but seeing their expectant looks, he knew what to do.

Mugetsu first tried the grilled fish Minato made.

To be honest, this grilled fish was completely different from the grilled fish Mugetsu was used to, not even a whole fish; it was just a palm-sized piece of fish, marinated, sprinkled with salt, and directly grilled.

“It preserves the original flavor of the food very well; it’s delicious,” Mugetsu praised.

However, Mugetsu wasn’t just giving praise; he also pointed out some flaws, such as the timing of grilling.

He gave similar feedback on the other four dishes, praising some more and pointing out flaws less, and vice-versa for others.

“Hee hee, our food isn’t bad, is it?” Kushina said with a happy smile. Having her home-cooked meal approved by a culinary expert like Mugetsu made her very happy.

“Watergate and I have started practicing making braised pork belly; you absolutely have to try it when it’s ready,” Kushina said.

Mugetsu smiled and nodded, jokingly saying that he absolutely must, to check on the progress of these two students.

They then chatted while eating. Minato also told Mugetsu that he’d heard from other Upper Ninjas about Mugetsu, saying that kids complained that his teaching wasn’t as good as the Middle-Ranked Ninja teachers at the academy.

On this topic, Kushina affirmed Mugetsu’s teaching ability. Although she hadn’t seen him teach at the ninja school, she had seen him explain how to cook.

At this point, Mugetsu didn’t excessively humble himself, but instead flattered Minato and Kushina, saying Minato would be a popular teacher if he became one and Kushina would also…

In this pleasant atmosphere, they all enjoyed dinner and achieved their respective goals.

(End of Chapter)

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