Kazuyama glared menacingly at Sakumo, who laughed heartily.
"Are you really Lord Sakumo? Konoha's White Fang?"
"How did I never notice how ruthless you are?"
"And you're supposed to be my senior, you backstabber!"
"I brought Pakura back, so it only makes sense she joins my Gekkō Clan!"
Damn you, Konoha White Fang! He must've been scheming this for ages! How dare he swoop in and try to compete with me for people!
As Kazuyama's rant reached new heights, Sakumo casually shrugged, unfazed.
"Join your Gekkō Clan?"
"Do you think the Hatake Clan, with me in it, is more convincing, or are you, you little brat, the more persuasive one?"
"Sure, you've made some achievements lately, but compared to me, you're still miles behind."
"With my protection, she'll be able to join Konoha successfully. If you had another ten years, maybe you could pull it off. But as of now, you're just not there yet."
Kazuyama knew Sakumo was right, but that didn't stop the bitterness from rising in his chest.
What if—just what if—he, Kazuyama, decided to pursue Pakura, but she ended up viewing Sakumo as a father figure? Wouldn't that mean he'd have to call Sakumo "Father" in the future?
Holy crap. Just imagining this middle-aged man—who once used One Thousand Years of Death on him—becoming his father-in-law sent a shiver down his spine. A dark cloud loomed over his head.
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know what you're plotting!" Kazuyama snapped.
"I'm telling you now! Even if that day comes, we'll go our separate ways!"
"Don't even think about me calling you Father!"
Sakumo blinked in surprise, a string of question marks practically floating above his head, as he watched Kazuyama leap off the roof in frustration. But who was Sakumo? After just a moment of thought, the pieces clicked into place.
Unable to hold back, he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You little brat! I wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't mentioned it!"
"Not bad, not bad! That's a pretty entertaining idea!"
"Hahaha! Now I have to make you call me 'Father!"
Kazuyama, who had leapt from the roof, immediately activated the Transparent Escape Technique and stealthily made his way to the back of Pakura's class.
Even if Sakumo's clone was here, he didn't care. That old bastard was so irritating. If he had already mastered the One Thousand Years of Death technique, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate the clone standing in front of him!
However, his thoughts shifted when his gaze fell on Pakura, who was teaching the students hand seals. Despite having been in Konoha for so long, Pakura's style of dressing hadn't changed.
Her back… Hiss… Ha… It still looked just as good.
"The hand seals need to be precise—focus on stability over speed," Pakura instructed. "If you mess up the seals, the ninjutsu will lose its control, and that's the last thing you want in a fight. So, 12 seals—repeat them three times!"
Pakura was handling the basic ninjutsu course, and as for why she chose to teach outside instead of a classroom, it was because she didn't like confined spaces. Being inside always reminded her of the past.
Back then, as a student, her Scorch Release had made her the center of attention. She was assigned a dedicated Jōnin instructor, and the large classroom would always feel oppressively empty. Day after day, year after year, she had been the only one there.
The memory of that suffocating environment was still vivid, and it was one of the reasons she disliked classrooms so much. Pakura shook her head to dismiss those unpleasant thoughts, focusing instead on the students practicing before her.
"Asuma, practice harder! Your seal formation isn't right!"
Kazuyama glanced over at the mention of the name and confirmed it—it was Asuma, Hiruzen Sarutobi's son and future Jonin of Konoha.
At this moment, however, Asuma looked very young.
"Ugh, I can already do all 12 seals!" Asuma whined. "Can you just teach me ninjutsu? I want to learn ninjutsu already!"
There was no denying it—young Asuma was a handful.
"No way! If you can't master the basics, there's no point in learning ninjutsu. Do the 12 seals five more times, Asuma!"
Despite being only 18, Pakura was a strict Sensei.
"Whatever, I'm not doing it, so you can—"
Asuma, ever rebellious, didn't even obey his own father, let alone the female teacher in front of him, who didn't seem particularly intimidating. He refused outright and even tried to mock her. But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt someone trip him, sending him crashing to the ground.
The previously peaceful lesson was disrupted by his startled cry.
Pakura frowned slightly, puzzled by Asuma's sudden fall. But before she could figure out what had happened, a familiar voice cut through the moment.
"Asuma, men should respect women. Didn't I tell you that before?"
"Wise people respect their teachers—and you're seriously lacking in that."
The voice, accompanied by the gradual appearance of a figure, startled the students. Some scattered in surprise, but when they realized who it was, they quickly returned to their spots, excitement spreading across their faces.
"Kazuyama-sensei, you're back!" they shouted happily.
Pakura glanced at the familiar figure, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly into a smile.
She thought to herself, This bastard, using the Transparent Escape Technique again to do whatever he wants. But… seeing Asuma embarrassed , why does it feel kind of satisfying?
"Ouch! Kazuyama-sensei, why did you kick me? Can't I just admit I was wrong?" Asuma grumbled, scrambling to his feet.
Kazuyama shot Asuma a cold smile and said sharply, "If you disrupt class and don't listen to your teacher, I'll go straight to your father!"
He paused for a moment before adding, "And if he doesn't care, I'll take his pipe and make him discipline you! What do you think—would he pick you over his pipe?"
Asuma's face fell instantly. He knew his father's temper all too well. If Hiruzen found out about his behavior, there was no doubt he'd be in serious trouble.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, had been the Second Hokage's pupil and deeply respected teachers. If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was someone disrespecting theirs. Asuma's actions were practically inviting disaster.
"That's enough," Kazuyama said firmly. "Let's get back to the lesson. I'll head over there to check things out."
He gave Pakura a quick wink, then turned to shoot a menacing glare at Sakumo's clone before striding away toward the Taijutsu class.
Pakura watched Kazuyama's retreating figure, a small smile curving on her lips.
The moment her students noticed, the class erupted into excitement.
"Whoa! Pakura-sensei smiled! A real smile!"
"This is huge—like, major gossip!"
Hearing this, Pakura quickly wiped the smile off her face and barked in her usual stern voice, "Have you all finished practicing?"
"Do it five more times! Now! Immediately!"
(100 Chapters Ahead) For more chapters visıt 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
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