I, Konoha's Sage of Life

Hayate Gekko...

Kyoichi's mind conjured up information about him.

Hayate, a family renowned for their swordsmanship.

Physically weak.

But...

In the memories of Kyoichi's past life, he recalled more in-depth details.

Wind Release, suspected tuberculosis.

In this era, without anti-tuberculosis medicine, Hayate Gekko was plagued by lung disease from a young age. Coupled with his training in Wind Release and swordsmanship, no wonder his life was cut short.

Kyoichi frowned.

To the Hayate family, he was just an outsider. Even if he wanted to intervene, what could he possibly do?

He didn't know medical ninjutsu nor pharmacology.

There was nothing he could do.

For an illness like this, without a miracle cure, there was only one person in all of Konoha who could treat him—

Tsunade...

But right now, Tsunade was elusive as ever. Finding her would mean staking out gambling dens and bars, which was a Herculean task.

Fortunately, the good students were already taking care of the weaker ones, leaving Kyoichi with little to do.

Kids in the ninja world are so dependable!

Perfect time for some rest.

Before class, he had left a Shadow Clone at home to practice swordsmanship.

Too much fatigue, and he wouldn't last the day.

Meanwhile, in the office, the other teachers were struggling to comprehend what they were witnessing.

This...

Isn't this kind of teaching misleading the kids?

But...

Oddly enough, the students were all motivated and incredibly enthusiastic.

What a strange phenomenon!

Could self-learning be more effective than teacher-led instruction?

Baffling.

They initially planned to spy and learn from him, but now they could only admit that Kyoichi's teaching methods were beyond their understanding.

When the class ended...

Kyoichi glanced at the system notifications and couldn't help but smile.

[You have inspired student autonomy. Most students have gained new insights.]

[Evaluation: Good]

[Reward: Increased proficiency in the Body Flicker Jutsu.]

Kyoichi's Body Flicker Jutsu was decent but only passable for a Chūnin. Compared to a Jōnin, it was barely adequate.

This boost in proficiency came at just the right time.

He was starting to understand.

The system rewards seemed tied to the students' progress and psychological responses.

Interesting...

Now he got it.

After pondering for a moment, Kyoichi clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"That's all for today's class. After school, you can practice on your own. I'll test you next session. If you meet the standards, I'll teach you the Body Flicker Jutsu."

"Alright!"

The students were ecstatic.

Some of the other teachers, unaware of his methods, were impressed by how skilled Kyoichi seemed despite his youth. Those who did know, however, were filled with complicated emotions—jealousy and envy chief among them.

This guy's job is so easy!

And the students actually love it.

After all...

Mastery of skills meant learning new techniques and ninjutsu. Who wouldn't want that?

If they were the students, they'd want it too.

These kids weren't just ordinary Genin.

In the academy, teachers only covered the basics, avoiding anything too advanced—not because they didn't want to teach, but because most weren't proficient themselves.

They knew tree climbing and water walking.

But...

The Body Flicker Jutsu was a different story.

Their proficiency wasn't even worth mentioning to the Jōnin, and even some clan kids scoffed at it. Teaching it poorly would only lead to trouble, so they avoided it altogether.

Kanda Kyoichi...

Most of them didn't know much about him, only that he'd been injured on the battlefield and was assigned to the academy as a temporary instructor after recovering.

Temporary. That's different.

"Kanda-sensei, my class is next. Thank you."

"Sure, Ishimura-sensei."

Ishimura Takashi took a deep breath.

His turn.

He would show the kids that true teaching came from experienced educators.

Kyoichi packed his things.

Judging by the time, the skirmishes near Kikyo Pass should be wrapping up.

The battles with Sunagakure were likely coming to a temporary halt.

"There should be peace for a while."

But...

At most six months. The other villages would soon start warring with the Land of Fire again.

Time was running out.

Good thing he had the system!

Kyoichi claimed his reward, a flood of insights about the Body Flicker Jutsu entering his mind.

Proficiency was all about the details.

Efficient chakra usage, stamina management, speed control—everything.

He needed some practice.

After organizing his files, Kyoichi left the academy.

Confirming he wasn't being watched, he ran a good distance and quickly grasped the extent of his improvement.

Significant progress!

His chakra consumption was reduced, and his execution of the Body Flicker Jutsu was faster and more precise. His speed and range control were vastly improved. He was now better at the technique than most Jōnin.

At this level...

Forget ordinary students—he could even keep Shisui in check.

"Time for lunch."

After stretching, he realized how hungry he was. Breakfast had been half-hearted at best.

As he headed back to the village...

Two familiar figures came into view.

Shisui and Obito.

Skipping class again?

And doing good deeds, no less.

Good deeds, huh?

"Shisui, are we really doing the right thing? What about the teacher..."

"It's fine. I've already learned Ishimura-sensei's shuriken techniques. If there's anything you don't understand, I can teach you, Obito-niisan."

Wow!

Shisui was the mastermind behind this truancy.

Told to observe, and now he's surpassing Obito.

Kyoichi couldn't help but wonder—

What was Ishimura Takashi feeling right now?

He was probably furious.

Kids rushed to attend other teachers' classes, but his? They skipped outright.

How disrespectful.

Kyoichi figured the man's face wouldn't look great tomorrow. Then again...

It didn't matter.

He was just a temp at the academy. He might not even be here next year, so he didn't care what others thought.

Shaking his head, he stuck to his plan of getting ramen.

But...

Shisui noticed him.

"Sensei! You're here too?"

Shisui was bold as ever.

Despite skipping class, he ran straight toward Kyoichi.

"You really have no fear. Aren't you worried I'll drag you back?"

"You're not that kind of rigid teacher."

Shisui grinned.

Obito hesitated in the back but relaxed when he saw Kyoichi had no intention of reprimanding Shisui.

"I told you to observe, not to mimic, let alone drag Obito into skipping class with you..."

Kyoichi sighed.

"I think I understand a little, but not completely. I don't know how to explain it, so I wanted to try again."

Shisui scratched his head.

While helping Obito, he noticed the villagers' attitudes toward him becoming more amicable, seemingly forgetting he was an Uchiha.

But...

He couldn't articulate why.

It was like an itch he couldn't scratch. Other than Kyoichi's classes, he had no interest in attending anything else.

As for Obito...

He was fine with ninjutsu and combat, but thinking deeply? That was pushing it—despite being four years older.

"Keep at it. Just pretend you didn't see me."

Kyoichi nodded.

To him, this was a good sign.

The original Shisui was too naïve, thinking that ninjutsu and genjutsu alone could resolve the Uchiha clan's conflicts with Konoha. He didn't realize his efforts were futile.

Shisui's naivety was one thing.

But dragging Itachi into it led to a series of brainless decisions down the line.

Letting him reflect like this? Great idea!

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