『Reward received — Sensory Ninjutsu』
『First completed lesson — Reward received: Appraisal Technique』
『First A-rank lesson — Reward received: Mastery of Fire-Style Chakra Nature Transformation』
Takuya was pleasantly surprised to receive three rewards in one go. A flood of vivid memories surged into his mind, especially those relating to the cultivation of fire-style chakra transformation.
The knowledge felt so real, it was as if he'd spent a lifetime training in Fire Release techniques. Takuya almost felt like an old veteran who had devoted his entire life to fire-style jutsu.
"Excuse me, Teacher Hoshino… may I ask you something?" Shisui asked respectfully.
Takuya had been about to recheck his evaluation panel, but paused at Shisui's voice. He led the boy to the quiet back corridor of the school building, activated his newly acquired sensory jutsu, and confirmed that there were no unusually powerful chakra signatures nearby.
Feeling secure, he smiled. "Is it something from the lecture you didn't understand? Go ahead."
Shisui shook his head. "It's not about the lecture. I have a question that's been bothering me."
"You explained in class that the Senju and Uchiha clans founded Konoha together. But why does everyone only remember the Senju's contribution while barely mentioning the Uchiha?"
Though still a child, Shisui was observant and mature beyond his years. When he walked the village with his elders, he noticed the wary, even hostile looks villagers gave their clan's crest. Why was that, if both clans had helped found Konoha?
Takuya raised an eyebrow at the question and muttered inwardly, Well, of course... Senju Hashirama is Konoha's golden boy. Uchiha Madara? Not so much.
"You've only read history from your clan, right?" Takuya asked.
Shisui nodded. That was all he had access to so far.
"A lot happened between then and now. It's not something I can explain in just a few words." Takuya sighed, adopting a troubled look.
Seeing his hesitation, Shisui grew remorseful—he hadn't meant to burden his teacher. Just as he was about to drop the subject, Takuya continued:
"Tell you what—if you have time after school, come see me. I'll tell you everything I know about it."
"After all, I do owe your clan a favor… consider it me repaying that debt."
Shisui blinked in confusion. "You owe the Uchiha a favor?"
Takuya nodded solemnly. "During a war, my parents were surrounded by enemy forces. A ninja named Kagami Uchiha saved them. They still died later on, but I've never forgotten what Kagami did."
It was a complete fabrication, but thankfully the original Takuya was an orphan. No one could contradict him. Honestly, dead people were more useful than the living sometimes.
Shisui's eyes widened in shock. Kagami Uchiha was his grandfather. He hadn't expected this strange connection with his teacher. It stirred something deep inside him.
Still, Shisui wasn't the type to use gratitude for leverage. He simply bowed slightly and thanked Takuya.
As the boy left, Takuya used his new Appraisal Technique on him.
Name: Shisui Uchiha
Chakra: 500
Potential: SS-
Evaluation: Inherits the Sage's bloodline. Highly suited for Fire Release and Genjutsu. Exceptional potential. Strongly recommended for discipleship.
As he walked back to the office, Takuya marveled: No wonder he could activate Susanoo with just one eye. Those double gold S's are blinding. Even the system's screaming to take him as a disciple.
Back at his desk, he opened his own profile to see if anything had changed.
Name: Hoshino Takuya
Age: 18
Chakra: 4300
Evaluation: Master of Fire Chakra Nature Transformation. Your limited chakra is your main bottleneck. If resolved, you'd rank among the elite jōnin.
"Looks like I underestimated what 'mastery' really means," Takuya muttered. He had thought it was just textbook-level knowledge. But if the system compared him to someone like the Third Hokage in terms of fire-style expertise… that was another level.
With just two Fire Release jutsu, the Body Flicker, Clone Techniques, and basic taijutsu, his current skills were barely mid-tier. But now? With mastery and some chakra upgrades, he could genuinely reach elite jōnin level.
Elite jōnin… that was Kakashi or Asuma tier at the start of canon.
Takuya's boost in power made him happy—for a moment. Then he remembered his status as a ROOT agent.
The cursed seal embedded in his body by Danzo gave him no sense of safety. And knowing how Danzo loved using his people as disposable pawns? That made things even worse.
I need to gather some disciples fast, boost my strength, and make sure I can at least protect myself… even if I can't kill Danzo and walk away in style just yet. Takuya set himself a short-term goal.
When he arrived at the teacher's office, he saw three other instructors chatting—two men and a woman, casually complaining about their students.
Takuya already knew them. The original him had met his coworkers before.
He casually used Appraisal on them one by one.
Name: Ikeya Isamu
Chakra: 2000
Potential: C
Evaluation: Standard Chūnin cannon fodder.
All three had roughly the same stats—nothing but future footnotes in a battle report.
"Sigh, just my luck. How did I end up with Class 2 of the Fourth Year? I was already handling Third Year, Class 1," Isamu moaned.
"They dumped Might Guy and Uchiha Obito into my class—two of the worst students in the entire Academy!"
"And to top it off, my family arranged a blind date for tomorrow afternoon, which just so happens to clash with their class period."
"Just find a substitute or call in sick. The date's more important," suggested Ayaka Ueda.
At that moment, Ayaka noticed Takuya entering and smiled. "Teacher Hoshino, how was your first class? Did the tips I gave you help?"
Takuya remembered her advice: to calm his nerves, pretend all the students were vegetables. It was ridiculous—but it worked.
"Thanks, your tip helped a lot. Though after class, the kids started telling me not to be a picky eater."
Ayaka burst into laughter. "You're quite the character, Teacher Hoshino."
She took it as a good sign—if he had the energy to joke, his first day had gone smoothly.
Takuya placed his lesson plans on the desk and said, "Teacher Isamu, I'm free tomorrow afternoon. I can cover your class if you want."
Unlike most teachers, Takuya wanted more teaching time—especially with Obito and Guy in the mix. Those two were plot-relevant.
Isamu's face lit up. He immediately thanked Takuya and promised to treat him to a meal someday.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching the crystal ball, observing Takuya's lesson on the Will of Fire. Stroking his goatee thoughtfully, he was impressed. A ROOT operative who truly understands the Will of Fire? That's rare.
Danzo had tried to hide which agents he embedded in the village, but Hiruzen already knew about a few ROOT members who weren't listed in official records.
Still, Hiruzen tolerated it—for now. After all, Danzo was technically helping to strengthen the village.
But when it came to the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen was personally invested. Seeing a ROOT agent use his very first class to instill a sense of duty and pride in the students made a good impression.
"Let's keep watching him. If he turns out to be talented, maybe it's time to pull him out of ROOT."
But for now, Takuya hadn't earned that much trust. Danzo was an old friend, after all, and some political balance had to be maintained.
Hiruzen ended his surveillance and returned to paperwork. He'd check in again later that evening.
That night, after dinner, Shisui made his way toward the location Takuya had mentioned.
Takuya lived in the southeastern outskirts of Konoha—an area sparsely populated, far from the bustling village center.
The buildings were few and far between, so it didn't take Shisui long to find a modest single-story wooden house surrounded by a shabby yard.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, he froze.
His eyes went wide. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
What he saw left him completely stunned.