"What is Shisui doing?"
"He's... helping civilians carry water and firewood."
"What?"
The Third Hokage's eyes flashed with confusion.
The moment he heard the report, he even thought the name was wrong that it was Obito, not Shisui. But after a moment, he realized he wasn't old enough to be mishearing names, and his subordinates weren't so careless as to confuse two completely different people.
He sat stunned for a while.
Then, he put down the pipe in his hand.
"Shisui... helping to carry water and firewood?"
"Yes."
The Anbu agent was equally puzzled.
In truth, carrying water and firewood was work usually assigned to genin.
But...
It was wartime. Missions were piling up, and hardly anyone had time for such mundane tasks. Usually, Obito would sneak off to do it, and everyone pretended not to notice.
However...
Shisui was a genius of the Uchiha clan.
He wasn't training, and just like Obito, he was working at civilians' homes for free. What exactly was he trying to do?
"Hmm... I see."
The Third Hokage waved his hand, dismissing the Anbu.
Then.
He immediately brought out his crystal ball and used the Telescope Technique.
Soon.
Inside the crystal ball appeared an image of Obito and Shisui helping carry water together.
The Third Hokage was at a loss.
He couldn't understand why Shisui was getting involved in this.
Was it because of Obito?
Or... was it Uchiha Fugaku?
Hiruzen frowned.
If it were just Obito and Shisui, it wouldn't be a big issue. But if Fugaku were somehow behind it, that could be troublesome.
He unconsciously lit his pipe.
After thinking it over, Hiruzen remembered another name
Kanda Keiichi.
He had heard that ever since Jingyi became a teacher, Shisui had gradually grown closer to him. In fact, the two were even seen eating ramen together at Ichiraku Ramen.
Could it be him?
It wasn't impossible.
Thinking this, Hiruzen pulled out recent Anbu observation reports from the last two days.
They read:
"Physically strong and has a high recovery rate. Uses shadow clones to accelerate training. Practices kenjutsu in the hospital. Suspected to have a connection with the Second Hokage."
According to Anbu observation:
Although Jingyi's body wasn't as monstrous as the First Hokage's, it wasn't far off from Senju Tobirama's physique.
There was no doubt he carried Senju blood!
As for kenjutsu records
The Kanda family had been closely connected to Tobirama-sensei in the past...
The Third Hokage sighed silently.
He never imagined that even though the Senju clan had faded, a descendant would emerge with such a powerful physique.
Of course
He still had doubts.
The Senju clan's disappearance may not have been entirely voluntary, and he couldn't help but be cautious.
But.
If Shisui's change truly stemmed from Kanda Keiichi's influence, then he was truly relieved. Because that would prove that the will of fire still lived on strongly in the Senju's descendants.
Hiruzen thought deeply, then took out the jonin test registration scroll and added a name to the top of the list:
Kanda Keiichi!
…
For the next two days, Jingyi had no class.
When he returned to the academy on the third day, seated in the office, he overheard two teachers chatting.
"Hey, I don't know what's going on Uchiha Shisui has been showing up late recently."
"Definitely picked it up from Obito."
"Yeah, every time Shisui's late, Obito's with him."
Shisui... showing up late?
Jingyi raised an eyebrow, looking a little amused.
Even learning how to be late?
Seriously?
He told Shisui to observe not to become Obito.
"Jingyi, it's your first class today. If those two boys are late again, don't go easy on them. If you let it slide once, they won't take it seriously the second or third time."
"Understood, thank you, Ishimura-senpai."
Jingyi nodded.
As class time approached, he was just about to gather his materials and head to the classroom when he caught sight of two figures flashing past the doorway.
They moved fast, but as a chunin-level teacher, he saw clearly.
Shisui. Obito.
The office atmosphere went still for a moment.
Class hadn't even started yet.
Those two boys, who had been slacking off for two days, now showed up early before class even started just because it was Kanda Keiichi's lesson.
It wasn't that Shisui was falling behind in school...
He just didn't like Ishimura's class.
The realization was a blow.
Ishimura Takashi stared at Jingyii, then watched him walk out of the office and finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He banged his forehead on the desk with a look of despair.
"Teacher Ishimura, it's not like that. They're just a couple of troublemakers..."
"No. He's a temp teacher, and they like him more than me... It hurts!"
Takashi Ishimura wanted to cry but had no tears.
He thought of how he had been teaching for over ten years, graduated countless genin and now, a part-time teacher was more popular than him.
The other teachers were silent for a moment.
Truly heartbreaking, old comrade.
Kanda Keiichi had already left the office, but he'd heard everything.
Couldn't be helped.
His sensory perception had improved as well, including hearing.
To this, all he could say was...
The others were teaching bland, generic content. How could they compare to him?
In the classroom.
Everyone sat up straight.
"Today, I saw Obito and Shisui rushing to class using the Body Flicker Technique. Good hustle. So, we'll start with testing the Three Basic Techniques. If you've got those down, I'll teach the Body Flicker."
Jingyi smiled as he addressed the class.
A few days ago, he hadn't taught anything new, and even the system had gone silent.
Today, they'd move forward.
Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)
It was technically a D-rank ninjutsu, but in capable hands, its effectiveness varied greatly. It was a fundamental jutsu worth mastering.
"Okay!"
The class buzzed with excitement.
Well part of the class. (UU Reading www.uukanshu.com)
Because a good number still hadn't mastered the Three Basic Techniques.
Jingyi glanced over the students and smiled.
"Don't celebrate just yet. This is a special term grades are mixed. I'll be treating you all as a single class, got it?"
"Yes!"
Ino, Kurenai Yuhi, and a few senior students instantly caught on.
They weren't the focus anymore.
If a lot of the students didn't have the Three Techniques down, everyone had to wait until those lagging behind caught up.
If they wanted to learn the Body Flicker sooner, they'd have to help their peers improve first.
Obito knew he had a part to play in this.
But
He was confident!
In the last few days with Shisui, he hadn't only been doing good deeds. He'd occasionally asked for guidance from his genius friend.
They tested their peers.
Sure enough
Many of them were proficient, but nearly half hadn't mastered chakra control, like tree climbing or water walking. Others were still shaky with the Three Techniques.
At that moment, the class geniuses started jotting down notes, planning ways to help weaker students improve.
During free practice...
Most quickly paired off with struggling students.
Jingyi admired their initiative.
Normally, teachers had to force high-performers to help others. Now, he didn't need to do anything.
Who said these kids were troublemakers? That's not right!
But...
One student caught his attention.
Moonlight Hayate.
The kid was incredibly talented and picked things up fast, but
"Cough cough, combining Transformation and Clone Techniques is a clever idea. Manage your chakra flow carefully and form your hand seals quickly. For now, focus on tree climbing. Ahem, I'll help you personally."
That cough...
It was kinda serious, bro!