Chapter 1: The Honored One
The Land of Fire, Konoha Shinobi Village
In a small classroom, three freshly graduated shinobi waited.
Naruto Uzumaki grinned, balancing a blackboard eraser in the doorframe. "Let's see how he handles this! As our teacher for Team 7, he has no right to be late!"
"Come on, Naruto," Sakura Haruno sighed, rolling her eyes. "We're supposed to make a good impression on our new teacher, not prank him!"
But deep down, she was secretly pleased. Yes, this late teacher deserved a lesson. Maybe throw in a few more erasers for good measure!
"Pathetic," muttered Sasuke Uchiha, crossing his arms. "Most team leaders are elite Jōnin. You think they'd fall for something as basic as your trap?"
Naruto shrugged, unfazed. "Oh, come on, Sasuke. Aren't you even a little curious to see if it'll work?"
Sasuke scoffed. "Hardly. Unlike you, I'm not an idiot."
"What'd you say?" Naruto's grin vanished as he grabbed Sasuke by the collar.
"Naruto, let go!" Sakura said, half-panicked.
"But he started it!" Naruto protested, gesturing at Sasuke.
Just then, the door creaked open, and the room fell silent as the three turned to look. Standing in the doorway was a tall man with messy white hair, dark sunglasses, and relaxed black clothes. His laid-back demeanor added to his mysterious aura.
"This teacher… is really good-looking," Sakura muttered, her eyes sparkling as she took in their new instructor, Gojo Satoru.
"Looks like someone's already got you beat, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, snickering, as he glanced up, eagerly anticipating the eraser's fall.
Sasuke, while feigning disinterest, was also watching closely.
Right on cue, the eraser tumbled down—but instead of hitting Gojo, it hung in midair, just an inch above his head.
The classroom was dead silent. All eyes locked onto the sight of the suspended eraser, seemingly frozen in place.
"No way!" Naruto rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The eraser was still floating.
"So, this is Jōnin-level skill…" Sasuke murmured, his lips curling into an impressed smile.
"Even more handsome than Sasuke," Sakura whispered dreamily, hands clasped at her chest.
"Alright, brats," Gojo said, snapping the eraser back into his hand. "Name's Gojo Satoru. I'll be your new Team 7 instructor. Let's get along." Casually, he flung the eraser at Naruto, who barely had time to flinch before it smacked him square in the face. Naruto tumbled backward, rolling across the floor with a loud "Oof!"
Gojo grinned. "Seven o'clock tomorrow morning at the training ground. Don't be late."
Naruto leapt up, red-faced from the eraser hit. "You jerk! You'll pay for that!" he shouted, charging at Gojo.
But Gojo simply sidestepped, sitting on Naruto's back in one smooth motion. "By the way," he said with a smirk, "no eating tonight or tomorrow morning. Trust me—it's for your own safety."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And if we do?"
Gojo's smile widened. "Then it'll be… interesting."
Sasuke's expression grew serious. This must have something to do with tomorrow's training.
With a final wave, Gojo disappeared as suddenly as he'd appeared.
"Argh!" Naruto pounded the floor. "I'll make you pay tomorrow!"
Sasuke scoffed, throwing a smug look at Naruto. "Only you would mess up your own prank, idiot."
"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto said, pulling a face. Turning to Sakura, he brightened up. "Hey, Sakura, want to grab some ramen? I've got a discount coupon."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear what Gojo-sensei said? We're not supposed to eat tonight. Especially you, Naruto. If you do, don't blame us if you're the only one in danger tomorrow."
With a quick backward glance at Sasuke, she ran after him, leaving Naruto trailing behind.
"Wait up, Sakura!" Naruto called, rushing to catch up.
Meanwhile, sitting on the roof, Gojo watched his three new students as they headed down the street. "Ah, young love triangles," he chuckled to himself. "Kids these days, getting into relationships so early."
At twenty and six feet tall, Gojo Satoru preferred older, mature women and spent his free time unwinding with a good drink and conversation. Chakra control was second nature to him—he could command all five elements, with reserves rivaling those of a tailed beast.
He'd arrived in the ninja world eight years ago as the last surviving member of the Gojo clan. Although he lacked any special "system" or Rinnegan, he'd unlocked his own unique gift—the Six Eyes, a rare dōjutsu that allowed him to master chakra control with unparalleled precision. Under Tsunade's guidance, he honed his skills, mastering techniques like the Limitless Void, which let him manipulate distance so precisely that no one could touch him.
Now, as one of Konoha's elite Jōnin, Gojo valued peace, stability, and the occasional good fight. But he was here for a reason. Tsunade had specifically tasked him with mentoring Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, to prevent any reckless incidents.
And there was another mission: keeping an eye on Danzō Shimura, leader of the Root faction, to ensure he didn't exploit the First Hokage's cells.
Gojo grinned, a glint of anticipation in his eye. This was going to be interesting.