Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Ms. Yinsui's Inner Turmoil
Araki, as always, arrived at the ninja school and sat in the corner, the same unnoticed spot as before.
The seating in the ninja school was not fixed.
Everyone could adjust their seats.
Whoever arrived first could occupy a better position.
However, as time passed, the students gradually found comfortable positions for themselves and silently agreed to stay there without much swapping.
Occasionally, there would still be some changes.
After entering the classroom, the students would casually glance towards the back, where Kushina usually sat. When they didn't see Kushina, they would shift their gaze back, concealing their intentions from others.
Araki didn't deliberately observe the other students in the class. But occasionally, when he looked up, he would see such scenes, reminding him of his school days when he used to gaze at the most beautiful girl in his line of sight...
Now, it was the same in the classroom.
Some bold and outgoing students would gather around Kushina during breaks, initiating conversations or giving her small gifts.
But the more shy and introverted students would silently pay their respects, without making any substantial gestures.
Taptaptap...
With the sound of footsteps, the classroom immediately fell silent.
Almost everyone knew that it was Teacher Yinsui who had arrived; that unique sound of footsteps was not something any of the children could imitate.
Soon enough, as everyone expected, the footsteps stopped at the classroom door, and then a head appeared in the doorway—it was Teacher Yinsui.
"Class begins."
Teacher Yinsui walked up to the podium, bowed to the entire class, and after finishing, scanned the surroundings. He was the first to notice the vacant spot where Kushina usually sat.
Kushina had taken a leave of absence.
Teacher Yinsui was aware of this.
However, he didn't know the specific reason, only that it was a request from the ANBU, and it was not convenient to inquire further.
His gaze then shifted to the seat where Hyuga Sora often sat. His eyes paused for a moment and then he looked at the other seats in the class, but he didn't see Hyuga Sora anywhere.
"Has Hyuga Sora not arrived?"
The questioning voice of Teacher Yinsui rang out, clearly heard by everyone in the class. After receiving no response or any sign of Hyuga Sora's presence, it was confirmed that Hyuga Sora was not in the classroom.
Strange.
Hyuga Sora didn't take leave.
Why didn't he come?
Did he oversleep and not wake up?
Several doubts crossed Teacher Yinsui's mind, but he didn't dwell on them. He didn't even consider the possibility of someone's death.
Araki, upon hearing Teacher Yinsui's words, didn't show any change in expression on his face, as if these matters had nothing to do with him.
...
In the following day, Hyuga Sora did not appear again, and Kushina did not return. The atmosphere in the class became boring.
This had nothing to do with Hyuga Sora. In the past, he had always been arrogant, so his disappearance didn't make much of an impact on the students. Instead, it was Kushina's absence that made them feel a sense of torment.
When Kushina didn't come in the past, they didn't really feel much, but now they realized that everything had changed. Many students in the class had quietly been occupied by that red-haired girl in their hearts.
Ring, ring, ring...
As the dismissal bell rang, another day of classes came to an end.
Before the students left, Teacher Yinsui glanced at the spot where Hyuga Sora usually sat, showing a deep contemplation, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Araki, as usual, went to the woods for training after school. His life maintained an incredibly regular rhythm, unaffected by the events.
...
Gradually,
As time passed,
Another two days had gone by.
During this time, neither Hyuga Sora nor Kushina came to class.
As for Kushina, it was expected since she had taken leave and was from the village. Teacher Yinsui wasn't particularly concerned about her.
But...
With Hyuga Sora's continuous absence from school for three days, and no news from his family either,
Teacher Yinsui began to feel a bit anxious.
Ring, ring, ring...
Once again, the dismissal bell rang. This time, Teacher Yinsui didn't immediately leave the classroom. Instead, he asked all the students to stay.
In an instant,
Curious gazes focused on Teacher Yinsui.
"Has anyone seen Hyuga Sora these past few days?"
Teacher Yinsui asked in a serious tone, his gaze stern, showing no signs of joking. The aura he emanated made the students in the class fall silent.
In the past, perhaps some people dared to make jokes.
But now, seeing Teacher Yinsui's serious expression, no one dared to say anything they didn't know.
"No one has seen him?"
Teacher Yinsui gradually realized that something seemed to be happening. Up until this moment, Hyuga Sora had been absent from class for three consecutive days.
On the first day, he thought that Hyuga Sora might have been delayed due to some issue and expected an explanation the next day.
By the second day, he had a vague sense that something was amiss. However, no one from the Hyuga clan came to communicate with him, so he decided to wait one more day.
And now, on the third day, Hyuga Sora still hadn't come...
Teacher Yinsui felt that something was seriously wrong!
When the students on the scene heard Teacher Yinsui's question, they shook their heads one after another, remaining silent. None of them had seen Hyuga Sora, and they hadn't paid any attention to him either.
In their minds, they were more concerned about Kushina.
"It's alright."
After a brief inquiry, Teacher Yinsui understood that none of the students had seen Hyuga Sora. In other words, Hyuga Sora hadn't appeared these past few days, not just in class.
"Class dismissed!"
After saying these words, Teacher Yinsui bowed to the students in the class and quickly left the classroom, heading straight for the Hyuga clan's territory.
As a teacher at the Konoha Ninja School, in the situation where the students had been absent for three consecutive days, he had to figure out what was going on and find out the truth.
Teacher Yinsui had two completely different mindsets.
The first was criticism. He needed to criticize Hyuga Sora for not attending school for three days without any explanation, which also meant criticizing the Hyuga clan.
The second was self-reflection. If even the Hyuga clan members were unaware of Hyuga Sora's disappearance, then as a teacher at the Ninja School, he had not fulfilled his role as a guardian properly.
However...
Teacher Yinsui was also feeling distressed.
If it were any other student, he would have gone to their home to inquire about the situation on the first day.
But it was the Hyuga clan.
In Konoha, the Hyuga clan held a special position. They had the privilege of exempting their clan members from attending the Ninja School and instead trained them internally to become ninjas of the village.
This was something recognized by the successive Hokage.
So, any Hyuga student who came to the Ninja School had a sense of pride and saw it more as an experience rather than a necessity.
Occasionally, there would be instances of skipping classes.
However, not showing up for three consecutive days was a highly unusual situation. Teacher Yinsui was feeling uneasy, and he had already decided that if nothing serious had happened to Hyuga Sora, he would strongly condemn this behavior.
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