Hoshiyomi stared at the towering figure before him, instinctively swallowing hard. This guy… looked downright intimidating.
By Hoshiyomi's estimation, the man stood at least 190 centimeters tall and weighed over 240 pounds. He was both tall and broad—just one look, and it was obvious he wasn't someone to mess with.
That massive build paired with his fierce expression made him the kind of person that, in Hoshiyomi's past life, you'd absolutely avoid on the street.
The man wore a headscarf, so it was impossible to tell what his hair looked like, but even with it wrapped tightly, two sharp horn-like tufts jutted from either side of his head—almost like miniature bull horns.
His brow seemed to be perpetually furrowed beneath the scarf, and his small eyes were set unusually high, with heavy dark circles under them. The moment you laid eyes on him, you got the sense that if you looked too long, he'd punch your face in.
Honestly, even Hoshiyomi in his current state couldn't help wanting to take a step back.
Why did such a scary-looking guy suddenly appear? Wasn't he supposed to be meeting with Sakumo and the other jōnin instructors? Could it be...
No way. Was this giant of a man—whose arm looked thicker than both of Hoshiyomi's legs put together—his jōnin instructor?
The moment the thought struck him, Hoshiyomi, who had been about to stand, wobbled in place and nearly dropped back into his seat. This guy looked like serious trouble. If he really was his instructor, wasn't Hoshiyomi's future as a shinobi doomed from the start?
It had to be because he was too casual in front of the Third Hokage and Lady Mito—so now they were punishing him by assigning him this terrifying man as a teacher!
Just as Hoshiyomi's mind spiraled into panic, Sakumo reached out and caught him before he fell.
"Don't worry, Hoshiyomi," Sakumo said with a smile. "When I first met Master Torifu, I had the same reaction. But trust me—he's a great guy. You'll see once you get to know him."
"Wait—what did you say?" Hoshiyomi snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly alert. That name sounded… really familiar.
Sakumo looked puzzled at how quickly Hoshiyomi had perked up. "I said… he's a really good person?"
"No, I mean—what's his name?"
Before Sakumo could answer, the man squatted down in front of Hoshiyomi and extended a hand the size of a fan. A rare, warm smile spread across his face as he said:
"My name is Akimichi Torifu. I'll be your jōnin instructor from now on. I know I might look a bit scary, but I'm a great teacher to my students."
The introduction left Hoshiyomi frozen—not just from the man's deep, resonant voice, but from his identity.
Akimichi Torifu's voice was low and smooth—what people in his past life would've called "suave." It had the warm tone of a friendly older man, which completely clashed with his fierce appearance. If you played only his voice to someone without showing his face, plenty of girls would probably fall for it instantly.
But more than that—this burly man was the Akimichi Torifu? The same one who, in the original series, was a personal student of the Second Hokage, just like Hiruzen, Danzō, Homura, and Koharu?
That left Hoshiyomi speechless.
He remembered that in the original series, the younger Torifu had been a chubby, cute kid. How the heck did he end up like this before even hitting thirty? Sensei… has anyone told you you really didn't age well?
No wonder the Third Hokage had said his strength was on par with his own, and that he was a good person too.
Now that Hoshiyomi thought about it, the Akimichi clan didn't really have any bad people. They were a family of food-loving, happy-go-lucky shinobi.
In fact, when it came down to it, Torifu might have been the best possible instructor for both Hoshiyomi and Sakumo.
A regular jōnin wouldn't be able to handle the two of them for more than a few years before being completely drained—and wouldn't carry any political weight either. Their teacher had to be someone from among the Second Hokage's direct disciples.
Out of the remaining five (besides the Third Hokage himself), Koharu, Homura, and Danzō were all ninjutsu specialists—assigning one of them as an instructor would just be a waste of talent.
Uchiha Kagami, with his Sharingan and kenjutsu, would've been a great fit—but he'd died young, during the First Great Ninja War a few years ago.
That left only one candidate: Akimichi Torifu, a taijutsu-focused shinobi who fought using the Akimichi clan's signature Multi-Size Techniques.
And anyone who thought the Akimichi were slow just because they were big clearly hadn't seen a Human Bullet Tank in action—most jōnin couldn't even dodge it.
...
Now that Hoshiyomi had confirmed this intimidating man really was Akimichi Torifu, his initial fear vanished completely. He quickly warmed up to the instructor and was soon chatting with him comfortably.
Torifu took notice.
He was very self-aware when it came to his appearance. It wasn't just villagers—even some of the younger Akimichi clan members trembled when they first met him. A few had even burst into tears on sight.
But this kid had adjusted quickly and seen through the scary exterior to his gentle heart.
Now that was the kind of adaptability a shinobi should have.
Thinking back to his third student—who still barely dared speak around him—Torifu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The difference between people could be really staggering.
He gave both Hoshiyomi and Sakumo a firm pat on the shoulder and said,
"Well, now that we've met, it's time to go meet your teammate. Follow me."
At the word "teammate," both Sakumo and Hoshiyomi perked up. They had assumed Torifu was only taking the two of them as disciples—so there was someone else?
Sakumo asked, intrigued, "Sensei, who's our teammate? Are they our age too?"
Hoshiyomi added, "Why didn't they come with you?"
Torifu shook his head. "Your teammate's name is Yuhi Masaru. He's a few years older than you—maybe two or three. He was in this year's graduating class at the Academy.
"Unfortunately, he had some bad luck. Last month, while the war was still ongoing, his team was on a mission that required them to cross the border. They ran into a Kumo patrol squad… and he was the only survivor.
"Since he needs a new team, and you two happen to be short one member, the higher-ups decided to put you together. He's just been discharged from the hospital today—we're heading there now to pick him up."
The name Yuhi Shinku rang a bell for Hoshiyomi. Of course it did—the man would eventually become the father of Yuhi Kurenai, one of the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha.
In early fanfiction, Yuhi Shinku was often grouped with a few other original characters from prominent clans as one of "Konoha's Eight Shades," known by the moniker The Crimson Sunset of Konoha. Talk about prestige.
(Side note: It's 2020 and I still don't know who the Eight Shades of Konoha are supposed to be. Anyone out there want to enlighten me?)
—
Akimichi Torifu as the instructor and Yuhi Shinku as the teammate—probably not what most readers were expecting. Originally, this role was supposed to go to an OC named Kurama Genshin. But when I realized Yuhi's background and personality perfectly matched what I had in mind for Genshin—and he was the right age too—well, poor Genshin got replaced before he even made his debut.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin