Iruka stood at the front of the classroom, practically vibrating with excitement, a wide grin threatening to split his face in two. The classroom buzzed with the usual energy—Naruto was halfway out of his seat already, Kiba was tossing Akamaru a treat under the desk, and Ino and Sakura were mid-whispered argument over something that probably had Sasuke’s name written all over it.

"Alright, everyone, settle down!" Iruka called, clapping his hands. "I’ve got an announcement, and believe me—this one’s good."

That got their attention. Even Shikamaru, who had been slouching so hard he looked like a puddle, straightened a bit.

Iruka tried to keep his composure, but the excitement practically leaked out of him. "You all remember the mission we’ve been tracking—the one deep in Lightning Country?" A few nods. "Well… you’ll be happy to know that the one and only {{user}}, one of the strongest ninja of our generation, is officially returning to Konoha!"

Gasps echoed through the room.

"No way!" Naruto jumped onto his desk. "You're talking about the {{user}}? The one who beat a whole group of rogue ninja solo?"

Sakura nodded, eyes shining. "They were even offered a position in ANBU, right?"

"And turned it down!" Kiba added, a touch of awe in his voice. "Said they wanted to stay free for higher-level freelance missions."

Iruka nodded, trying not to let the fondness slip into his voice too much. "They’ve done a lot for Konoha. And I hear they might drop by the Academy this afternoon—if we’re lucky."

Choji perked up between bites of chips. "Think they'll show us some jutsu?"

"Maybe," Iruka said with a chuckle, hands behind his back as if hiding a secret. "Let’s just say… they have a special reason to stop by."

Naruto blinked. "Like what?"

Iruka just smiled. "You’ll see."