A minute later, Masahiko stepped into the yard and accepted the plate of sakura dango.
Standing by the doorway, he smiled. "You're quite skilled. Thank you for the dango."
"As long as you don't mind them…"Ino sounded nervous, her words slightly rushed.
Masahiko shook his head. "Of course not. But since it's the weekend, don't forget to keep up with your practice."
He'd always hated hearing that line when he was a student himself—but now that he was a teacher, he couldn't help saying it.
Ino stiffened, then forced an awkward smile. "I won't, I won't…"
Clearly, she hadn't practiced much at all.
After hesitating, she lowered her head. "Teacher… I want to get stronger. Can I train with you, like Naruto does?"
Huh?
Masahiko paused.
After a moment's thought, he understood what she really meant.
Since he'd accepted her gift, it felt right to offer something in return. Besides, giving the girl a goal might stop her from overthinking everything all day.
He considered it briefly. "I'm better at taijutsu—but honestly, your talent in taijutsu is average."
A shadow crossed Ino's face.
Then Masahiko continued, "And I'm no longer training Naruto."
"Eh?"Ino blinked. Wasn't that old news?
"I trained Naruto because I didn't want him to waste his talent," Masahiko said calmly. "But if someone only improves because they're being forced, they'll never go far."
He sighed lightly, his tone gentle. "I can't keep pushing him forever."
Ino's eyes suddenly lit up. "That's true!"
Masahiko glanced at her in surprise. "Why are you so happy?"
She answered eagerly, "Shikamaru's been smart since we were kids, but he's so lazy! Even Uncle Shikaku can't do anything about him. If you helped straighten him out, he'd definitely be grateful!"
Masahiko's lips twitched.
He'd been strict with Naruto for the sake of his salary, but he had no such motivation when it came to Shikamaru. Besides, the same approach would never work on him.
Still… building ties with the Nara clan wouldn't hurt. They were experts in medicine and possessed plenty of rare herbs.
After a moment, Masahiko smiled at the girl. "Instead of worrying about others, you should focus on yourself."
"Me?"Ino looked confused.
"Your taijutsu is weak," he said honestly, "but your chakra control is excellent. Aside from clan techniques, ninjutsu and genjutsu would suit you well."
He paused, then added, "But if you ask me, medical ninjutsu might be your best path."
"Medical ninjutsu?"Ino frowned, deep in thought. "That requires strong fundamentals, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Masahiko nodded. "The three of you will almost certainly be assigned to the same team. If you can heal, you'll handle emergencies far better than most."
Ino fell silent.
After a few seconds, she hesitated, then asked, "Sakura could do the same, right?"
"Of course."
Ino smiled sweetly, thanked him softly, and turned to leave.
Masahiko picked up a piece of dango and tasted it.
…A little too sweet.
Afterward, he went out for his usual run and training.
Now that he had the training space, there was no need to practice ninjutsu in public—but with the Third Hokage and Danzo watching, appearances still mattered.
Monday — Academy Classroom
By early morning, more than half the students had already arrived.
Ino entered the classroom, scanned the room, and quickly headed toward Sakura Haruno.
"Hey, Billboard Brow—"
"Ino!"
Sakura's eyebrows shot up, irritation flashing across her face. She was just about to snap when Ino casually sat beside her.
Ino leaned closer. "I visited Teacher Masahiko yesterday."
"Huh?"Sakura glanced around nervously and lowered her voice. "You actually went?"
"Of course!"Ino lifted her chin proudly. "And that's not the important part. Teacher Masahiko says my chakra control is really good—and he suggested I start studying medical ninjutsu."
She went on enthusiastically, listing all the benefits.
Sakura listened without reacting at first. Since it had nothing to do with Sasuke, she didn't feel annoyed.
But when Ino stood up to return to her seat, Sakura suddenly called out—
"Ino!"
"Yes?"
"Thank you… and…"Sakura lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry."
Ino waved it off with a smile. "We're friends, Sakura. Do your best!"
"I… I will!"
Sakura watched her go, eyes misty, standing there in a daze.
Until—
"Sakura-chan!"
A large face suddenly filled her vision.
Sakura clenched her fists. "Naruto!!!"
"Did you see the Hokage Building the other day?" Naruto bragged loudly. "A whole squad of ninja chased me, and none of them could catch me!"
Bang.
Pain exploded on his head.
"You idiot!" Sakura shouted. "I just started thinking you were improving, and then you pull something like that again!"
The next moment, Uchiha Sasuke entered the classroom.
Sakura instantly withdrew her hand and put on a gentle smile.
But Sasuke didn't look at her at all.
His gaze lingered briefly on Naruto, something unreadable flashing in his eyes, before he sat down.
Throughout the ninjutsu lesson, his mind wandered.
It wasn't until taijutsu class that his attention snapped back.
He planned to ask Masahiko for guidance.
But just as the students gathered and Masahiko stepped forward—
Rustling came from the nearby bushes.
Masahiko reacted instantly, spinning and driving a powerful back kick into a figure attacking from behind.
After a brief clash, the opponent vanished.
Then—
She reappeared mid-strike.
Masahiko disappeared as well.
"Not bad! Again!" the woman laughed, launching a lightning-fast kick from the rear-left.
Masahiko reached out and caught her ankle—
Only for her to withdraw in a flash.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their movements were blindingly fast, neither gaining the upper hand.
"So strong!"
"They're both incredible!"
"Can the teacher win?"
The students buzzed with excitement.
Sasuke stared, heart pounding.
He remembered his earlier spar with Masahiko.
Back then… the teacher hadn't been serious at all.
"Is this the strength of a Chunin…?"
If even a Chunin was this powerful—then what about his brother?
Sasuke's admiration for Itachi deepened.
At the same time, his last trace of disdain for Masahiko vanished.
This taijutsu teacher was terrifyingly strong.
Suddenly—
"Go for it!"
Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, hands cupped like a megaphone."Beat her! Don't lose to that sneaky attacker!"