A minute later, Masahiko went down to the yard and took the sakura dango on a plate.
Then, standing at the door, he smiled and said, "You're quite handy. Thank you for the dango."
"Not at all, as long as you don't mind them."
Ino was nervous, her speech a bit stuttered.
Masahiko shook his head and smiled. "How could I mind? However, while you're resting at home over the weekend, don't forget to practice."
Although he hated it when teachers added this line at the end when he was a student, as a teacher, he felt he had to say it.
Ino's face stiffened, and then she gave an awkward smile. "I won't, I won't..."
But clearly.
She really hadn't practiced much at home.
She lowered her head and said, "Teacher, I want to become stronger. Can I train with you just like Naruto?"
Huh?
Masahiko was stunned for a moment.
After a thought, he quickly understood the young girl's meaning.
Having accepted her gift, he felt he should give something back. Besides, finding something for this little girl to do would keep her from overthinking things all day.
He pondered for a moment and said, "I'm better at Taijutsu, but your talent for Taijutsu is rather average..."
Hearing this, a hint of gloom appeared on Ino's face.
Unexpectedly, Masahiko's next sentence was, "Furthermore, I'm no longer training Naruto."
"Eh?"
Ino blinked.
Was the news outdated?
Masahiko said, "I trained Naruto because I hoped he would turn back from his wayward path and not waste his talent."
He sighed softly, his expression gentle:
"If a person only trains when constrained by others, they are destined to never amount to anything. That's why I can't keep constraining him forever."
Hearing this, Ino's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "That's right!"
"Hmm?"
Masahiko looked at her strangely.
Why was Ino so happy?
Ino said happily, "Shikamaru has been smart since he was a child, but he's very lazy. Even Uncle Shikaku can't do anything about it. If you could help straighten him out, Uncle Shikaku would surely be very grateful."
Masahiko's lips twitched slightly.
He had been strict with Naruto for the sake of his "salary," but he had no such need when it came to Shikamaru... Besides, the same methods definitely wouldn't work on Shikamaru.
On the other hand, taking the opportunity to build a relationship with the Nara Clan would indeed be good.
They were a major clan in medicine and had no shortage of various medicinal herbs.
Masahiko's thoughts raced, and then he looked at the young girl before him and smiled. "Instead of looking for trouble for others, you should think about yourself."
"Me?"
Ino was slightly stunned.
"Your Taijutsu is weak, but your Chakra control is very strong. Aside from Secret Techniques, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are both good directions."
Masahiko's smile was gentle and impeccable. "But if you ask me, perhaps you could consider Medical Ninjutsu."
"Medical Ninjutsu?"
She frowned, then fell into deep thought, her brow furrowed. "That would require a high level of foundational knowledge, wouldn't it?"
"Yes."
Masahiko nodded and then said, "The three of you will definitely be on a team. If you learn Medical Ninjutsu, you'll be able to handle more emergencies in the future."
Ino fell into deep thought.
A few seconds later, after hesitating for a moment, she still asked, "Sakura's situation should be about the same, right?"
"Of course."
Masahiko nodded.
Ino gave a sweet smile, then softly thanked him before turning to leave.
He picked up a piece of sakura dango and tasted it.
It was a bit too sweet.
After eating, he went out for his usual run and training—
Now that he had the training space, he didn't need to practice Ninjutsu outside.
But considering the Third Hokage and Danzo, Masahiko felt it was necessary to keep up appearances... Monday, in class.
Early in the morning, more than half of the class had already arrived.
Ino came in from outside the classroom, looked around, and quickly walked toward Sakura Haruno.
"Hey, Wide forehead..."
"Ino!"
Sakura Haruno's eyebrows shot up, a hint of annoyance appearing on her face. Just as she was about to snap, she saw Ino naturally sit down beside her.
Afterward, Ino leaned in closer.
"Yesterday, I went to see Teacher Masahiko."
"Huh?"
Sakura Haruno looked surprised, glanced around, and then lowered her voice. "You actually went?"
"Of course!"
Ino raised her head proudly.
Then, she waved her hand. "That's not the point. The point is, Teacher Masahiko thinks I have strong Chakra control and suggested I also study medical knowledge to learn Medical Ninjutsu in the future."
After that, Ino "showed off" the benefits to Sakura Haruno in detail.
After listening, Sakura Haruno didn't react at first. Since it had nothing to do with Sasuke, she wasn't annoyed. It wasn't until Ino got up to return to her seat that she suddenly realized—
"Ino!"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you, and..."
Sakura Haruno lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry."
Ino waved her hand and smiled. "We're friends, Sakura. Good luck!"
"I... I will!"
Sakura Haruno looked at Ino's back, her eyes moistening as she stood dazed for a long time.
Until... "Sakura-chan!"
A large face appeared before her.
Sakura Haruno clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. "Naruto!!!"
"Sakura-chan, did you see the Hokage Building the day before yesterday? Hahaha, a whole bunch of Ninjas, and none of them could catch me!"
Naruto was boasting.
Bang!
A sharp pain came from his head.
He clutched his head and heard Sakura Haruno's angry roar: "You idiot! I just started thinking you were doing better lately, and then you go and do something stupid like that again!"
The next second, she saw Uchiha Sasuke entering the room and instantly withdrew her hand, wearing a gentle smile.
But.
Sasuke didn't look at Sakura Haruno at all when he entered; he only glanced at Naruto, a strange emotion seemingly in his eyes.
He sat down at his seat, his gaze wandering, not even listening closely to the Ninjutsu class that followed.
It wasn't until the Taijutsu class that Sasuke suddenly perked up.
He was planning to ask Masahiko for guidance on Taijutsu!
But just as everyone had gathered and Masahiko was about to start the class, suddenly—
There was a rustling sound from the nearby bushes.
Masahiko's whole body tensed, and he instantly delivered a back-kick, striking the figure attacking from behind.
After a brief collision, the opponent vanished in a flash.
But.
As the opponent shifted positions and threw a punch, Masahiko also disappeared from the spot.
"Not bad at all! Again!"
With that, without waiting for Masahiko's reply, she kicked toward the rear left at extreme speed.
Masahiko reached out with one hand to grab the ankle.
But the opponent retreated extremely fast, vanishing in a flash.
Bang, bang, bang!
Both of them were very fast in speed and reaction; it seemed neither could get the upper hand on the other.
"So powerful!"
"Both of them are so strong!"
"Can the teacher win?"
The students were all nervous and excited.
Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the two of them, his heart filled with shock.
He thought back to his previous confrontation with Masahiko.
It seemed... back then, Yagyu Masahiko hadn't been fighting him seriously at all, just playing around with them.
"Is this... a Chunin?"
If even a Chunin has such strength, then what about my brother?
Sasuke couldn't help but think of Itachi, his admiration for his brother growing even more.
At the same time, he completely cast aside his contempt for Masahiko.
This Taijutsu teacher was very strong!
Suddenly.
"Go for it!"
A loud shout came from beside him.
Everyone looked toward the sound. Naruto had his hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone, shouting regardless of the occasion: "Beat him up! Don't lose to that despicable sneak-attacker!"