Before long.
Shirakumo Hayama led his group from outside the village toward the Hokage Building, and as expected, he saw Masahiko and Naruto on the way.
Of course.
The Masahiko before them was, in fact, just a Shadow Clone; his true self was sitting somewhere nearby, having entered the training space to cultivate.
He gazed at Masahiko and Naruto, then turned to walk toward them.
The three Genin following behind him exchanged looks of confusion.
However, they still followed in his footsteps.
Masahiko soon heard the movement and took the initiative to greet him: "Jonin Shirakumo."
"Mm."
Shirakumo Hayama stared at Naruto, who was mopping the ground, then looked at the three Genin beside him. "Apologize to him."
"Huh? Sensei, why should we?"
The three of them looked defiant.
"One thing at a time. It was his problem that he stole your buckets, and he has accepted his punishment. What about you?"
Shirakumo Hayama stared with cold eyes. "As Genin, you neglected your duties during a mission, and after making a mistake, you did nothing but blame and insult others. Is this what your teachers at the Ninja Academy taught you?"
Under his scolding, the three withered and reluctantly bowed to Naruto in apology.
"We're sorry!"
However.
Naruto only looked up silently. After staring at them for a moment, his eyes darkened, and he replied coldly, "It's fine."
Shirakumo Hayama nodded slightly and walked silently toward the Hokage Building.
Naruto stared at their retreating backs with a hint of mockery on his face, then silently lowered his head to continue mopping.
Whether it was these three or the villagers... they didn't fear him, nor did they truly think they were wrong. It was only because of Yagyu Masahiko and Shirakumo Hayama.
On the contrary.
Just now, he clearly felt the malice grow even more intense.
Naruto mopped the floor in silence.
Masahiko didn't say anything from the side; he just stood there to prevent the villagers from harassing him, letting Naruto process everything himself... At noon, when the sun was high in the sky, Naruto finally finished cleaning a large section of the street.
Dragging his exhausted body, he looked toward Yagyu Masahiko.
As it turned out.
In the next second, the Yagyu Masahiko before him vanished, turning into a fading shadow.
Naruto's eyes instantly widened in bewilderment, followed by... indignation and fury!
"Dammit! You made me clean, and you were just a Shadow Clone yourself?"
"This is your punishment, not mine. Why should my original body stay by your side?"
A familiar voice came from above.
Naruto looked up and saw Yagyu Masahiko jumping down from above, his eyes misty with sleepiness, even letting out a yawn.
"Morning!"
"It's noon! You bastard, did you go out specifically to catch me this morning?"
Naruto was incensed.
Masahiko smiled and said, "Not really. I was passing by on a morning run and happened to sense your chakra, so I came over to take a look."
"You were passing by... Don't screw me over!"
Naruto shouted angrily.
"What do you mean 'screw over'? If you're wrong, you must be punished."
He glanced at Naruto's furious expression. "Are we going for ramen or not?"
"Yes!"
Naruto turned his grief and indignation into an appetite, his pace quickening by several degrees.
But inside the shop, he still wouldn't stop talking about how hateful those people were. "I was just running past, and they still had to curse at me. Why?"
At this point, he lowered his head.
"Everyone loathes me, fears me. Those three cursed at me the moment they saw me... Why? I clearly didn't do anything!"
Drip!
On the dining table, water droplets splashed down, forming a pretty pattern.
Masahiko remained silent and offered no comfort. He watched Naruto cry with his head down, only handing him a tissue when the boy started wiping his tears with his sleeve.
"Besides parents, no one will pity you. But neither you nor I have parents."
Hearing this, Naruto snapped his head up, his eyes glaring fiercely at Masahiko.
These words really broke through his defenses.
But... Sensei doesn't have parents either?
He looked away again, speechless.
"Dammit, with that mouth of yours, can't you say something nice?"
"If your name was Uzumaki Naruko, maybe I'd have a gentler attitude."
Masahiko replied with a smile.
Naruto was speechless.
Uzumaki Naruko... that's obviously a girl's name!
He looked away, completely losing the desire to bicker.
For a while, the only sound was the slurping of the two eating noodles.
Masahiko put down his chopsticks and methodically wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Naruto, you have plenty of experience with pranks. Have you ever kicked a dog?"
Naruto paused for a moment and subconsciously explained in a low voice, "Some would chase me and bark, so I'd give them a kick. But it was very light, mostly to drive them away, not to hurt them."
"Mm."
Masahiko nodded. "Why would you kick it?"
"Because it kept barking and seemed like it wanted to attack me. I didn't want to get bitten, so of course, I had to warn it first."
"A dog's barking, arching its back, and aggressive posture are essentially bluffs triggered by fear. They know they are no match for a human, so they don't dare to initiate an attack."
Masahiko said.
Hearing this, Naruto was stunned. For a moment, he didn't understand what Masahiko meant, but vaguely, he felt... the other's words held deep meaning.
"If tears were useful, could we become Jonin just by crying?"
With that, Masahiko stood up to pay.
After paying, he intended to chat with Naruto for a few more minutes, but before long, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.
Then, Iruka landed in front of him with a Body Flicker.
"Masahiko, whew, I finally found you!"
"Oh, it's Iruka. Is something wrong?"
Masahiko and Iruka were also classmates. Especially after joining the school, the two often went to and from work together, and their relationship had improved significantly.
"There's a meeting at the school. The Director asked me to bring you over."
Iruka said quickly.
Masahiko was startled, then he remembered—
He was now a Teaching Advisor.
According to Hiruzen Sarutobi, as one's strength and status rise, the responsibilities one must bear must also increase.
Fine.
After paying the bill, he waved lazily. "I'll be going with Iruka-sensei now!"
"Mm."
After Naruto responded, he sat in his seat for a long time without speaking, like a statue.
Only when the noodle soup lost its heat did he stand up and run toward the outskirts of the village with his head down.
He had to find Kiba and ask about dogs.
Kiba would definitely be an expert in that area!
...Even though it was the weekend, Masahiko still had to come to the school.
Inside the conference hall.
At the head of the table, Homura Mitokado looked solemn. Below him were other directors, the Head of the Education Department, and other Jonin. After them was the seat with his name on it.
It was at the very end.
However, compared to Iruka and the others who didn't even have the qualifications to attend the meeting, Masahiko could be considered to have some status.
He first saluted the others before taking his seat.
Homura Mitokado said, "I'm truly sorry for making everyone come here on a day off for an emergency meeting, but the matter is quite important."
Masahiko's expression turned slightly serious, assuming a posture of listening intently.
After a moment, Homura Mitokado said, "This year's education budget may undergo certain changes due to the influence of some events..."
"Did His Lordship the Daimyo pass another proposal to cut funding?"
The Head of the Education Department was shocked.
Homura Mitokado nodded heavily and said, "The struggle between the two factions over there is intense. His Lordship the Daimyo was also forced to..."
The two factions... should be the Daimyo faction and the Hokage faction.
The matter of the Twelve Guardian Ninja actually affected the Ninja Academy?
"In short... everyone, think of some ways to save on expenses and avoid unnecessary waste."
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