It wasn't long before movement appeared on the road.
Hayama Shirakumo led his team from the outskirts of the village back toward the Hokage Residence. As expected, he spotted Yagyu Masahiko and Naruto waiting by the roadside.
Of course, the Masahiko standing there was merely a Shadow Clone. The real Masahiko was seated in a secluded spot nearby, his consciousness fully immersed in the training space within the System.
Hayama fixed his gaze on the pair, then steered his group toward them. The three Genin behind him exchanged uncertain glances but fell into step with their captain.
The clone of Masahiko, hearing their approach, took the initiative to greet them. "Jonin Shirakumo."
"Mm."
Hayama stared at Naruto, who was still dragging his mop across the ground, before turning his stern gaze to the three Genin at his side. "Apologize to him."
"Huh? Sensei, why should we?"
The three of them looked indignant.
"One issue at a time," Hayama said coldly. "He tried to take your water bucket; that was his mistake, and he has accepted his punishment. But what about you?"
He glared at his students. "As Genin, you neglected your duties during a mission. And after making a mistake, you blindly blamed and verbally abused a civilian. Is this what they taught you in the Academy?"
Under his rebuke, the three wilted like dying flowers. Reluctantly, they bowed toward Naruto.
"We're sorry!"
However, Naruto simply looked up silently. He stared at them for a moment, his eyes dark and dull.
"It doesn't matter," he replied coldly.
Hayama Shirakumo nodded slightly, then led his team silently toward the Hokage Residence.
Naruto watched their retreating backs, a faint trace of mockery curling his lips. Then, he lowered his head and continued mopping the street.
Whether it was those three or the villagers...
They weren't afraid of him, nor did they truly believe they were in the wrong. They had only apologized because of Yagyu Masahiko and Hayama Shirakumo.
In fact, Naruto could feel it clearly. The malice radiating from them had only become more intense.
Naruto continued to mop in silence.
Masahiko's clone didn't speak. He simply stood guard, preventing the villagers from harassing the boy, allowing Naruto to digest the reality of the situation on his own.
By noon, the sun was high in the sky. Naruto had finally finished cleaning a massive section of the district.
Dragging his exhausted body, he looked over at Yagyu Masahiko.
Poof.
In the next second, the Masahiko before him dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.
Naruto's eyes went wide with shock. Confusion washed over him, followed instantly by indignation and rage.
"Dammit! You make me clean up the whole street, and you were just a Shadow Clone the whole time?!"
"This is your punishment, not mine. Why would my main body stand around watching you?"
A familiar voice drifted down from above.
Naruto looked up to see the real Yagyu Masahiko jumping down from a tree branch. His eyes were hazy with sleep, and he even stifled a yawn.
"Morning."
"It's noon! You jerk, did you hunt me down this morning just to torture me?" Naruto was furious.
Masahiko chuckled. "Not at all. I was out for a morning run and happened to sense your chakra signature, so I came over to take a look."
"You passed by... don't try to scam me!" Naruto yelled.
"What do you mean, scam? If you make a mistake, you have to pay the price." Masahiko glanced at Naruto's flushed, angry face. "Do you want to go eat ramen?"
"Yes!"
Naruto immediately converted his grief and indignation into appetite, his pace quickening instantly.
However, once inside Ichiraku Ramen, he couldn't help but ramble on about how detestable those three Genin were.
"I was just running past them! They felt the need to curse at me just for existing. Why?"
Naruto slumped over the counter, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Everyone hates me. Everyone fears me. Those three saw me and immediately started insulting me... Why? I didn't do anything to them!"
Plip. Plop.
Teardrops splashed onto the wooden counter, forming intricate, sad patterns.
Masahiko remained silent. He offered no comforting words, simply watching Naruto weep with his head bowed. Only when the boy began to wipe his face with his dirty sleeve did Masahiko slide a napkin over.
"Aside from parents, no one in this world is obligated to pity you. But neither you nor I have parents."
Naruto's head snapped up, his red-rimmed eyes glaring ferociously at Masahiko.
Those words cut deep. It was a low blow.
But...
Sensei doesn't have parents either?
Naruto's anger deflated, and he looked away, speechless.
"Damn it... with a mouth like that, can't you say something nice for once?"
"If your name were Uzumaki Naruko, I might be a little gentler," Masahiko replied with a smirk.
Naruto was struck dumb.
Uzumaki Naruko...
That's obviously a girl's name!
He averted his gaze, completely losing the will to argue.
For a while, the only sound in the shop was the slurping of noodles.
Masahiko placed his chopsticks down and dabbed his mouth methodically with a napkin.
"Naruto, you have extensive experience with pranks. Have you ever kicked a dog?"
Naruto blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. He instinctively lowered his voice to explain. "Some of them chase me and bark. I kick them sometimes, but only lightly—just to scare them off. I never hurt them."
"Mm." Masahiko nodded. "Why do you kick them?"
"Because they keep barking! It looks like they want to attack me. I don't want to get bitten, so naturally, I have to warn them off."
Masahiko leaned back slightly, his tone shifting into something more philosophical, almost cold.
"A dog's barking, the arching of its back, its aggressive posture... fundamentally, these are all acts of bravado born of fear. They know they are not a match for a human, so they dare not attack first. They can only make noise."
Naruto froze. He stared at Masahiko, dumbfounded.
At first, he didn't quite understand what Masahiko meant. But vaguely, intuitively... he felt the words carried a profound, heavy meaning.
They bark... because they are afraid?
"If tears were useful, we could all cry our way to Jonin rank," Masahiko said, standing up to pay the bill.
After paying, he intended to say a few more words to Naruto, but the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside.
A moment later, Umino Iruka used the Body Flicker Technique to land in front of the shop.
"Masahiko! Hah... I finally found you!"
"Oh, it's Iruka. Is something wrong?"
Masahiko and Iruka had been classmates. Since Masahiko started working at the Academy, they often commuted together, and their relationship had improved significantly.
"Faculty meeting. The Director asked me to fetch you," Iruka said quickly.
Masahiko paused for a second before remembering—
He was now a Teaching Consultant.
According to Sarutobi Hiruzen, as his strength and status rose, so too must his responsibilities.
"Alright then."
Having settled the tab, Masahiko waved a lazy goodbye to the boy at the counter. "I'll be going with Iruka-sensei now."
"Mm."
Naruto acknowledged him but remained seated, still as a statue.
He sat there long after the steam had vanished from his leftover broth. Finally, he stood up and ran toward the outskirts of the village with his head down.
He needed to find Kiba. He needed to ask about dogs.
In that regard, Kiba was definitely the expert!
Even though it was the weekend, Masahiko found himself dragged into the Academy.
Inside the conference room.
At the head of the table sat the austere figure of the Honorable Elder, Mitokado Homura. Below him sat the various department heads and the leader of the Education Division. Further down, near the end, was a seat with Masahiko's name on it.
It was the last seat, to be fair.
However, compared to regular instructors like Iruka who didn't even qualify to attend, Masahiko clearly had some prestige.
He bowed politely to the seniors before taking his seat.
"This is an emergency meeting," Mitokado Homura began. "I apologize for calling you all in on your day off, but the matter is of significant importance."
Masahiko adjusted his expression to one of seriousness, adopting the posture of an attentive listener.
Shortly after, Homura dropped the bombshell. "This year's education budget has been affected by certain events. There will likely be some changes..."
"Did the Daimyo pass the proposal to cut funding again?" the head of the Education Division asked in shock.
Mitokado Homura nodded gravely. "The infighting between the two factions over there is fierce. The Daimyo had no choice..."
Two factions...
Masahiko narrowed his eyes slightly. That would be the Daimyo's faction and the Hokage's faction.
To think the incident with the Twelve Guardian Ninja is already affecting the Academy's budget?
"In any case..." Homura continued, "Everyone needs to brainstorm ways we can save money and avoid unnecessary waste."