After hearing Iruka's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into contemplation.
"You may leave now. Get some rest. For the next few days, don't go to school. I'll arrange for another teacher to substitute in your class for the time being."
Hiruzen gestured for Iruka to leave, waving his hand dismissively.
He decided to speak with Sasuke later that evening to understand what had happened.
From his perspective, Iruka, as a teacher, couldn't even handle a ten-year-old child and had to come to him with complaints. To Hiruzen, this was a clear sign of incompetence.
If everyone came to him with trivial issues like this, how could he focus on important matters?
Thus, under the guise of granting Iruka a short leave, he also subtly reprimanded him.
What a mess...
Iruka felt a pang of discomfort upon hearing Hiruzen's words.
The sense of being wronged without anyone to back him up was unbearable. As for the Hokage's intentions, they were crystal clear to him.
He wanted to say something more, but the expression on Hiruzen's face and the increasingly cold atmosphere forced him to leave the Hokage's office with a dejected look.
Watching Iruka leave, Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a few puffs.
If these recent troubles hadn't arisen, he might have found time to address the situation. But with so much on his plate right now, he had no time to deal with such minor issues.
If a teacher wasn't up to the task, replacing them was an easy fix.
Even if Naruto were considered a failure, his importance far outweighed that of someone like Iruka.
Clearly, Iruka lacked self-awareness.
However, Iruka's remarks did remind him of something: Naruto seemed a bit unusual lately. He'd have to address that eventually, but there was no rush.
Some matters couldn't be resolved overnight.
"Was I cool just now?"
Since there was no teacher present, the class had turned into a self-study period.
Sasuke, feeling smug, directed his question at Naruto.
In his mind, his earlier actions—his counterattack, posture, and tone—had all been incredibly impressive.
But then he remembered that Naruto might not have even noticed his moves, which made him feel a little frustrated.
"Cool."
To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto smiled faintly and replied softly.
"Can you tell me what you're actually looking at?"
Naruto's response lacked any sincerity as he gazed out the window, his expression and tone unchanging.
Curious, Sasuke asked, "What are you staring at so intently?"
At some point, Naruto had developed an air of melancholy. There was also something ineffable about him—something that set him apart from the Naruto of the past.
"The sky, the clouds, freedom..."
Naruto's blue eyes flickered briefly at Sasuke's question before becoming calm again.
His voice was soft and distant.
"Who knew your ninjutsu skills were mediocre, but your brooding game is strong. Don't leave after class—I'll teach you a powerful ninjutsu from the Uchiha clan!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's words but then seemed to remember something. Feeling smug, he added, "I'll teach my underachieving deskmate here a thing or two."
"No thanks. I can't learn it, and I don't have the time…"
Naruto's gaze finally shifted back to Sasuke, meeting his eyes with an earnest expression.
His deep blue eyes seemed like a bottomless lake, with ripples gently spreading across their surface.
Sometimes, life works in funny ways. When you're down, it feels like everything goes wrong. But when luck strikes, good fortune seems to pour in from every direction.
Over the past few days, Naruto had managed to pick up several ninjutsu techniques. Now, Sasuke also wanted to teach him one—what a strange twist of fate.
Due to Iruka's early departure, the semi-annual combat practice session had been canceled as there was no one to oversee it.
This left Sasuke feeling slightly disappointed.
He had been looking forward to showcasing his strength to Naruto, hoping to capture his attention and eventually make Naruto his subordinate.
However, the now-sullen Naruto left him feeling uneasy, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
"Ah… that felt great…"
In a small forest clearing, inside a wooden cabin,
Kakashi stood up from the wooden bed and stretched his body.
The sound of cracking bones echoed through the air.
This made Kakashi let out a satisfied and pleasant noise.
"Alright, stop making such seductive sounds."
Hearing the commotion from inside the cabin, Itachi's slightly exasperated voice came from outside.
He felt helpless. Being stuck with someone like Kakashi, his frustrations were something no one could truly understand.
...
Hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi stepped out of the cabin and saw Itachi sitting on a small stone stool, busy with something.
"What are you doing?"
Kakashi walked toward Itachi step by step. All he could see was Itachi's back, as his hands were hidden from view.
"Go wash up by the river. By the time you're back, food will be ready."
Itachi showed no interest in answering directly. He held a charred, straight stick he was using to poke around the firepit, as if he were playing with fire.
"Alright…"
After hearing Itachi's reply, Kakashi headed toward the river.
As for what Itachi was up to, Kakashi didn't know—and frankly, he didn't care enough to ask.
He wondered if he should catch a couple of fish to bring back. The firepit had nothing cooking on it—did Itachi suddenly develop a taste for charcoal?
...
When Kakashi returned, he brought back two large, freshly cleaned fish.
"Do you want grilled fish?"
Itachi looked at Kakashi's setup, momentarily stunned.
Had he been so lost in thought earlier that he forgot to tell Kakashi he had already prepared food?
"I'm not eating grilled fish. Is there anything else to eat?"
Kakashi's deep, soul-piercing question made Itachi feel like something was off. This guy seemed to be acting a little strange.
...
Itachi gave Kakashi a strange look. Was this kid mocking him?
Did Kakashi think he'd grown so weak that he couldn't even wield a blade anymore?
A flurry of thoughts ran through Itachi's mind.
"Then you can enjoy your grilled fish. I'm starting without you."
After a brief pause, Itachi spoke calmly.
"No, no, come on. I can't finish two fish on my own, and charcoal isn't tasty. Let's eat together, Lord Ashura."
Hearing Itachi's words, Kakashi teased him, his eyes curving into crescents.
...
Itachi suddenly remembered: this world didn't even have a dish involving charcoal.
What was this guy thinking, talking about eating charcoal?
Itachi shook his head slightly.
He grabbed his straight, charred fire stick and cleared away the flames.
Then, he dug into the ashes underneath and pulled out two lumps of dirt.
Using a bit of chakra, he picked up the lumps and placed them beside him.
"You take your time with the grilled fish. I'm starting."
...
"No way! It's not that serious. There's no need to eat dirt. Come on, try my cooking—wait, what?"
Seeing Itachi's hands slowly reaching for the lumps of dirt, Kakashi hurriedly tried to give him an out.
But halfway through his plea, he saw Itachi crack open one of the dirt lumps.
Inside was a large tree leaf.
Moments later, a mouthwatering aroma wafted out, one Kakashi had never smelled before.
He reflexively commented, swallowing hard.
"What kind of cuisine is this? How can it smell this good? What kind of divine cooking method is this?"
Kakashi fired off question after question as saliva filled his mouth, forcing him to swallow at an increasingly rapid pace.
It was an involuntary reaction of his body.
...
"Pathetic."
Seeing Kakashi in such a state, Itachi scoffed before kicking the other dirt lump over to the gluttonous Kakashi.
He couldn't finish two chickens on his own, after all.
If he could, he would've made Kakashi sit and watch him eat it all—just to teach him a lesson.
"Mmm… so delicious…"
Kakashi displayed an astonishing speed as he dug in.
The gluttonous Kakashi was in full swing.
...
Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting myPatr-eon at belamy20