"Huh?"
Naruto froze, his face flushing a deep crimson.
But a moment later...
He hung his head in dejection.
"But... everyone looks down on me. Even you."
"Because you have no ability. You cause trouble, you pull pranks—you're a piece of trash who only knows how to beg for attention. Why should anyone respect you?"
Yagyu Masahiko's answer was direct and cold. "But now... haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?"
Naruto looked up, confusion written across his face.
Masahiko replied indifferently, "Over this past half-month, have you not seen the change in attitude from Iruka-sensei and your classmates?"
Naruto blinked, stunned for a long while. Then, his eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands together violently. "That's right! Sakura-chan hasn't yelled at me in ages!"
He scratched his head, a sheepish grin forming. "I was wondering why everything felt a little weird lately..."
Masahiko's eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn't scold the boy.
He stood up to pay the bill, speaking as he did so. "One cannot change the starting point of their life. However, the path you take and the destination you reach... those are choices you make yourself."
Masahiko looked down at the boy, his expression dead serious.
"Starting tomorrow, I will no longer wake you up. Whether you continue to be trash or strive to change—that is now your choice."
"You are free."
With that, Yagyu Masahiko paid the tab, turned around, and walked away.
Naruto stood in front of Ichiraku Ramen, staring blankly for a long time.
After nearly twenty days of "torture," he thought he would hate Masahiko. He thought he would despise him.
But what left Naruto completely bewildered was the feeling in his chest.
Now that the moment of freedom had arrived, there was no joy. There was no anger, nor hatred. There was only a profound sense of loss and confusion.
The next day, before dawn.
It was an early spring morning, and the wind was still biting cold.
Before six o'clock, Naruto woke up automatically. He moved mechanically, brushing his teeth and washing his face in a daze.
It was only after he finished washing up that he remembered—
Starting today, Masahiko-sensei won't force me to do anything.
Naruto stood by the window, sitting there in a stupor for quite some time. Finally, he stood up, jumped out the window, and began to run along the usual route.
One lap.
Ten laps.
Twenty laps...
More than an hour later, Naruto dragged his exhausted body into a sushi shop and bought some rice balls and hot milk.
Thirty-five laps.
That was the number he had silently counted. That was the total he had managed to run this morning before collapsing.
"It turns out... I never actually ran the full fifty laps."
Naruto's emotions grew increasingly complex. There was shock, touched sentiment, and confusion. He sat in the sushi shop, motionless for a long time.
Until someone walked by.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?"
"Pineapple head? Ah! No, wait—I'm going to be late!"
Naruto started, as if waking from a dream.
Shikamaru sighed, exasperated. "Today is Saturday. There's no school."
"Saturday?"
Naruto looked dumbfounded. Then he remembered—
Oh right. That is a thing.
Shikamaru rested his chin on his hand. "You've changed a lot lately. You actually care about being late now."
"Well..."
Naruto grunted, scratching his hair in frustration, unable to explain.
Giving up on thinking, he got up and ordered some food for Shikamaru as well. Then, sitting back down, Naruto poured out his troubles to his classmate.
Their friendship was one forged in the fires of skipping class.
Of course, it wasn't a particularly deep bond. Under normal circumstances, Naruto wouldn't have confided in him.
Shikamaru listened, a thoughtful expression appearing on his lazy face as he accepted the sushi.
After mumbling a thank you, he finally spoke. "You're just not used to being without him."
"Maybe that's it."
Naruto scratched his head again.
He wasn't someone who liked to overthink things. Since thinking was hard, he decided to stop doing it.
Shikamaru ate his sushi and sipped his milk. "So, what are you going to do later?"
"Haven't decided yet."
Naruto slumped over the table, pondering for a moment. Suddenly, he shot up. "I've got it!"
"Hmm?"
"Hehehe, I'm going to find some people for a race! A running competition!"
Naruto was suddenly buzzing with excitement. He jumped up and headed for the door. "Shikamaru, I'm heading out first. Take your time eating!"
"Wait, the money..."
"We'll talk about it later!"
Naruto waved dismissively, his cheerful, mischievous laughter trailing behind him as he ran off.
Shikamaru shook his head gently. He quickly finished his food and left the shop.
Once he reached a secluded alley, he canceled the Transformation Jutsu.
"As expected, a leopard can't change its spots. Whatever, he's stronger than before regardless. If Lord Third wants to hold someone accountable, it has nothing to do with me."
Masahiko's expression turned cold as he walked toward the outskirts of the village.
Once outside the village, he resumed his routine training for the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
Nature transformation—converting chakra into fire—was only the first step. He had to constantly refine, maintain, compress, and expand the chakra...
Finally—
Chakra surged like a rolling wave of heat. It erupted from Masahiko's mouth, the flames curling forward to form a massive, roaring sphere of fire.
The fireball raged for several seconds before dissipating.
Masahiko exhaled a breath of hot air and glanced at his System Interface.
[Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu: Skilled]
It leveled up!
Only at the 'Skilled' level could a technique truly be used effectively in actual combat.
However...
Just then, a figure appeared behind him with a sharp whoosh.
Masahiko didn't even think. His body reacted before his conscious mind could catch up. He spun around, launching a heavy kick toward the ninja who had suddenly approached.
The intruder caught his foot, but they didn't anticipate the follow-up—
Masahiko planted one hand on the ground for support and twisted his body into a vicious whirlwind kick, aiming his free leg directly at the opponent's head.
Bang!
The opponent hurriedly let go and used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
Masahiko didn't pursue. Instead, he took the opportunity to observe and assess.
The figure coughed lightly, and the sound was instantly recognizable.
Masahiko straightened up and lowered his guard. "Hayate?"
"Cough, cough... Haven't seen you in a while... Your Taijutsu is much stronger than before."
The figure straightened up.
It was indeed Gekko Hayate.
They were similar in age and had been classmates at the Academy. However, at school, "Masahiko" had been invisible, and after graduation, he remained an obscure name.
If he hadn't received this specific mission today, Gekko Hayate might never have known that the current Masahiko possessed such formidable Taijutsu.
Based on Taijutsu alone, I might not be his match!
Recovering from his shock, Hayate coughed again and said, "Hokage-sama requests your presence."
Huh?
Masahiko froze for a second, then rubbed his temples, a headache already forming. "Don't tell me that idiot Naruto caused trouble again?"
"Naruto painted graffiti all over the Hokage building and led a group of Chūnin on a wild chase through the streets. The Police Force has already detained him," Hayate replied.
He stood up straighter. "As for why Hokage-sama wants you... apologies, I don't know."
"Thanks. I'll head over immediately."
Masahiko flickered away.
Gekko Hayate stared at Masahiko's retreating back, then looked down at the scorched earth where the fireball had been. He pressed a hand to his chest and sighed helplessly.
In his memory, Masahiko wasn't particularly talented.
But the man had a healthy body. Through unremitting effort, he was slowly catching up, while Hayate himself... was only getting weaker.
When Masahiko emerged from the forest and arrived at the Hokage Residence, the sight of the graffiti-covered wall made his eyelids twitch.
This is really...
Under his twenty-odd days of training, Naruto's physical fitness and Taijutsu had been significantly developed. Unfortunately, this also meant he had become significantly more troublesome to catch.
He looked up at the Hokage Tower and fell into deep thought for a moment.
Then, taking a deep breath, Masahiko walked toward the Third Hokage's office.
A blade to the neck is a blade to the neck. There's no dodging this.
Besides, he wasn't Naruto's legal guardian. There was a limit to how much responsibility they could pin on him.
Masahiko went upstairs and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice came from inside.
Masahiko entered the room. However, he saw that in addition to the Third Hokage, there was someone else in the office—someone completely unexpected.
Shimura Danzo.