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"What the hell—"
Tsunade felt her blood pressure spike, itching to kick Naruto to death.
You're causing trouble all day long, and you still have the nerve to act like this?
Looking at Naruto now, Tsunade couldn't help but see a shadow of Jiraiya in him.
Is it just my imagination?
The resemblance was uncanny—utterly useless at everything, yet first-rate at stirring up trouble.
"Still talking back? Do you want to experience the 'one-week public restroom accommodation package'?"
"Ow! That hurts!!"
A sharp flick to the forehead from Kazuki sent Naruto clutching his head in pain.
Tsunade, who had expected Naruto to finally behave, was instead left fuming in disbelief.
"Uh… what's the 'one-week public restroom accommodation package'?"
"..."
"Ahem!!"
Tsunade nearly laughed but forced herself to hold it in.
Sasuke stared at Naruto, dumbfounded.
Wow, your courage has really grown, huh? You dare talk back to the elder now?
Meanwhile, Mizusei, feeling his future grow increasingly bleak, could only helplessly stare at the ceiling of the Hokage's office.
At this moment, he seriously considered strangling Naruto.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes and slowly explained:
"It means you'll be cleaning Konoha's largest public restroom—all by yourself. I'll have someone deliver your bedding there. There's a small shed outside the restroom where you can eat and sleep. Of course, the women's restroom won't be your responsibility. So, wanna give it a try?"
"..."
Living in a public restroom? Eating and sleeping there?
Naruto silently processed the words, his face instantly paling before he leapt up in horror:
"Huh?! You can't do that! All I did was get into a fight at school! You can't punish a kid like this! I refuse!!"
"I'll even give you a tiny toothbrush so you can scrub every toilet and squatting stall on your hands and knees. Still interested?"
At this moment, Kazuki might as well have grown demonic horns in Naruto's eyes.
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade was stunned, the teacher was baffled, and even Sasuke's jaw dropped.
All three shared the same thought:
Wait… you can punish a troublemaker like this?
Why haven't we tried this before?
"One more word, and you'll get the 'public restroom special' right now."
Kazuki shot him a glare, and Naruto immediately clamped his hands over his mouth, terrified of being dragged off to the restroom.
Living and eating in a public toilet? That was pure nightmare fuel.
If he were actually punished like that, Naruto felt he'd never be able to show his face again.
"Listen up, kid. Sakura and Sasuke's business is theirs to handle. I know you like Sakura, but you can't just meddle like this, got it? The more you interfere, the more Sasuke will push Sakura away. And in turn, Sakura will blame you for Sasuke ignoring her—meaning she'll start hating you too. You don't want that, do you?"
Seeing that Naruto was genuinely scared straight, Kazuki finally softened his tone.
Kids in the shinobi world matured early—no surprise there. Even little brats barely past toddler age understood romance.
Naruto liking Sakura was his own business.
But dragging Sasuke into it just because of that? That's what make it a mess.
Whether it was genuine affection or the influence of Asura's chakra, Naruto needed to rein it in.
Kids making mistakes was understandable. Kids repeatedly making mistakes? That was a problem.
Before, Naruto had acted out because he craved attention and familial love.
But ever since Jiraiya arrived, that void had been filled. If he was still causing trouble, then the issue lay with him.
"Got it. I won't do it again."
The public restroom punishment would've just been humiliating. What Naruto truly feared was Sakura hating him.
"And you—if you want to emulate Itachi, learn from him how to properly reject someone. A kid scowling all the time isn't a good look."
After reprimanding Naruto, Kazuki turned to Sasuke with a milder warning.
Compared to Naruto, Sasuke was practically innocent here.
Kazuki wasn't the type to punish both sides equally just for the sake of fairness.
Right was right, wrong was wrong. There was no need to force balance where it didn't belong.
Besides, Sasuke was the wronged party—he'd only rejected Sakura, albeit a bit coldly.
"Take Naruto back and assign him extra homework. I'll send Sasuke home later."
With that settled, Kazuki instructed the teacher to drag Naruto away and bury him in assignments.
The last thing they needed was free time for this troublemaker to stir up more chaos.
"Understood, Lord Advisor."
The teacher promptly seized Naruto and hauled him out of the Hokage's office.
Kazuki then motioned for Sasuke to wait outside.
Once Sasuke was gone, he turned to Tsunade:
"I'm heading to Orochimaru's lab—gotta deliver him a student."
Over the past few years, Sasuke had trained relentlessly. But with Kazuki's ever-growing workload, taking on a student was impossible.
Both he and Fugaku had silently dropped the matter.
Still, since Fugaku had helped him plenty, Kazuki figured it was time to find Sasuke a proper teacher.
And Orochimaru? A perfect fit.
In the original timeline, the serpent Sannin had trained Sasuke well—aside from the personality flaws.
Cold-blooded and ruthless as Orochimaru was, he was an excellent teacher—patient, resourceful, and far more experienced than Kazuki.
"Orochimaru? You're serious?"
Tsunade thought Kazuki was joking.
Not that she doubted Orochimaru's skills—she just worried Sasuke might end up as one of his experiments.
"Absolutely. Otherwise, I wouldn't send Sasuke to him. I trust he'll train him well."
Pre-fall Orochimaru? Maybe not.
But current Orochimaru? Ideal for Sasuke.
Tsunade gave him a strange look.
"Probably only you, Uchiha Kazuki, would still consider Orochimaru a decent teacher. But this is an Uchiha matter—handle it as you see fit."