Shinji grabbed Naruto, threw him out the door, and slammed the door shut. "You brat! Now! Immediately! Go run ten laps and come back!"
At this moment, Shinji was already feeling a bit of heartache over the prepayment he had left at Ichiraku Ramen that night. It was his entire salary for more than half a month.
Moreover, it wasn't that Naruto had no money, but the surrounding shops were not very willing to sell to him. Plus, this kid had no one supervising him. As soon as the money from Hiruzen came, he immediately bought a bunch of milk and instant noodles and they were overpriced goods. It would be strange if Naruto's life could be good.
By the time Naruto ran back, drenched in sweat, Shinji was waiting for him at the dining table.
Shinji, with his hands clasped in front of him, said, "Wash your hands, then come over and eat."
"Yes, sensei."
Naruto, knowing he had just angered Shinji, didn't dare to do anything else and obediently washed his hands before sitting down at the dining table.
"Let's eat." Shinji pushed the full bowl of rice towards Naruto and said.
"Okay."
Hearing this, Naruto immediately picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.
During this time, he kept putting food into Shinji's bowl, making Shinji have to finish eating before discussing anything else.
It took the time of one meal for Shinji to learn from Naruto that he would settle his bill at Ichiraku Ramen every few visits, and each time he would place the money under the bowls and chopsticks.
After all, even if he was thick-skinned, Naruto couldn't possibly eat for free every time. Moreover, Ichiraku Ramen wasn't cheap, so he didn't go every day.
Hearing this, Shinji finally nodded with satisfaction. As for the money he had left, he wasn't worried that Ichiraku wouldn't recognize it. Anyway, as long as it ended up in Naruto's stomach, it was fine.
After all, that night he had left right after putting the money down, and Teuchi couldn't possibly leave his shop unattended to chase after him.
One can only say that Hiruzen really was...
As expected of the old geezer, he only gave money but didn't care how Naruto spent it.
This led to Shinji thinking that Naruto's relief fund was being embezzled, while Hiruzen was too busy with affairs to have a chance to understand Naruto's living habits.
As for Naruto, without parental guidance, he lacked proper planning, causing misunderstandings.
The actions and thoughts of the three formed an unexpectedly perfect closed loop.
After becoming Hokage, even with clones, Naruto would be extremely busy. Although some things were unnecessary, it reflected how busy the Hokage's job was.
But looking back, it seemed Konohamaru's bratty personality was fully displayed in the early stages.
If it weren't for Naruto accidentally helping Konohamaru understand things, he might have really developed a spoiled young master's personality.
Hmm...
Shinji confirmed that Hiruzen's approach to children's home education was a mess.
Shinji, who had come back to his senses, said to Naruto, gesturing at Naruto's height as he spoke. "Naruto, from now on, you're not allowed to only eat instant noodles. If you keep eating like this, by the time you're about to hit puberty, you'll definitely be the shortest in the class."
Naruto, who had initially thought one of his greatest pleasures was about to disappear upon hearing he couldn't just eat instant noodles, was stunned on the spot after hearing Shinji's next sentence.
Thinking about being the shortest in the class in the future, and even shorter than Sasuke, Naruto couldn't help but shiver all over. That image was not a pleasant one.
Threatened by the prospect of being short, Naruto scratched the back of his head and said, "But sensei, if I don't eat instant noodles, I don't know what to eat."
Shinji glanced at Naruto and said irritably, "Cook, I'll teach you slowly later if you don't know how. Consider it a type of learning."
There was no other way. Shinji knew he couldn't always come over to Naruto's place, so he could only teach him how to cook for himself when he had time. Even if it didn't taste good, at least it would ensure he got proper nutrition.
...
After resting for a while, Shinji couldn't resist Naruto's constant requests. He took Naruto to the small training ground where he often trained.
Naruto, who had arrived, walked around the training ground full of curiosity, asking as he went, "Wow! Sensei, is this where you usually train?"
"That's right, you can come here when you have nothing to do too."
Shinji put down the ninja tool bag he had brought, clapped his hands, and waved at Naruto.
"Alright, now start running. Naruto, your task for today is to run around this training ground until you can't run anymore."
"Huh?!"
Naruto, who was still curious, couldn't help but turn his head to look at Shinji when he heard this.
"Physical fitness is the most important prerequisite for being a ninja. After all, whether it's long-distance travel for missions, gathering intel, or escaping encirclement, they all require excellent physical stamina. You have to know that one careless mistake can lead to death."
Speaking of this, Shinji's tone became serious.
After all, before becoming a teacher, he had performed missions, even C-rank missions that required leaving the village. The requirements for a ninja's quality were very high.
Otherwise, did you really think those D-rank missions were just to fob off the Genin?
They were also indirectly training the newcomers who had just become Genin. Only by completing the missions successfully could they possibly advance to the next level of missions because at that time, both the Genin's physical fitness and the Jonin's guidance would have reached a critical point.
Going out like this, completing the mission meant a transformation and rebirth.
Those who didn't would return and continue with D-rank missions, or worse, wouldn't even come back at all. Or they would lose limbs and be forced to retire on the spot.
This world is not a passionate anime, but a truly cruel world where the excellent rise, the mediocre fall, and the inferior are eliminated.
Seeing Shinji's serious expression, Naruto put away his casual attitude. With a serious look on his tender face, he said, "I understand, Shinji-sensei."
Shinji nodded and threw the things in his hand to Naruto.
"Tie them to your legs. Although it's weighted, it's only the lightest 5kg weight. Remember, as long as you can still hold on, I hope you won't stop."
Although starting the first running training with weights was a bit much, Shinji knew that with Naruto's recovery ability, simple running wouldn't take long for him to recover. Such training would become useless.
The improvement of physical fitness can only be achieved after repeatedly breaking through one's limits.
Guy, Duy, and Lee, all fully demonstrated that. Even people without bloodline advantages can become very strong, although the price is life.
But for someone like Naruto, who has innate advantages, if he could also strengthen himself day and night like Guy and Lee, it would be a huge help.
Even if he couldn't focus solely on one thing like Guy due to Ninjutsu and other aspects, that would still be a huge improvement.