A minute later, Masahiko arrived in the downstairs courtyard and accepted the plate of Hanami Dango.
He stood by the door, offering a gentle smile. "You have skilled hands. Thank you for the dango."
"Not at all, as long as… as long as you don't dislike them." Ino was so nervous she stammered slightly.
Masahiko shook his head, his smile unwavering. "How could I possibly dislike them? However, even though you are resting at home for the weekend, do not forget your training."
Although he had despised hearing teachers tack on this sentence at the last minute back when he was a student, now that he was the teacher, he found it was a line that simply had to be said.
Ino's expression stiffened for a moment before she let out an awkward laugh. "I won't, I won't…"
But obviously, she hadn't done much training at home. She lowered her head and asked, "Sensei, I want to become stronger. Can I train with you, just like Naruto did?"
'Huh?'
Masahiko paused for a moment.
After a quick thought, he understood the young girl's intentions.
Having eaten her food, he felt obliged not to turn her away completely empty-handed. Besides, finding something for this little girl to do would save her from overthinking things all day.
He pondered for a moment before speaking. "I specialize in Taijutsu, but your aptitude for Taijutsu is rather average…"
Hearing this, a look of gloom appeared on Ino's face.
But then, Masahiko added, "Furthermore, I am no longer training Naruto."
"Eh?" Ino blinked, confused. 'Is my information outdated?'
Masahiko explained, "I took Naruto under my wing hoping he would find his way back to the right path and not waste his talent." He let out a soft sigh, his expression gentle and profound. "If a person relies on the constraints of others to train, they are destined never to achieve greatness. Therefore, I cannot keep him on a leash forever."
Ino's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this. "That's right!"
"Hm?" Masahiko looked at her curiously. 'Why is she so happy?'
Ino beamed. "Shikamaru has been smart since he was little, but he's so lazy! Even Uncle Shikaku can't do anything about him. If you could help straighten him out, Uncle Shikaku would definitely be grateful to you!"
the corner of Masahiko's mouth twitched slightly.
He had struck Naruto with a heavy hand because he was after the "rewards." He had no such needs regarding Shikamaru…
Moreover, the same heavy-handed method would definitely not work on Shikamaru.
On the other hand, using this opportunity to build a connection with the Nara clan wouldn't be a bad idea. They were a major clan of medicine producers; they certainly didn't lack medicinal ingredients.
Masahiko cycled through these thoughts quickly, then looked at the young girl before him and laughed. "Instead of finding trouble for others in your spare time, you would be better off thinking about yourself."
"Me?" Ino started.
"Your Taijutsu is weak, but your Chakra control is very strong. Aside from your clan's Hiden techniques, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are both good directions for you."
Masahiko's smile was warm and impeccable. "But if you ask me, perhaps you should consider Medical Ninjutsu."
"Medical Ninjutsu?" She frowned, falling into deep thought, her brows knitting together. "Doesn't that require a very high foundation of knowledge?"
"It does." Masahiko nodded. "The three of you—Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji—will almost certainly form a team. If you learn Medical Ninjutsu, your squad will be able to handle many more unexpected situations in the future."
Ino fell silent, contemplating.
A few seconds later, she hesitated before asking, "Sakura's situation… it should be about the same, right?"
"Naturally," Masahiko agreed with a nod.
Ino gave a sweet smile, thanked him softly, and turned to leave.
Masahiko picked up a stick of Hanami Dango and took a bite.
'A little too sweet.'
After finishing the snack, he went out for his run and training as usual.
Now that he had the [Training Space] provided by the System, strictly speaking, he didn't need to practice Ninjutsu outside. However, considering the watchful eyes of the Third Hokage and Danzō, Masahiko felt it was necessary to maintain the act.
Monday, at the Academy.
It was early morning, and most of the class had already arrived.
Ino entered from the hallway, scanned the room, and quickly walked toward Haruno Sakura's direction.
"Hey, Billboard Brow…"
"Ino-pig!"
Sakura's brow twitched, a trace of annoyance flashing across her face. She was about to explode, but to her surprise, Ino simply sat down naturally beside her.
Then, Ino leaned in close.
"Yesterday, I went to see Yagyu-sensei."
"Huh?" Sakura looked shocked. She glanced around before lowering her voice. "You actually went to find him?"
"Of course!" Ino raised her head triumphantly. Then, she waved her hand dismissively. "That's not the point. The point is, Sensei believes my Chakra control is strong and suggested I study medical theory to learn Medical Ninjutsu in the future."
Ino then proceeded to "show off" the detailed benefits of this path to Sakura.
Sakura listened intently. At first, she didn't react, but since the conversation had nothing to do with Sasuke, she didn't get angry. It wasn't until Ino stood up to return to her original seat that Sakura suddenly understood—
"Ino!"
"Hm?"
"Thank you… and…" Sakura lowered her head slightly. "I'm sorry."
Ino waved her hand and smiled. "We're friends, aren't we? Do your best, Sakura!"
"I—I will!"
Sakura watched Ino's retreating back, her eyes growing misty. She sat in a daze for a long time.
Until…
"Sakura-chan!"
A giant face suddenly popped into her view.
Sakura clenched her fists, forcefully suppressing her rage. "Naruto!!!"
"Sakura-chan, did you see the Hokage Residence the day before yesterday? Hahaha! A whole bunch of ninja chased me, but none of them could catch me!"
Naruto was in the middle of bragging when—
Bonk!
A sharp pain exploded on the top of his head.
He clutched his head as he heard Sakura roaring in anger: "You idiot! Just when I thought you were behaving lately, you go and do something stupid like that again!"
In the next second, she saw Uchiha Sasuke walk through the door. Instantly, she withdrew her fist and replaced her scowl with a gentle, ladylike smile.
However, Sasuke didn't even look at Sakura as he entered. He merely glanced at Naruto, his eyes holding a complex, unreadable emotion.
He sat down at his desk, his gaze wandering. He didn't even listen closely to the Ninjutsu lecture that followed.
It wasn't until Taijutsu class that Sasuke's spirit suddenly revitalized.
He was prepared to ask Masahiko for guidance on Taijutsu!
But just as everyone had gathered and Masahiko was about to begin the lesson, suddenly—
Rustle.
A sound came from the nearby bushes.
Masahiko's entire body tensed. In an instant, he lashed out with a back kick, his foot connecting with a figure attacking from behind.
After a brief collision, the figure flickered and vanished.
But—
As the opponent repositioned and threw a punch, Masahiko also vanished from his spot.
"Not bad at all! Again!"
A female voice rang out. Without waiting for Masahiko's reply, she kicked toward his rear left flank with extreme speed.
Masahiko grabbed at her ankle with one hand.
But the attacker withdrew instantly, flashing away to disappear once more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Both of their speeds and reaction times were incredible; it seemed neither could get the better of the other.
"So cool!"
"They're both so strong!"
"Can Sensei win?"
The students watched, tense and excited.
Sasuke stared intently at the two combatants, his heart shaken.
He thought back to his previous spar with Masahiko.
'Thinking back on it now…'
'At that time, Yagyu Masahiko wasn't fighting me seriously at all. He was just playing with us.'
'Is this… the level of a Chunin?'
If a mere Chunin possessed such strength, then what about his brother?
Sasuke couldn't help but think of Itachi, his admiration for his brother growing even deeper. At the same time, he completely discarded any contempt he had held for Masahiko.
This Taijutsu instructor was strong!
Suddenly.
"Do it!"
A loud shout came from beside him.
Everyone turned to look. Naruto had cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, screaming regardless of the setting:
"Beat them up! Don't lose to that despicable sneak attacker!"