On the road, people quietly stepped aside when they saw Asuma and Konosuke walking together.
A lazy-looking young man paired with a scruffy, laid-back bearded shinobi gave off the unmistakable impression of trouble.
"Konosuke," Asuma said casually, "the old man told me you've started seriously training Naruto. You don't hate him? Your parents died because of the Nine-Tails."
Konosuke shot him a sideways glance—the kind reserved for idiots.
"The old man asked you to say that, didn't he?"
Asuma didn't deny it.
"Yeah. He thinks it's good that you've moved on. But he's worried you might resent Naruto like the others."
Konosuke stopped walking. He looked at Asuma, then toward the Academy in the distance.
"When my parents died, I hadn't even graduated yet. Back then, I was still the Sarutobi clan's prodigy. Six years have passed in the blink of an eye."
"Their deaths hit me hard. But that's not why I became like this. I…"
He paused. Then waved it off.
"Forget it."
"Tell your old man this: I don't hate Naruto. I don't hate the Nine-Tails either. If I have to hate something, I hate this rotten shinobi world. I hate the people who start wars for ambition."
"And one more thing—he'd better handle the Uchiha situation carefully. The Senju are gone. If the Uchiha disappear too… is Konoha still Konoha?"
Asuma didn't press further. He had his answer. That was enough.
The truth was, Konosuke really didn't hate Naruto.
During the Nine-Tails' attack, Naruto hadn't even opened his eyes yet.
And the Nine-Tails?
Lock up an intelligent being long enough, and it will resist. That much was natural.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Konosuke and Asuma through his crystal ball. He couldn't hear them, but from Konosuke's expression, he could guess the gist.
For Hiruzen, Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki—a strategic asset of the village.
The one assigned to guide him had to belong to the Hokage's faction—and must not harbor hatred toward the Nine-Tails. Otherwise, Naruto would never form a proper bond with the village.
After clarifying his stance, Konosuke headed home.
Before leaving, he casually lifted a few kunai from Asuma's ninja pouch.
Ordinary kunai—but good enough as rewards for hardworking students. Incentives worked wonders.
A week passed quickly.
The first student to master the Substitution Technique finally emerged—Sasuke.
The classroom erupted, especially among Sakura, Ino, and several other girls.
Sasuke hadn't yet experienced the Uchiha massacre. He was a little aloof, but not isolated and bitter like in the original timeline.
After mastering the technique, he immediately marched up to Konosuke—who was sleeping at his desk.
"Sensei, I've learned the Substitution Technique. Please teach me other ninjutsu. Taijutsu is fine too."
He waited.
Nothing.
There was even the faint sound of snoring.
"Sensei!" Sasuke raised his voice. "I've mastered the Substitution Technique. You said whoever learned it first would receive private taijutsu instruction."
Konosuke had no choice but to wake up this time. Sasuke's voice was loud enough that pretending to sleep would look suspicious.
He sat up sluggishly and glanced at Sasuke.
"Go run fifty laps. If you can finish them, I'll teach you taijutsu. You're not even qualified for entry-level taijutsu yet. I can't teach you."
"What?!" Sakura immediately protested. "That's unfair! How can you say Sasuke hasn't even started taijutsu? You just want to keep sleeping!"
Ino, surprisingly, agreed.
"Yeah, Sensei just wants to nap!"
With classmates backing him, Sasuke's chin lifted slightly, pride flashing in his eyes.
Konosuke sighed.
Fine. Time for a demonstration.
He stood up and pulled a kunai from his pocket, handing it to Sasuke.
"You want taijutsu training? Go back to your seat. Then rush at me."
"If you can reach me, I'll teach you. If you can't, you'll run one hundred laps instead. Dare to try?"
Sasuke, still untouched by true hardship, didn't hesitate. He took the kunai and stylishly leapt back to his seat.
The girls squealed again.
Konosuke picked up a few pieces of chalk from the desk and tilted his chin.
"You get three chances. If you reach me even once, you pass. Start."
Whoosh!
Before Konosuke finished speaking, Sasuke hurled the kunai toward his chest and sprinted forward at impressive speed.
Konosuke couldn't help but wonder how Itachi had trained this foolish little brother. Underestimating your teacher like this?
Just as the kunai neared, Konosuke's fingers flicked.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three chalk pieces tore through the air with sharp whistles.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Then—
Boom!
The class turned their heads in near-perfect unison.
They gasped.
Sasuke was slumped against the back wall.
One chalk fragment had struck his forehead cleanly, leaving a mark. A thin line of blood trickled down.
Konosuke walked to the back of the room and picked up the fallen kunai. He looked down at Sasuke.
"The essence of taijutsu is turning your body into a weapon and dealing maximum damage."
"Your body is still pitifully weak. Train more. I have nothing to teach you yet."
"I told you to run because I saw your weakness and wanted to help you improve. And you thought I was slacking?"
He turned and walked back toward the podium.
"Listen carefully. There are just over twenty days until your Substitution Technique assessment. Anyone who fails will leave my class."
"I've already explained why."
He let the silence hang.
This incident wasn't just about Sasuke.
It was a warning shot.
Without pressure, these kids wouldn't take training seriously—especially certain girls who spent all day orbiting Sasuke instead of practicing.