Konosuke didn't interrupt Shisui's class.
Instead, he leaned against the corridor wall and lit a cigarette.
Two cigarettes later, the classroom door opened. Shisui stepped out, followed by a stream of students.
The moment he saw Konosuke, Shisui walked over with a smile.
"Konosuke? You rarely visit my class. Something wrong?"
"Nothing. Just checking in on you. And your students. These little brats have a lot of energy. Reminds me of myself a few years ago."
"They're passionate. They're Konoha's future."
A few students whispering nearby weren't nearly as charitable.
"Isn't that the disgrace of the Sarutobi?"
"Why is Shisui-sensei so close to him? Hope he doesn't get influenced."
Shisui's expression grew slightly awkward.
"Konosuke, don't mind them. They don't know you. I know you're strong."
Konosuke waved it off.
"They're kids. I'm not that fragile."
Then he lowered his voice.
"I came to remind you of something. So you don't make a mistake."
Before Shisui could ask what he meant, Konosuke pulled out the scroll Itachi had delivered earlier.
Shisui blinked in confusion.
He had already accepted it that morning. Why bring it up again?
Konosuke placed the scroll into Shisui's hands.
"These are low-tier techniques. Perfect for students."
Shisui nodded. That much he knew.
"So what's the issue?"
"The issue," Konosuke said quietly, "is timing. The village and the Uchiha are only beginning to reconcile. Every move matters."
"You cannot reward students in the Uchiha's name. That's overstepping."
Shisui stiffened.
"After school, take this to the Hokage. Explain everything clearly. Tell him the techniques are mostly Fire Release and not suited for everyone. Suggest exchanging them for techniques of different attributes, then distribute them in the village's name."
"And don't hand them out freely. Limit them to top performers. Scarcity creates motivation."
Shisui exhaled slowly.
Konosuke was right.
In their eagerness to show sincerity, the Uchiha had almost bypassed proper channels.
Just as tension lingered—
"Sensei, can you teach me taijutsu?"
The voice came from their right.
It was Rock Lee.
Shisui smiled faintly.
"Konosuke, this is Lee. A hardworking child. Low chakra reserves, though. I've been considering guiding him toward taijutsu, but my style relies heavily on Body Flicker development. It doesn't suit him."
Konosuke studied the boy.
No green jumpsuit yet. It felt incomplete.
He crouched and ruffled Lee's hair.
"Lee, do you fear hardship?"
Lee blinked with wide, earnest eyes.
"If not, I can give you a training suggestion."
Lee glanced at Shisui.
Shisui knelt beside him, hands on his shoulders.
"Konosuke won't harm you. If he says he has a method, he does. The choice is yours."
Lee bowed deeply.
"Please tell me! I will train with everything I have!"
Konosuke chuckled.
"My method only points you in the right direction. The rest is your effort."
He leaned closer.
"Run outside the village. If you see a man in a green jumpsuit training alone—follow him. Copy everything he does."
Lee nodded earnestly.
Shisui, however, almost laughed.
A green jumpsuit, training obsessively outside the village—
That could only be Might Guy.
After Lee left, Konosuke pulled Shisui toward Hokage Rock.
Shisui didn't question it.
When they arrived, Konosuke almost turned around.
Hiruzen was standing there dramatically against the wind.
Shisui bowed respectfully.
"Hokage-sama."
Konosuke sighed.
"...Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen turned, eyes resting on Konosuke.
"I was about to summon you. But I saw through the crystal ball you were heading here."
He paused.
"I reviewed the Sarutobi clan records. There is no documentation of a bloodline limit like yours."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Tell me. How did you awaken it?"
He continued thoughtfully.
"Perhaps the Sarutobi clan once possessed a bloodline limit in ancient times. Perhaps it simply became too rare to awaken… and was lost."