Seeing the anticipation in Shisui's eyes, Konosuke didn't bother holding back.
Light flashed beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Shisui.
He had moved so fast that his afterimage still stood in front of Shisui—only fading a full second later.
In truth, Konosuke's Body Flicker wasn't that different from Shisui's. Both were hybrid techniques—combining instantaneous movement with forward momentum.
But Konosuke fused the Body Flicker Technique with the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, layering rapid light-speed propulsion on top of the technique—like strapping a turbine onto it.
Compared to Shisui's version, Konosuke eliminated the need for an extra hand seal.
That alone made him significantly faster.
This time, Shisui had clearly seen everything. A genuine smile spread across his face. He was truly happy for his friend.
At the same time, he felt reassured about the Uchiha's future.
As long as Konosuke existed, there was a bridge between the clan and the village. And for the sake of his own clan's prodigy, the Hokage would never allow Konosuke to grow disillusioned with Konoha.
Konosuke patted Shisui's shoulder.
"Stop grinning like that. You look a little silly. Stick to your cool, aloof persona. The female teachers at the academy prefer that version of you."
"Konosuke… don't tease me," Shisui replied with a helpless smile. "You know I have no plans to marry. Even if I do, it won't be until the village and the Uchiha fully reconcile."
Konosuke couldn't help but admire him.
Even after being marginalized by his own clan, Shisui still loved it deeply.
With their test concluded, the two walked back toward the academy. Shisui still had an afternoon class to teach.
The moment Konosuke returned, Iruka found him.
"Konosuke-sensei, I've informed the students about tonight's assessment. Since you're the ninjutsu instructor, I'd like you to observe."
"You can give them some guidance on the spot."
Since after-school hours didn't count toward his slacking time, Konosuke considered it briefly before agreeing.
Soon, the final bell rang.
The students gathered on the training field, buzzing with excitement.
Konosuke followed behind Iruka at his usual leisurely pace.
Iruka was used to it by now. Getting him to show up at all was already a victory.
Clearing his throat, Iruka held up the match sheet.
"Students, it's the end of the month. Konosuke-sensei and I have decided to conduct a practical assessment to evaluate your progress and point out weaknesses. When I call your names, step forward."
"First match—Ino versus Sakura."
The two girls stepped out and formed the confrontation seal—a standard shinobi formality.
To Konosuke, it was meaningless ritual.
Leaning against a tree, he lit a cigarette and watched casually.
Sakura charged first. Ino met her head-on.
The moment they clashed—
Konosuke was disappointed.
If he had to describe it in one phrase—
Rookies pecking at each other.
No precision. No intent. No edge.
Frankly, hair-pulling and face-scratching would've done more damage.
Watching them, Konosuke couldn't help but recall his own first academy sparring match.
He had left lasting trauma.
Eye gouging.
Kicking below the belt.
Grabbing hair and smashing faces into knees.
Afterward, several classmates limped home clutching themselves.
The teachers couldn't even stop them.
The next morning, furious parents stormed to complain to Hiruzen, demanding punishment.
After that, Konosuke was permanently barred from academy assessments.
He had no complaints.
It meant uninterrupted slacking.
By the time he snapped out of his memories, Ino had already won decisively using her clan's technique.
"Next—Shikamaru versus—"
"I forfeit," Shikamaru said lazily, raising his hand.
Iruka fell silent.
With a sigh, he moved on to the next matchups.
After watching a few more rounds, Konosuke couldn't take it anymore.
He had expected weakness.
But not this.
This was worse than street thugs fighting.
"Enough. Stop."
He walked over to Iruka, looking exasperated.
"This isn't sparring—it's playtime. I can't watch this anymore. Change the rules. All of you attack me at once. I'll show you what real combat looks like."
Iruka glanced sideways.
"Konosuke-sensei… I think they're doing fairly well. Aren't you being too strict?"
"You call this 'fairly well'?" Konosuke pointed toward the last pair. "Let me teach them what a fight actually is."
Without further debate, he strode to the center of the field and sat down cross-legged.
"Listen up, brats. Attack me with everything you've got. If you can make me move from this spot, you win."
"If you can't—each of you runs one hundred laps around the field. Deal?"
The students stared at one another, confused.
Why was sensei suddenly angry?
Seeing their hesitation, Konosuke added,
"Relax. I won't use any ninjutsu. Just one hand. You're not scared of that, are you?"
At that, Naruto charged forward immediately.
"Sensei, I'm coming!"
With Naruto leading, Sasuke followed. Then a third. A fourth.
Iruka shook his head with a wry smile.
They weren't even coordinating.
How could they possibly defeat Konosuke?
The nickname "Shame of the Sarutobi" only existed because he was lazy—not because he lacked strength.
Naruto reached him first, launching a kick toward Konosuke's head.
One second after his leg shot out—
Naruto froze.
His foot stopped just two centimeters from Konosuke's face.
Pain contorted his expression.