Konoha Notes

Chapter 353 Return
“You’ve surprised me a bit, Sasuke,” Shuuji said. “Well then, that’s settled.”

Sasuke lowered his eyes and accepted the assessment.

Shuji's gaze shifted to another person.

“Naruto,” he said, “you failed. After obtaining an A-rank forbidden technique, you failed to showcase your talent in the Transformation Technique and develop more tactical variations.”

"I've developed it!"

Naruto retorted hastily.

"I really succeeded! I combined the Seduction Technique with Shadow Clone Technique! Now, now I can show it to Brother Shuuji!"

As he spoke, he immediately began forming hand seals.

Sasuke frowned slightly. He thought Shuuji would stop that pointless ninjutsu; after all, the Third Hokage was present, and using such a technique in front of the village's former leader was simply...

However, Shuji remained silent.

He simply stood there, watching Naruto create more than a dozen shadow clones and then form the hand seals for the Transformation Jutsu.

"Transform!"

Sasuke instinctively recognized the face; he didn't want to see what was about to happen.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Shuuji, only to find that Shuuji's gaze was fixed on the Third Hokage not far away.

Once the smoke from the transformation spell dissipates.

A dozen slender figures appeared on the training field, and a dozen blonde women smiled sweetly at the field.

"Lord Shuji ~ Lord Three Generations ~"

The sweet, coquettish voices blended together.

Sasuke cursed "idiot" under his breath, but then he heard a strange sound.

"Pfft..."

A sound like air leaking out came from the Third Hokage.

Sasuke couldn't help but look over, and then he saw an unbelievable scene.

The ninja, who had been known as a professor and had led the village for decades, stared wide-eyed, his mouth slightly open, as a stream of bright red blood gushed from his nostrils.

"This...this..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was muffled as he frantically pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and forcefully covered his nose. "This is...this is so indecent! Naruto! This kind of technique...it's so lewd! It's simply...it's simply..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because the nosebleed seemed to be getting worse.

The third generation turned around in a disheveled manner, his shoulders trembling slightly, and a corner of his handkerchief was quickly stained red.

After recounting the iconic scene, Shuuji nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's enough, Naruto."

Naruto's shadow clones dissipated, and he revealed a smug smile: "How about that, Shuuji-nii! Wasn't that technique amazing? Even the Third Hokage..."

“A good idea,” Xiu Si said. “The problem is that it only works for specific people and isn’t widely applicable.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed dryly, finally stopping the nosebleed. He turned around and put on a stern face.

Shuji continued, "Naruto, the development of this technique shows that you have talent."

Naruto chuckled.

“However,” his tone turned cold, “that doesn’t change the fundamental fact that your ninja foundation is far too weak.”

"Huh? But I..."

"No buts."

"Your physical techniques are monotonous, your movement trajectory is too predictable, and your reaction to complex traps relies entirely on intuition."

"The skill level of using Shadow Clone Techniques stems from your own tactical awareness."

"The reason you were able to be eliminated so efficiently and quickly by Sasuke is that your own technical and tactical skills are seriously lacking. An A-rank forbidden technique amplifies your chakra advantage, but it cannot cover up the emptiness of your foundation."

Naruto opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

“Since Sasuke has voluntarily given up his privilege of taking a leave of absence,” Shuji said, no longer looking at Naruto, “and Gaara is now able to train normally and will not cause any accidental harm to his classmates.”

"Then, starting tomorrow, all three of you will return to the regular courses at the Ninja Academy."

Sasuke's expression remained unchanged, and Gaara nodded slightly. Only Naruto's face turned pale instantly.

The special training he underwent during this period, the forbidden techniques he received from Shuuji, the ecstasy he felt when he defeated Sasuke for the first time... all of these things made him feel that he was being given special attention and was walking on a different path.

Now, is this road... heading back to square one?

“Brother Shuuji, um… I can still…” Naruto struggled, “I mean, if I work on my basics properly, then…”

"Naruto."

Shuji interrupted him.

Then, I asked a question.

"Have you forgotten why we initially requested to conduct this special training?"

Naruto was stunned.

It was to help their companions.

It was so that the red-haired boy who was always alone could be with everyone.

It wasn't to prove that I was stronger than Sasuke.

It's not for the purpose of gaining special attention.

It wasn't for... to learn more powerful ninjutsu from Shuji.

The blond boy lowered his head: "I understand."

Shuji said no more. The Third Hokage had finally tidied himself up, and the two of them used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from the training ground at the same time.

Sasuke began to retrieve his ninja tools. He walked over to the kunai and shuriken nailed to the wooden stakes and the ground, and put them back into the pouch on his waist.

Before leaving the training ground, his gaze lingered briefly on Gaara and Naruto, but he only let out a soft hum before leaving alone.

Gaara walked up to Naruto.

"Naruto."

Naruto didn't move.

"Want to go get some ramen? I brought some pocket money with me today," the red-haired boy said.

“…Ah, um.” The blond boy responded blankly. He mechanically took a few steps, following Gaara, before suddenly waking up from a dream.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," he said softly, his voice nasal. "I think... I was just thinking about myself. Even though the special training was for you, all I could think about was beating Sasuke..."

"We're comrades, don't worry about it."

A very simple sentence.

But it brought tears to Naruto's eyes.

The two boys walked one after the other through the woods beside the training field.

As Naruto walked, he suddenly stopped.

He took a deep breath, then whirled around in the direction Sasuke had left, shouting, "Just you wait, you arrogant Sasuke! I'll definitely win next time!"
-
Inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shuji walked side by side.

"This special training was very effective," the Third Hokage said.

“Hmm.” Shuuji nodded. “So I’m thinking that this could become a regular practice.”

"Normalization?"

“Select students from each grade who have reached a point where they can no longer make further progress in their own class’s practical training and provide them with reward-based special training opportunities. Alternatively, arrange competitions between classes or grades.”

Shuji said, "Graduating early is not necessary—the education at the Ninja Academy is not just about combat skills."

"But it is also a waste to force people who could run faster to stay in place because of environmental limitations."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered, his fingers unconsciously twirling his beard.

"Let's start with combat ability. This is the foundation for a ninja's survival. For the village, whether it's monetizing through martial arts tournaments or improving overall strength to deal with threats, it's the fastest way to recoup costs."

(End of this chapter)