Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Chapter 120 Visiting the Injured Sasuke

How did this guy find his way here?

She probably didn't hear what I said, right?

Takeshi Gouda thought to himself with fear.

Then, instinctively, he pulled the blanket up to cover his face.

The other two boys covered their heads with blankets even faster than Takeshi Gouda when they saw Hinata enter.

Hiding under the covers, Takeshi Gouda and the others felt their hearts pounding as they heard footsteps getting closer.

She probably doesn't have the guts to hit someone in the hospital, does she?

"Sasuke, we've come to see you." Naruto walked into the ward and immediately saw Sasuke lying on the bed by the window. He strode over to him and said.

"Tch...who asked you to come and see?" Sasuke turned his head away and said stubbornly.

But he was actually quite touched.

"This is a fruit basket that Teacher Shusui bought for you." Naruto picked up the fruit basket, shook it, and then placed it on the bedside table.

If it were any other time, he would definitely have retorted if Sasuke had said that.

But Sasuke is a patient now, and Naruto thinks he should be more understanding.

Just like what Teacher Qiushui said.

The Hokage's belly can hold a boat; one should be a magnanimous person.

"Is Teacher Shusui here too?" Sasuke turned around and asked, a hint of nervousness showing on his face.

"Yeah, Hinata and I will go ahead. Shusui-sensei should be here soon." Naruto said, casually taking out a banana, peeling it, and stuffing it into his mouth.

Sasuke's expression was rather unpleasant.

It wasn't because Naruto ate the fruit that Shusui-sensei brought him.

Rather, he felt that he had lost too embarrassingly this time.

I feel somewhat sorry for the guidance and mentorship that Teacher Qiushui has given me over the past few months.

It would be one thing if it were just losing to Naruto.

After all, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique he possessed was indeed very powerful, and he had lost to him before, so it was barely acceptable.

But he lost to Hinata, whom he hadn't paid much attention to before.

Most importantly, they were beaten so badly they had no chance to fight back.

Although he lost because he was careless.

But a loss is a loss.

He's not the type to make excuses or find reasons.

"Shusui-sensei." Sasuke saw Shusui walking towards him and a slightly awkward expression appeared on his face. He turned half of his face away, feeling embarrassed.

"How are you? Are you feeling alright? Do you need me to treat you?" Qiu Shui sat down beside the hospital bed, looking at him with concern, and said gently.

"No need... Actually, it's not that bad, it's not as serious as it looks." Sasuke said softly, his fingers unconsciously clenching the bed sheet.

"Hey, Sasuke, stop being so stubborn." Naruto, standing to the side, bluntly called him out. "I saw you lying on the ground, pale-faced and sweating profusely!"

"Naruto...you bastard." Sasuke glared at him, his eyes filled with annoyance.

Why doesn't this guy give me any face at all?

Moreover, this happened in front of Akisui-sensei and Hinata, who were directly involved.

"Sasuke-kun, why don't you let Akisui-sensei treat you?" Hinata advised softly, her tone tinged with worry.

"Alright, stop pushing yourself." Qiu Shui raised her hand and gently placed it on Sasuke's shoulder, using the Healing Fruit's power on him. "After the exams, I'll give you guys even more rigorous training. If your body hasn't recovered by then, you'll fall behind Naruto and the others."

"Thank you, Akisui-sensei." Sasuke felt much better in the parts of his body that were aching slightly.

"Shusui-sensei..." Sasuke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "This time... I've disappointed you. You told us before that we should never underestimate any opponent and that we should always give it our all."

"Sasuke, don't let one failure make you think like that." Shusui shook his head and said seriously, "Failure is something everyone experiences. Failure is a constant throughout life. As long as you learn from this experience and avoid making such a basic mistake in the future, that's fine."

"Your teachers have seen all your hard work, and I won't be disappointed in you because of one failure."

"Shusui-sensei..." Sasuke looked into Shusui's sincere eyes and felt an indescribable surge of emotion.

Even now, after losing the competition in the grade-level exam, Teacher Qiushui not only did not blame him or feel disappointed in him, but also kept encouraging him.

Sasuke secretly resolved in his heart that he must get first place again in the next exam.

He wanted to prove that he was the strongest and would never let down the words that Teacher Qiushui had said to him.

Main Quest: The Path to Cultivating High-Quality Talent Uchiha Sasuke

[Mission Requirement: In the end-of-August exams, help Uchiha Sasuke regain the top spot in his grade.]

[Task Rewards: Awarded based on a comprehensive evaluation of task completion]

Qiu Shui raised an eyebrow slightly as she looked at the task information that popped up in front of her.

Why does it feel like Naruto and Sasuke are stuck in a system bug?

Every time Naruto loses, he triggers the mission to be number one in his grade; every time Sasuke loses, he also triggers the mission to be number one in his grade.

Fortunately, it wasn't the two of them who were on this mission at the same time.

Otherwise, only one person can complete it.

However, Qiushui felt that the main task of getting Sasuke to be number one in the next grade was extremely difficult.

Because Naruto's mastery of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was practically a bug in the system for his peers.

Unless Sasuke can learn the Lightning Breathing Technique in the next three months, it will be difficult for him to defeat Naruto using ordinary ninjutsu.

The breathing technique is not easy to learn. Qiu Shui's previous estimate was that it would be quite good if they could learn it before graduation.

But thinking about these things now is useless.

There's always a way out; after all the twists and turns, a new path opens up.

Let's take it one step at a time and see what happens!

Monday morning.

As it was the last day of the final practical exam, there were far more people on the playground than during the previous two monthly exams.

Groups of students were everywhere, and the entire playground looked like a pot of water about to boil.

"Naruto Uzumaki will probably be the top student in the fourth grade again, right?" a student said, arms crossed.

"Is that even a question? Who else could it be but him?" Another student with thick eyebrows and big eyes rolled his eyes, thinking the other was talking nonsense. "With over a hundred clones charging at once, who could withstand that?"

"Naruto's been a bottom-of-the-class student since he enrolled," a tall, thin student frowned, his face full of confusion. "How did he become so strong at the beginning of this semester? And how does he use that Shadow Clone Jutsu? How can he create so many clones?"

"I don't know about Naruto's Shadow Clone Technique," the student with thick eyebrows and big eyes lowered his voice and winked mysteriously, "but I know his training methods to become stronger, and I can tell you about them."

"Then tell me, how did he train?" The boy leaned closer with an expectant look on his face.

"Ahem, this definitely isn't free, you know the rules, right?" The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes leaned closer to him, winked, and whispered.

"I understand, I understand." The boy reluctantly pulled out a hundred-tael banknote from his pocket and handed it over, his fingers pausing slightly. "This is one hundred taels."

He gritted his teeth and comforted himself: as long as it can improve his strength, this hundred taels is worth it.

A moment later.

"Give me back my hundred taels! I think this training method is useless!" The boy's face fell immediately after hearing this.

He also made plans to go out with his neighbor Xiaomei this summer, so how could he have so much time to practice?

And is this kind of training method something his physique can withstand?

Just thinking about it makes my back ache.

"Sorry, you've already received the information you wanted. No refunds will be given." The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes stuffed the money into his pocket, looking completely matter-of-fact, showing no intention of returning the money.

The boy opened his mouth, wanting to continue asking, but after looking at the other person's much stronger physique and then at his own thin arms and legs, he could only obediently admit defeat, shut his mouth dejectedly, and walked away with his head down.

The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes stood still, when suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in his mind.

He felt this was a rare business opportunity.

So, his eyes lit up, and he turned around and plunged into the crowd, looking around for those who hadn't heard Naruto mention the training methods.

Qiushui returned to Class 1, Grade 4 today to serve as a proctor, and Matsumoto Mie accompanied him.

"Qiusui, it's such a pity you didn't come yesterday," Matsumoto Mie said.

"What's wrong?" Qiu Shui asked with a puzzled expression.

Could it be that someone was handing out money here in Class 1 of Grade 4 yesterday?

"Yesterday, the Third Hokage himself came to watch the fourth-year class's exam!" Matsumoto Mie whispered, her face beaming with excitement. "He even praised your teaching! If you were here, you would have received his personal praise—that's a rare honor!"

"Oh, that's such a pity." Qiu Shui first put on a disappointed expression and sighed slightly, then said seriously, "But as long as the students can make progress, I don't particularly care about whether others praise them or not."

He hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to come and watch the students' match in person, but then he thought about how quickly Naruto had improved recently, and given how much Hiruzen Sarutobi valued Naruto, it wasn't hard to understand.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi's praise?

It can't be eaten as a meal.

He genuinely felt no regret or disappointment.

Looking at Akisui, Matsumoto Mie felt even more favorably disposed towards him.

He recalled the scene of proctoring the exam with another teacher from the previous day.

When the Third Hokage said one sentence, that teacher wanted to say ten in response.

And he kept talking about how great and excellent his class was, as if he wanted to recite his ancestors for eighteen generations.