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

The ninja academy only provides accommodation, not meals. After class, Qiushui did not go straight back to the office, but went to a small shop outside the village to have lunch first.

After eating and drinking his fill, he strolled leisurely back to school.

Matsumoto Mie noticed that Akisui had come in and greeted him with a smile, "Akisui-sensei, this morning when I passed by Class 1 of the fourth grade, I found that there was no one sleeping or skipping class, and there were also a lot of people raising their hands to answer questions. It's completely different from before. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't have believed that this is your first time being a teacher."

Qiu Shui shook her head and replied humbly, "Not at all, I'm far inferior to a senior like you, Mei Hui."

Matsumoto Mie knew that this was just Shusui being polite, but who doesn't like to hear nice things?

In a cheerful mood, she took out her treasured candies and offered them to Qiu Shui.

Qiu Shui took it, thanked her, and peeled one open in front of her, putting it in her mouth—it was so sweet.

Mizuki watched this scene silently from the side, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford the snacks; Matsumoto Mie would occasionally give him some. But what she had just given him was her favorite jar of candy. He had been her colleague for years and had never even heard of what that candy tasted like. A hint of jealousy towards Qiu Shui flashed in his eyes.

Iruka, standing to the side, felt a pang of emotion. He realized that he might not be suited to be a homeroom teacher after all, and that his previous choice was the right one.

Qiu Shui returned to her workstation and sat down. She pulled a blank notebook from her drawer and then took out a pen.

He was preparing to write a novel.

Although Qiu Shui had never seriously written any novels in his previous life, he had read quite a few, whether they were novels with arrogant protagonists or harem novels with multiple women on each side.

As for the culture and entertainment of this world... well, to put it simply, it's barren, with a lot of room for development.

Anyway, I don't have much to do during lunch breaks and when I don't have classes, so I can write novels to pass the time. Maybe I can even earn some money and improve my living conditions in the future.

Thursday, early morning.

As the first rays of sunlight climbed onto the windowsill, Yamanaka Ino woke up in her large bed covered with pink sheets. She rubbed her eyes, lingered in bed for a few seconds, and then got out of bed.

At the sink, she meticulously groomed herself, scrutinizing her reflection in the mirror again and again. She even adjusted the angle of the bangs on her forehead three times, tilting them slightly to the left and then slightly to the right, finally settling them in the perfect position.

She turned to the side, looked at herself from the left, then from the right, and after confirming that every angle was impeccable, she nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk downstairs.

Inside the restaurant, Yamanaka Inoichi and his wife were already seated at the table.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Yamanaka Inoichi immediately put down his chopsticks, a kind smile typical of an old father appearing on his face. The smile contained three parts doting, three parts pride, and four parts an undisguised affection for his beloved daughter.

"Ino," he called out warmly, raising his hand, "Come here quickly, your mother specially made your favorite fried eggs and pan-fried beef today, they're still warm!"

Yamanaka Ino's mother, Yamashita Chie, was around thirty-five or thirty-six years old. She was a plump middle-aged woman. Upon hearing this, she immediately went to the kitchen and brought over poached eggs and beef.

Yamanaka Ino hummed in response, slowly walked to her seat, picked up her chopsticks, took a small piece of beef, put it in her mouth, chewed it, then poked the fried egg. After a couple of bites, she put down her chopsticks and stood up.

Yamanaka Inoichi's smile faltered slightly as he said, "How come you've only eaten so little? That's just a few bites."

"Dad, you don't understand—" Ino drawled, tilting her head as she said, "Girls will get fat if they eat too much, and their figures won't look good if they're out of shape."

Yamanaka Inoichi grew anxious and said worriedly, "You can't just eat this little bit. You have classes and physical training at school. How can your body handle just these two bites?"

He had a daughter late in life, and he cherished her dearly from a young age, feeling heartbroken if she missed a single bite of food.

Yamanaka Ino didn't reply, but stuck out her tongue at her father, made a funny face, and skipped out the door.

Ino had only taken a few steps out of her front door when she saw a familiar figure walking towards her in the distance.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

"Yo—" she drawled, a hint of provocation in her voice, "Isn't this Sakura? How come you're always so punctual?"

They used to be best friends, shopping together, eating delicious food together, and sharing girls' little secrets.

But everything changed after they both fell in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

From best friends to rivals in love, the only thing separating them is Sasuke. Now that the two meet, all that's left in their eyes is sparks.

Sakura Haruno is not the type to suffer a loss.

She didn't stop, meeting his gaze, and replied with the same barbed tone, "What time I come to school every day is none of your business. The school isn't yours to control."

Yamanaka Ino was taken aback by this remark, her face flushing slightly. She immediately retorted, "I think you just want to get to school early so you can fawn over Sasuke!"

Sakura Haruno retorted, not to be outdone: "Hmph, I bet you think the same thing!"

Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly in the air.

The next second, they started walking towards the school without prior arrangement.

They said they were walking, but it was really a squeeze; shoulders were touching, elbows were secretly competing, and no one was willing to give way.

Once inside the school gate, he continued to elbow the student.

They continued elbowing him across the atrium.

As they approached the entrance to the teaching building, the two quickened their pace almost simultaneously, knowing that whoever entered the classroom first would be the first to see Sasuke.

Ino Yamanaka dashed towards the classroom door, but Sakura Haruno wasn't about to let her succeed. She immediately sped up and gave chase. The two arrived at the door almost simultaneously, then got stuck there.

Yamanaka Ino braced herself against the doorframe with her arm, and with her other hand pushed up Haruno Sakura's face, mumbling, "Broad forehead, I stepped in with my left foot first, let me in!"

Sakura Haruno, not to be outdone, stuck one leg into the doorway and squeezed half her body in, whining, "Ino-boo, I put my right hand in first, why did you go in first?"

The two were locked in a stalemate at the door, pushing and shoving each other.

The students in the classroom were already used to this scene. These two people had been coming here several times a week since the second month of school started. Some people would glance up and then continue chatting with their heads down; others wouldn't even lift their eyelids, as if the noise at the door was just the usual background noise.

Just as the two were pushing and shoving each other, a voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Um... what are you two doing here?"