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Inside the hospital, Naruto not only wore his mask but even considered putting on a hat.
Naruto could feel whispers all around him. "Isn't this the same guy from a few years ago…?"
"Yeah."
"The one who insisted on staying in the hospital for ten days no matter what…"
Can you people really be this perceptive? How can you recognize me even with the mask on?
After Sakura asked for Iruka's room number, Naruto quickly fled the scene to avoid further attention.
In contrast, Ino, brimming with energy, knocked on the door a few times and, upon hearing a voice say "Come in," pushed it open without hesitation.
"Iruka-sensei, we've come to visit you!"
The group filed into the room one after another.
"Why are you all here?" Iruka had been expecting the nurses to change his medication, but instead, his students walked in.
"Yo, Iruka, how's it going?" Lazy Kakashi followed them in.
"Much better, thank you for asking, Kakashi-senpai."
"I told you they were strong, but you didn't believe me," Kakashi teased, relishing the moment.
"Yes, they're all very strong," Iruka said with a proud smile. He had heard about the Chunin Exams—three of his four visiting students had passed the preliminaries. Sakura's loss was just bad luck; she had faced Sasuke.
"Iruka-sensei, we'll leave the flowers here," Naruto said as he placed his bouquet down awkwardly. Sasuke followed suit, both wearing expressions of discomfort.
"Leave them there. Sasuke, Naruto, you've both graduated and become ninja now. Your strength is commendable, but I still need to remind you that the shinobi world is vast and dangerous. If you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, don't fight recklessly. And Sakura, Ino, I hope all of you can live long, peaceful lives. Do you understand?" Iruka, ever the caring teacher, worried about his students' futures even while lying in a hospital bed.
"Got it, sensei!" Naruto answered immediately, eager to escape any further lecturing.
"Mm." This was the ever-silent, cool Sasuke.
"I understand, Iruka-sensei," Sakura chimed in, though inwardly she chuckled at the irony. You're talking about Earthlings, sensei, but these two aren't exactly normal humans.
"Got it!" Ino adjusted the flowers that Naruto and Sasuke had placed haphazardly, ensuring they were arranged neatly.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. Expecting these two to avoid reckless fights was like expecting them to write answers on their exams—completely unrealistic.
Ibiki had already informed him: one scored zero, the other negative points. Kakashi still couldn't figure out how someone could score negative points.
Just as Iruka prepared to continue his lecture, a commotion erupted at the door. A black shadow came rolling into the room.
With quick reflexes, Sasuke grabbed the intruder by the back of the neck. To his surprise, it was someone familiar.
"Why is it always you?" Sasuke muttered as he set Konohamaru down. This kid had landed in his hands three times in ten days—and each time mid-air.
The little brat shook his head to clear the dizziness and looked up, his face lighting up with excitement. "Big Brother, Second Brother, I'll never forget your life-saving grace! Little Brother…"
"Stop, stop, stop! What are you doing here?" Naruto interrupted hurriedly. You're an Sarutobi, not Zhang Fei. Who said we're sworn brothers?
"I came to visit Iruka-sensei! He's my homeroom teacher, and the school said he was hospitalized, so I came to check on him."
"Oh." Naruto nodded, suddenly recalling that Iruka was indeed Konohamaru's homeroom teacher. He had forgotten that detail, remembering only Ebisu as the boy's private tutor.
"Konohamaru, Iruka-sensei was your homeroom teacher?" Ino asked, surprised.
"Yes, hello, Big Sister Ino!" Konohamaru behaved politely, likely because Ino had beaten him up before.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke, ever polite due to his upbringing, responded to introductions—even if it was from a little brat.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto felt something off about the situation. It felt like they were being recruited into some kind of brotherhood.
"And who's this?" Konohamaru asked, looking at Sakura.
"I'm Haruno Sakura, their teammate."
"Hello, Big Sister Sakura!"
Naruto found this behavior uncharacteristic of Konohamaru. Wasn't this the same troublemaker who nearly blew up the Hidden Leaf Village? Why was he acting so well-behaved?
From Konohamaru's perspective, these two elder brothers were incredibly powerful. The first time he got caught, Big Brother kicked someone into a wall. The second time, Second Brother sent someone flying with a single strike. It was better to stay on their good side.
"Aren't you here to visit Iruka-sensei?" Naruto decided to send Konohamaru on his way before things escalated further. At this rate, Konohamaru might bring a peach grove and propose a blood oath.
"Oh, right! Iruka-sensei, are you feeling better?" Konohamaru ran to the bedside, leaning on the railing with a tone full of concern.
"I'm fine. I'll be discharged in a few days," Iruka replied with a smile.
"You should stay longer, sensei!"
"Uh… Where are Moegi and Udon? Don't you three always stick together?"
"They're still in class… Oh, wait, they're on their way."
Finally finding a reason to get rid of Konohamaru, Naruto created a shadow clone, grabbed the boy, and teleported him away. "Such a young brat skipping class every day!"
The others in the room stared at him incredulously. Since the founding of the Ninja Academy, no one had skipped class more than Naruto. Did he really have the right to criticize someone else?
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Ninja Academy…
Naruto's shadow clone dropped Konohamaru off. "Konohamaru, I'll teach you a jutsu that can defeat the Hokage."
He planned to make the boy pester the Third Hokage. After all, how could the old man's life be complete without being defeated by his own grandson at least once? It was only fair to give him a perfect send-off.
"Really, Big Brother?!" Konohamaru had always dreamed of defeating his grandfather. His big brother truly was amazing—he even knew techniques capable of taking down a Hokage.
"Don't call me Big Brother."
"Okay, Big Brother, no problem, Big Brother!"
Sarutobi family members are all equally annoying.
Amidst the laughter, visiting hours were almost over. Iruka, still recovering from internal injuries, would tire easily from prolonged conversation.
Thus, Naruto and the others promptly left.
At the door, Sasuke stopped Kakashi, his expression uneasy. "Kakashi-sensei, I need to talk to you."
"Oh? And what about you two?"
"I'm going to check on Lee," Naruto replied.
"I'm going to learn medical ninjutsu, Kakashi-sensei."
"Go to Doctor Tengawa on the second floor and tell him I sent you. He'll teach you."
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura turned to leave.
"You're learning medical ninjutsu?" Ino found this suspicious. Her best friend suddenly wanting to learn medical ninjutsu definitely hinted at ulterior motives.
"Yeah, why?" Sakura was confused.
"I'm coming too!" Ino had heard Kakashi mention Tengawa earlier. She knew him well—he lived next door to her family, where they raised geese. As a child, she'd been chased by those geese for hours. Surely, she could convince him to teach her. If not, she'd ask her father to intervene.
"Why are you copying me?" Sakura sensed that her friend might have figured something out.
"Who's copying you?!"
"You still have a month until your match, don't you?"
"What's it to you?!"
Kakashi watched the two girls bicker as they walked away, reminiscing about something. He murmured softly, "How nice…"
Nice? Sending two naive girls to study medicine? You deserve a thousand deaths, Kakashi. Why hasn't lightning struck you yet?
Oh, right—he knows Chidori.