“Shadow Clone Technique…”
Masahiko held the formula for the Shadow Clone Technique, along with its detailed chakra techniques and usage method, and let out a long breath of relief.
He had gotten it!
And—
He had bet correctly!
Although the Third Hokage had not given Naruto any special treatment openly, in secret, he had quietly provided him with a great deal of help.
In the Third’s eyes, Masahiko’s actions were clearly positive encouragement and assistance, not the bullying and harassment Naruto believed them to be.
The fact that he could apply for the Shadow Clone Technique was not unrelated to this.
Masahiko held the scroll and studied it carefully.
Tree-climbing and water-walking training were things Masahiko had long since done on his own; there was no problem with his chakra control.
The Shadow Clone itself was not too difficult. The main issue was that using it required refining a large amount of chakra, as well as adapting to the dangers and consumption involved in the process.
“Shadow Clone Technique…”
“Looking at it from another angle, it’s built on the foundation of the Clone Technique, but with more chakra added to construct a physical clone.”
“So…”
Masahiko’s thoughts connected. With his experience in a proficient-level Clone Technique, very quickly—
Tiger seal!
Chakra refinement…
Masahiko felt his physical strength and mental energy rapidly drain away, and a wave of exhaustion surged up.
The next second, an identical clone appeared beside him.
Success!
Masahiko exhaled.
B-rank difficulty did not seem all that high.
However.
He knew that the B-rank classification of the Shadow Clone Technique also had another difficulty: the burden when the clone was dispelled afterward.
Not everyone was Uzumaki Naruto.
With a thought, Masahiko tried having the clone handle some simple paperwork, while his main body continued writing up the afternoon lesson records.
A few minutes later, he canceled the Shadow Clone Technique.
A slight fatigue and the memories of the documents struck his brain, and Masahiko felt dizzy. Only after a second did his consciousness recover.
After recovering, he shut down.
It had only been a few minutes…
He had not even made the clone carry out any high-load task.
A few seconds later, Masahiko gave a soft sigh and fell silent.
“Without comparison, there is no damage…”
“Although I only just learned it and haven’t adapted yet… compared to Naruto, the gap really is huge.”
“To become stronger and survive, I must intensify my persecution of Naruto!”
A few minutes later, Masahiko put down his pen.
On the paper were three items: “Taijutsu Mindset,” “Movement Simplification,” and “Practical Combat Guidance.”
During the Ninja Academy period, taijutsu classes mostly taught the basics and did not require anything too profound. These three processes were enough for him to teach for several years.
Masahiko rubbed his temples, then called out the panel.
“Begin Basic Advancement!”
…
At noon, the bell rang.
After hastily finishing his meal, Naruto’s eyes darted around, and he planned to slip away and hide.
But.
The moment he stepped out of the cafeteria doors…
A figure stood at the side, a toothpick taken from the cafeteria held in his mouth.
“Fifty laps.”
“Damn it!”
Naruto gnashed his teeth, turned, and ran.
After taking a few steps, he looked up…
Another “Yagyu Masahiko”?
Naruto looked back. The Yagyu Masahiko behind him was unhurriedly closing in.
Then Naruto launched a charge.
One punch!
Naruto was sent flying.
“Want to add more laps?”
“I’ll run! I’ll run, okay!”
Naruto wanted to cry but had no tears.
Meeting this demon was truly enough!
Masahiko withdrew his clone and followed behind at an unhurried pace.
It was not as if he truly needed Naruto to finish all fifty laps. The main point was to burn off this kid’s energy so he would have no time to cause trouble.
Second, he could also ride the spotlight and rise in prominence.
Why not?
After a dozen or so laps, Masahiko slowed his steps. As he turned into the woods, the instant his figure was blocked by the large trees…
The Shadow Clone transformed and hid itself in the forest!
A few seconds later, Uchiha Sasuke quietly passed through the woods.
Several more seconds after that, a figure clad in a black robe and wearing a cat-faced mask silently appeared, taking particular notice of the direction where Masahiko’s shadow clone had vanished.
Masahiko turned his head slightly, sweeping the positions of Sasuke and the Anbu with the corner of his eye, pretending he had not noticed as he continued forward.
An hour later, Naruto was like a dead dog, slowly walking toward the school.
If Masahiko had not forbidden it, he probably would have sprawled directly on the ground.
Following behind him, Masahiko had complicated feelings.
The constitution of the Uzumaki clan combined with that of the Nine-Tails jinchuriki truly did surpass ordinary people.
Although Naruto’s number of laps at noon had not increased, his speed, rhythm, and recovery ability had all improved slightly.
Fortunately.
Masahiko also had a system!
…
In the afternoon, taijutsu class.
“Everyone run laps first. After you finish, stretch and warm up…”
Everyone quickly began running.
Before long, Naruto charged out!
Sasuke sped up and soon overtook him.
But.
Naruto stayed behind him the entire time and never fell away. Inuzuka Kiba and the others were left behind, looking at one another in bewilderment.
“What’s up with Naruto today?”
“Who knows? He’s been acting weird these past two days.”
Choji sounded listless.
He hated monotonous running training.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced over and whispered, “Shikamaru, let’s skip class!”
Shikamaru gave a soft sigh. “Naruto was taken out at noon and seems to have run a lot of laps. If you don’t want extra training, you’d better give up on that idea.”
Choji’s expression changed sharply, and he immediately no longer dared mention skipping class.
Beside them, Ino suddenly leaned over.
“Teacher Masahiko took Naruto out at noon?”
“Yeah, he took him away at the cafeteria entrance. Being the teacher in charge really is troublesome!”
Shikamaru sighed softly.
After that, he fell into thought.
“But if Naruto went out and ran laps at noon, and can still run this fast now, his recovery ability really is monstrous!”
Everyone looked ahead.
Although the current Naruto was still not as good as Sasuke, his face was fierce and he was brimming with fighting spirit. He had not been pulled too far behind.
Naruto, once he became serious, actually possessed a charm that made people take a second look!
“It’s hard to believe…”
Ino murmured to herself, “Even a troublemaker and dead-last like Naruto can be turned around. As expected of Teacher Masahiko.”
Shikamaru glanced sideways, speechless.
This lovestruck girl…
Forget it.
He silently followed those in front, inwardly crying out, “Troublesome.”
Just then—
“Third lap now. Friendly reminder: anyone who isn’t running with full effort will be made to do extra training alone later. Especially that pineapple head. Don’t slack off!”
Pineapple…
Head?
Shikamaru’s face stiffened. He turned to look toward the middle, confirming that the words were aimed at him.
A burst of laughter came from the front—
“Pfft hahahaha!”
“Pineapple head!”
“That’s too funny, Shikamaru…”
Naruto burst into loud laughter and immediately lost his breath. In an instant, Sasuke pulled a long distance ahead of him.
The next second, he screamed wildly, his speed actually becoming even faster than before as he charged forward with all his might.
Sasuke was drenched in sweat.
Before noon, he had never imagined that he would be competing with Naruto, that dead-last.
But.
More than thirty laps…
He had not been able to endure it, yet Naruto could!
This made Sasuke realize that although he seemed to be strong in every aspect at school, in reality, in certain areas that the exams did not cover, he was still not outstanding enough.
Sasuke pushed himself with all his strength and ran the fifth lap in one breath before stopping.
He looked back—
Naruto was shrieking strangely while waving at the others, not focusing at all.
Even so, Naruto had only been pulled a little over two hundred meters behind him.
“I’m actually inferior to someone like that…”
His heart was filled with dissatisfaction and anger toward himself.