Sitting atop a stone, Hyūga Ayato unwrapped a lollipop, popped it into his mouth, and smiled lazily.
"Alright, that concludes our pleasant etiquette lesson. Now you can start asking your questions."
Team 7's mouths twitched almost in unison.
Pleasant etiquette lesson?
Yeah right—only you were having fun, Ayato-sensei!
Sasuke forced himself to use polite speech, his tone stiff and unnatural.
"C-Ayato-sensei… do you… do you know Uchiha Itachi?"
"Know him? The bastard who slaughtered his entire clan. Of course I know."
Ayato sucked his lollipop thoughtfully.
"Strength? Average. His Tsukuyomi is the only thing worth mentioning."
"Uchiha Itachi… who's that?" Naruto blinked, puzzled. It was his first time hearing the name, but judging by Sasuke's reaction, this person meant a lot to him.
"Uchiha…?" Sakura shot Sasuke a strange look.
If she remembered correctly, the Uchiha clan had been wiped out—Sasuke was the sole survivor.
"Itachi… where is that man now!?"
Emotion surged in Sasuke's eyes as visions of the massacre resurfaced. His Sharingan flared, shifting into two tomoe.
He would find Uchiha Itachi.
He would avenge his family.
"Sasuke…"
Naruto and Sakura watched anxiously as Sasuke trembled with anger.
Don't tell me… Sakura realized.
If Ayato-sensei was calling Itachi the butcher of the clan… then that man must still be alive.
And Sasuke intended to confront him.
"Calm down, brat."
Ayato tapped Sasuke lightly on the chest with his lollipop stick.
"With your current pathetic level, finding Itachi would accomplish nothing. Use your head—think about what you should be doing now."
Team 7 were his tools—
Or more kindly put, his "sources of mission rewards."
If Sasuke rushed off to die, that would cut his profits short.
He needed all three kids alive and improving.
"...I know."
Sasuke forced himself to sit back down, crushing his rage.
"I'll obtain power—power enough to fulfill my ambition!"
He then looked straight at Ayato.
"Ayato-sensei… between you and Itachi, who's stronger?"
Ayato stroked his chin, truly considering it.
"Who's stronger, huh? We've never fought. His eyes are a bit troublesome, I'll admit."
"Would you lose?" Sasuke demanded.
Ayato smiled faintly, confidence flickering in his eyes.
"I'd win."
Itachi's Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu were annoying, yes—but Ayato had no doubt about the outcome.
Sasuke grabbed Ayato's collar, hatred burning.
"Then give me power! Power to fulfill my ambition!"
If Ayato-sensei really is stronger than Itachi… then—
"I just taught you about being polite, didn't I?"
Ayato raised his hand, clearly preparing to slap him into next week.
Sasuke flinched, instantly backing down.
"C-Ayato-sensei, please… please guide my training. Grant me enough strength to take revenge."
Naruto, who hadn't understood most of the earlier exchange, suddenly caught on to the important part.
"Waaah—Sasuke, you sneaky jerk! You asked first! I wanna get stronger too!"
Then he bowed seriously.
"Ayato-sensei, please train me as well! I'm gonna beat that jerk Sasuke one day!"
Sakura also stepped forward.
"Ayato-sensei, please teach me too."
Being surpassed by Sasuke was fine.
But being surpassed by Naruto?
That would be unbearable.
Ayato sighed dramatically, playing the troubled adult.
"Determination is admirable… but what should I do? A responsible adult like me still has to earn money to survive. I don't exactly have time to train a bunch of brats…"
"Money is very important, you know."
Of course, he was planning to train them.
Even if they refused, he'd beat them into accepting training.
He needed them strong—because their progress meant more system rewards for him.
"I see…" Sakura looked discouraged.
Sasuke clenched his fists but stayed silent.
He understood—asking someone for help wasn't something you could demand.
Naruto, however, thought of something.
Ayato's earlier words echoed in his mind:
When you encounter a difficult problem, think about what's in your pocket.
"Ayato-sensei… this is the money I saved up."
Naruto pulled out his frog wallet, wincing as he handed it over.
His pocket had money in it.
Ayato weighed the wallet—it was pleasantly heavy.
Seeing the wad of savings inside, he gave a satisfied nod.
"As your teacher, let me give you a grown-up lesson. The adult world is filthy—offer someone a benefit, and many problems disappear."
"Naruto, you're surprisingly clever."
"M-my poor frog…"
Naruto looked devastated. He'd planned to splurge on ramen once he became a genin.
"I'll gladly accept this tuition fee."
Ayato tucked the wallet away.
He never robbed brats.
But "tuition"?
Tuition was different.
Teachers had to eat too.
"My tuition."
Sasuke tossed over a black wallet. It was stuffed—his accumulated stipends and savings converted entirely into cash.
Ayato opened it.
"Oh? You've got quite a bit of money, kid."
Sasuke's savings nearly rivaled an S-rank mission payout.
"As your teacher, I'd have guided you even without the money… but you must remember—asking someone for help is never something you're entitled to."
He pocketed the wallet.
"Here is mine…"
Sakura sighed and handed over her own wallet.
She had never heard of a jonin charging students "tuition."
Didn't the Hokage pay the instructors?
"Don't worry," Ayato said, trying to look sincere.
"I'll help you all become stronger. After all, you're my precious too—cough—my precious students."
They were his mission-reward machines.
Cute ones, sure—but machines nonetheless.
Naruto pointed angrily.
"Hey hey hey! I definitely heard you about to say 'tools'!"
Ayato gave him a disdainful look.
"Men who get hung up on tiny details get hated by girls. No wonder the flat-chested one is always annoyed with you."
"Ayato-sensei!" Sakura's face flushed with outrage.
Ayato was infuriating.
"F-flat-chested…?"
Naruto deflated like a popped balloon.
He collapsed to the ground, spirit shattered.
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