Shikamaru glanced at Naruto and muttered unhappily, "Seriously… why'd he have to wake the teacher? Now I can't even nap."
There were plenty of large trees around the training ground. Konosuke walked beneath one and clapped his hands.
"Listen up, brats. Since you can extract Chakra now, we're moving on to tree-climbing."
"The kind I'm teaching isn't ordinary climbing. You'll attach Chakra to the soles of your feet and adhere to the tree trunk. It'll greatly improve your Chakra control. Watch carefully."
He infused Chakra into his feet and walked straight up the tree trunk—lying flat as if gravity meant nothing.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Naruto shouted, eyes shining with admiration.
Reaching a thick branch, Konosuke flipped upside down, his feet firmly stuck to the bark.
Being upside down was uncomfortable. He withdrew the Chakra from his feet and dropped straight down. Several girls gasped in alarm.
Just before his head hit the ground, he twisted his waist slightly and landed in a crouch, both feet steady.
Standing up, he brushed off his pants.
"From now on, I'll demonstrate once per ninjutsu class. Just once. If you can't complete it…"
His tone cooled.
"I guarantee you'll regret it. I'll make your years here feel like hell."
"What I teach must be mastered. If you can't learn it, I'll remove you from my class. I teach elites. I don't tolerate dead last."
He waved dismissively.
"Start practicing. Naruto, come with me. You're getting special training."
Before leaving, he added casually,
"Shikamaru—if I catch you slacking, I'll go have a talk with your mother. I'm sure she'd be happy to give you a very memorable nagging."
Shikamaru had already planned to lean against a tree and nap once the teacher left. That threat cut straight to the core.
Konosuke led Naruto out of the Academy. As soon as they stepped outside, he glanced toward a rooftop.
"Who's on duty today?"
A masked ANBU appeared instantly before him.
"It's me. What do you need?"
"Nothing serious. Just a small favor."
Konosuke pointed at Naruto, who was still staring blankly.
"Take him outside the village and throw him into the river. Do it every day for the next few days. Until he can walk on water, he doesn't need to attend class. I'll explain it to the Hokage. Take him."
The ANBU hesitated. They were assigned to monitor and protect Naruto—not to assist in… whatever this was.
But Konosuke was still a member of the Sarutobi clan. Shame or not, that mattered.
After a few seconds of consideration, the ANBU took Naruto—heading first toward the Hokage Tower to request permission.
Konosuke had chosen water-walking for a reason.
Years ago, when he trained himself, he'd realized water-walking was far more difficult than tree-climbing—but it also refined Chakra control far more effectively.
With the Nine-Tails' Chakra constantly interfering inside Naruto, water training was the fastest path he could think of to improve control.
Returning to the classroom, Konosuke noticed several students glancing repeatedly toward the training ground, unable to focus.
He sat down, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly.
After tapping the desk twice, he caught their attention.
"Jealous?" he asked lazily. "Jealous of the ones who've mastered Chakra extraction and get to train outside?"
No one answered, but a few nodded slightly.
Konosuke's gaze swept over them. His tone shifted—more conversational.
"I'm eight or nine years older than you. I understand exactly how you feel. But let me tell you something."
The students leaned in unconsciously.
"Your starting points are different. But the finish line is the same."
"Instead of dwelling on what you don't have, use the time you do have to train. Make yourself capable of standing beside your comrades—or reaching the finish line before them."
"If you waste your time now, you might not even qualify to stand at their side later."
His eyes sharpened slightly as they locked onto the distracted students.
"So train. Train hard. Meet your comrades at the summit."
"That's a man's true romance."
The words hit like a steaming bowl of motivational nonsense.
Several students' eyes sparkled. Who wouldn't want to stand at the peak with their friends?
They stopped watching the training ground and returned to their practice with renewed focus.
Konosuke leaned back, satisfied.
As a modern man, inspiring kids was child's play. Much more effective than chanting a few empty lines about the Will of Fire.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the ANBU's report and nodded approvingly.
Konosuke was finally taking teaching seriously. That was a good sign.
As for throwing Naruto into a river? Hiruzen approved without hesitation. He even instructed the ANBU to offer guidance if necessary.
With the Nine-Tails' interference, water-walking was indeed a practical solution.
After school, Konosuke strolled home leisurely.
He hadn't received any Slacking Value today—but he wasn't upset.
He had made a decision. From now on, he would devote three to five days each month to actual teaching. The rest of the time? Slacking.
Better than losing Slacking Value altogether. And it would keep Hiruzen satisfied.
As he passed Ichiraku Ramen, someone called out to him.
"Konosuke! Finally crawled out of that slump, huh? Actually teaching properly now? I'm surprised."
Turning toward the voice, he immediately spotted Asuma and Kurenai stepping out of Ichiraku.
Without a word, Konosuke walked up to Asuma and began patting him down. Within seconds, he produced two packs of cigarettes.
"Hey!" Asuma protested. "Between your salary and your clan stipend, you're not exactly broke. Why do you always steal my cigarettes? I'm going to end up unable to afford my own habit."
Konosuke shot him a look.
"Don't give me that. If you can't afford cigarettes, then I'll starve to death."
Kurenai smiled faintly, long used to their banter.
Asuma was ten years older than Konosuke. Back when Asuma had gone through his rebellious phase, Konosuke had once talked sense into him.
That was how their friendship had started.