After Asuma and Mitsusuke took Kurenai home, the two walked towards the Sarutobi Clan's compound.
On the way, many people saw Asuma and Mitsusuke and silently made way for them. A young man with a lazy expression, coupled with a scruffy bearded man, always gave people a sense of déjà vu that they weren't good people.
"Suke, I heard the Old Man say you're seriously teaching Naruto now. Don't you hate him? After all, your parents died at the hands of the Nine-Tailed."
Mitsusuke turned his head to look at Asuma, giving him a look as if he were an idiot: "Your Old Man told you to ask that, didn't he?"
"Yes, the Old Man said it's good that you've moved on, but he's afraid you'll resent Naruto like everyone else."
Stopping, Mitsusuke glanced at Asuma, then looked towards the school: "I hadn't even graduated when my parents died. I was still a genius of the Sarutobi Clan. Six years have passed in a blink of an eye."
"My parents' death hit me hard, but that's not why I'm so listless. I... never mind, let's not talk about it."
"When you go back, tell your Old Man that I don't hate Naruto, nor do I hate the Nine-Tailed. If I have to hate, I hate this damned Ninja World, I hate those who start wars for ambition."
"Also, I hope the Hokage can properly handle the Village's issues with the Uchiha. The Senju are gone. If the Uchiha also disappear, will Konoha still be Konoha?"
Asuma didn't press further; he had gotten the answer he wanted, and that was enough. As for the rest, he wasn't interested.
Actually, Mitsusuke truly didn't hate Naruto. During the Nine-Tails' rampage, Naruto hadn't even opened his eyes yet!
He didn't hate the Nine-Tailed either. Any intelligent life form, if imprisoned, would resist, let alone the powerful Nine-Tailed!
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly observing Mitsusuke and Asuma through a crystal ball. Although he couldn't hear their voices, he could guess some of the content from Mitsusuke's expression.
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a strategic weapon for the Village.
Therefore, the teacher responsible for instructing a Jinchuriki must be from the Hokage's lineage and cannot harbor too much hostility towards the Nine-Tailed, as this would be detrimental to the Jinchuriki forming bonds with the Village.
After clarifying his attitude towards Naruto, Mitsusuke went home.
Before leaving, Mitsusuke also swiped a few Kunai from Asuma's ninja tool pouch.
They were just ordinary Kunai, which he could use as rewards for diligent students to motivate their enthusiasm for learning.
Time quickly passed a week, and the first student to learn Substitution Jutsu finally appeared: Sasuke.
This completely captivated Sakura Haruno, Ino, and several other girls.
Sasuke hadn't yet experienced the Uchiha clan massacre, so his personality, while somewhat aloof, was still quite decent, unlike his reclusive self in the original story.
Having learned Substitution Jutsu, Sasuke immediately found Mitsusuke, who was sleeping in the classroom: "Teacher, I've learned Substitution Jutsu. Please teach me other Ninjutsu, Taijutsu is fine too."
After Sasuke finished speaking, he found that the teacher hadn't moved and even heard snoring.
"Teacher," Sasuke raised his voice this time, "Teacher, I've learned Substitution Jutsu. Please teach me other Ninjutsu, and also guide me in Taijutsu. You said before that whoever learned Substitution Jutsu first, you would personally tutor them in Taijutsu."
This time, Mitsusuke finally woke up. He couldn't not wake up! Sasuke's voice was a bit loud; if he didn't wake up now, he'd be suspected of pretending to sleep.
Mitsusuke sat up straight, looked at Sasuke with sleepy eyes, and pointed towards the training ground: "Go run fifty laps. If you can run fifty laps, I'll teach you Taijutsu. Right now, you haven't even met the basic qualifications for Taijutsu, so I can't teach you."
"What?! The teacher is too cunning! To say Sasuke hasn't even started Taijutsu, I think he just wants to keep sleeping!" Sakura Haruno began to speak up for Sasuke.
Ino, for once, agreed with Sakura Haruno and echoed: "I think so too, the teacher just wants to sleep."
With the support of his classmates, Sasuke became even more pleased. He stared intently at the teacher, his eyes filled with pride.
Seeing this situation, Mitsusuke could only demonstrate what Taijutsu was, otherwise, he would lose credibility.
Standing up from the stool, he pulled a Kunai from his shirt pocket and handed it to Sasuke: "Take this. You want me to teach you Taijutsu, right? Then go back to your seat and rush towards me."
"As long as you can reach me, I'll teach you Taijutsu. If you can't, then go run a hundred laps. Do you dare accept this challenge?"
Sasuke, who hadn't experienced the harsh realities of society, thought this was too simple. Without thinking, he took the Kunai and then, showing off, jumped back to his seat.
Just that simple movement caused Sakura Haruno and the other girls to shriek again.
Picking up a few pieces of chalk from the desk, Mitsusuke raised an eyebrow at Sasuke: "You can start. I'll give you three chances. As long as you can rush up to me, you pass. Begin!"
Swish!!!
Mitsusuke had just finished speaking when the Kunai in Sasuke's hand shot towards the teacher's chest, and he himself rushed towards the podium at a relatively fast speed.
Seeing this action, Mitsusuke wondered how Itachi had taught his foolish younger brother, to underestimate his teacher so much.
Just as the Kunai was about to reach him, Mitsusuke's fingers moved, and he shot out three pieces of chalk at an incredibly fast speed.
Swish swish swish!!!
The three pieces of chalk, whistling through the air, shot towards Sasuke at an extremely high speed.
Bang bang bang!!!
Three sounds of objects colliding rang out, followed by a loud thud.
The students mechanically turned their heads, and the moment they saw Sasuke, they all gasped.
There was no other way to put it; Sasuke was in a terrible state. A mark had been struck on his forehead by the chalk, and faint traces of blood were flowing out.
Walking to the back of the classroom, Mitsusuke picked up the Kunai that had been knocked down by the chalk, then looked down at Sasuke, who was leaning against the wall.
"The essence of Taijutsu is to use your body as a weapon to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. Your body is pathetically weak right now; you need more training. Otherwise, I truly have nothing to teach you."
"I told you to run earlier because I saw your shortcomings and wanted to help you improve. It's truly laughable that you suspected I wanted to be lazy."
After speaking, Mitsusuke walked towards the podium, saying as he went: "You brats, listen up! There are only twenty-something days left until the Substitution Jutsu assessment. If anyone fails to complete it, please leave my class. I've already stated the reason before, and I don't want to say it again."
Taking advantage of this incident with Sasuke today, Mitsusuke decided to put some pressure on the other students, otherwise, they wouldn't train seriously at all.
Especially the girls, who spent all day revolving around Sasuke.