Sasuke, following behind Naruto, saw the pained expression on Naruto's face and quickly stopped.
A group of students ran to Sasuke's side and also stopped, their gazes all fixed on Naruto.
The next moment, everyone gasped, as they saw Teacher Mitsusuke's fist strike Naruto's foot, specifically the left foot that hadn't been lifted.
"Ah! It hurts so much!" Naruto rolled on the ground, clutching his toes.
Everyone looked at their own feet and collectively took a step back. They all wished they could change into shoes that didn't expose their toes.
Iruka covered his eyes. He knew this would happen. He was a few years older than Mitsusuke. When Mitsusuke was nine, Iruka had just started helping out at the school. He wasn't a teacher then, just doing odd jobs, so he knew about Mitsusuke's dirty tricks.
In the center of the training ground, Mitsusuke looked at the retreating students and mocked them, "What? Don't you even have the courage to face an enemy?"
"If that's the case, you might as well apply to drop out!"
"Being a Ninja is a very dangerous profession; you could die at any time. If you don't even have the courage to face a strong enemy, then don't be a Ninja. Go be an ordinary person! That might be better for you."
Upon hearing Mitsusuke's words, everyone felt a surge of indignation.
Mitsusuke's words deeply wounded their young hearts.
At this moment, the students charged forward like irrational beasts, howling.
Leading the charge was Sasuke. He was determined to surpass his older brother, so how could he back down here?
Seeing his provocation succeed, Mitsusuke's mouth curved into an arc.
This is the Ninja World. The Ninja World doesn't believe in tears, nor does it tolerate cowardice.
Cowardice leads to hesitation, and hesitation can cost you your life.
Just as Sasuke charged in front of Mitsusuke, a handful of sand was thrown directly into his face, making his eyes snap shut.
While Sasuke's eyes were closed, Mitsusuke grabbed his leg and threw him directly next to Naruto.
The other students arrived then, and Mitsusuke began his 'old man playing with children' routine.
Smashing feet, flicking private parts, throwing sand—he used every shameless trick he knew.
He was a bit gentler with the girls, just throwing them aside.
In just about a minute, the area behind Mitsusuke was filled with fallen students, with only Shikamaru still standing in the distance.
Mitsusuke beckoned to Shikamaru, "It's your turn."
Hearing Teacher Mitsusuke call his name, Shikamaru instinctively took two steps back, then walked around Mitsusuke and lay down next to Choji.
Shikamaru's action amused Mitsusuke, so he didn't bother him further.
Just as Mitsusuke was about to stand up, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu."
Mitsusuke didn't stand up, but instead changed his direction.
As soon as he turned around, Mitsusuke saw a fireball, over a meter in size, heading towards him. The caster was none other than Sasuke.
Iruka, from a distance, wanted to help. At such close range, even Mitsusuke would get hurt.
Just as Iruka was about to use the Body Flicker Technique, he saw Mitsusuke had already raised his hand, which was emitting a dazzling light.
Sasuke was very smart; he attacked the spot where Mitsusuke was sitting. As long as the opponent dodged, they would win.
What Sasuke didn't expect was that Mitsusuke not only didn't dodge but also extended a hand.
"Teacher, quickly dodge, you'll die!" Sasuke shouted urgently, truly afraid of killing his teacher.
The other students, seeing this scene, also warned, "Teacher Mitsusuke, quickly dodge, you really will die!"
Naruto, at this point, no longer cared about his foot and ran towards Mitsusuke: "Brother Mitsusuke!"
...
Because everyone's vision was blocked by the fireball, they didn't see the bright light on Mitsusuke's hand.
The next moment, everyone saw the fireball directly split in half.
And it was a glowing hand that had cut the fireball.
The fireball landed on either side of Mitsusuke, and he stood up completely unharmed.
After standing up, Mitsusuke pushed up his toad goggles, then walked towards Sasuke.
Everyone thought Mitsusuke would punish Sasuke because he had almost been killed by him.
But no one expected that Mitsusuke not only didn't punish Sasuke but also praised him with a look of relief: "That Ninjutsu is good, just a bit slow. Practice more in the future, strive to make the fireball break through obstacles. Only you passed this assessment."
After praising Sasuke, Mitsusuke came to Naruto, reached out, and patted his head: "Don't worry! You little brats can't hurt me yet, otherwise, what face would I have to be your teacher?"
Coming before everyone, Mitsusuke first kicked Shikamaru twice in the butt, then loudly declared: "Listen up, you brats, for a Ninja, killing is a mission, and being killed is fate. Don't think of this profession as too noble; striving to survive is what you should be thinking about."
"Given your performance today, we'll add one survival class per week from now on. If anyone still doesn't pass before graduation, I will revoke your right to be a Ninja. Class dismissed, go home! The running exercise will be done tomorrow."
With that, Mitsusuke turned and walked towards the gate. He was in a somewhat bad mood today.
Five Will of Fire classes a week—that's a complete waste of time.
He might as well teach the students how to survive in this cruel Ninja World.
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the crystal ball, unable to stop smiling.
Although he didn't know what Mitsusuke had said, seeing him easily split the fireball, he felt that the Uchiha were no longer a threat.
The reason for targeting the Uchiha was the fear of another Uchiha Madara emerging from the Uchiha Clan.
Now it's fine; with Mitsusuke, even if an Uchiha Madara truly appears, the Village has the ability to deal with it, just like the First Hokage.
Meanwhile, in the Root base, Danzo also learned of Mitsusuke's performance today. His already grim face had now become somewhat distorted.
A moment later, Danzo said to his subordinate kneeling before him: "Go and tell the Uchiha Clan Great Elder and the Third Elder that I want to see them. The location will be the forest outside Konoha Village. Tell them not to bring anyone; I have important matters to discuss with them."
"Yes."
After his subordinate left, Danzo slammed his fist on the table, yelling hysterically: "Hiruzen, you forced me to do this! You shouldn't have treated me this way! The Hokage position should have been mine; you stole my position!"
As soon as Sasuke returned home, he immediately told his parents about Mitsusuke praising him. Fugaku just smiled and nodded, saying nothing else.
Uchiha Mikoto was different; she first praised Sasuke, then went to prepare his favorite food.