"What! Asuma-sensei killed Grandpa Third Hokage?"
Naruto shouted in shock upon hearing the words of the boy with dark sunglasses.
Even Sakura, Yamato, and Sai showed drastic changes in their expressions.
"The Third Hokage was killed by Asuma? How is that possible?"
The four of them seemed unable to accept this reality.
"What's wrong? You seem to highly respect Sarutobi Hiruzen, that remnant trash? Even calling him grandpa? Who are you people, really?"
Mirai's expression gradually turned serious and hostile.
Even the other children around, who were initially just watching, slowly showed displeased expressions.
"This…"
Seeing this, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai were startled and wanted to explain.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Yamato, Sai—the four of them lived in remote mountains during the ninja village era, so they know little about current society. Don't bully them."
"As for why they call him grandpa? In the ninja village era, populations were small, so Kage often made themselves seem closer to the villagers to gain support, leading many to address them affectionately."
Iruka explained gently.
"Tch! So that's it. I thought they were remnants of the ninja village era—perfect for wiping out immediately."
As he spoke, Mirai's expression gradually relaxed, but his disdain remained.
"How did it come to this? Asuma-sensei, how could he kill the Third Hokage, his own father…" Naruto muttered, a bit dazed.
"Hey! What's with you? Sarutobi Hiruzen, that ninja village remnant, led a group of ninjas to obstruct the Empire's grand unification and the liberation of everyone!"
"For his own power, he was so selfish and self-centered, letting people starve and denying them a better life! My father sacrificed family for justice, leaving the darkness to seek the light! Why does it sound like he did something wrong in your mouth?"
"I think anyone with that opportunity would make the same choice as my father. That's the act of a hero! Do you get it or not?"
Mirai glared at Naruto.
Naruto's face paled.
"Exactly! Sarutobi Hiruzen, that ninja village remnant, deserved to die!"
The other children shouted in agreement.
"But… but…" Naruto mumbled, wanting to say something.
"Enough with the buts! I only regret not being born in my father's era—otherwise, I'd have killed that bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen myself and ground his bones to dust!"
"His existence is the greatest disgrace to the Sarutobi Clan! He's our family's shame!"
Mirai gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"…"
"Enough, Naruto, don't say any more."
Iruka patted Naruto's shoulder, signaling him to drop the topic.
Naruto looked up at the children, seeing their united expressions against a common enemy, and finally lowered his head helplessly.
"You've seen the new students. Now, let's all introduce ourselves, then we'll do our daily training."
Iruka changed the subject.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
"We'll start with Takuya Takano."
"My name's Takuya Takano, I'm 9 years old. I like stockings worn by pretty girls, I hate ugly people wearing stockings, and my dream is to become great and make every woman in the world wear stockings I designed!"
"My name's…"
One by one, the children introduced themselves.
Team Naruto listened listlessly.
Once everyone finished, they followed Iruka out of the classroom to a nearby open field.
After everyone stood in formation, Iruka shouted loudly:
"Today's lesson is simple: running! Push-ups! Sit-ups… Everyone, face left! March!"
"Ready!"
The group of children shouted enthusiastically and began running.
Team Naruto, still reeling from learning about Asuma killing the Third Hokage, followed with somber moods.
Seeing this, Iruka frowned slightly, walked to their side, and said:
"Two completely different worlds, with different experiences. No need to connect them. Cheer up! If you keep this up, learning Rokushiki will be tough."
"But…" Naruto wanted to say something.
Yamato interjected, "Enough, Naruto. Iruka-sensei's right. There's no need to force connections between the two worlds. Right now, the most important thing is learning Rokushiki. Otherwise, if trouble arises, we won't be able to do anything."
"Get it together, Naruto. Only with strength can we change things." Sakura added.
"I understand… let's all get fired up!"
Naruto took a deep breath, starting to recover slightly.
Seeing this, Iruka nodded gently and reminded them:
"Good that you understand. Next, observe your peers."
"Observe them?"
Hearing this, Team Naruto instinctively looked at the children around them.
After watching closely for a moment, they quickly noticed that as the kids ran, True Qi still flowed through their bodies.
"Iruka-sensei, are we supposed to mimic them and circulate True Qi while running?" Sakura asked.
"Exactly, Sakura's sharp as ever. You need to use True Qi to mimic their flow. That's how you effectively strengthen yourselves and adapt to True Qi's effects." Iruka nodded.
"We understand!"
Team Naruto nodded and began the day's formal training.
While running, they mimicked the flow of True Qi.
The four noticed they tired more easily.
After just ten minutes, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai were panting heavily.
Only Naruto was still in decent shape, though he was starting to pant too.
Looking at the children, except for a few, they maintained good condition.
Mirai, in particular, was in excellent shape. He glanced back at the team of four with a mocking, disdainful smile.
As if ridiculing them—grown adults, yet not even better than a 9-year-old kid!
"That annoying little brat! I'm definitely not losing to him!"
Naruto shouted, speeding up to race against Mirai.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Half an hour later, Naruto lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Mirai stopped beside him, slightly panting, and mocked:
"Yo, mountain uncle, not only are you uncultured, but your strength's pathetic too. So old and still losing to a 9-year-old like me. You three are just as bad. If I were you, I'd have become a farmer ninja long ago—at least you'd contribute something to the Empire."
As he spoke, Mirai glanced at Sakura, Yamato, and Sai, also sprawled on the ground.
"Huff… huff… damn… annoying brat…"
Naruto cursed, panting heavily.