The rain gradually subsided, leaving only scattered drops.
Natsuhiko maintained a leisurely pace, taking quite a while to arrive near the Academy.
At the entrance, there stood an uncle wearing a green ninja vest, leaning on an umbrella, glancing around as if waiting for someone.
Seeing Natsuhiko, the uncle's eyes lit up. Waving the umbrella, he walked briskly towards him, laughing loudly and scolding:
"Natsuhiko, you rascal! After so many years, you still can't shake off the habit of being late?"
"Who are you? Old man?"
Natsuhiko silently complained in his mind.
As the uncle approached, Natsuhiko gradually recognized his identity.
The greasy uncle before him turned out to be his former homeroom teacher, Ikkaku Umino .
Back then, Umino-sensei was quite handsome. How did he end up like this in just a few years?
Time indeed wields a Pig Slaughtering Blade!
Natsuhiko couldn't help but sigh at the short shelf life of ninjas in this world.
No wonder young ninjas start looking for partners even before their pubic hair has grown.
Upon hearing Umino-sensei's words, Natsuhiko couldn't help but reminisce about his school days. So, he half-jokingly mentioned the excuses he used for being late back then.
"Sorry, sorry. I lost my way on the path of life."
Umino-sensei, upon hearing this, was momentarily taken aback.
Back then, he used to get quite angry at such excuses.
He gave Natsuhiko a stern look but noticed that the boy had grown almost as tall as him now. Unable to hold back a sense of nostalgia, he said:
"Time passes so quickly. The former little demon of tardiness has now grown up... into the king of tardiness."
"Hey! Why do you still attach the 'tardiness' prefix? What kind of evolutionary chain is this?"
Natsuhiko couldn't help but complain.
Umino-sensei burst into hearty laughter.
"Because, obviously, you've become a sensei now and yet still arrive late, just like before!"
Natsuhiko rolled his eyes slightly, endowed with extraordinary intelligence, saying:
"Today is the opening ceremony, right? I calculated the time precisely to arrive late, just in time to avoid Hokage-sama's long and boring speech. Everything is within my calculations!"
Plan.exe
Umino-sensei, after hearing this, raised an eyebrow and then said faintly, "Did you also calculate that the rain earlier delayed the opening ceremony, and it's only starting now?"
"..."
Natsuhiko's expression stiffened.
Careless!
It only had to rain at the time of ceremony? Does the weather dislike me that much?
Natsuhiko sighed, "Perhaps I didn't time it right."
"No, you arrived just in time!"
Umino-sensei showed a grin, hooked Natsuhiko's shoulder, and forcefully pulled him towards the Academy entrance. "Let's go and catch up to Hokage-sama's speech."
Natsuhiko wore a troubled expression, like a prisoner being escorted to the execution ground.
Along the way, Umino-sensei didn't stop nagging Natsuhiko.
From Natsuhiko's hair resembling a bird's nest to not visiting the Academy for many years, Umino-sensei complained about the lack of conscience among former students.
Natsuhiko, with a mind full of intrusive thoughts, found himself transported back to the days when he was scolded by Umino-sensei for being late to class while engrossed in reading at the library.
Soon, Umino-sensei discovered another point of interest.
"By the way, it rained heavily just now, and you didn't have an umbrella. That won't do! Don't think you can casually get wet just because you're young and healthy. Wait, why aren't you wet at all?"
After nagging for a long time, Umino-sensei realised there were no signs of rain on Natsuhiko. Suddenly puzzled, he asked, "Why aren't you wet? Didn't you get caught in the heavy rain just now?"
Natsuhiko's complexion stiffened.
Careless!
He left home in the rain today, actually intending to conduct a stress test.
Definitely not for the superficial reason of wanting to show off.
However, Umino-sensei was still dumbfounded.
"You're using barrier jutsu as an umbrella..."
The corner of Umino-sensei's mouth twitched, and his gaze towards Natsuhiko became somewhat strange.
A look of not understanding but being greatly impressed.
Natsuhiko shrugged, evidently accustomed to everyone making a fuss about his rune jutsu.
"Umino sensei, your thinking is too outdated. Ninjutsu isn't just for combat; it has many practical uses in daily life."
"Such as using it as an umbrella?" Umino-sensei was speechless.
"Exactly, using it as an umbrella." Natsuhiko nodded.
Umino-sensei rubbed his slightly sore temple and then reevaluated Natsuhiko.
Although using barrier jutsu as an umbrella left him speechless, Natsuhiko's ability to use it with such ease proved his strength.
Recently, Umino-sensei had heard numerous rumours about Natsuhiko's activities throughout the Land of Fire.
But he found it hard to reconcile the image of a ninja who could perform various mysterious ninjutsu, according to others, with the mischievous little demon he had in mind.
It seemed like two characters with the same name but entirely different.
It wasn't until now that Umino-sensei truly realised that the Natsuhiko before him was no longer the ninja school student who loved being late but a self-reliant Konoha ninja.
Various emotions welled up in his heart for a moment.
"Hahaha, one must respect the old!"
Soon, all of Umino-sensei's emotions turned into contentment.
Then, he heard Natsuhiko say, "Sensei, didn't you have a son last year? Obviously, the old blade hasn't dulled!"
"So you respect this old man only in that matter?"
Umino-sensei glared at Natsuhiko and then looked a bit strange. "How do you even know about the birth of my son, Iruka?"
"Of course, information is a ninja's life," Natsuhiko responded earnestly.
As they continued chatting, they soon arrived at the training grounds where the opening ceremony was taking place.
(End of Chapter 2)
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