________________________________________
The afternoon class remained as boring as ever. While Yuichi Yuuki had guessed Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions, Hatake Kakashi and the others hadn't.
Even Yuhi Kurenai spent the entire afternoon nervously glancing at Umino Ikkaku, fearing he might call them out for reprimand at any moment.
But they were overthinking it.
By the time school ended, Umino Ikkaku hadn't said a word to them.
"Yuuki, the teacher didn't scold us," Yuhi Kurenai whispered with a relieved smile. "Let's hurry home before he remembers!"
She lightly poked Yuichi Yuuki as if to remind him to avoid any potential trouble.
Umino Ikkaku, who had been teaching at the front, twitched at hearing Yuhi Kurenai's remark. Forgot? He thought. I'm choosing to ignore it!
Yuuki chuckled at her comment. No way a teacher forgets something like that, he mused, gently patting Kurenai's head. "It's okay. The teacher isn't that petty."
Satisfied with this response, Umino Ikkaku nodded subtly, approving of Yuichi's demeanor.
As soon as the school bell rang, Umino Ikkaku dismissed the class without delay. But just as Yuichi and the others were ready to escape through the window, the teacher cleared his throat, calling out, "Yuichi Yuuki, come with me!"
Umino Ikkaku had developed a soft spot for Yuichi. Though at first, he'd thought Yuichi was a troublesome student, Yuichi's genuine attitude in admitting his mistakes made him reconsider. He's a good kid, Umino Ikkaku thought, glancing at Kakashi, thinking the boy had been misled by him.
Kakashi, puzzled by the teacher's sudden sigh, raised an eyebrow. What's going on?
As Yuichi passed him, he patted Kakashi's shoulder and said with a smirk, "Kakashi, the teacher's only trying to help."
Kakashi blinked in confusion. "Wha–? Me? What did I do?" His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Meanwhile, Umino Ikkaku, seeing Yuichi's good-natured gesture, felt even more justified in his thinking. Poor Yuichi's been led astray by Kakashi, he concluded. Even Kurenai and Obito have followed!
As Umino cast a disappointed glance at Kakashi, he said, "Kakashi, you should learn from Yuichi."
Kakashi could only respond with a bewildered, "???"
As Yuichi followed the teacher, Kurenai's worried voice echoed behind him, "Is Yuichi going to be okay?"
"Don't worry!" Uchiha Obito's carefree voice reassured her. "Yuichi's not one to get lectured easily."
Kakashi, agreeing silently with Obito for once, nodded. Obito might be a bit thick-headed, but he's right about this one.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Asuma, leaning back in his chair, asked casually, "Are we waiting for him?"
Mitarashi Anko, sitting nearby, perked up at the conversation. "Where have you all been every morning?" she asked excitedly. "Did you go get something delicious?"
Her enthusiasm made everyone laugh, with Kurenai shaking her head gently. "We were training," she explained.
"Training, huh..." Anko pouted slightly, clearly disappointed.
As the group chattered, Yuichi followed Umino Ikkaku to a more secluded area. The teacher finally turned around and, with a smile, asked, "Yuichi, could you tell me where you went this morning?"
Ah, he's just curious.
"Yesterday, we ran into Brother Minato and Lord Hokage," Yuichi explained, recalling the previous day's events. "We mentioned we'd train this morning, so Kakashi led us to the training grounds near Hokage Rock."
Hearing this, Umino Ikkaku nodded in understanding. Ah, so that's why they skipped classes.
Even though skipping classes wasn't acceptable, the teacher realized the current curriculum was probably too easy for these talented students. As long as they're not goofing off, I can turn a blind eye.
Just as Yuichi turned to leave, Umino Ikkaku called out, "One more thing! Make sure to come to school in the mornings. You can skip to train after that, but you must attend the afternoon classes!"
Yuichi smiled and nodded. Of course, I'm not missing out on the Will of Fire class.
After Yuichi left, Umino Ikkaku muttered to himself, "Such a disciplined boy." Then, his expression changed as he suddenly realized something.
"Kakashi took them to the training ground again! It's all Kakashi's doing!" Umino Ikkaku grumbled, his face flushing with frustration. Yuichi's such a good kid, but Kakashi is leading him astray!
If Kakashi had been nearby, he'd surely have faced a scolding.
________________________________________