Chapter 304: Labor Education Class
"Why are you here? Are you joining me for the lesson?"
Haneda stood behind Kakashi and asked with a smile.
"I went to your house earlier this morning, but you weren't there. Then I heard from the ANBU that you had gone to the school to handle something, so I just came straight here," Kakashi replied.
"Oh, so you're worried about Naruto, huh?" Haneda chuckled softly.
Kakashi didn't bother explaining his real reason for being there, but Haneda knew him too well and figured it out instantly.
"Alright, you caught me. But I'm not here to help with your lesson. I'm just worried about Naruto and wanted to check on him."
"And you're worried about that with me here?"
"You… forget it. I'm not even going to argue with you."
Kakashi knew exactly how Haneda thought. Unless there was a life-threatening situation, Haneda likely wouldn't interfere. After all, with the Nine-Tails sealed within him, Naruto's potential could afford to be pushed a bit.
As for Sasuke? There was always the possibility he might awaken his Sharingan.
Haneda and Kakashi stood atop a windmill, gazing out over the farm.
The golden fields of rice swayed gently under the whispering wind, soothing to the soul.
Far in the distance, Haneda saw streams of people forming long lines as they moved toward their gathering points.
In his view, they looked like ants receiving a signal, linking together in orderly motion. It was amusing to watch.
Among the crowd, Haneda spotted several familiar figures.
Besides Naruto and Sasuke, the main characters of their generation, all of the Konoha 12 were present.
There was Lee, who hadn't yet adopted his signature bowl-cut hairstyle or the iconic green jumpsuit of his future.
Neji, through some special arrangement, was standing near Hinata, silently protecting her like Itachi did for Sasuke.
Then there was the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Shikamaru, in particular, caught Haneda's eye as he leaned back lazily, hands behind his head, a blade of grass in his mouth, staring at the sky with a look that screamed he wanted no part in the labor.
Sakura, as in the original story, was fawning over Sasuke, following closely behind him.
But Sasuke ignored her entirely, busy arguing noisily with Naruto and losing some of his usual aloof demeanor.
Haneda couldn't remember a few of the others and didn't pay much attention to them.
However, Kimimaro's demeanor had changed significantly. He seemed softer now and had even started mingling with people other than Haku.
Seeing these changes, Haneda felt a bit sentimental.
Although he hadn't been able to change the fates of certain friends and mentors, he had managed to alter the lives of others through his efforts.
But why did Shikamaru look up at him with such a bored and exasperated expression?
By the time you're as old as Shikaku, it'll be your turn to take over. Can't you be a little more spirited?
I'm planning to make you one of Naruto's most important advisors, after all!
When all the teachers and students had arrived, Haneda jumped down from the windmill, landing amidst a mix of gasps and cheers.
He gave a speech for about ten minutes.
What he said was diligently noted by the teachers and almost put the students to sleep, though out of respect, they didn't dare chat during his speech.
Once he finished, the teachers led their classes to the areas Haneda had previously assigned.
This labor education class, as the name suggested, was about labor.
Coincidentally, today was also the shinobi world's version of a harvest festival, and Area 7 of the farm had been designated for the students to harvest.
Of course, given the students' capabilities, they wouldn't be able to finish harvesting all the rice. Additional staff would handle the remainder later.
The primary goal of this lesson was for the students to experience the difficulty of labor and to introduce Haneda's vision of alternative uses for ninjutsu in the future.
Since deciding to expand the ninja academy, Haneda had planned for most of its students not to pursue traditional ninja careers.
Their futures would be much safer, akin to the job allocations of his previous life, where they would be assigned to Konoha-affiliated positions based on their abilities.
This time, they were being introduced to the practical applications of ninjutsu in agricultural production.
Long ago, Haneda had collaborated with Kakashi to develop ninjutsu specifically for production purposes.
Techniques like Wind Release for harvesting rice and wheat, or Water Release for artificial rainfall, were among their innovations.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the other students watched in awe as workers performed feats like controlling the weather with jutsu.
These techniques were entirely different from what they had been taught in the ninja academy.
The workers skillfully harvested crops, watered greenhouses, and fertilized fields with ease.
Excited to try it themselves, the students quickly volunteered.
But once they started, they realized they would be doing the work the old-fashioned way—with sickles.
Exhausted, Naruto regretted wearing such fashionable clothes, now drenched in sweat and covered in dirt.
"Darn it, Uncle Haneda! You said we were here to observe, but you're just using us as free labor!"
"Ugh, I'm so tired!" Naruto howled to the sky.
Imagining Haneda and Kakashi relaxing nearby, casually chatting while watching them work, Naruto ground his teeth in frustration.
Hearing Naruto's complaints about Uncle Haneda, Sasuke wanted to vent too, but as the top student, he had to maintain his image. With a serious expression, he lectured:
"Naruto! Uncle Haneda is teaching us to appreciate the hard work of farmers and not to waste food. It's also a way to train ourselves!"
Sasuke then channeled his chakra into the sickle, electricity crackling along its blade.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
In mere moments, Sasuke had cleared an entire patch of rice.
"See that, Naruto? That's what Uncle Haneda meant about using chakra in productive work!"
"Just like how he saves time by using the Flying Thunder God to get around!"
Sakura and Ino, who had been watching Sasuke from the sidelines, were instantly mesmerized by his display.
"Sasuke is just as cool as ever!"
"Yeah, the sweat on his face only makes him look more dashing and manly!"
"Compared to Naruto's complaints, Sasuke really embodies strength and masculinity!"
Nearby, Iruka sighed helplessly at the scene.
Hidden in the shadows, Haneda and Kakashi exchanged a glance, a mutual understanding passing between them.
This was just like their childhood—except they were in Naruto's shoes back then.
Still, why had this suddenly turned into a Naruto versus Sasuke competition?
Unwilling to back down, Naruto shouted, "I can do it too, Sasuke! Watch me—Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a hand sign, Naruto created a thousand clones in an instant.
Though some rice plants were trampled in the process, Naruto quickly picked them up. Then, he and his clones began frantically yanking up rice stalks, like pulling out carrots.
In just a few moments, Naruto's efforts surpassed what the entire class could do in half an hour.
"How's that, Sasuke?" Naruto grinned proudly.
"And what about you, Sakura-chan? Wasn't my Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu amazing and manly?"
"It was… okay, I guess," Sasuke muttered, though he begrudgingly acknowledged Naruto's effort.
Sakura glanced at Sasuke, hesitant to openly praise Naruto. Instead, she said, "Naruto, while your chakra reserves are impressive enough to sustain so many clones, Sasuke's use of Lightning Release shows a deeper mastery of chakra control and nature transformation. It's a more advanced application of ninjutsu."
Sakura's academic analysis left Naruto unable to argue, and he hung his head in dejection, his enthusiasm for the task dampened.
Just then, an unexpected event occurred—a massive boar, as large as an elephant, charged at them with blood-red eyes!
Its enormous tusks, nearly half a meter long, looked incredibly dangerous.
A head-on collision would mean certain death!
Worse yet, the boar was moving at incredible speed, covering the distance in mere seconds.
***
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