Chapter 205: The Conversation
The Next Day
Tonari didn't spend his rare day off lazing around at home.
He couldn't—because three students of his, hungry for training, immediately came knocking at his door the moment they heard he was back.
At a remote training ground in Konoha, he stood before them.
The way their eyes gleamed with excitement made it painfully clear—these kids had been bored out of their minds while he was away.
But it wasn't their fault.
Even though they had officially graduated from the academy and were full-fledged Genin, the war had forced all fresh graduates to be treated like students again—prohibited from leaving the village unless explicitly authorized.
Even after completing an A-rank mission with him, even after bragging about it to their classmates, they still weren't allowed outside.
At first, it wasn't so bad.
Other squads had their Jonin teachers around, training them daily.
But when Iwagakure and Kumogakure launched a joint assault on Konoha, everything became chaotic.
Their teachers had to leave for the battlefield.
And so, these fresh Genin were left behind to "guard Konoha"—a nice way of saying they were kept out of the real fight.
In reality, they barely had any real assignments.
Most of their time was spent training on their own.
But yesterday—
Sarutobi Asuma overheard his father mention that their teacher—the one who had wiped out a thousand enemy ninja in a single strike, the one who had fought a Tailed Beast and walked away unscathed—had returned to Konoha.
Excited beyond belief, Asuma rushed to grab Yuhi Kurenai and Might Guy, then bolted toward Tonari's shop.
Tonari's Mood? Miserable.
The moment he returned home last night, he was too excited to sleep.
Why?
Because he had confirmed he possessed a natural space-time affinity—meaning he could potentially learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It kept him up all night.
Then, as soon as morning came, his sleep deprivation combined with his battlefield fatigue hit him all at once.
He had zero energy.
The last thing he wanted to do was deal with three hyperactive kids first thing in the morning.
But—
These kids weren't going anywhere.
Over the course of their training and missions, even Asuma, who was initially skeptical of Tonari, had completely changed his mind.
Now?
He fully respected his teacher.
As for Kurenai and Guy?
They had worshiped him from the start.
After witnessing Tonari's legendary feats, their admiration only grew stronger.
If they had known what he did in Amegakure…
They would probably be bowing to him right now.
Tonari massaged his temples.
He had a bad feeling about this.
"Alright, you little punks—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Asuma jumped in first.
"Sensei! That super S-rank Lightning Release jutsu you used on the battlefield—what's its name? Can we learn it?!"
Guy immediately followed up.
"Sensei! When you ran through the air—did you open the Sixth Gate? Or was it the Fifth Gate?! Could it be the Seventh Gate?!"
Then, Kurenai, hesitant but still eager—
"Sensei… am I still limited to just learning Genjutsu?"
Tonari: "…"
Why did I come back?
Should've just stayed on the battlefield and done more experiments…
Biggest mistake ever.
He sighed heavily, looking at their expectant faces.
Fine.
He was their teacher.
He couldn't just abandon them.
"Alright, listen up—"
Pointing at Asuma:
"First—do you even know Lightning Release? No? Then forget about it."
Looking at Guy:
"Second—No. Just… No."
Finally, staring at Kurenai:
"Third—No, you won't be learning anything else."
Then—
"Now, let's see if you little brats have been slacking off in my absence.
Fight me."
The three exchanged glances.
Then—
They smirked.
"As you wish, Sensei!"
Ten Minutes Later
Tonari stretched lazily, sighing in satisfaction.
"Ahh… Now that's refreshing."
On the ground—
Asuma lay with his face swollen beyond recognition.
Guy was hanging upside down from a tree, completely motionless.
Kurenai was pale-faced, struggling to keep standing.
Patting her head gently, Tonari grinned.
"Not bad, Kurenai. Your Genjutsu has improved.
Still, you have some weaknesses. Skilled opponents can break free if they catch small flaws.
But considering your age and level, you're progressing exceptionally well."
Then, glancing at Guy—
His progress was the slowest.
But that was normal.
Unlike Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, Taijutsu growth was slow but steady.
If he persisted, one day, he would master the Eight Gates and become unstoppable.
Finally, Asuma.
Tonari was surprised.
His cocky attitude had faded a bit.
His skills had improved significantly.
It seemed he had grown up in the time they were apart.
"Still," Tonari muttered, pulling something from Asuma's pocket—
A lighter.
"…Seriously? You're already smoking at your age?"
Dammit.
Even he hadn't tried smoking yet!
Clapping his hands together—
"Not bad. You three haven't been slacking off.
Soon enough, you'll make me proud."
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