The teacher for the second class was Mizuki.
It was a mathematics lesson.
Naruto slept soundly, and Mizuki didn’t bother with him.
By the end of class, only two hours remained on the countdown.
The single class had also helped wash away the earlier incident.
There were only two long classes in the morning.
It was now noon—lunchtime.
The students began taking out their packed lunches and digging in.
This left Naruto in a difficult situation.
He hadn’t prepared a lunch at all.
He hadn’t even brought any instant ramen.
Watching his classmates one by one start eating, Naruto initially planned to numb himself with sleep.
Unfortunately, the aroma was simply too strong.
Before long, his stomach began protesting.
He couldn’t go home either.
Leaving the school would interrupt his check-in.
“Guess I have to buy something from the system shop?”
Naruto remembered seeing fast food and snacks there when he bought the fishing rod yesterday.
He opened the system.
His Lazing Points had somehow reached 160.
That startled Naruto quite a bit.
“Looks like upgrading the template really is useful.”
“But jumping up all at once…”
Naruto hesitated for a moment before choosing to add 20 points to each attribute.
Increasing his attributes also caused changes to his body.
When he looked in the mirror that morning, he had even discovered that he had developed abdominal muscles.
There was nothing wrong with increasing everything at once, but Naruto was worried that the changes would be too obvious and attract attention.
Imagine suddenly turning into a muscle-bound freak in the middle of class.
That would be awkward.
To advance to the Chunin Template, every attribute had to reach 100.
His average attributes were already approaching 40, which wasn’t bad.
It was safer to increase them gradually and maintain a balanced development.
Besides, he could keep some Lazing Points for emergencies and save up to purchase useful abilities.
After spending the points, Naruto had 100 Lazing Points remaining.
A fast-food meal only cost five points, and it was nutritionally balanced.
Naruto left the classroom and headed straight for the rooftop.
He found a secluded corner near the stairs and quietly ate his meal.
After all, he hadn’t brought anything with him when he arrived.
Suddenly producing a boxed lunch out of nowhere would inevitably look suspicious.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Naruto might have embraced the art of slacking, but his ability to eat quickly was still intact.
He had chosen a blind spot in the stairwell.
There were no students around, and even the ANBU couldn’t see him.
After wiping his mouth, Naruto returned to the classroom and began his afternoon nap.
Two hours remained on the check-in timer.
Once he woke up, he would be able to claim his reward.
Perfect.
…
Hokage’s Office.
During the lunch break, Iruka hurried over to report the situation to the Third Hokage.
“Lord Third, perhaps… you should assign Naruto another teacher.”
“I can go teach Class B instead.
You can even let me remain an assistant teacher for another year.
In short…”
“I’m sorry, Lord Third.
I can’t do it!”
Iruka lowered his head, his face filled with shame.
It was too embarrassing.
He had disappointed the Third Hokage’s trust in him.
But whenever he thought about the things Naruto had said, Iruka felt a lingering sense of dread.
His hobby was sleeping?
His dream was to become a janitor?
Working hard didn’t necessarily guarantee results, but not working hard guaranteed comfort?
Were these really things a six-year-old child should be saying?!
Those problems weren’t too serious by themselves.
After all, there were still six years ahead.
Iruka believed that if he continued working hard, he could still guide Naruto onto the right path.
What had truly broken him, however, was Hinata’s outburst.
Iruka felt deeply ashamed.
As a teacher, he actually understood one of his students less than his own classmates did…
That was true.
There were many ways to contribute to Konoha.
If everyone became a ninja and went out on missions, then who would take care of all those small but necessary tasks?
Hinata had reminded Iruka of something.
Wasn’t that one of the reasons he had given up on becoming a Jonin and returned to the Ninja Academy to teach?
Yet the result…
Iruka felt deeply guilty.
He had even begun questioning his entire life.
Was he really suitable to be a teacher for children?
The Third Hokage smoked his pipe.
He already understood the general situation.
Naruto had been acting strangely lately.
In the past, Naruto had practically been eager to proclaim his dream of becoming Hokage at every opportunity.
But now…
Hokage had become a janitor.
The Third Hokage certainly didn’t believe Naruto had reached the level Hinata was talking about—thinking about all the different ways he could serve Konoha.
On the contrary.
This was a dangerous sign.
Naruto…
Had he ultimately failed to withstand the pressure?
That made sense.
After all, he was still just a child.
So much hostility directed at him would be difficult for anyone to bear.
But it wasn’t a major problem.
Now that Naruto had entered the Ninja Academy, six years was more than enough time.
“Iruka, do you know why I chose you to be Naruto’s homeroom teacher?”
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, his gaze deep and contemplative.
Iruka raised his head.
“Lord Third, I…”
“Because you…”
“Of all the teachers, you are the one who can understand Naruto the most.”
“Your fates are connected.
You have both endured similar pain, something the other teachers have never experienced.”
The Third Hokage spoke calmly.
“Right now, Naruto is still a blank sheet of paper.
Having the right teacher is extremely important to him…”
“You are walking along similar paths.
With every step Naruto takes, he will be able to see your shadow.
You are the guiding light that can lead that child forward.”
“So, Iruka…”
“I can consider your request.
But I still want to ask you for one thing…”
“Don’t give up.”
“Don’t give up on that child, and don’t…”
“Give up on yourself.”
When Iruka walked out of the Hokage’s office—
His back was straight.
His eyes were bright.
His eyes were filled with light.