The sunlight over Konoha always possessed a lazy sort of magic.
This was especially true inside the Ninja Academy classroom, where Teacher Iruka’s long-winded lectures on the Will of Fire turned the room into a high-intensity hypnotic zone.
Hoshi rested his chin on one hand, his black bangs falling over his forehead.
His deep dark eyes stared at the basic trajectory diagrams on the blackboard—diagrams that, in his view, didn’t even measure up to kindergarten level—and he let out a long sigh in his heart.
*Unlucky.
If I keep listening to this lecture, my cerebral cortex is going to shrink.
Life is short—why waste it reciting the First Hokage’s glorious deeds?
I could recite the Will of Fire backward by now.* Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto beside him snoozing with drool trailing from his mouth, while Shikamaru off in the distance had long since entered an out-of-body state.
Choji was quietly tearing open a bag of potato chips inside his desk, producing a faint rustle.
“Hey, Naruto, wake up,” Hoshi nudged the leg of Naruto’s chair with the toe of his sandal.
His voice was faint as a mosquito’s hum, yet it landed precisely in Naruto’s ears.
“Huh?
Ichiraku Ramen with extra pork?” Naruto snapped awake, a line of glistening drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.
“Feel like slipping out for some fresh air?
I know a place that’s not only fun, but guaranteed to fill your stomach.” Hoshi flashed a bright, sunny smile—the kind that sent a shiver down the spine of anyone who knew him well.
“Really?
Let’s go, let’s go!” At the mention of food and fun, Naruto’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs.
Hoshi turned his head toward Ino, who was trying her best to maintain a lady-like posture while her eyes remained glued to him, then glanced at Shikamaru on the verge of sleep and Choji happily snacking.
“Ino, I found a patch of mutant medicinal herbs.
They’re invaluable for flower arrangement and skincare research.
Shikamaru, the clouds over there are exceptionally white—perfect for napping.
Choji, I prepared some herb-infused barbecue sauce.” Following the same strategy, Hoshi turned to the other rookies.
“Kiba, I found…” In less than three minutes, the largest, most attractive, and most powerful ditching squad in Konoha Ninja Academy history was officially formed.
Under the cover of Hoshi’s exquisite Chakra sensing and Clone Jutsu, the group slipped past Iruka like a wisp of smoke, scaled the modest wall, and plunged straight into the forest of Konoha’s back mountain.
“Whoa!
The smell of freedom!” Naruto spread his arms wide, bouncing around like an excited young donkey.
“Hoshi, where’s the herb patch you talked about?” Ino looked around curiously, without forgetting to hold tightly onto Hoshi’s sleeve.
“Yeah, where’s the potion that can speed up Akamaru’s growth?” Kiba asked impatiently.
“Don’t rush.
Before that, we need to ‘clear out’ this area.” Hoshi stopped at the overgrown, rubble-strewn backyard of an abandoned Senju Clan estate.
Pointing at the chaotic mess, he flashed the kindly smile of a seasoned capitalist.
“Be careful.
A dangerous plant called ‘Phantom Grass’ is mixed in with these weeds.
If it isn’t pulled out by the roots, it causes hallucinations.
Naruto, you have plenty of Chakra, so you’re in charge of clearing the land with raw strength.
Choji, your Human Bullet Tank is perfect for flattening these rocks.
Kiba, your Akamaru can pinpoint those deep-seated tree roots.” “Wait a minute!” Shikamaru’s superior intelligence instantly picked up on the anomaly.
“Hoshi, why does this feel…
like we’re just doing farm work for you?” “Shikamaru, that’s just your limited perspective talking,” Hoshi said solemnly, his tone so earnest it could bring tears to one’s eyes.
“This is called ‘Terrain Sensing and Coordinated Combat Drills.’ Naruto refines micro-control of his Chakra while pulling weeds, Choji hardens his body while crushing rocks, Akamaru practices tracking techniques, and you coordinate the overall strategy.
Isn’t that precisely the role of a future Hokage’s chief advisor?” “That…
actually makes a lot of sense!” Naruto had already rolled up his sleeves and jumped into action.
“Watch me!
Secret Art of Weed Pulling!” “Oh well, let’s treat it as pre-dinner exercise.” Choji chewed his chips, expanding on the spot.
“Human Bullet Tank, launch!” Ino watched her companions working up a storm, then looked at Hoshi, who was standing in the shade fanning himself like an overseer—even casually directing Katsuyu to spit sticky acid to clear stubborn stains.
Her heart swelled with admiration: *Hoshi really has incredible leadership skills!
He can even organize ditching class in such an orderly way!* Hoshi watched the overgrown backyard rapidly flatten out under the efforts of his “free labor,” with even the withered trees stacked neatly into a corner.
He calculated in his mind: *This just saved at least five hundred thousand ryo in foundation work for the rehabilitation center.
These kids are so passionate—it’d be a crime not to put them to work.
A hundred square meters of weed clearing for just a bowl of ramen.* “Hoshi, you haven’t told me what I should do yet!” Ino leaned in, her face full of anticipation.
“Ino, your task is the most arduous.” Hoshi gently wiped an imaginary speck of dust from her forehead, pointing toward a newly cleared plot.
“Medicinal flowers need to be planted here.
Only someone with your eye for detail and sense of beauty can handle it.
I know I can count on you.” “Leave it to me!” Overwhelmed by this “gentle, crucial responsibility,” Ino threw herself into the work harder than anyone else.
As the sun gradually sloped west, the dilapidated ruins on the back mountain surprisingly radiated a burst of vibrant life.
Naruto collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, while Choji’s eyes turned green with hunger.
“Since everyone worked so hard, dinner is on me.” Hoshi clapped his hands, and his shadow clone emerged from the house carrying bento boxes.
He had gone out specifically to buy them tailored to everyone’s tastes—after all, one shouldn’t neglect their stomachs, or there wouldn’t be free labor next time.
“Whoa!
Meat!
I smell miso tonkotsu ramen!” Naruto pounced forward like a starved tiger.
The kids sat in a circle, sharing food and the forbidden thrill of ditching class as laughter echoed through the Senju Clan grounds.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the dirt.
In that moment, watching his companions dripping with sweat from his scheme yet beaming with bright smiles, a flicker of genuine warmth passed through the depths of Hoshi’s eyes.
*Even if they were just working for me, this kind of sweat-soaked bond isn’t half bad.* He had no idea, however, that atop a tall tree nearby, a silver-haired guy wearing a black mask crouched on a branch.
He held the famous *Make-Out Paradise* in his hand, but his exposed eye was twitching uncontrollably.
“He tricked his classmates into ditching school just to do this?
Packaging ‘exploiting classmates’ as ‘passionate training’…
Lady Tsunade, what kind of freak did you raise?
Don’t tell me he loves gambling as much as you do, too.” Kakashi snapped the book shut and sighed helplessly, inwardly marking Hoshi with a giant red warning label: *Definitely do not mess with him, or you’ll either end up tricked into washing his underwear for the rest of your life, or get hit with Monstrous Strength.*