Chapter 656: Changes
Chapter 656: Changes
The moment Uzumaki Naruto received the gift, his first thought was that it was too precious for him to accept.
But before Naruto could voice his thoughts, he hesitated.
Strictly speaking, this gift wasn't meant for him; it was for Kushina Uzumaki, and she truly needed it, especially since she hadn't fully mastered the power of the Nine-Tails.
"Thank you," Naruto eventually said, his face solemn as he expressed his gratitude to Mu Yue.
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. For me, the sealing techniques Kushina taught me are far more valuable," Mu Yue said with a smile.
Without Kushina's guidance, even with Mu Yue's exceptional talent in sealing techniques, it would have been difficult to master them in such a short time.
Kushina had given Mu Yue not just a few sealing techniques but an entire system.
Naruto didn't say much after that and focused on preparing the ingredients.
There was no need for excessive words between good friends; when Mu Yue needed him, Naruto would do his best to help.
...
"What should I do? Should I go and train?" Deidara sat on the grass, looking up at the sky with a thoughtful expression.
With the war finally over and Mu Yue granting them a month-long vacation, Deidara was ready to relax.
It wasn't that he was giving up on training entirely, but he was adjusting the time he spent on it. Normally, Deidara would train for almost the entire day.
If he wanted to relax, he would have to reduce his training time, and he thought four hours a day during the vacation would be sufficient.
However, being alone wasn't much fun, so Deidara decided to look for some friends to play with.
The first person he thought of was Haruno Rin, but she was away on a mission to treat battlefield casualties at the Leaf Village Hospital due to her exceptional medical ninjutsu skills.
Deidara then went to find Kakashi but encountered Might Guy on his way, who was in the midst of training.
Guy enthusiastically invited Deidara to train with him, but Deidara had come out to play, so he politely declined.
To Deidara's surprise, when he arrived at Kakashi's house, Kakashi was also training.
Guy was known for his obsession with training, but Kakashi's dedication puzzled Deidara. What happened to taking a break?
"The war is over, and history has changed. Kakashi, you should take a break too," Deidara said, trying to convince Kakashi to go out and have fun.
"Lately, I've been inspired to improve my One-Sword Style," Kakashi replied, giving Deidara a reason he couldn't argue with.
Deidara understood the importance of the One-Sword Style to Kakashi.
If it were him, even without the inspiration to improve Blue Flame, just having the inspiration to learn it would be enough for Deidara to train intensely.
He hadn't even fully mastered Blue Flame yet.
"Since I brought my camera, I should at least go out and take some photos," Deidara thought as he glanced at the camera hanging around his neck.
Deidara didn't mind training, but since he was already there, he decided to explore Leaf Village and capture interesting scenes.
"Deidara, long time no see," Asama said, noticing Deidara taking pictures of the Hokage Rock.
"It's been a while, Asama. What have you been up to lately?" Deidara put down his camera and turned to Asama.
"I was on a mission in the Land of Hot Springs, and I just returned recently. What about you?"
"I went to the Grass Country for a war mission and came back to Leaf Village recently."
After chatting for a while, Deidara felt it was a bit awkward to stand on the street, so he suggested, "How about we go eat some dango and chat while we eat?"
Asama waved his hand, "No need, I have something to do. I'll treat you another day."
"What's the matter?" Deidara asked casually.
"The Ninja Academy is holding an event, and they invited me as an outstanding graduate to give a speech," Asama explained.
"Really?" Deidara was a bit surprised.
He thought the invitation should have gone to him or Kakashi, not Asama.
It wasn't that he looked down on Asama, but there was an undeniable gap between them, and that was a fact.
"I guess so. If we're talking about outstanding, the one who fits the bill the most is Shisui, who became a Jonin at the age of eight, the youngest Jonin in the entire history of Leaf Village," Asama said with a smile.
Deidara nodded in agreement, impressed by Shisui's impressive resume.
"Maybe Shisui, you, and Kakashi are all too outstanding, and the Ninja Academy teachers are worried that the students might get carried away. That's why they chose me, who became a Jonin at the age of thirteen," Asama added.
Deidara and Kakashi became Jonin at the age of ten, while many others were still training to become ninjas at that age, let alone reaching Jonin rank.
"Who cares how old you were when you became a Jonin?" Deidara joked.
"Haha," Asama laughed, patting Deidara on the shoulder.
After a while, Asama bid farewell to Deidara and headed to the Ninja Academy for the event.
"Since I'm free, I'll tag along and see what it's all about," Deidara said, joining Asama.
Deidara was curious about how Daichi was doing in school and his academic performance.
Asama nodded; although Deidara hadn't received an invitation, he was a well-known genius in the village, and the Ninja Academy wouldn't stop him from entering.
So, the two of them headed to the Ninja Academy together.
Since Asama was specifically invited as an outstanding graduate, there was a teacher assigned to receive and guide them.
The teacher inwardly sighed when he saw Deidara next to Asama.
If they were to compare who was more outstanding, Asama would undoubtedly lose to Deidara, especially when it came to the age at which they became Jonin.
However, just as Asama had analyzed, the age at which Deidara and Kakashi became Jonin was indeed impressive, and after careful consideration, the Ninja Academy leadership ultimately chose Asama.
"Jonin Asama, Jonin Deidara," the teacher greeted them with a forced smile.
Deidara nodded, curiously examining the Ninja Academy while not engaging in much conversation with the teacher.
Seeing that Deidara didn't bring up the outstanding graduate matter, the teacher breathed a sigh of relief and discussed the event's speech with Asama.
The teacher then led them to the office and handed Asama a draft of the speech for reference.
Bored, Deidara decided to wander around the school on his own.
Apparently, there were no classes today due to the upcoming event.
"Let's see how Daichi's class is doing. If I remember correctly, it should be the first-year class," Deidara thought, quickly locating Daichi's classroom based on his memory of the school layout.
Deidara didn't enter right away; he waited outside until he noticed that the first-year class teacher was absent for some reason. Only then did he step into the classroom.
The classroom door swung open, and all the students instinctively looked towards the entrance, thinking it was the teacher returning.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a young-looking ninja.
"Hello there," Deidara greeted the students with a mischievous smile.
"Good morning, teacher," they replied.
Deidara's familiarity caught the students off guard, and unsure of his identity, they settled for addressing him as a teacher.
After all, this was the Ninja Academy, and calling an unfamiliar ninja 'teacher' was a safe bet.
This greeting amused Deidara, as it was the first time someone had addressed him as such. He rather enjoyed the feeling.
"Senior Deidara," Daichi said, surprised to see Deidara in the classroom. He never expected to see him here.
"Do you know him, Daichi? Is he a new teacher at the school? He looks so young, like he just graduated recently," Hinata Oriko asked curiously.
Daichi nodded and then shook his head.
"He's a very capable senior I know, but not a teacher," Daichi explained.
Deidara scanned the classroom and noticed that since it wasn't class time, the students weren't sitting in their designated seats. Instead, they were sitting wherever they pleased.
Next to Daichi, a group of students had gathered, seemingly the center of attention for the class.
Seeing this, Deidara realized that he didn't need to worry about Daichi's school life; it seemed much more enjoyable than his own first year.
Just as Deidara was contemplating whether to leave, Hinata Oriko, having heard Daichi praise Deidara, brightened up and approached him with a small notebook in hand.
Daichi inwardly groaned.
Hinata Oriko was an exemplary student, ranking first in theory in Class 1-A. She had even started studying advanced theories from higher grades and often asked Daichi questions about ninja knowledge.
Daichi could only answer ninja-related questions; for subjects like math, language arts, history, and chemistry, he had to seek Hinata Oriko's guidance.
In Daichi's memory, Deidara struggled with theory and was often ridiculed by Kakashi. He couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be if he were stumped by a first-year student's question.
"Daichi said you're a very capable senior. May I ask you some questions?" Hinata Oriko asked eagerly.
"Haha, of course," Deidara replied with a relaxed smile, inwardly praising Daichi for his earlier endorsement.
"Sorry, Senior Deidara, I'll treat you to a meal to make up for it when I have time," Daichi apologized silently.
"Thank you so much. I'll start asking now," Hinata Oriko said with a delighted smile.
She began with questions about the village's history from its founding, followed by geography and strategy, and finally, classic math problems like the chicken and rabbit puzzle.
To Daichi's surprise, Deidara answered fluently without hesitation, except for a slight delay in solving the math problem.
Was this the same Deidara who struggled with theory? Daichi was astonished.
"Have you ever seen a midnight study session?" Deidara asked, basking in the admiring gazes of the surrounding students.
He was no longer the Uchiha Deidara who couldn't advance to Jonin due to poor academic performance. Now, he not only trained daily but also devoted significant time to studying.
Initially, Deidara found studying challenging and would quickly become drowsy.
However, the thought of being ridiculed by Kakashi for his lack of cultural knowledge and not becoming the Hokage motivated him to persevere.
After a period of study, Deidara developed a habit of learning, and even the most tedious math books no longer lulled him to sleep.
Just then, the assembly bell rang, and the students in the classroom began to stir.
Daichi approached Deidara, "Senior Deidara, why are you here today? Are you participating in our school event?"
"Yeah, I'm just here to pass the time," Deidara nodded.
As they chatted, they made their way to the assembly location.
Along the way, Deidara spotted Ichizuka Yuki, his former homeroom teacher.
"Teacher Ichizuka," Deidara greeted him warmly.
He hadn't forgotten Ichizuka Yuki's kindness in granting him leave.
"You've just returned to Konoha, right? I've heard about your achievements. I heard that Might Guy fought evenly with Huang Tu from the Stone Hidden Village," Ichizuka Yuki replied with a surprised expression.
He probably couldn't forget Deidara and Might Guy.
Not only did they bring him extra bonuses during their school days, but even after graduation, they continued to positively impact Ichizuka Yuki's teaching career.
Sometimes, Ichizuka Yuki felt unworthy, as initially, he considered himself unlucky for being assigned the class with the two most notorious underachievers in the school. During the first semester, he even had to rely on Yu Sheng Mu Yue for substitute teaching due to his dating life.
"I should have listened to Ueda and focused entirely on teaching," Ichizuka Yuki sighed, ultimately failing to win over his dream girl.
"It's a good thing you didn't listen, Teacher Ichizuka, or our Class 4-2 would have suffered a significant loss," Deidara said, relieved.
Where else could he find such a great substitute teacher as Yu Sheng Mu Yue, who was now the leading candidate for the next Hokage?
"You're too straightforward, kid," Ichizuka Yuki said, not taking offense but chuckling at Deidara's bluntness.
After all, Deidara wasn't wrong; the substitute teacher was none other than Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Ichizuka Yuki now felt like reality had taken a surreal turn. The future Hokage had once been his substitute teacher, shared drinks with him, and worked in the same office.
He had even borrowed money from the future Hokage.
"Hehe," Deidara chuckled and returned to Daichi's side.
After the assembly, which Deidara found uninteresting, he quietly slipped away. He wasn't a student or a special guest, so he didn't feel the need to stay.
Instead of wandering aimlessly, Deidara went directly to the Uchiha clan's territory for training.
The thought of Kakashi researching a powerful technique kept Deidara from fully enjoying himself.
...
Deidara's departure didn't disrupt the Ninja Academy's activities.
To showcase the capabilities of a 13-year-old Jonin, the academy had prepared a special segment featuring Asuma fighting against a Ninja Academy Jonin teacher, followed by Asuma selecting students for guidance.
Unsurprisingly, Asuma easily defeated the Ninja Academy's Jonin teacher, earning cheers from the audience.
Finally, it was time for the student guidance segment.
"You, come up here," Asuma pointed at Daichi and said.
He had seen Deidara and Daichi conversing and, given the choice, preferred to guide a friend's junior.
"Me?" Daichi asked uncertainly.
"Yes, you," Asuma confirmed with a calm expression.
(End of Chapter)
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