After class, the high schoolers stood in a miserable line on the field, dusty and humiliated.
Yamashiro Taiga stood at the front with his head lowered, his face going from pale to red, then from red back to pale again.
Yamaue Kazuumi stood in front of them with his hands behind his back, his gaze cutting across their faces like knives.
"You've got some nerve, don't you?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word made the students in front of him shrink a little. "Luring the teachers away, then having the whole class gang up on first-years?"
No one dared make a sound.
"More than twenty of you, against one first-year class, and this is how it turned out?"
Yamaue Kazuumi pointed at the charred crater on the ground, then at the unlucky boys who still had snot marks on their faces. "And you still dare stand there with your heads up?"
Taiga's lips twitched. He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.
Yamaue Kazuumi walked up to him and looked down at him.
"Yamashiro Taiga."
"Here."
"You led the trouble, lured the teachers away, and attacked lower-grade students." Yamaue Kazuumi spoke each word distinctly. "That's one demerit."
Taiga's face turned white again.
A demerit...
"And if this happens again," Yamaue Kazuumi's voice turned cold, "you'll be expelled on the spot."
Taiga's legs nearly gave out under him.
The others who had been shouting the loudest also went pale.
Expulsion was no joke.
Yamaue Kazuumi swept a glance over them, then turned to Teacher Ibuki.
"What do you think, Teacher Ibuki?"
Teacher Ibuki stood to one side, looking at the pathetic state of the upperclassmen, then at his own students in the distance.
He was silent for two seconds. "One more thing."
Yamaue Kazuumi raised a brow.
"Tomorrow." Teacher Ibuki looked at Taiga. "Everyone in your class comes to the front of our classroom and apologizes in person."
Taiga froze.
"In... in person?"
"Yes." Teacher Ibuki's tone was calm, but left no room for negotiation. "One by one."
Taiga opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw Yamaue Kazuumi's icy expression, he swallowed the words.
"Yes, sir."
The students behind him all lowered their heads, their faces even more miserable than if they were crying.
Yamaue Kazuumi snorted at the sight of them.
"Get lost."
The upperclassmen fled as if they'd just been pardoned. Taiga ran fastest, not even daring to look back.
After class, the crowd slowly dispersed.
"Teacher Ibuki."
A voice came from behind him.
Teacher Ibuki turned and saw Rin standing there, looking a little nervous.
"What is it?" he asked.
Rin pressed her lips together, as if bracing herself, then spoke.
"Teacher, I wanted to ask... how do you become a medical ninja?"
Teacher Ibuki blinked.
"A medical ninja?"
"Yes." Rin nodded. "Today, when I saw them getting hurt, I couldn't do anything. All I could do was watch. I don't want that."
Teacher Ibuki looked at her. Her eyes were earnest.
"Well..." He scratched his head. "To be honest, I don't really know."
Rin froze. "Even you don't know, Teacher?"
"I don't." Teacher Ibuki smiled bitterly. "I teach the basics. I know nothing about medical ninjutsu."
He thought for a moment, then added, "But I do know that becoming a medical ninja isn't easy. I've heard you have to study a lot, and you need extremely strong chakra control. And..."
Before he could finish, a lazy voice cut in from the side.
"Teacher, that's kind of lame."
Teacher Ibuki's mouth twitched. He turned and saw Shin-chan standing there with Shiro beside him, both of them tilting their heads in exactly the same way.
"When did you get there?" Teacher Ibuki asked.
"I've been here the whole time." Shin-chan blinked. "Didn't you notice?"
Teacher Ibuki fell silent.
He really hadn't.
Shin-chan kept going. "Teacher, how come you don't know anything?"
A little cross popped out on Teacher Ibuki's forehead.
"I teach basic classes. Medical ninjutsu is outside my teaching scope."
"Oh." Shin-chan nodded. "So basically, you still don't know."
Rin couldn't help laughing a little at that, but quickly pulled herself together. "Teacher, then is there anyone who does know?"
Teacher Ibuki thought for a moment, then seemed to remember something. "Right. Do you know the Sannin?"
"The Sannin?" Rin blinked.
"Yes." Teacher Ibuki nodded. "The legendary Sannin—Lord Jiraiya, Lord Orochimaru, and Lady Tsunade."
He paused, then emphasized, "Lady Tsunade is the greatest medical ninja of all. They say she created many medical ninjutsu and trained many outstanding medical ninja."
Rin's eyes lit up.
"Lady Tsunade..."
She silently committed that name to memory.
Beside them, Shin-chan scratched his head.
"The Sannin?"
He tilted his head and thought about it. It sounded weirdly familiar.
Teacher Ibuki looked at Rin. "Anyway, if you want to become a medical ninja, the best possible thing would be to learn under Lady Tsunade."
"Thank you, Teacher." Rin nodded seriously.
She turned to leave, then suddenly stopped.
"Teacher."
"Hmm?"
"Even if you don't know anything about medical ninjutsu... thank you anyway."
Teacher Ibuki froze.
Rin had already run off.
He stood there watching her little figure disappear, and suddenly felt a warmth in his chest.
Then a voice came from beside him.
"Teacher."
Teacher Ibuki looked down and saw Shin-chan still standing there.
"What now?"
"Rin was comforting you just now."
"I know."
"Because she thinks you're kind of lame."
Teacher Ibuki's mouth twitched. "I know that too! You don't need to point it out!"
Watching that little red figure disappear into the sunset, Teacher Ibuki suddenly felt like he was being completely controlled by one brat.
"That little punk..."
He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh.
Oh well.
It wasn't like this was the first time.
...
After school, Shin-chan and Shiro were wandering home at their usual leisurely pace.
"Shin-chan!"
A voice called from behind.
Shin-chan turned and saw Rin running toward him, carrying a small cloth bundle in her hands.
"Rin?" Shin-chan tilted his head. "Why are you here?"
"I was looking for you." Rin ran up to him, slightly out of breath. "Good thing I caught you."
Shin-chan blinked.
"What for?"
Rin lifted the little cloth bundle and waved it in front of him. "This. I wanted to ask you to come deliver it with me."
"What is it?" Shin-chan looked down at the bundle, then back up at Rin.
"Cookies." Rin opened the bundle, revealing neatly arranged little cookies inside. "I made them myself."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Cookies!"
He reached right in to grab one, and Rin quickly pulled the bundle back.
"They're not for you!" she said, caught between laughter and helplessness. "They're for the flower shop owners."
"The flower shop?"
"You know, last time..." Rin reminded him. "When I wanted to buy flowers for Teacher Ibuki, but I didn't have enough money, and the shop lady didn't charge me."
Shin-chan blinked.
Rin waited two seconds, then looked a little helpless.
"You don't remember, do you?"
"Mm-hmm." Shin-chan nodded as if that were perfectly reasonable. "Once something's over, it's over."
Rin looked at him and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Then Shin-chan looked down at the bundle in her hands.
"Did you make them a long time ago?"
"Yesterday." Rin said, "It was my first time, so they might not taste very good..."
Shin-chan suddenly reached into the bundle and grabbed a cookie.
"Shin-chan!" Rin panicked. "Those are for someone else—"
But Shin-chan had already stuffed it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
"They're really good."
~~~
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