The Legend of the Ghoul

Training ground.

"It's so hot! I hate the summer sun..."

Sweat poured down Choji Akimichi's forehead. For fat people, being afraid of heat is a common problem, and he was no exception.

"Summer!"

Shikamaru sighed listlessly. It was a pity that their practical training teacher was too fierce, unlike Iruka-sensei was easy to talk to. Otherwise, he would have found a way to skip class long ago.

Conducting field training in this kind of weather is pure torture.

"It's so hot! My skin is going to get a tan!"

My arms are so sore from the sun.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have taken the day off."

The girls chattered incessantly, complaining.

However, not everyone disliked this practical training session. Naruto, that idiot whose instincts outweighed his reason, was staring excitedly at Sasuke standing not far away, rubbing his hands together as if he were ready for a fight.

"Speaking of which, the school bell has already rung, hasn't it? Why isn't the teacher here yet?"

Shuyuan looked around but couldn't find the teacher.

"Damn it, she skips class and leaves us here to sunbathe, is she a demon?"

With a small white dog perched on his head, the wildly styled boy muttered angrily.

"Oh! You sound very unhappy, Tooth."

A delicate fragrance wafted from behind him, and Ya twitched his nose, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Trembling, he turned his head to look behind him, forcing a bright smile onto his face. Looking at the expressionless, long-haired beauty in a black, off-the-shoulder combat suit standing behind him, his heart felt like it was soaking in bitter water, even his saliva tasted bitter.

"Teacher Hitomi, you've arrived!"

·······

The boy, carrying a 10-kilogram weight, began running laps around the training track. He would run 30 laps, and he could only rest when he finished.

"This is what happens when you're foul-mouthed! Learn from this, Naruto."

Looking at the swaying figure on the track, Shuyuan sighed softly.

"I'm not an idiot like Kiba, how could I say bad things to someone's face? Even if I wanted to curse, I'd wait until behind their back." Naruto sniffed, clearly annoyed.

"So that's how it is, you were talking about me behind my back!"

So, there was one more person on the track.

"Idiot."

Sasuke's lips curled up, revealing a rare, gloating smile.

After making an example of the two idiots, no one dared to complain about the teacher's lateness anymore, and they obediently lined up in formation.

Kaguya Hibiki glanced at the students and nodded slightly.

"Everyone, pay attention! Tomorrow, envoys from other allied ninja villages will be visiting the school. If anyone causes trouble like those two idiots and gets my salary docked, they'll be running laps during all future practical training sessions. Understand?"

The teacher's harsh reprimand was filled with deep resentment over the withheld wages, and everyone deeply felt the teacher's determination.

"I understand."

The uniform responses made Tong nod in satisfaction; it seemed that kicking out the bad apples was indeed necessary.

Having idiots like Naruto and Kiba in the team would definitely cause a ton of trouble. Maybe tomorrow we should find an excuse to lock them up, so our already meager salaries don't grow wings and fly away...

With thoughts swirling in her mind about things a teacher should never consider, Tong casually waved her hand, signaling the students to begin class.

"Alright, now pair up and spar freely. No sharpened blades allowed, and Explosive Tag and Flash Bomb are also prohibited. Well... the old rules still apply. Anyone who dares to break the rules should think twice."

Everyone is very familiar with Teacher Hitomi's style; she always keeps her word.

"Damn it, Naruto is such an idiot."

The students around quickly found opponents, scattered across the training field, and began sparring.

Shuyuan stood alone in the same spot. As the strongest in the class, most people couldn't spar with him, and only a handful could fight him without being quickly defeated.

Naruto is the most unique among them. This fool, whose instincts outweigh his reason, possesses an incredibly amazing fighting intuition and a constant stream of ingenious ideas, often making unexpected moves.

Fighting Naruto is never a fixed routine; it's always full of surprises.

But...

That idiot is still running laps around the training field!

"... Shuyuan, what are you standing there for?" Kaguya Hibiki strode over, looked around in surprise, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Haha, I say, you can't find your friends, can you?"

"Teacher, that's not fair!"

Shuyuan looked distressed.

"Haha, sorry, sorry, but this level of sparring isn't very useful for you... How about I spar with you?"

Kaguya Hibiki smiled.

"Well... then I'll trouble you, teacher."

"That's wonderful! Students these days are so much luckier than we were back then. If we had such beautiful teachers, who would have skipped class!"

"Are you stupid? Isn't that Hitomi?"

"Huh? Oh my god... it really is! When did she become a teacher? How come I didn't know?"

Otoha cried out in surprise.

"Ha... Why should you know? I'm the Principal, okay? By the way, could you stand a little further away? Don't block my window, you're affecting the lighting."

The Principal's office is on the top floor of the school's office building.

Otoha leaned against the window, looking down at the students' every move on the training field.

Fifteen years have passed, and the once handsome young man now has a messy stubble on his face. The dark circles under his eyes are from not getting enough sleep after being disturbed by his children all night. Compared to the past, he has lost some of his youthful naiveté and gained more maturity and fortitude.

"Katsuki, you're living a really comfortable life. Confess honestly, have you abused your power or done anything with female teachers...?"

Otoha stood up straight, looking over with a wicked grin, making an extremely lewd gesture with his hand.

"Tsk!"

Behind the large, luxurious desk, Katsuki leaned back lazily in her chair, her feet propped up on the table, reading a book in her hand.

Hearing Otoha's inappropriate remarks, she clicked her tongue, closed her book, and looked at her unreliable brother-in-law standing by the window, "... This is a school. Can't you wash your head before bringing it in? If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out of here. You're polluting the air."

"Ugh! That's so mean! You should at least call me brother-in-law! You bastard." Otoha muttered a couple of times, then glanced at Guan Katsuki, her eyes twitching as she quickly changed the subject, "I called you here to ask if you've heard that rumor lately?"

"Rumors? What are they?"

"Rumors of ghouls." (To be continued)