Lu Yu's Immortal Life

Hearing Lu Yu's words, the two nodded as a matter of course. In their eyes, it was perfectly reasonable for Lu Yu to help them grow stronger while they took care of the cooking and chores.

The two had no idea that their ready agreement meant they were about to experience a life of hardship.

Lu Yu didn't let on, happily continuing to grill the fish. He let them fully appreciate the taste and texture of the grilled fish, while occasionally informing them about the necessary seasonings and heat control.

As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Once he taught Naruto and Sasuke, he could fully enjoy his life.

The next morning, the three arrived at the lake early.

Lu Yu looked at the two, who were gazing at him with anticipation, and said with a smile:

"I know you both want to become stronger, but sharpening the axe will not delay the work of cutting wood. Foundations are of the utmost importance; only with a solid foundation can your strength improve without future worries."

Having said this, Lu Yu paused, waiting for them to digest his words before continuing:

"Starting today, we will have physical training every morning. Do you see this lake?"

The two followed Lu Yu's gaze to the vast lake and suddenly had a bad premonition.

Lu Yu picked up an oval-shaped, flat stone from the ground and said cheerfully:

"Actually, the grilled fish made with a metal oven isn't perfect. As far as I know, if you use these stones to build an oven, the fish will have a unique flavor. So..."

Lu Yu looked at Sasuke, whose face was twitching slightly; clearly, the boy had already realized what was expected of him.

As for Naruto, he was full of drive. To him, as long as it could improve his strength, he would do anything.

After taking in their expressions, Lu Yu continued:

"So today, your task is to bring these oval, flat stones back from the other side of the lake to build an oven. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Yes..."

"Alright, get going!"

After giving the order, Lu Yu began to pack up his fishing rod. He baited the hook with an earthworm, settled comfortably into his reclining chair, and watched the two boys scramble toward the opposite shore, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

A year passed in the blink of an eye, during which Sasuke and Naruto suffered all sorts of torture at Lu Yu's hands.

More than once, the two suspected that he was trying to work them to death.

As time went on, they realized that moving stones to build ovens was just the beginning.

Lu Yu always had an endless variety of ways to exhaust them. For instance, he claimed that mountain spring water was beneficial to their health.

The two had no choice but to scour the entire Konoha Back Mountain to find it for him.

Then there was the Leprosy Leaf, which he claimed added a fragrant aroma to the grilled fish, forcing them to run all over the forest to find it.

On top of that, there were cliff-side medicinal herbs, fresh turtles from the bottom of the lake, and more. The endless variety of tasks left the two exhausted and in a sorry state.

Most humiliating of all, whenever Lu Yu saw them looking miserable, he would teach them how to dance, calling it "balancing work and leisure"...

Lu Yu's experience was the exact opposite. Eating the delicious grilled fish they made, drinking the cool mountain spring water, and watching the two future strongest ninjas of the ninja world singing and dancing after a meal—this life could only be described in one way:

A life of a deity!

However, while some were happy, others were worried. Sasuke and Naruto's truancy left Iruka in a state of total distress.

As for Naruto, he was an orphan. Even if Iruka knew he was skipping class, there was nothing he could do; he couldn't exactly delay the lesson just to catch one student.

Iruka's tried-and-true threat of talking to parents was useless against Naruto, because Naruto had no parents.

As for Sasuke, that was even more unsolvable.

Although Iruka never involved himself in class struggles, he knew that the Uchiha Clan seemed to harbor quite a bit of prejudice against outsiders.

What's more, Sasuke's father, Uchiha Fugaku, was the head of the Uchiha Clan.

For him to run to the clan head's house and tell him that Sasuke was skipping class? That would be far too absurd.

In desperation, Iruka had to make an example of others, calling in the parents of a few troublemakers who wanted to follow suit and giving them a stern lecture. Only then did the trend of skipping class subside.

However, Lu Yu's long-term truancy left Ino feeling restless.

It would have been one thing if Ino didn't know what Lu Yu was doing, but the key was that she had personally witnessed his comfortable life and tasted that unforgettable grilled fish.

Whenever Ino thought about herself suffering in the classroom while Lu Yu was leisurely enjoying life, she felt as if her heart were being scratched by a cat.

Finally, one day, Ino could no longer stand it. She pouted and muttered:

"Forget it, I'll make that guy help me find a way. I want to skip class too!"