Hearing Lu Yu's words, the two nodded without hesitation. In their eyes, it was only fair that Lu Yu helped them get stronger while they handled the cooking and other chores.
Neither of them knew what they'd just agreed to—or what it meant they'd have to endure from then on.
Lu Yu didn't explain. He cheerfully kept grilling fish, letting them fully appreciate its flavor and texture while occasionally telling them which seasonings to use and how to control the heat.
As the saying went, it was better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish. Once Naruto and Sasuke knew how to do it themselves, Lu Yu could fully enjoy the good life.
Early the next morning, the three of them arrived at the lakeside.
Lu Yu watched as the two looked at him expectantly and smiled.
"I know you want to get stronger, but sharpening your axe won't delay your woodcutting. A solid foundation is essential. Only with a good foundation can you improve without worrying about problems later."
He paused, giving them time to absorb his words before continuing.
"Starting today, we'll do physical training every morning. See this lake?"
The two followed Lu Yu's gaze toward the enormous lake, and suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Lu Yu casually picked up a flat, oval stone from the ground and said cheerfully,
"Fish grilled on a metal grill don't taste quite right. As far as I know, if we build a grill out of these stones, the fish will have a unique flavor. So..."
Lu Yu looked at Sasuke, whose face had begun to twitch slightly. Clearly, Sasuke had already figured out what he was getting at.
Naruto, on the other hand, looked full of energy. As far as he was concerned, he'd do anything if it made him stronger.
Taking in their expressions, Lu Yu continued,
"So today, your task is to get these flat, oval stones from the other side of the lake and bring them back to build a grill. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Y-yes..."
"Good. Let's go!"
After giving his orders, Lu Yu started preparing his fishing rod. He baited his hook with a worm, got comfortable on his reclining chair, and watched the two run energetically toward the other side. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
A year passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Sasuke and Naruto had been put through all kinds of torment by Lu Yu.
More than once, they'd wondered whether he wouldn't be satisfied until he worked them to death.
After a while, they realized that hauling stones and building grills was just the basics.
Lu Yu always had endless ways to wear them out. For example, he'd say that drinking spring water from the mountains was good for their health.
The two had no choice but to scour all of Konoha Back Mountain in search of it.
Or Lu Yu would say that Leprosy Leaf made grilled fish more fragrant, and the two would have to search the entire forest for it.
There were also cliffside herbs, fresh turtles from the bottom of the lake, and an endless array of other tasks that left them exhausted and bedraggled.
The most embarrassing part was that whenever Lu Yu saw them looking glum, he'd teach them to dance, claiming it was all about balancing work and rest...
Lu Yu felt the complete opposite. He ate delicious grilled fish made by the two, drank cold mountain spring water, and after dinner watched the two future strongest shinobi in the Shinobi World sing and dance. There was only one way to describe this kind of life—
A life fit for the immortals!
But where there was joy, there was also misery. Naruto and Sasuke's constant truancy left Iruka at his wits' end.
Naruto was an orphan. Even if Iruka knew he was skipping class, there wasn't much he could do about it. He couldn't exactly neglect his lessons just to go catch the boy.
Iruka's tried-and-true tactic of threatening students by talking to their parents was useless on Naruto, since he was an orphan.
As for Sasuke, the problem was even harder to solve.
Though Iruka never got involved in class struggles, he knew that the Uchiha Clan seemed to hold some prejudice against outsiders.
What's more, Sasuke's father, Uchiha Fugaku, was the clan head.
Was he supposed to go to the clan head's house and tell him Sasuke was skipping class? That would be absurd.
With no other options, Iruka had to make an example of a few troublemakers who wanted to follow suit. He called their parents in and gave them a stern talking-to, and the wave of truancy finally passed.
However, Lu Yu's prolonged absences left Ino feeling restless.
It would have been one thing if Ino didn't know what Lu Yu was doing. The problem was that she'd seen him enjoying himself with her own eyes—and had tasted that unforgettable grilled fish.
Whenever Ino thought about how she was stuck studying miserably in the classroom while Lu Yu leisurely enjoyed life, she felt as if a cat were scratching at her heart.
Finally, one day, Ino couldn't take it anymore. Pouting, she muttered,
"Forget it. I'll make that guy think of something for me. I'm skipping class too!"
Before you continue