That morning, the paper Iruka handed out was very small.
Everyone got one sheet, only palm-sized, with edges that had not been cut very neatly. When the paper landed on Naruto's desk, his first reaction was to flip it over, as if he suspected there was more hidden on the back. After finding both sides blank, he looked up and asked, "That's all?"
"Today, you'll each write only one question," Iruka said.
Naruto immediately pinned the paper down. "Then I need to think of a big one."
Kiyo sat behind him. The moment he heard the word "big," he grew a little nervous. "The teacher didn't say it had to be big, did he?"
"If there's only one, it has to be big," Naruto said.
"One can be small too."
"A small question isn't enough."
Iruka set down the chalk. "A question isn't better just because it's bigger. If you can ask it clearly and use the answer, then it counts as today's question."
Naruto lowered his head to stare at the paper, his brow furrowing hard. Che, seated beside him, had received a little sheet too. He did not write immediately. Today's lesson had naturally progressed from the past few days of recognizing people, recognizing objects, putting things back where they belonged, and moving forward, to "asking." The children had already seen the desks, windowsills, brooms, and chairs. They had also put many things back in their proper places. Next, someone would always want to ask: Why do we have to do this? Do we still have to do this tomorrow? Can I not do this?
Naruto's question had probably already run several laps around the paper, only it had not found an exit yet.
Kiyo's pen tip had stopped too. He really wanted to ask whether the desk