Chapter 94 Baked Buns

"I'll remind them to train somewhere else next time if they're too noisy," Kakashi promised.

"I don't mind, actually," Iruka said lightheartedly, walking behind the desk and starting to sort through the papers. "It's a good thing to break up the monotony of class once in a while, and the kids need to stay alert. Have you told them?"

Kakashi's body swayed slightly, as if he was thinking.

"say what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Kakashi."

"But you know I'm good at playing dumb," the jonin said with a grin.

Iruka sighed helplessly.

"The documents came down this morning. The land has been officially approved."

"That doesn't mean it's habitable now," Kakashi tried to defend himself. "It still needs to be cleaned, the room needs to be tidied... and they probably don't want to..."

“They can help, and they’ll be happy to do so.”

Kakashi still had a skeptical expression on his face.

Iruka pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling himself losing his patience.

"Oh my god, you're such an idiot." He muttered in a low voice. "Listen, Minato Namikaze is gone, and these three brats are the most stubborn, rebellious, and independent students I have ever taught. They have their own ideas and opinions, and they are full of energy and curiosity. They are difficult to discipline under normal circumstances, let alone..."

"Really?" Kakashi said noncommittally. "What do you want to say?"

"Do you know why they listen to you so much?"

"Isn't it because they have to follow orders?" Kakashi guessed, and Iruka really wanted to crack his head open with a crystal paperweight to see what was inside.

"They respect you, you idiot!"

"Well, yes, a little bit," Kakashi admitted.

"What do you mean a little? They respect you very much!" Iruka retorted. "They respect me because I have taught them for several years, and you have only been their teacher for a few months. They respect you more than anyone else, even more than Hokage-sama."

"This is ridiculous."

"No, this is terrible." Iruka said, and then sighed again, and said helplessly: "Forget it, I don't want to preach, I just want you to know that you don't need to worry about those things, just tell them directly."

Kakashi shifted his feet uneasily again, but the doubt in his eyes still did not disappear.

"I'll tell them...soon." He said vaguely, and then slowly backed away, all the way to the window. "I have to go and make sure they don't run around in the village and cause any trouble. Goodbye."

Kakashi just flipped out of the window and disappeared without a trace.

Iruka shook his head helplessly, he had expected Kakashi to avoid the question, after all, they had known each other for so many years. However, some truths still needed to be spoken.

Okay, that’s all I have to say. He should go see how Xuanjian is doing now. After all, the class is over and it’s time for him to go and help.

"Poor Kakashi," he muttered to himself, having no idea what was going to happen next.

******************

"Oh my god, is our teacher dating?"

"I think they're trying to keep a low profile. There's no need for you to shout from the mountaintops."

"Okay, okay, you two, don't quarrel as soon as you meet."

Inuzuka Kiba gave Hinata an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Hinata. We promise to be good and obedient."

"I'll try my best... to control myself, sorry." Shino also said.

"Honestly," Kiba turned to ask Shikamaru, who was leaning against a tree, as if to blend into the shade. "How long have they been like this?"

"About two months, maybe a little longer." Nara Shikamaru said vaguely, secretly observing the two figures leaning against each other not far away. The distance between them obviously exceeded the social distance that ordinary colleagues should have.

Asuma's arms were casually draped over the tree trunk, while Kurenai leaned against him, arms crossed over her chest, her long red hair tied back carelessly, which was not exactly platonic body language.

"How long are we going to stay here? If we stay any longer, I'm going to go back to bed."

"Genma said he would be back in twenty minutes, and now sixteen minutes have passed," Choji added.

"I'm back!" Ino's voice came from a distance.

She trotted along the rugged path, bending nimbly to avoid the branches so that her soft golden hair would not be caught in the leaves.

She stumbled up the hill with a takeout bag in her arms.

No one has walked on this path for a long time. It is overgrown with weeds and only traces of human activities can be seen. The road surface is covered with moss and gravel. There are dense trees growing on the roadside. The sunlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Ya took a deep breath and greedily sniffed the air: the scent of cedar, the fragrance of soil, and a faint mist. They were hiding from the scorching sun of the Fire Kingdom under the protection of the shade of the trees.

In addition to that, he could smell the scent of his friends, the clean and pristine scent of Aburame Shino, the subtle fragrance of Hinata's shampoo, and the lingering aroma of food on Akimichi Chouji.

As usual, Nara Shikamaru smelled like potato chips without anything added to them, while Yamanaka Ino's natural floral scent was masked by the aroma of grilled meat, which she bought especially for Choji.

"You're so kind, Ino." He said gratefully, reaching for the food. Ino smiled and handed him a lunch box, then took out a paper bag.

"I also bought some baked buns. If you are hungry, you can eat them together."

Nothing can bring people closer together than food. After a while, Ino distributed the delicious food she brought to her companions, and only two fragrant toasted buns were left.

She sat on the ground, leaning against Shikamaru's legs, handed him one of the steamed buns, and then carefully tore the other one into four pieces.

Seeing that Shikamaru also tore his piece of toasted bun into four pieces, then handed them to Ino one by one, keeping only one piece for himself, Ya couldn't help but smile.

Xuanjian and Iruka walked along the path one after the other. Xuanjian looked at the group of children in front of him and greeted them with a smile.

Iruka followed behind him, his eyes falling on the two figures leaning against each other not far away, and he cleared his throat calmly.

"Are you ready?" Xuanjian asked the eight children. As soon as he finished speaking, Asuma and Hong immediately separated, as if they had been caught.

"I don't even know what we're going to do." Inuzuka Kiba complained, tearing off the crispy edges of the toasted buns and feeding them to Akamaru.

"Just treat this operation as a mission." Iruka said, brushing off the fallen leaves on his jacket. "This is a top-secret operation. Are you six kids ready to use your keen insight and excellent reconnaissance skills to show off your talents?"

******