"I'll work hard! Bushy-Brows Sensei! Lee!"
Otherworldly Naruto clenched his fist, cheering himself on.
The group finally parted ways.
Under Minato's guidance, they quickly arrived at the Imperial Capital High School.
The entire high school was situated in a vast area, spanning tens of thousands of square meters.
Besides several large teaching buildings, there was also a wide open field.
On the field, Team Naruto could see groups of children following their respective teachers—some running, some sitting cross-legged, and others sparring.
This couldn't help but make Team Naruto feel something was off, though they couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
Until…
Naruto scratched his head and said, "Uh… Uncle Minato, the kids here look really young. We're not going to have to study with them, are we?"
"Hmm? Why ask that? This is the Imperial Capital High School. You guys have no martial arts foundation at all, so of course you'll study with them." Minato blinked and replied.
"Huh? We really have to study with these little kids?" Naruto was shocked.
Sakura, Yamato, and Sai also showed strange expressions.
Studying with kids—this was too embarrassing to even say out loud.
They were all experienced adults who had completed countless tough missions!
Going back to school and learning with a bunch of snot-nosed kids— wasn't that just ridiculous?
"Can't Uncle Minato just teach us Rokushiki directly?" Sakura said with a pleading look.
"Yeah! Uncle Minato, can't you just teach us? Teaching one person is the same as teaching a bunch!" Naruto added.
"No can do. Minato is the captain of the Imperial Capital's guard. Splitting off one clone to teach Naruto is already exhausting enough. Teaching a group would be way too much for him. Besides, Minato's teaching of Rokushiki isn't as good as the instructors at the Imperial Capital High School."
"These instructors are specially trained to teach, so following them is the best fit for you." Kushina explained at that moment, her tone quite firm.
Seeing this, Team Naruto could only sigh helplessly.
Soon, they arrived at the teachers' office.
Standing at the door, Minato politely knocked.
A young man with a ponytail opened the door, looked at Imperial Minato, and said in surprise, "Minato-sama! What brings you here? Please, come in!"
As he spoke, he quickly stepped aside.
"Iruka-sensei, I'm here mainly to ask for your help in teaching the people behind me to learn Rokushiki." Minato said with a smile, not rushing to enter.
"You're Iruka-sensei! You're so different from the one in our world!"
Hearing Imperial Minato's words, Otherworldly Naruto shouted excitedly.
Since Iruka here hadn't experienced the Nine-Tails incident, he had no scar on his nose. His build was also far less scrawny than before, now muscular and much taller, making him vastly different.
If Minato hadn't mentioned his name, Naruto wouldn't have recognized him at all.
"Hm?"
The young man looked at Otherworldly Naruto, who was shouting, with slight confusion and paused. Then he carefully looked at Imperial Minato, his eyes showing shock, before glancing at Kushina with a complicated expression.
At that moment, many thoughts raced through his mind.
"Iruka! Are you thinking something super rude, huh?!"
Kushina glared and shouted, her face displeased, raising her right hand.
"No! No! Not at all!"
Iruka hurriedly waved his hands in denial, his whole body stepping back. He seemed very afraid of Imperial Kushina.
"Maybe Iruka-sensei thinks Naruto and I look a lot alike?"
Imperial Minato gave a wry smile.
"Hmm… also named Naruto? They do seem kinda similar. Is this Minato-sama's nephew?" Iruka said understandingly.
"No, it's like this…" Imperial Minato smiled wryly and briefly explained.
Iruka finally understood everything and said with slight surprise, "I never imagined a parallel world actually exists, and the differences are so huge. But regardless, this is an order from His Majesty, so I'll definitely do my best to complete the task. Minato-sama, don't worry."
"Iruka-sensei is an outstanding teacher at the Imperial Capital High School. With your guidance, I'm naturally at ease." Minato smiled and nodded, giving a few final words to Team Naruto before leaving with a few of Naruto's clones.
The classroom was left with only Imperial Iruka and Team Naruto.
Yamato's expression grew a bit strange. In their original world, he was considered Iruka's senior. Who would've thought that in this world, he'd have to be his student?
Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, were thrilled to be able to study with Iruka in this other world.
"Iruka-sensei, hurry! I can't wait to train in Rokushiki! Teach us quick! Once I master it, I'll definitely teach a lesson to someone who dared underestimate me!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
"Naruto's so enthusiastic. That's great! The most important thing in training martial arts is maintaining a positive and spirited heart!"
Iruka praised, pausing before continuing, "But since you all know nothing right now, I'll first explain what martial arts are and some basic knowledge."
"So-called martial arts is a high-level energy completely different from chakra. It's generally drawn from the universe and the body itself. This energy we call True Qi."
"And True Qi has effects like nourishing the body, strengthening oneself, extending life, beautifying the skin, and many other miraculous abilities… This energy was developed by His Majesty the Emperor…"
Iruka rambled on, half explaining the essence of True Qi, half continuously praising Senju Ryuji.
Team Naruto, still novices, listened while nodding eagerly, their eyes sparkling.
Especially Sakura, who nearly burst out laughing when she heard about beautifying the skin and extending life.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Half an hour passed.
Only then did everyone grasp the basics of what True Qi was.
"So, simply put, the first step in training True Qi is needing what's called a True Qi seed? Taught by someone highly skilled in True Qi? Is Iruka-sensei now preparing to implant True Qi seeds in us?" Sakura, the bookworm, asked.
"Ooooh! Iruka-sensei, hurry! I want a True Qi seed right now! I want to train True Qi!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Haven't you all realized that you already have True Qi seeds?"
In response to Naruto's urgency, Iruka didn't rush but instead asked with a smile.
"We already have True Qi seeds? Why don't I feel it?" Naruto looked puzzled.
"When did that happen?" Yamato was also shocked.
"Could it be Uncle Minato?" Sakura guessed.
"It should be Minato-sama who implanted the True Qi seeds in your bodies. Now, all you need to do is try your hardest to sense the presence of True Qi. I'll help you with this."
"Now, follow my instructions: sit cross-legged, close your eyes, calm your mind, empty your heart, and carefully feel your body until you sense a warm current that makes you feel relaxed and at ease. Then try to move it, gradually spreading it throughout your body to adapt."
Iruka said gently.