Chương 536: CH_14.6 (536)

"How do you teach a kid who refuses to read?" Takuma asked at the dinner table.

"In my experience, most children don't prefer reading," Maruboshi replied from across the table.

"Is this regarding the child you're teaching?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, yes." He had told Maruboshi about the Hokage's request and how he was asked to teach the jinchuriki.

"He does not like reading," Takuma sighed, recalling how Naruto had completely ignored the assigned reading and had instead doodled in the scroll.

"How do I get him to understand if his eyes gloss over after reading a paragraph?" Every ninjutsu he ever learned came from thorough readings of theory in the jutsu scrolls and of additional academic texts recommended in them. How was he supposed to approach teaching a student who was so different from him in terms of learning?

"Instead of having him read, you can explain it to him."

"That'd take far too much time." They only met for an hour a day.

"If I want to teach him the fundamentals, he needs to do some level of self-study."

"How about asking his academy teacher for help? He's experienced in teaching that child. He must know some tips to get that child to do things he may dislike," Maruboshi suggested.

"That's… a good idea. Yes, I will ask Iruka." Takuma sank into his chair. He wasn't surprised by Naruto's disinterest in reading. His personality and, to some extent, his grades told him that. Awareness of the problem, however, didn't mean he knew how to teach someone like that. Teaching didn't seem to be in his wheelhouse. He considered drawing inspiration from the teachers in his life, but it seemed to come up short. He didn't have Maruboshi's endless patience.

He lacked Mikoto's way of breaking down concepts that made them seem so clear, but simultaneously raised questions that made you curious. He didn't think Naruto would respond well to Anko's sadistic methods. And he couldn't really poke out Naruto's mistakes the way Campbell did during their kenjutsu spars.

"Was I a good student?" Takuma asked. A smile graced Maruboshi's weathered lips.

"You never once complained when I gave you instructions or assigned a task, even when you were feeling frustrated. You always told me what you didn't understand and didn't hesitate to ask questions. Teaching you was an easy endeavour, my child." Takuma felt proud of himself in that moment, even though the reason he never complained was sheer desperation. Back then, he would've done anything if he believed that it would help him get better at being a shinobi.

That was also partly why he fought as much as he did in the Ring, which, in some ways, was another one of his teachers. But sending Naruto to the Ring wouldn't help either. ———. The next day, Takuma sat down with Iruka at a beef bowl place near the academy known for its quick service.

"I hope you won't think of Naruto as a slacker," Iruka said after they put in their order.

"He can focus when he wants, but the problem is that if the topic doesn't interest him, he won't retain a lick of it."

"Passing his last remaining test attempt should interest him," Takuma said.

"It's a case of extremes with him. He won't pick up a pencil if he finds the topic boring, but then he would willingly stay back and throw kunai at the target without a break until sundown to improve his aim. If you manage to hook him, he's the hardest working kid out there."

"And how should I do that?"

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Iruka sighed.

"Getting him to read will be difficult because I haven't been able to do it in the years I've been teaching him. Somewhere along the line, Naruto realised that he had fallen behind everyone else, and when his best attempts didn't seem to do anything, he developed a general disinterest towards most things academic."

"Ah, no wonder." That feeling was familiar to Takuma. In high school, he had fallen behind in chemistry because he just didn't click with his chemistry teacher, who had the charm of a beige plank with his monotone and droning teaching voice. Eventually, he began to struggle with understanding concepts because his fundamentals were weak. At some point, he stopped paying attention in class because he couldn't really understand what was going on. Around the same time, homework became a chore.

When it came to examinations, he solely relied on rote learning to pass, and he was happy with that, so he could just get the whole thing over with.

"He responds very well to competition," Iruka said.

"He always wants to be first in a race. Losing in spars frustrated him to no end; he'd rather go unconscious than tap out. He unabashedly challenges the best student during skill drills to see who would do better between them, loses miserably and gets frustrated, and then goes back and challenges the same student the next time without ever losing confidence. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"That's the kind of kid Naruto is." Iruka had a smile on his face. Takuma realised that Iruka was a great teacher because he cared about his students. He didn't need to, but Iruka stayed after school to watch Naruto and Takuma's hour-long session, and then went back to the faculty office to wrap up his work before going home. It seemed to be his calling.

"I'll talk to him," Iruka said, assuringly.

"If you can somehow motivate him, he'd be more responsive to whatever he wants to do." Takuma nodded appreciatively. It wasn't what he'd hoped for, but the conversation wasn't a waste. ———. Later that day, Takuma stood before Naruto while Iruka sat on a bench nearby. It was the end of their one-hour session. Takuma retrieved a folded page from his person and gave it to Naruto.

"I want you to read this," he said. Almost immediately, Naruto made a face and didn't reach out for the page. The brat wasn't even trying to hide his feelings. It was annoying. He wasn't even cute when his face was scrunched up like that.

"If you read it, I'd teach you a couple of tricks to help you win fights." Takuma's words got an ear twitch from Naruto. Motivation was the key. It was time to hook a yellow fish.

"Your teacher says that you're a good fighter, but you aren't the best in your class." Naruto frowned.

"I can beat them all…"

"Not according to Sasuke. I'm friends with his brother," Takuma said.

"Have you beaten him?" Naruto opened his mouth, but then closed it right up. He pulled down the pair of goggles over his eyes, crossed his arms defiantly, and turned his face to the side as though claiming that he would rather die than admit that he hadn't beaten Sasuke even once during their six years at the academy.

"Alright, lemme give you a little taste. Come at me," Takuma said. He raised both of his hands and then joined them behind his back, adding the finishing touches in the form of a little smirk on his face. Naruto's eyes behind his goggles turned fierce and a little excited as he charged at him without hesitation. Takuma was surprised by his burst of speed, but carefully matched it as he sidestepped the boot coming for his chest at the last moment.

He then lightly kicked the area behind Naruto's knee, forcing him down to his knees. Before Naruto could stand, he got kicked in the back. He let out an embarrassing and completely involuntary squawk as he kissed the dirt.

"In your next spar, try getting a few hits on the joints," Takuma said. Naruto got up and turned around to throw a messy haymaker with a loud yell. Takuma kicked him in the elbow to destroy the punch while causing the boy to spin around. He waited until Naruto regained balance before firmly kicking him in the ankle to sweep his feet from under him, once again putting him to the ground.

"Especially those in the feet. You'll find them surprisingly weak." Takuma glanced at Iruka to see if the teacher had problems with him beating his student up, but the chūnin seemed to be fine, other than heaving a sigh. Most people of Naruto's age would be more cautious when facing a chūnin, but Naruto had charged in without a thought. Takuma knelt beside the groaning Naruto, who had hit his head on the ground. He held up the sheet of paper of fundamentals that he had dumbed down to make them easier to understand.

"Read this and come prepared. I'll quiz you. If you do well, I'll teach you something else." ———. The next day, the final year students were sitting in a giant circle in the training field. Iruka looked over at his students and recalled what Takuma had told Naruto. He didn't know if it would work, but they had to try it. He considered who to put against Naruto and thought to pick someone weaker, only to think that Naruto might not put the advice to use. They needed a challenge.

"Kiba and Naruto. Come up," he announced. The two boys got up from the opposite side of the circle and glared at each other. They were always fighting and bickering with each other over the smallest of things. Just last week, they started pushing each other during a run through the forest behind the academy and would've fought if not for Mizuki breaking them up.

"You're going to lose, dog breath!" Naruto said, adjusting his goggles on his forehead.

"I'm going to pound you in the dirt," Kiba said, his sharp teeth glinting in his confident grin. The dirt kicked up in a cloud as Kiba lunged forward. On the sidelines, little Akamaru barked a frantic rhythm as cheers. Naruto dug his sandals into the dirt, bringing his fists up. He followed his instincts and charged towards Kiba and threw a heavy right hook to the jaw that connected, but not without Kiba's fist also clocking his face.

The two of them stumbled and staggered back, frowned at each other and then charged at each other as if nothing had happened. Neither would admit that the other's punch hurt. As Kiba closed the distance, leading with a heavy, predictable haymaker, a memory flickered in Naruto's mind." —In your next spar, try getting a few hits on the joints—" Naruto had scoffed despite hitting the floor twice within seconds of each other. A punch to the face was way cooler. Aiming for knees felt like a cheap trick.

He was going to be the Hokage one day. He didn't need tricks to win. As Kiba's fist sailed towards his cheek, Naruto almost ignored the advice, fully prepared to meet the punch with his own, then counter with a kick to Kiba's face. But a sudden desire to cleanly win a spar against Kiba for once won out. He would never admit it, but Kiba was a tough fighter. All of their spars had been difficult, and every victory had felt like it could've easily gone the other way. It wasn't satisfying.

Instead of trading a punch, Naruto dropped his stance, ducking under Kiba's swinging arm. He planted his left foot, pivoted, and drove the heel of his right sandal directly into the side of Kiba's weight-bearing knee. The joint buckled instantly, almost too easily. Kiba let out a sharp yelp of surprise as his balance vanished. His forward momentum sent him pitching awkwardly to the side. Naruto didn't hesitate.

He grabbed the collar of Kiba's fur-lined jacket, using the boy's own falling weight to wrench him downward and slam him hard into the dirt. Before Kiba could spit out the dust or scramble to recover, he felt a heavy knee pin his spine—the cold, blunt iron of a training kunai pressed against his cheek. Naruto knelt over him, breathing hard, his blue eyes wide with a quiet shock that the trick that panda eyes had taught him actually worked perfectly.

"Surrender." Kiba froze, his eyes darting to the metal, then to Iruka, who was watching from the edge of the ring. He scowled, slapping the dirt with his palm.

"Fine! I yield."