"Teacher Iruka, why do you think I'm slacking off?" Natsuro asked, looking puzzled.

"Every day during extracurricular training, Natsuro, you only complete the basic exercises and then rest. That's not acceptable" Iruka said with a tone of disappointment.

"Oh, I see. Actually, I was efficiently resting during that time" he explained after a moment's thought.

"Isn't that still slacking off?" Iruka retorted.

"You'll understand once you wait a bit" he replied, and then his form turned into white smoke and dissipated.

Iruka stared at the dissipating Natsuro in astonishment. Was that a shadow clone?! Moreover, he knew that such a solid clone capable of thought was only achievable with the Shadow Clone Technique.

But Shadow Clones were an B-rank jutsu, so how did he acquire it? Even if it was a family technique, how did he learn it?

As Iruka waited in shock, realizing that Natsuro's main body must be arriving soon, he couldn't help but anticipate what would happen next.

Soon, a sweat-soaked teenager stood in front of Iruka.

"Teacher Iruka, this is the answer" Natsuro said, offering no further explanation. His current state was the best answer he could provide.

"So, you've been using Shadow Clones to study every day while your main body trains outside and you only rest during extracurricular activities?" Iruka was a bit stunned as he observed Natsuro's state.

"Yes. The school's training schedule doesn't meet the volume or intensity I need. To reach my goals, the time required with the school's routine would be too long. If I followed my own training plan, it would be too noticeable and I don't want to be treated like a circus monkey by the other students" he explained.

"I see. I misunderstood you" Iruka said, looking at him with renewed respect. Learning of Natsuro's true effort, he was completely amazed.

Such dedication and high talent at such a young age—Iruka wondered just how far he could grow.

Suddenly, Iruka's expression changed as he recalled something. "Wait, I heard that Shadow Clones have side effects, which is why no one uses them for training or studying!"

"Yes, Teacher Iruka is referring to the fatigue being shared with the main body. I already knew about that. However, Shadow Clones inherit the state of the user at the moment of creation. So, you saw my daily condition. According to my plan, Shadow Clones don't affect me" he replied.

"That's true" Iruka thought it over. Indeed, Natsuro always looked energetic in the mornings, so it seemed he wasn't negatively impacted.

Could the rumors be wrong? If there were no side effects, many would likely learn Shadow Clones. It was strange that so few did.

Iruka realized that this might be a unique talent of his that others couldn't replicate.

What would the combination of effort and talent equal? Iruka couldn't help but be impressed.

If Natsuro knew Iruka's thoughts, he would have commented that while this combination might be strong in other worlds, in Naruto's world, it only means being exceptionally strong early on. The later stages depend heavily on lineage.

Even the Sage of the Six Paths had no ordinary people in his realm. He wasn't even sure if a normal person could safely become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, let alone reach Sage Mode.

"By the way, Teacher Iruka, do you have textbooks for higher grades? Or other books related to the ninja path?" he thought about it and decided to address this matter since he had come to see Iruka.

"We do have them, but why do you ask?" Iruka inquired, puzzled.

"I've roughly self-studied the first-year curriculum" he said, looking at Iruka.

"So, you haven't been paying much attention in class and have been studying on your own?!" Iruka suddenly felt disheartened. Is this what geniuses do? They don't even need teaching.

"Not quite. I do listen to some of your experiences when you teach, but most teachers just go through the motions, so I haven't paid much attention. Still, your lessons are excellent, Teacher Iruka" he encouraged.

"Should I be happy then?" Iruka couldn't quite feel pleased.

Iruka thought for a moment and said, "How about this: I'll test you on the material from the books. If you pass, I'll help you get a library card so you can borrow books from the library"

"Really?" Natsuro's eyes widened in surprise. This was beyond his expectations. The library Iruka referred to was probably not an ordinary one but one for ninjas.

"Yes, but the questions I ask won't be easy. Do you want to prepare first?" Iruka said with a hint of pride. The Third Hokage had asked him to keep an eye on Natsuro, so this was perfectly fine.

"No need. We can start right away" he replied confidently, saying that basic knowledge was easy for him to remember.

"Oh, so confident. Let me see your abilities!" Iruka smiled.

After some time…

Iruka looked at Natsuro's nearly perfect answers and twitched his mouth. Although not a perfect score, it was far beyond what he had imagined. He had expected just a passing grade.

"Alright, come back tomorrow to collect your library card" Iruka sighed deeply. Having such a talented student was great, though it did make him feel inadequate as a teacher.

"Okay, Teacher Iruka. Can I go home to clean up and then return to school?" as Natsuro felt sticky and uncomfortable.

"Oh, sure. But Natsuro, remember to exercise in moderation and take care of your health" Iruka advised.

"I understand. After all, am I not the one who has developed the most in our class?" he nodded seriously. His development had clearly surpassed that of his peers due to prolonged training.

Iruka was taken aback. He looked at Natsuro, realizing that indeed, he was the most developed student in the class.

Such a mature student made him feel that his role as a teacher was almost redundant!

"Go on, go quickly and come back soon" Iruka said, feeling a bit drained, as if he had no idea whether having such a student was fortunate or unfortunate.

He nodded and left. As for returning quickly, well, that was not happening. Today's training wasn't complete, so he would only send a Shadow Clone back.

However, seeing Iruka looking so dispirited, Natsuro decided not to mention it.

Now that he had explained his situation to Iruka, he could discontinue using Shadow Clones for this purpose. It was also less troublesome to avoid the risk of gossip about frequent trips to the restroom.