"Everyone, please rest well at noon so you have energy for classes in the afternoon."
After the bell rang, Shinji immediately put away his teaching materials.
"Yes, sensei!"
The students responded loudly.
No matter how much they liked Shinji's class, they still wished they could leave the classroom as soon as possible.
Shinji shook his head with a chuckle and turned to leave the classroom.
[Lesson completed, calculating...]
[Overall rating: A]
[Reward: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld (Proficient)]
The hand seals and practice memories for Swamp of the Underworld appeared in Shinji's mind.
Judging by the fact that he gets a Ninjutsu reward every time he teaches, it's likely that the title of Ninjutsu Master will fall to him in the future.
However, the reward was not bad. Shinji's own Earth Release was only at the beginner level. Perhaps with more Earth Release jutsu in the future, his affinity might even increase.
As Shinji left, students in the classroom began to move towards their familiar classmates.
Shikamaru rubbed his neck and said, "I haven't sat and listened to a lecture in a long time, it really feels a bit unfamiliar."
He had been at the training ground before. Suddenly returning to class was really a bit uncomfortable.
Ino, who had just walked over, heard this and said irritably, "If you really went to the training ground, you'd just want to slack off again."
"Troublesome." Shikamaru's deadpan eyes were unmoving, and he had no desire to refute Ino's words.
"Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, let's go!" Naruto ran over quickly and greeted Shikamaru and the others.
Then he looked at Sasuke with a hint of disdain and said, "Stuck-up Sasuke, don't just sit there, hurry up."
Some people in the class were drawn by Naruto's loud voice.
Some became curious as to why Ino and Sasuke were suddenly hanging out with Shikamaru and the others. After all, in the exams last semester, Shikamaru, Naruto, and the others were all at the bottom of the class.
Shikamaru simply didn't want to hand in a blank paper, while Naruto fell asleep halfway through writing.
Seeing Sasuke follow along, Ino, who was about to leave the classroom, saw Hinata, who had been watching them.
She spoke, "Hinata, want to come with us?"
Hinata, suddenly called out, was startled, and was about to shake her head when—
Naruto ran straight over, pulled Hinata along, and said, "Hinata, why haven't you come to the training ground since that day?"
"Um… I…"
Hinata, being pulled, blinked, her face flushed with shyness, unable to speak for a long time.
Ino, standing nearby, smacked Naruto's hand away irritably and said, "Naruto, slow down."
After speaking, she pulled Hinata along behind Naruto, whispering.
Naruto, meanwhile, scratched his head, then turned to bicker with Sasuke again.
Passing the stairwell, some older students happened to be walking down.
At the stairs, Neji watched Hinata gradually walk away. His face furrowed slightly.
Naruto, walking at the very front with his hands behind his head, asked, "By the way, should we run out to eat ramen?"
"No, we already went once two days ago." Shikamaru shook his head in refusal.
No matter how delicious it was, eating it every day would be unbearable.
Naruto said, a bit dejected, "Ah, then what should we eat? I overslept today and forgot to prepare my bento."
Hinata, beside Ino, heard this and spoke slowly, "Um… Naruto-kun, you can eat my bento."
Naruto, hearing this, was first delighted, then immediately rejected the idea. "Really? No, then you won't have enough to eat either."
Ino said irritably, "Naruto, didn't you notice that none of us brought bentos today?"
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes instantly turned into dots.
He really hadn't noticed when they left the classroom.
Sasuke said irritably, "Idiot, didn't we already agree yesterday not to bring any?"
Naruto, remembering, retorted defiantly, "Stuck-up Sasuke, wasn't I just forgetting?"
"Alright, let's go to the school gate first, my mom should have brought it already."
Ino pulled Hinata forward, separating the two childish ones, and walked towards the school gate.
...
"Thank you for the meal, auntie. We'll eat well."
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the dazzling array of bento boxes, and he loudly thanked Ino's mom.
"As long as you all like it. Ino, I'll head back now." Ino's mom first responded with a chuckle, then spoke to Ino.
Ino quickly nodded. "Yes, mom, be careful on your way back."
Naruto, Shikamaru and the others beside her bowed in thanks.
—
"Woohoo... So full."
Naruto patted his stomach, leaning against the wall to rest.
Shikamaru and the others were doing the same, after all, once you're full, you just want to sleep.
"Hinata, drink some water."
Ino poured a cup of water and handed it to Hinata, her eyes turning to the bento box next to Hinata.
Hinata's eating power is so great!
Feeling Ino's gaze, Hinata couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
The atmosphere of eating together was so good that she forgot to control herself.
Naruto said, "Hinata, you're really amazing, I feel like you'll definitely be a formidable ninja in the future."
Ino's mom, worried they wouldn't eat enough, had prepared a lot of extra portions. Most of it had been consumed by him, Choji, and Hinata.
Hinata, hearing this, was startled. It was the first time she had heard someone acknowledge her like this. Although it was because of her appetite, it still made her feel a bit dizzy for a moment.
Naruto patted Choji next to him and explained, "Look at Choji and me, we both have the biggest appetites, so our training results are very good."
Shinji had said that among them, he and Choji had made the most progress.
Choji raised his chubby face and nodded.
That's right!
Shikamaru said irritably, "Naruto, appetite size has no correlation with strength."
If it were really as Naruto said, wouldn't all strong people be big eaters?
Sasuke was deep in thought, wondering if it really was as Naruto said.
However, hearing Shikamaru's words, he was startled, then pretended to be unconcerned and continued to close his eyes.
Seeing that everyone's attention had finally moved away, Hinata finally exhaled.
But Ino, from the side, kept staring at Hinata and Naruto, a knowing auntie smile on her face that was unbefitting her age.
I've noticed. Hinata-chan~
Ino had been right next to Hinata the whole time. When Naruto was speaking, she saw Hinata's expression clearly. The look in her eyes, she had seen it in movie plots.
Exactly the same.
...
Just as Naruto and his friends were in a cheerful mood, Shinji was heading to the Hokage Building alone.
Just now, Hiruzen had instructed Anbu to tell him to put down his work and go to the Hokage Building.