"I really am getting old." Hiruzen sighed helplessly, constantly rubbing his brow.
The disappearance of the Konoha Council, while meaning the Hokage's power had returned to its peak, also meant that Hiruzen needed to be even busier. He could barely remember how many days it had been since he had returned home.
It seemed he hadn't been home since meeting Fugaku, and all his living needs were taken care of within the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe, preparing to relieve his fatigue. With the pipe in his mouth, he puffed out smoke while closing his eyes to ponder matters. His work was mostly handled. He had also instructed the Anbu to search the entire Land of Fire for the masked man.
Outside the Land of Fire, he had already sent a message to his disciple, Jiraiya. After all, only Jiraiya had the strength to travel between various countries, seeing and hearing more than some of the spies he sent out.
Thinking of Jiraiya, Hiruzen couldn't help but think of his new disciple, Shinji. He was momentarily speechless.
It seemed that ever since he took Shinji as a disciple, he hadn't had time to have a proper talk with him.
Hiruzen turned to look out the window. Seeing that it was still early, he got up.
Since he thought of it, he might as well go find Shinji.
Having taken a disciple, no matter how busy he was, he had to make time.
— — —
At the training ground, after their running training, Naruto and the others had already begun their individual training.
Naruto was still focusing on Nature Transformation, currently burying himself in hard work against a tree branch.
Shikamaru and Choji were leading Sasuke in physical training, and the few of them were bustling with activity.
Ino, on the other hand, was sitting in meditation, improving her Yin Release Chakra.
This was a plan Shinji had organized from the basics of Yin-Yang Release he had obtained, and so far, the effect was quite good.
Although Shinji was watching over their training from the side, he himself was not idle. He was continuously flushing his body with Yang Chakra.
For Shinji now, this training was something he had to do every moment. If it weren't for the inability to control it while sleeping, he would even wish to flush his body while asleep. After all, he couldn't do without rest at the moment.
Hmm?
Sensing someone approaching, Shinji paused and turned to look.
He saw Hiruzen slowly walking towards him, his gaze sweeping over Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others, who were training individually around the training ground.
"Master, what brings you here?" Shinji quickly greeted him, knowing that Hiruzen was busier than before.
Hiruzen looked at Shinji, saying with a gentle expression, "Haha, Shinji, I have been too busy these past few days, you won't blame me, will you?"
"Master, what are you saying? If you weren't busy, I would be coming to see you every day now."
Ever since becoming Hiruzen's disciple, Shinji had let down his guard. Now, he spoke to Hiruzen as if he were a true elder.
"Well, that's possible. I would have to look for you first to find out where you are."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement upon hearing Shinji's words. If Shinji could come directly to him, he would save a lot of time and could also teach him during his free moments.
Uh...
Shinji scratched his head, a bit embarrassed by these words.
Compared to seeking out Hiruzen, he preferred to instruct Naruto and the others here, as this was a tangible effort with tangible rewards.
Yes, Naruto and the others put in effort and gained rewards, while he gained pure rewards.
Although he could learn some Ninjutsu from Hiruzen, Shinji knew that what he lacked more now was experience.
Huh? Experience?
Shinji, realizing something, was startled. When it came to training and Ninjutsu experience, isn't Hiruzen in front of him a living encyclopedia of the Ninja World?
After all, the title of Ninjutsu Professor wasn't earned lightly. It was because Hiruzen truly possessed that strength and insight, capable of using Ninjutsu of all five Nature Transformations with ease. He could casually combine two B-rank Ninjutsu to unleash power comparable to or even greater than A-rank Ninjutsu.
Learning from the Scroll of Seals might carry risks, but seeking Hiruzen carried none at all.
Thinking of this, Shinji nodded in response. "Okay, master, I will come to bother you when I have time later."
"Hmm, good."
Hiruzen nodded with a smile and then turned to look at Naruto.
He then paused and said, "Shinji, what is Naruto doing?"
Naruto was currently clutching a tree branch, looking as if he was gritting his teeth.
Although Hiruzen could clearly sense that the Chakra fluctuations emanating from Naruto were Wind Chakra, he didn't quite understand what he was doing.
"Master, Naruto is currently undergoing Nature Transformation training."
Shinji pointed to the branch Naruto was holding and explained, "Naruto completed the training of cutting leaves with Wind Chakra not long ago."
"Originally, I should have let him try to see if he could cut through water."
"However, considering Naruto's young age, I was afraid he might get hurt if he couldn't control it, so I first had him cut this branch to increase his control."
Hiruzen understood after hearing Shinji's explanation and then nodded in admiration.
"Not bad. Compared to cutting through water, which requires more Wind Chakra output, this training is better."
"I didn't expect you, Shinji, to have such an understanding of Nature Transformation."
Shinji scratched his head as if troubled and said, "I only have a better understanding of Wind Release. I'm still struggling with what to do about Sasuke's Nature Transformation later."
Hiruzen, who had been listening nearby, began to laugh. "That's no trouble, I'll tell you now while I have time."
Shinji, upon receiving this response, did not hesitate and immediately pulled out paper and a pen from his ninja tool pouch.
Hiruzen, seeing Shinji's series of actions, was startled, then playfully reached out and poked Shinji.
If he didn't react by now, he wouldn't be fit to be Hokage.
And so, Hiruzen spoke while Shinji took notes, occasionally raising questions. Hiruzen patiently answered each one.
In a trance, Hiruzen suddenly felt as if he had returned to the time when he taught Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Until sunset, Shinji still had an expression of wanting more.
Hiruzen had long since sat down on the ground, with a few restrained little ones sitting beside him.
Naruto, who thought that what Shinji and Hiruzen were saying sounded like gibberish. He was currently resting his head on Hiruzen's lap, sleeping soundly.
Hiruzen looked at the sky and said to Shinji, who was still flipping through his notes, "Alright, Shinji, let's stop here for today."
Shinji looked at the sky and only then realized he had been completely absorbed. He quickly apologized, embarrassed, "Yes, master, I got so engrossed I forgot the time."
Hiruzen shook his head, his palm caressing Naruto's yellow hair. "It's alright, Naruto is sleeping soundly."
Shinji looked at Naruto and couldn't help but laugh.