In the early morning, Shinji got up and looked at the sky.
After twisting his neck, he got out of bed, tidied up, and prepared to go out.
After reading the Scroll of Seals last night, he came back by himself.
He really couldn't take it anymore. A series of travels, and then researching the Scroll of Seals after returning.
Just as he opened the door, Shinji was stunned by the people standing outside.
"You guys? What are you doing?"
Outside Shinji's door, five little kids were standing neatly.
Naruto, standing at the front, was leaning shoulder-to-shoulder with Sasuke, competing in strength.
Hearing the sound, they quickly stood straight and shouted loudly, "Sensei! Good morning!"
Shinji nodded and looked at Shikamaru, who was next to him, looking like he had just woken up and was yawning. It's clearer to ask Shikamaru about this kind of thing.
"Sensei, last night Naruto passed by your house and saw your room light up. He originally thought of coming in, but then the light went off the next second."
Shikamaru finished speaking, opened his mouth wide, and yawned again, saying, "So, early in the morning, he ran over to wake us up, saying he wanted to come see you."
Only then did Shinji realize, shaking his head and smiling. "Since you're all here, come on in. I will make you some breakfast to eat."
As soon as Shinji finished speaking, Naruto and Choji immediately shouted loudly, "Yay!"
They then ran past Shinji and went inside.
Shinji helplessly shouted from the doorway, "Take off your shoes first!"
"Okay!"
The two were no longer visible in the entranceway, only their response could be heard.
"Sensei, sorry for the intrusion."
Sasuke, looking somewhat constrained, changed his shoes, greeted Shinji, and then walked in.
As for Ino and Shikamaru, they had been here a few times before, so they didn't feel anything special.
Ino was squatting down, putting away Naruto and Choji's shoes.
Seeing this, Shinji chuckled softly and came to the main hall. He saw that Naruto and Choji had already gone into the kitchen and were rummaging through the refrigerator, preparing to take out vegetables to wash.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, slowly picked up the kettle, arranged the cups one by one, and poured water.
As for Sasuke, he was standing next to the sofa, not knowing what to do.
Shinji gestured for Ino to come forward, while saying to Sasuke, "Sasuke, it's your first time at my house, you don't need to be so reserved. Go sit on the sofa."
After speaking, Shinji rolled up his sleeves and stepped into the kitchen.
Sasuke, who remained rooted to the spot, blinked, and was pushed by Ino from behind to sit on the sofa.
At this moment, Shikamaru had just picked up a cup of hot tea and was about to bring it to his mouth. Just then—
Ino snatched it away and said irritably, "Shikamaru, don't be lazy. Why are you only making hot tea for yourself?"
Saying this, Ino handed the teacup in her hand to Sasuke.
"Alright, I'm going." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and responded irritably.
Watching Shikamaru and the others walk around so casually in their teacher's house, at this moment, Sasuke felt inexplicably...
It was impossible to express in words.
Ino, who was beside him, nudged Sasuke. Sasuke turned his head, looking confused.
"Sasuke, relax. At Shinji-sensei's house, just treat it like your own home."
Hearing Ino say this, Sasuke finally understood the feeling he just had. It was exactly the same as being at home, casual.
Only then did Sasuke nod, and his body gradually relaxed.
— — —
In the kitchen, Shinji was tossing the pan while asking Naruto about his training progress over the past two days.
Hearing Naruto boast that he had already completed the rubber ball stage, Shinji became a little surprised.
He reached out and pulled Naruto's palm to confirm. Fortunately, it was just signs of ordinary Chakra overuse. It wasn't like in the original story where he could barely lift his hand.
Only then did Shinji nod and say, "Okay, it seems you've been obedient. Training also requires a balance between work and rest."
Shinji turned his head to look at Choji, who was picking vegetables nearby. "By the way, what about you, Choji?"
Choji raised his chubby face and said without hesitation, "We are training according to the progress you instructed, sensei. It's just that Shikamaru sometimes..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shikamaru, who was originally in the main hall, rushed in with lightning speed and put a hand over Choji's mouth.
"Hehe..."
Looking at Shinji's smiling face, Shikamaru could only give an awkward chuckle.
Shinji irritably told Shikamaru to go out. "Alright, go to the dining room and get ready. Don't crowd the kitchen too much."
He didn't need to think to know that Shikamaru sometimes kept being lazy and resting. After all, for Shikamaru, the growth of strength wasn't something he pursued much.
However, perhaps he would never have imagined that later on, because of Naruto, he would forcefully push himself forward step by step, treating Naruto's ninja way as his own to execute.
Bonds...
If in the original story Naruto kept chasing Sasuke like an idiot, then Shikamaru was the constant support behind that idiot Naruto.
"Naruto, you really should listen to Shikamaru, okay?"
Shinji's subtle remark made Naruto, who was smelling the aroma of rice in the pot nearby, pause.
He then grinned, showing his teeth, and laughed, "Of course. Shikamaru is my best friend."
"You kid." Seeing Naruto act like this, Shinji shook his head irritably.
This silly kid.
Outside the kitchen, Shikamaru, who hadn't gone far yet, chuckled softly, and then stepped towards the nearby cupboard to get bowls and chopsticks.
At the dining table, Shinji was holding a teacup and drinking tea.
Looking at his disciples who were eating with their heads down, he chuckled softly.
Naruto asked, turning his head while chewing something, "By the way, sensei, you won't need to leave the village later, right?"
Shinji said, "No, and the school starts the day after tomorrow, so make sure you're all ready."
"Yes."
Shinji, having received the response, nodded.
He looked at the clock on the wall, and said, "We won't train this morning. Take a good rest later. In the afternoon, we'll have a competition."
Shikamaru, who was originally quite happy to hear that they didn't need to train, paused. The next second, his lips uncontrollably twitched.
As expected, it was impossible to truly rest.
Shinji blew on the mist rising from his teacup and said calmly, "The person with the best performance will have their topic for this semester halved."
Hearing this, the disciples immediately burst out with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Naruto quickly raised his hand and shouted loudly, "I want to be first!"
Sasuke said dismissively, "Impossible. I'm definitely going to defeat you this time, dead last."
Shikamaru was talking about something with Choji, his arm around his shoulder, indicating he remembered what happened last time.
Ino quietly put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at the boys, and said helplessly, "How childish."
...
After eating and resting for a while, Shinji got up first, after all, he had to go set up the venue.
Seeing Shinji preparing to go out, Naruto slapped his forehead as if remembering something and quickly chased after him.
"Sensei!"
Shinji looked at Naruto, who had a mysterious expression, and asked curiously, "What is it?"
Naruto first looked around, and then said softly, "Dad said he has something to discuss with you."
Shinji rubbed his chin and nodded after a while, saying, "Okay, I'll come to your house tonight."