"Ah!"
"When is sensei coming back?!"
On the Training Ground, Naruto, lying on the grass, loudly grumbled with dissatisfaction.
"Idiot, don't you know how noisy you are?" Sasuke, beside him, turned his head, looking at Naruto with displeasure.
"Oh—"
Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto, surprisingly, didn't retort, but just calmly responded.
Shikamaru, beside him, glanced at Naruto in surprise, then continued to pick his ears. He was a bit unaccustomed to this sudden quietness in their days. But it was to be expected, they were already third-year students.
No, it should be said that in a few months they would be fourth-year students. After training with Shinji for so many years, their strength had already reached their current maximum limit.
Now, even two training fanatics like Neji and Sasuke had slightly reduced some unnecessary training. Only their physical conditioning was continuously being strengthened.
"What's wrong? Why is everyone so dispirited?"
A voice suddenly sounded around them, causing Naruto and the others to freeze. Immediately, they all sprang up vigilantly, looking behind them.
"Shinji-sensei!"
Naruto looked at the figure in front of him, first stunned, then excitedly rushed forward.
"Sensei!"
Sasuke and the others also ran forward, gathering around Shinji. After all, Shinji had been gone for several months.
"Eh?!"
"Wait, Naruto, don't pull my clothes. Choji, that's a ninja tool pouch, not food."
Shinji had several little ones hanging on him, each pulling at his clothes wherever they could reach.
Only Sasuke and Neji were a bit more composed, standing to the side, but looking at their gazes, they weren't much different.
After some playful antics, Naruto and the others finally quieted down.
"Alright, let's go to the barbecue restaurant first. I am treating everyone to barbecue."
"Yay!" The few of them all jumped up.
What they ate wasn't important, eating with their sensei was a good thing.
The group walked grandly down the streets of Konoha, with villagers occasionally greeting Shinji.
Naruto, beside him, scratched his head and asked Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, what's going on?"
In the past, there were only a few people at most, but now almost every time they met someone, a villager would come over. And they respectfully called Shinji 'sama'.
"Well... Sensei's strong, you see."
Shikamaru, with his hands behind his head, said calmly, "During this frontline war, sensei made a name for himself."
"In the village, we often hear things. Sensei can now be said to be Konoha's hero."
"Wow! So cool!" Naruto's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Sasuke and Neji, beside him, exchanged glances. It wasn't that they didn't know. It was just that they were often at the training ground and hadn't really gone out to learn about it.
Inside the barbecue restaurant, Shinji sat, with his disciples occasionally serving him grilled meat. He didn't have to lift a finger the entire time, enjoying himself thoroughly.
"Sensei, I've been training a lot lately, you know." Naruto said, raising his eyebrows.
Seeing Naruto's expression, Shinji chuckled.
How could he not know?
When he was on the front lines, the system wasn't dead. He had received information about the growth of Naruto, Sasuke, and the others. He had accumulated over ten thousand points just in Chakra.
However, since his disciple wanted to show off, he naturally couldn't ignore it and pretended not to know, asking, "What about your training?"
"Hehe, I've not only mastered Earth Release, but also Water Release, and I even have a bit of a clue about Fire Release." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.
His smug look made everyone in the private room laugh out loud. No one refuted him, as they had all witnessed Naruto's training. They were even happier to see such achievements.
"Very good, Naruto has grown a lot." Shinji said, patting Naruto's head.
Then he looked at the disciples beside him and said, "You are all very good. Although I have been away for so long, I can feel that none of you have relaxed your training."
"Hehe."
Sasuke and the others also couldn't help but blush slightly, scratching the back of their heads in embarrassment.
Shinji chuckled at the sight, his gaze pausing as it swept over everyone. He saw Neji opening his mouth, as if to say something.
"What's wrong, Neji?" Shinji asked with concern, thinking he had some questions about his training.
"Sensei, I want to apply for early graduation." Neji, hearing Shinji's question, was silent for a long time before finally speaking.
The private room suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Neji.
Hinata looked at Neji with even more worry, as early graduation meant facing the things a ninja should experience. Although it was bound to happen sooner or later, she was still extremely worried.
Shinji looked at Neji in front of him, and seeing no trace of hesitation in his eyes, he nodded.
"Alright, I will arrange it."
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Shinji.
Shinji chuckled and said, "Neji has clearly defined his path, and his strength is not low. He wants to graduate early, and this decision has probably been carefully considered."
At this point, Shinji looked around at Naruto and the others before speaking again, "What I want to say is that with your strength, you could all actually graduate early. I haven't wanted you to do so because you still lack some growth."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances upon hearing this. In terms of strength, the two of them might even be a bit stronger than Neji. But, growth...
To be honest, both of them had to admit that compared to Neji, they were more like children, doing many things based on momentary feelings.
"However, Neji—"
Shinji looked at Neji, his expression very serious.
"If you apply for early graduation now, my decision is that you will need to go to the battlefield."
Neji was stunned upon hearing this, then nodded without hesitation.
This was exactly what he wanted. A ninja who had experienced war was a true ninja. This was also something Shinji had told them before. Kakashi and many ninjas who had experienced the Third Great Ninja War were much stronger than ninjas who graduated and performed missions normally.
More importantly, Neji had already felt a bottleneck. If he were to continue studying at the Academy, he wouldn't be able to progress rapidly.
"Alright, if you're ready tomorrow, come over. I will arrange someone to be your examiner."
Shinji clapped his hands, then motioned for everyone to continue eating.
Inside the private room, the atmosphere was no longer as lively as before. Even the usually boisterous Naruto kept looking at Neji.
Growth.
This word had taken on a different meaning in his mind for the first time.